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Bob Kerrey's Issue Positions (Political Courage Test)

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Official Position: Candidate addressed this issue directly by taking the Political Courage Test.
Inferred Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, but Vote Smart inferred this issue based on the candidate's public record, including statements, voting record, and special interest group endorsements.
Unknown Position: Candidate refused to address this issue, or we could not infer an answer for this candidate despite exhaustive research of their public record.
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Other or Expanded Principles & Legislative Priorities are entered exactly as candidates submit them. Vote Smart does not edit for misspelled words, punctuation or grammar.

Bob Kerrey refused to tell citizens where he stands on any of the issues addressed in the 2012 Political Courage Test, despite repeated requests from Vote Smart, national media, and prominent political leaders.

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Issue Positions

For Presidential and Congressional candidates who refuse to provide voters with their positions, Vote Smart has researched their public records to determine their likely responses. These issue positions are from 2012.

  • Bob Kerrey. S Amdt 2321. 106th Congress. Expressing Support for <i>Roe v. Wade</i> Decision. Bob Kerrey voted Yea on 10/21/1999. (votesmart.org)
  • Bob Kerrey. S 636. 104th Congress. Abortion Clinic Access bill. Bob Kerrey voted Yea on 05/12/1994. (votesmart.org)
  • Bob Kerrey. HR 1833. 104th Congress. Partial-Birth/Late-Term Abortion Ban Act of 1995. Bob Kerrey voted Nay on 12/07/1995. (votesmart.org)
  • Bob Kerrey. S Amdt 936. 105th Congress. Abortion Funding Amendment. Bob Kerrey voted Nay on 07/22/1997. (votesmart.org)
  • Bob Kerrey. S Amdt 2794. 106th Congress. Overseas Military Hospital Abortions Amendment. Bob Kerrey voted Yea on 06/25/1998. (votesmart.org)
  • Bob Kerrey. S 1692. 106th Congress. Ban on Partial-Birth/Late Term Abortion. Bob Kerrey voted Nay on 10/21/1999. (votesmart.org)
  • Bob Kerrey. HR 1122. 105th Congress. Partial-Birth/Late-Term Abortion bill. Bob Kerrey voted Nay on 05/20/1997. (votesmart.org)
  • Bob Kerrey. S Amdt 593. 105th Congress. Abortions at Overseas Military Facilities. Bob Kerrey voted Yea on 07/10/1997. (votesmart.org)
  • Bill Moyers. Bill Moyers Journal: 1 June 2007. "The United States Senator from Virginia. Said that you don't have to occupy a country in order to be able to go after the terrorists inside of that country. It's absolutely true. That's the mistake that we made in Afghanistan prior to 9-11. And you-- it-- it-- we had the capability, and the question is, do we have the will to-- to target organizations. We're not pursuing Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri and wherever they are in the northwest territories. And we ought to be." (www.pbs.org)
  • Robert Kerrey. Video: Interview with War Hero Bob Kerrey. 3 May 2011. "You don't have to occupy a country in order to go after terrorists inside of that country. In some ways, it may make it worse. I think for me personally, I think it does make the case “ we may want to stay in Afghanistan in order to help the Afghan people defeat Taliban “ but to link that up and say that that's the most successful way to fight terrorism, I think it is harder to make it after this example." (youtu.be)
  • Robert Kerrey. Video: News 5 Interview with Bob Kerrey. 20 April 2012. "I think both Iraq and Afghanistan have demonstrated that we have to be very, very careful about sending large-scale military forces into another country attempting to remake them in our image. I supported the Iraq War from the beginning. I supported President Bush with Afghanistan, but I think all we have to say is what President Bush said, which is there are no sanctuary for terrorists. We don't have to have a land army in Yemen to be able to go after al-Qaeda in Yemen, which we're currently doing." (youtu.be)
  • Don Walton. Star Journal: Don Walton: Kerrey impressed with new wave of Nebraskans. 6 May 2012. "The president should have presented to Congress the recommendations of his debt commission, AKA Simpson Bowles, for (its) consideration." (journalstar.com)
  • Michael Gerson. The Washington Post: Kerrey's Case for Entitlement Reform. 1 June 2012. "Kerrey's criticism of Congress on the entitlement issue has its own tea party edge. 'One option is to do nothing,' he says. 'That currently has 535 co-sponsors.' He describes the Simpson-Bowles report on fiscal reform as 'a huge lost opportunity' because 'the country was ready for it' " which seems an implicit criticism of President Obama's refusal to embrace the recommendations of his own commission." (www.bobkerrey.com)
  • Robert Kerrey. Fix the Ceiling: Bob Kerrey Discusses Defense Spending. 2 June 2011. "Look at what Simpson and Bowles did. You've got a good Republican and a good Democrat and they put a little bit of left, a little bit of right, and they've got a package that works.'" [5:00]. (www.nolabels.org)
  • Bob Kerrey. S 1059. 106th Congress. FY 2000 Defense Authorization. Bob Kerrey voted Yea on 09/22/1999. (votesmart.org)
  • Bob Kerrey. HR 2488. 106th Congress. Financial Freedom Act of 1999. Bob Kerrey voted Nay on 08/05/1999. (votesmart.org)
  • Lloyd Grove. The Daily Beast: Bob Kerrey Interview: Nebraska Senate Race & More. 22 March 2012. "In the event he wins and is returned to the Senate, 'the top of the agenda is immediately to become part of the effort to get our fiscal house in order,' he says. 'Get the debts under control, especially the entitlements, and forge common cause with Republicans as quickly as possible. I don't know how it's going to be, because it's not an easy thing to break with your caucus.' Kerrey favors raising taxes on individuals earning over $250,000, coupled with the continuation of a payroll tax cut. 'This problem is not going to go away. It's got to get solved, and trying to apply a standard of fairness and justice is the correct thing to do.'" (www.thedailybeast.com)
  • Robert Kerrey. Lincoln Journal Star: 2012 Survey. Responded "The tax code is way too complex. The code needs to be streamlined and made more efficient, pro-growth, and simpler. We must also remember that for a majority of Nebraskans payroll taxes represent a larger share of their tax burden than income taxes. This is why I support the Buffet rule and lowering the tax on wages." to the question: "What changes, if any, would you advocate in tax policy?" (m.journalstar.com)
  • Robert Kerrey. My Story. 30 May 2012. "Kerrey's campaign starts with the memory of his first homecoming, when he learned the importance of family, faith and community"and putting the law on the side of working Nebraskans. His agenda includes:...Growing the middle class through economic policies that give Nebraskans an opportunity to succeed and build long-term wealth. Kerrey will support tax policies that distribute burdens fairly." (www.bobkerrey.com)
  • Robert Kerrey. Primary Night Speech. 15 May 2012. "Top of the list is the need to balance our budget. [¦] I am running for Senate because there is an economic and social urgency to reform our tax code. Like my opponent I believe we need to reform and lower corporate rates in order to immediately increase jobs. Where she and I disagree is that I intend to focus my attention on lowering taxes for those Nebraskan who cannot take advantage of the many loopholes, tax shelters and tax breaks afforded to higher income earners. In simple terms, I support the Buffett rule, my opponent does not." (www.bobkerrey.com)
  • Robert Kerrey. Video: News 5 Interview with Bob Kerrey. 20 April 2012. "The challenge right now is that Republicans are promising no new taxes. Indeed right now they're promising to cut taxes again. You're not going to solve a problem at an 80% of debt to GDP by cutting taxes one more time. Certainly if you can reform it and make the tax code more simple than it currently is and be more growth oriented than it currently is"that's all well and good. But the country is going to have to generate some more revenue, and you can't box yourself in by promising never to do anything with entitlements because it's the number problem inside the budget." (youtu.be)
  • Robert Kerrey. State Senator Deb Fischer's Billionaire Backers Throw Tantrum over Suggestion that they Should Help Balance Nation's Budget. 9 June 2012. "'If the criticism is that Bob Kerrey wants to raise taxes on billionaires like the Koch Brothers, the answer is yes,' Johnson [Campaign Manager] said. 'Fischer's billionaire backers clearly believe they are entitled to pay fewer taxes than middle-class Nebraskans. And Fischer is all too eager to help them continue their privileged status, even at the expense of middle-class Nebraskans.'" (www.bobkerrey.com)
  • Brien Williams. George J. Mitchell Oral History Project: Interview with Bob Kerrey by Brien Williams. 11 June 2009. "Brien Willaims: What was your position on the stimulus bill that preceded the budget in '93? Bob Kerrey: I voted against it. BW: For what reasons? BK: Well I think it was $50 billion; it looked like it was going to stimulate a few interest groups. And the economy was recovering; I didn't think we needed a stimulus, not at that particular time. It's not like today where if you didn't stimulate the economy in some fashion, you fear that the economy's going to spiral downward out of control. Then, but then, the economy was growing again. So I don't know, what needed to be stimulated? What I thought was necessary was to balance the budget." (digitalcommons.bowdoin.edu)
  • Robert Kerrey. Fix the Ceiling: Bob Kerrey Discusses Defense Spending. 2 June 2011. "Look at what Simpson and Bowles did. You've got a good Republican and a good Democrat and they put a little bit of left, a little bit of right, and they've got a package that works. So, likewise, if you want to get the economy going again, Democrats are going to have to yield on regulation, they're going to have to yield on taxes, and Republicans are going to have to look and say 'yes sometimes when you put public investments on the line it does create jobs. It does stimulate the economy.'" (it's a radio interview, 5 minutes in). (www.nolabels.org)
  • Brien Williams. George J. Mitchell Oral History Project: Interview with Bob Kerrey by Brien Williams. 11 June 2009. "Brien Willaims: What was your position on the stimulus bill that preceded the budget in ˜93? Bob Kerrey: I voted against it. BW: For what reasons? BK: Well I think it was $50 billion; it looked like it was going to stimulate a few interest groups. And the economy was recovering; I didn't think we needed a stimulus, not at that particular time. It's not like today where if you didn't stimulate the economy in some fashion, you fear that the economy's going to spiral downward out of control. Then, but then, the economy was growing again. So I don't know, what needed to be stimulated? What I thought was necessary was to balance the budget." (digitalcommons.bowdoin.edu)
  • Robert Kerrey. Lincoln Journal Star: 2012 Survey. Responded "The President lost control of the 2009 stimulus package. Too much was wasted and too little long -term benefits." to the question: "Could you identify an issue or two where you would depart from your political party's position? How do you differ and why?" (m.journalstar.com)
  • Robert Kerrey. New York Times: Keeping Momentum on the Energy Bill. 3 December 2002. "If Senator Pete V. Domenici, the Republican from New Mexico who will take over as Energy Committee chairman, decides to load up a new energy bill with these same contentious issues, the Democrats will resist, as they did this year. But if he has the foresight to reintroduce the compromise bill reached by the last Congress, Democrats should put their objections aside and support it. Why? Because this bill will help the economy and boost solid, environmentally sound energy policies. The most important issue in America today is jobs, and this bill will help the private sector create lots of them. In fact, it represents one of the best economic stimulus packages the new Congress is likely to pass. By clarifying arcane rules concerning the electricity industry and repealing outdated Depression-era laws, the bill will encourage more investment in energy. Indeed, our tentative economic recovery depends on secure, sustainable and affordable energy. The bill would advance all those goals." (www.nytimes.com)
  • Bob Kerrey. HR 2488. 106th Congress. Financial Freedom Act of 1999. Bob Kerrey voted Nay on 08/05/1999. (votesmart.org)
  • Sheryl Schmeckpeper. Norfolk Daily News: Election Preview: Democrats square off for open Senate seat. 28 April 2012. "Since 1973, I have been creating private-sector jobs in Nebraska. We need strong, profitable agriculture, common sense regulation; simplified, pro-growth tax laws; a highly motivated and educated work force; fair trade policies; healthy community banks; high-quality infrastructure; public investment in new technologies, and governments at all levels that live within their means." (www.norfolkdailynews.com)
  • Robert Kerrey. Primary Night Speech. 15 May 2012. "I am a candidate for Senate because there is a moral imperative for America to create more jobs. I have been working to do just that in the private sector since 1973 and know there is much we can do to reduce the cost of regulation and business taxes in a way that promotes growth without sacrificing our safety or health." (www.bobkerrey.com)
  • Robert Kerrey. Video: Bob Kerrey TV Ad: "Not Afraid". 11 April 2012. "The Republicans are right about the need to cut regulatory costs and simplify the tax code to promote economic growth." (youtu.be)
  • Bob Kerrey. HR 1804. 104th Congress. Goals 2000: Educate America Act. Bob Kerrey voted Yea on 03/26/1994. (votesmart.org)
  • Chabella Guzman. Star Herald: Kerrey focuses on issues. 18 May 2012. "Kerrey said he believes the federal government has taken too much control from the state in several areas, including education. The federal government has a limited amount of control, he said. It exerted a great of control with the No Child Left Behind program that Kerrey believes made things worse in schools. It is the state and local school districts that need to govern, he added. Kerrey has relatively high confidence in schools dealing with issues and believes the public wants the districts to handle their schools. 'The No Child Left Behind has soured a lot of people," he said. "It was a lot of testing, regulations, orders and mandates that frankly weren't funded. We need to cut the mandates out that were imposed and give the school districts the flexibility they need.' He added that the federal government can assist the states in many areas, but shouldn't try to establish a superintendent of education inside the U.S. Department of Education." (www.starherald.com)
  • Robert Kerrey. Video: Bob Kerrey answers question about education. 31 March 2012. "I don't actually think “ at the end of the day “ that the federal government is going to be able to do that much. I think Title 1 is important; I think special education is important; there's lots of special programs they can do, but I really don't believe that the feds ought to try to coerce local schools. I am very skeptical of No Child Left Behind and very skeptical of some of the mandates [¦] At the post-secondary level, Congress has lots of authority to answer the question: how are we going to regulate higher education? And my experience tells me, we regulate it with a very light hand and it's very difficult to get the kind of innovation you need to bring not just costs down but quality up." (youtu.be)
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.
  • Robert Kerrey. Video: Bob Kerrey Says He Lobbied Senators To Vote For Cap-And-Trade. 16 December 2011. "I'm on the board of the National Resources Defense Council, and climate change legislation is the top of their agenda. And I have the"I would say"unenviable task of trying to persuade 8 to 10 senators to vote in the affirmative, and as a consequence of that discovered a rather dismaying-I think-fact which is climate change legislation is going to be exceptionally difficult to pass...unless we, as Americans, begin to see the issue differently than we do today. Perhaps not all Americans, but certainly the way we at the NRDC have been attempting to frame this issue..." (www.youtube.com)
  • Sierra Club. Project Vote Smart: Interest Group Endorsements. 04/18/2012. Sierra Club endorsed Bob Kerrey in the 2012 general election. (votesmart.org)
  • Robert Kerrey. Video: Bob Kerrey Says He Would Have Voted For Obamacare, Supports Cap-And-Trade. 17 January 2012. "I support doing something for God's sakes. You talk about Cap-and-Trade killing jobs, what if the temperature 3% on the planet? Then we're not going to be farming on this land out here." (youtu.be)
  • Robert Kerrey. Video: 5-15-2012 Bob Kerrey Speech. 16 May 2012. "You only need high school chemistry. You don't to be a Nobel laureate to understand the science of it [global warming]. We're pushing close to 400 PPM of carbon, and it's going to be 500 in anther 10 or 15 years. When it gets to 500, the semi-arid plains are going to be arid...watching the primary, the Republicans think that Cap-and-Trade is a job-killing proposal. If you think Cap-and-Trade is a job-killing proposal, wait 'til you see the plains go from semi-arid to arid... I don't know what the answer is at the moment, but I know one of the answers-the most important answer-that isn't correct is doing nothing." (youtu.be)
  • Robert Kerrey. New York Times: Keeping Momentum on the Energy Bill. 3 December 2002. "If Senator Pete V. Domenici, the Republican from New Mexico who will take over as Energy Committee chairman, decides to load up a new energy bill with these same contentious issues, the Democrats will resist, as they did this year. But if he has the foresight to reintroduce the compromise bill reached by the last Congress, Democrats should put their objections aside and support it. Why? Because this bill will help the economy and boost solid, environmentally sound energy policies. The most important issue in America today is jobs, and this bill will help the private sector create lots of them. In fact, it represents one of the best economic stimulus packages the new Congress is likely to pass. By clarifying arcane rules concerning the electricity industry and repealing outdated Depression-era laws, the bill will encourage more investment in energy. Indeed, our tentative economic recovery depends on secure, sustainable and affordable energy. The bill would advance all those goals. Second, the bill can bring Americans important benefits in the form of safer, more reliable energy. It would encourage the development of ''green'' or renewable resources -- wind, solar, geothermal, biomass and small-scale hydroelectric, for example -- which today generate less than 2 percent of our nation's electricity. The other 98 percent comes from traditional sources like fossil fuels, nuclear energy and large-scale hydro projects, which carry far heavier environmental burdens." (www.nytimes.com)
  • Robert Kerrey. Primary Night Speech. 15 May 2012. "We know our planet is warming and our weather becoming more erratic. We know that the impact of this warming will be terrible for the economic livelihood of future generations particularly those of us who live on the semi-arid high plains. But we are afraid of asking citizens to face these facts and change our ways before it's too late. Again, our response? We do nothing." (www.bobkerrey.com)
  • Bob Kerrey. S Amdt 362. 106th Congress. Gun Show Sale Regulation Amendment. Bob Kerrey voted Yea on 05/20/1999. (votesmart.org)
  • Bob Kerrey. S Amdt 1152. 103th Congress. Prohibiting the Possession of Semi-Automatic Assault Weapons. Bob Kerrey voted Yea on 11/17/1993. (votesmart.org)
  • Bob Kerrey. HR 1025. 103th Congress. Brady Handgun Bill. Bob Kerrey voted Yea on 11/20/1993. (votesmart.org)
  • Robert Kerrey. Video: Bob Kerrey for Senate ad 1994. 2 December 2011. "I'm a hunter, and I believe in the constitutional right to bear arms. When it's time to hunt birds, you need a good gun like this Ruger Red Label. 25 years ago, in the War in Vietnam, people hunted me. They needed a good weapon, like this AK-47, but you don't need one of these to hunt birds." (www.youtube.com)
  • Robert Kerrey. Video: Bob Kerrey On Health Care Reform: Must Bring More Government Into The Transaction. 28 March 2012. "And I don't know -- maybe the Democrats can push through some kind of a bill, but it would be a lot better if the Republicans, for example, came and said, look, you don't have tort reform on here. If you put tort reform and a couple of other things, we'll support it. I mean, that's where you've got to get, it seems to me. You don't have that breakthrough moment where you know they're serious.You know, now the Republicans are attacking the proposal because they're trying to restrain the growth of Medicare. Well, you want to say, duh, how else are you going to get costs under control unless you do it? How else are you going to get rid of the uninsured problem unless you bring a little more government into the transaction? So I was sort of sad by the whole thing." (www.youtube.com)
  • Robert Kerrey. Issue Position: Health Care. Access 15 October 2012. "The transparency of this approach would have been far preferable to the Affordable Care Act. That system is preferable to the status quo--it would be hard not to be. The most intractable problem of the Affordable Care Act is that it was passed on a narrow, party-line basis and is therefore unsustainable. Ideally, so important a bill should have been passed with broad, bipartisan and public support. That is why I broke with my party and endorsed the Republican health care reform bill sponsored by Senators Bob Dole and John Chafee in 1994, a time of intense pressure to toe the partisan line." /issue-position-health-care
  • Robert Kerrey. Issue Position: Health Care. "The transparency of this approach would have been far preferable to the Affordable Care Act. That system is preferable to the status quo--it would be hard not to be. The most intractable problem of the Affordable Care Act is that it was passed on a narrow, party-line basis and is therefore unsustainable. Ideally, so important a bill should have been passed with broad, bipartisan and public support. That is why I broke with my party and endorsed the Republican health care reform bill sponsored by Senators Bob Dole and John Chafee in 1994, a time of intense pressure to toe the partisan line." /issue-position-health-care
  • Robert Kerrey. Video: Bob Kerrey Says He Would Oppose Repealing Obamacare. 9 January 2012. "There are many significant flaws in the bill that I'd like to see changed [¦] I don't know all the details of it [...] if you're concerned about the debt and you're concerned about the budget, you can't solve it without doing healthcare [¦] I don't think I'd vote for an outright repeal of Obamacare." (www.youtube.com)
  • Robert Kerrey. Lincoln Journal Star: 2012 Survey. Responded "The Affordable Care Act provides essential protection for Americans who purchase health insurance and it is a market-oriented law that will help working families in Nebraska by making it easier for them to purchase health insurance. However, it does almost nothing about the underlying cost of care to individuals, businesses, and state, local and federal governments." to the question: "What changes, if any, would you support in the health care reform law or through alternative health care reform legislation?" (m.journalstar.com)
  • Robert Kerrey. New York Times: A Favored Son Returns to Uphill Battle in Nebraska. 2 April 2012. "My position will be fix it, don't repeal it. I prefer not single-payer, but I think you've got to get everyone in the same group. I think the commercial payers can get it done." (www.nytimes.com)
  • Robert Kerrey. Video: Bob Kerrey On Health Care Reform: Must Bring More Government Into The Transaction. "And I don't know -- maybe the Democrats can push through some kind of a bill, but it would be a lot better if the Republicans, for example, came and said, look, you don't have tort reform on here. If you put tort reform and a couple of other things, we'll support it. I mean, that's where you've got to get, it seems to me. You don't have that breakthrough moment where you know they're serious.You know, now the Republicans are attacking the proposal because they're trying to restrain the growth of Medicare. Well, you want to say, duh, how else are you going to get costs under control unless you do it? How else are you going to get rid of the uninsured problem unless you bring a little more government into the transaction? So I was sort of sad by the whole thing." (www.youtube.com)
  • Robert Kerrey. Video: Bob Kerrey Strongly Supported The Public Option. 16 December 2011. "From my standpoint, it isn't just because I live in Greenwich Village now. The longer I've been here, the more privy I get to the left on this one. We calculated the 8% charge if I don't provide health insurance. I think I'd probably pay 12, just to be removed from the thousands of hours you spend trying to figure out what your healthcare package is going to be for full- and part-time employees. I mean, I really don't get how the public option got demonized so badly and why it became so scary." (youtu.be)
  • Sheryl Schmeckpeper. Norfolk Daily News: Election Preview: Democrats square off for open Senate seat. 28 April 2012. "I do not favor repealing the Affordable Health Care Act because it protects Nebraskans who purchase health insurance and will make it easier for the uninsured to purchase health insurance. I do favor fixing the law to address the problem of cost of care to individuals, businesses and state, local and federal governments." (www.norfolkdailynews.com)
  • Robert Kerrey. Video:Bob Kerrey Says He Would Have Voted For Obamacare, Supports Cap-And-Trade. 17 January 2012. "It's a huge problem, and I think the Affordable Care Act makes things better but it still isn't done. There's still plenty of work to be done. Anyone who says otherwise is ignoring the facts." (youtu.be)
  • Robert Kerrey. Statement from Bob Kerrey on Immigration Policy. 25 June 2012. "Bob Kerrey has released the following statement in response to today's U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Arizona's immigration law and also in response to recent proposals from President Barack Obama, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and Senator Marco Rubio: [...] 'I see it much differently. I support the Romney plan and believe Congress should add authorizing language that supports the executive action taken by President Obama and send it to the President as quickly as possible. I would also support Senator Marco Rubio's immigration proposal and working it into compromise legislation.'" (votesmart.org)
  • Joseph Morton. Omaha.com: Kerrey Backs Romney's Citizenship Plan; Fischer Doesn't. 26 June 2012. "Former Nebraska Sen. Bob Kerrey called on his fellow Democrats to support plans by Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney that include a path to citizenship for those brought into the country illegally as children but who go on to serve in the military." (votesmart.org)
  • Sheryl Schmeckpeper. Norfolk Daily News: Election Preview: Democrats square off for open Senate seat. 28 April 2012. "We must do a better job of securing our borders. We have a right to enforce our laws and to expect that people entering the country obey them as well. An unrestricted, no questions asked pathway to legal status would be as wrong as moving to deport an estimated 10 million men, women and children who are here illegally. There is an urgent need for Republicans and Democrats to compromise their differences and reach an agreement to change federal immigration law that everyone agrees no longer works." (www.norfolkdailynews.com)
  • Bob Kerrey. HR 3396. 104th Congress. Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Bob Kerrey voted Nay on 09/10/1996. (votesmart.org)
  • Lincoln Journal Star: Kerrey in favor of same-sex marriage; Bruning against. 10 May 2012. "Nebraska U.S. Senate candidates are voicing their opinions about same-sex marriage in the wake of President Barack Obama's endorsement of it. Democratic candidate Bob Kerrey said Thursday he believes strongly in marriage equality but added that states should retain the authority to establish family and marriage laws. He also pointed to his opposition to the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which he views as a restriction on states." (m.journalstar.com)
  • Jason Horowitz. The New York Observer: Kerrey on School Shootings, Gay Marriage. 2 May 2007. "On the suddenly news-y topic of gay marriage, Kerrey explained how he thinks Democrats should frame the issue, and used the John Kerry 2004 campaign as an illustration of how they shouldn't. 'I think John missed an opportunity,' Kerrey said. 'A woman asked him do you think people are born gay or straight, and John didn't answer that question and that it is the most important question.' Kerrey said the lesson about the gay marriage debate is that Democrats need to engage social conservatives on their ground by a clear moral argument. 'I would recommend that a candidate answer the question saying, 'Look, I think God puts people on earth gay and straight.' I would start with that. It's a religious belief.'" (observer.com)
  • Clarke Canfield. KLKN TV: 18 May 2012. "Former Nebraska Gov. and Sen. Bob Kerrey, a Democrat who is again running for the Senate, voiced his support for gay marriage this week. And in Minnesota, gay marriage supporters say Obama's position is galvanizing opponents of a proposed constitutional amendment to ban it and should help fundraising efforts." (www.klkntv.com)
  • Joe Jordan. Exclusive: Kerrey Supports Gay Marriage. 10 May 2012. "'I support marriage equality and believe strongly that all of us have a right to be treated equally under the law,' said Kerrey. 'I also believe that states should retain the authority to write family and marriage laws' [¦] 'I know that many good people disagree with me on this issue,' said Kerrey. 'However, as occurred with former Vice-President Dick Cheney, all of us are acquiring increased awareness of the struggle of gay and lesbian Americans.'" (nebraska.watchdog.org)
  • Robert Kerrey. Video: Interview with War Hero Bob Kerrey. 3 May 2011. Interview with War Hero Bob Kerrey. "You don't have to occupy a country in order to go after a terrorist inside of that country. In some ways, it may make it worse. I think for me personally I think it does make the case we may want to stay in Afghanistan in order to help the Afghan people defeat the Taliban, but to link that up and say that that's the most successful way to fight terrorism. I think it's harder to make it after this example." (youtu.be)
  • Robert Kerrey. Video: News 5 Interview with Bob Kerrey. 20 April 2012. "I think both Iraq and Afghanistan have demonstrated that we have to be very, very careful about sending large-scale military forces into another country attempting to remake them in our image. I supported th Iraq War from the beginning. I supported President Bush with Afghanistan, but I think all we have to say is what President Bush said which is there are no sanctuary for terrorists. We don't have to have a land army in Yemen to be able to go after al-Qaeda in Yemen, which we're currently doing." (youtu.be)
  • Despite exhaustive research, Vote Smart was unable to find information about this candidate's position.

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