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Voting records indicate how a politician perceives a given context,



If I supported the military and rejected almost every military-funding-related bill because I wanted it to have more money in it, the voting record would look like I hated the military, which would be patently false.

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After 20 years in the Senate, we can make a pretty good guess at where John Kerry stands as it relates to military spending, health care, etc.



A guess, yes. But only by researching why he voted a certain way could you really reach a good conclusion on his view of the issue.

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Every time the Republicans bring up John Kerry's voting record, the Democrats accuse them of playing dirty politics and making personal attacks. So there must be something wrong with his voting record, no?



The Republicans (and the Democrats from their side as well) just hope that by saying "Candidate X Voted Against Blah" he wants your children to die (or some other stupid rash conclusion) without actually getting into why someone voted that way. It's not exactly "dirty politics" but it's the same sort of creative truth omission and half-stories that Michael Moore is guilty of.

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