Bush ad slams Kerry votes; Democrats tout middle-class values

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- The values debate erupted on the presidential campaign trail yesterday, as the Bush-Cheney team released a TV ad questioning John F. Kerry's political priorities, while the Democratic ticket said it, not the GOP, shares the social values of the middle class.

In a spot titled ''Priorities," President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney highlighted a raft of Senate votes Kerry missed this year, before pointing out that he made time to vote against a law that makes it a crime to kill or harm a fetus in an assault on a pregnant woman. The legislation is often called ''Laci and Conner's Law," after the pregnant California murder victim Laci Peterson and her unborn son.

''Kerry has his priorities. Are they yours?" the ad asks.

In a conference call with reporters, Nicolle Devenish, communications director for the Bush-Cheney campaign, accused Kerry and his newly named running mate, Senator John Edwards of North Carolina, of being outside the political mainstream.

''Together they are more distanced from the values and priorities of mainstream America than any ticket in the history of the Democratic Party. Together they opposed tax relief for moms and dads, married couples, and small businesses. Together, they oppose measures to make health care more affordable. Together, they opposed body armor, health care, and combat pay for our troops on the front lines in Afghanistan and Iraq. And together, they've consistently voted against measures to strengthen America's families," Devenish said.

Chad Clanton, campaign spokesman for Kerry and Edwards, replied of the Bush-Cheney team: ''They've got no record to run on, no positive vision for the future, so they attack."

Kerry and Edwards, campaigning together for the first time without their families, cast the administration as out of touch with ordinary Americans during their first airport rally, which was held in this battleground state.

''This administration that talks about patriotism, that wraps itself in the flag, has been willing to cut the [Veterans Affairs Administration], so we leave tens of thousands of veterans struggling to get the care they need," Kerry told a crowd of over 1,000 gathered in a sweltering airplane hangar here.

Rattling through his agenda of providing health insurance, better schools, and better-paying jobs, he added he would ''do what Nancy Reagan is pleading with America to do" and promote stem-cell research to seek cures for deadly illnesses. ''These are the ways we live up to the values of family and faith and opportunity and service," Kerry said. ''We need to believe again in those possibilities, and I do and John does, and so do you."

Edwards harkened back to his transformation from the son of a mill worker to a US senator from North Carolina.

''The very idea that somebody coming from my background can get the amount of chances and opportunities I had, says so much about America," Edwards said. ''And let me tell you something: At the heart and soul of this campaign and this presidency will be making sure that every single American gets the same chances we had, no matter where they live, no matter who their family is, no matter what color their skin."

The debate over values represents the first head-to-head confrontation between the Democratic and Republican tickets.

''When you look at the Republican strength in the heartland and southern and rural areas, a lot of it is because the Democrats are viewed as Northeastern liberals more interested in Hollywood than middle America," said Stuart Rothenberg, an independent Washington political analyst. ''From the Democrats' perspective, Edwards helps them appeal in the rural areas and middle America."

For Kerry and Edwards, their focus recalls Bill Clinton's talk of values in the 1990s, particularly during his 1996 reelection campaign. For Bush and Cheney, the talk about values is fundamental to motivating their base, including Christian conservatives.

The Democrats see the Republicans as provoking a moral debate, rather than resolving a social issue. '' 'Values' are photo ops and wedge issues for the Bush-Cheney campaign," said Kerry spokesman David Wade. He noted Bill Frist, the Senate Republican leader, planned to begin a debate on a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage on Monday, after saying he hoped to get Kerry and other Democrats ''on the record" on the issue before their party convention begins July 26 in Boston.

The Republicans see the Democrats as appropriating their message, as well as running away from their legislative records. Last weekend, when Kerry said during a Midwestern bus tour that he stood for ''conservative values," Bush's reelection committee noted the National Review had branded him the Senate's most liberal member last year.

''The most liberal senator and the fourth-most liberal senator are out of step on the kitchen table issues that matter to Americans," said a statement from Bush-Cheney spokesman Steve Schmidt, citing the National Journal's ratings.

Rothenberg, the political analyst, said this year's debate will be akin to the focus Bush placed on education issues during the 2000 campaign. The subject is considered a Democratic strength, but Bush spoke about it enough to convert some voters to his cause.

''The Republicans need to push it, and in doing so, they push their base to the voting booth," Rothenberg said. ''The Democrats don't feel like they have to win it, but if they can just make middle America feel more comfortable with them, they can make some inroads in traditionally Republican areas and wrap up the election."

Following their trip to Florida, Kerry and Edwards flew to New York for a $7 million fund-raiser in midtown Manhattan. Kerry and his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, also appeared on CNN's ''Larry King Live."

During the appearance, Kerry acknowledged publicly for the first time that he considered Senator John McCain of Arizona, a Republican, to be his running mate.

''People suggested that we look at that," Kerry said. ''There were some people on the other side of the fence, may I say, who reached out and suggested it. [McCain] and I chatted briefly about whether or not we should even explore it. And I think in his heart he felt that it was not something he wanted to do, and in the end, we saw issues about it, and we didn't pursue it."

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com.