From the Left

The damage of the first six years of George W. Bush's presidency cannot be undone. We can't take back the horror of Katrina or the thousands of lives and billions of dollars lost in Iraq. We can't undo the degradation of our international reputation. And only the years to come will show whether our nation will recover from the crimes committed against our principles and ideology: the violation of the separation of powers, the continual breach of the boundary between church and state, the marginalization of health care and public education, the threat to the rights of women and gays and the trampling of our civil liberties.

President Bush and his Republican cronies have failed America. This Election Day, it's time for a regime change. The only way to stop the Republican hard-right agenda is to return Congress to the Democrats. A Democratic legislature can undo the consequences of failed GOP leadership, but a Democratic Senate is impossible without the reelection of New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez. Menendez is an experienced, able legislator who will represent the interests of New Jersey voters on Capitol Hill.

Tom Kean, Jr.'s entire campaign has amounted to violently smearing Menendez. His attack ads have garnered national attention for their uncommonly nasty style and content. The national media has taken note of Kean's desperate accusations. In its endorsement of Menendez, The New York Times editorial board wrote, "Mr. Kean has gone so far overboard in criticizing the senator that he has attempted to use an episode in which Mr. Menendez actually fought corruption early in his career as an example of unethical behavior." Menendez grew up politically in Hudson County, which is notorious for hard-edged local politics. However, he has distanced himself from corruption at every opportunity. His leadership has been and will continue to be guided by integrity and morality.

Kean has turned cruel insinuation into the substance of his campaign for a simple reason: He does not want to talk about the issues. If Kean were to talk about the issues, New Jersey voters would see that their decision is extremely simple. Though Kean bills himself as an "independent," he will be nothing more than another Republican yes-man for President Bush. He capitalizes on the popularity of his namesake father, former Governor Thomas Kean, in an attempt to distract voters from his lack of progressive ideas and his willingness to adhere to the conservative agenda. If Kean were a true reformer and maverick, would Karl Rove, Laura Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney have campaigned for him?

Menendez has taken a stand of firm opposition to the Bush administration. He has been against the Iraq War from the first opportunity to vote "no." He supports bringing our troops home within a year and has articulated that "stay the course" is empty and irresponsible rhetoric when there is no end or victory in sight. Kean, in contrast, has confessed that he would vote "yes" to the war even with the benefit of hindsight and knowledge of the government's deception about weapons of mass destruction. He has dodged questions about the war from reporters and debate moderators, which is not only disingenuous but disrespectful of the many voters who see Iraq as a crucial national issue.

Menendez supports funding for embryonic stem cell research, as do three-quarters of Americans. The senator's mother suffers from Alzheimer's, so he can relate to the thousands of Americans who hope to find cures for chronic illness. Kean, in another attempt to become more palatable to New Jersey voters, professes support for the research. However, when he had a chance to prove this support, he voted against a state bill to borrow $250 million for three stem cell and biomedical research centers in New Jersey.

Menendez is a champion of New Jersey workers. He prioritizes raising the minimum wage and developing a system of tax cuts that benefit the millions of Americans who are struggling to make ends meet. Kean, in contrast, wants to make Bush's tax cuts — which provide relief to only the wealthiest sliver of Americans — permanent. He would vote against the elevation of the minimum wage. This makes sense. Menendez grew up the son of immigrants in a tenement building in Union City. His father was a carpenter and his mother a seamstress. He knows what it means to not have enough. In contrast, Kean comes from a moneyed, socially entrenched political family. Menendez pulled himself up through American society; Kean tapped into his trust fund.

Every two years in this country, we have a chance to overthrow the government. A vote for Sen. Bob Menendez is a vote for a good man and an experienced legislator. But most importantly, a vote for Menendez is a vote for change. Morganne Pollie '07 writes on behalf of the College Democrats. She is a Comparative Literature major from Bryn Mawr, Pa., and may be reached at mpollie@princeton.edu.