Kerry doesn't care about the budget deficit. He obviously intends to expand social programs which will lead to higher taxes across the board eventually. Expanding social programs solidifies and expands the Democratic party base as they foster a greater dependency on government. This is in direct contrat to president Bush's idea of an "ownership society" that he talked about in his acceptance speech. It's one of the reason he's so hated by the left ie there's a big idealogical difference in what Bush see's as governments role and what the left sees as government's role in entitlement spending. This statement by Kerry is so revealing:
At a campaign stop in West Virginia, Mr. Kerry fired back, saying the president's "rush to war" cost the United States $200 billion that could have been used for domestic spending initiatives he favors.
Bush mocks a new Kerry 'U-turn'