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Issues 101
Where the Candidates Stand
Hillary Clinton - John
McCain - Barack Obama - Ron
Paul - Ignored
Issues -
How George Bush in 2000 defined the issues for
2008
Even though the 2008 campaign has disintegrated into a
game of mud-slinging and misrepresentation of the candidate's views by
their opponents, it is important to see where the candidates stand on
the issues.
It is equally important to look at other factors, such
as:
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Are their public positions compatible with their history
and does it jibe with the special interests who are behind their
campaigns.
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If a candidate makes fiery speeches about health care,
are those speeches supported by their past actions, or inactions, as a
public servant?
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Are their platforms designed in such a way to benefit a
certain industry, such as the pharmaceutical industry (using the health
care example)?
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Even though their spouses may not be running, are those
spouses benefiting from certain industries or sectors, lobbyists,
backers or contributors in such a way as to be at odds with what the
candidate is saying on the campaign road?
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Even if the candidate were elected president, would they
really be in a position to deliver on those promises? A Republican
president facing a Congress dominated by Democrats may have the best
intentions, but is in fact probably unable to deliver on the campaign
promises.
The following statements are taken directly from each
candidate's website, so the categorization and format of those issues
will vary. In the case of Barack Obama, the links are primarily video
statements, while those of Hillary Clinton are in text format. You can
also click on the candidate's name to go directly to their own official
website.
Hillary
Clinton
America's middle class is under siege and ready for
change. People are working harder and longer for less and
less. For six long years, America's middle class and working
families have been invisible to our president. When Hillary
is in the White House, no American will be invisible to the
president of the United States.
Nearly 47 million Americans -- including 9 million
children -- don't have health insurance. America is ready
for universal health care. Hillary has the vision and the
experience to make it a reality. This is a battle Hillary
has fought before -- and she has the scars to prove it. She
knows better than anyone how to fight and build the
political support to get the job done.
America is ready for a leader who will end the war in
Iraq. Hillary's roadmap out of Iraq, the Iraq Troop
Protection and Reduction Act of 2007, is a plan to end the
war before the next president takes the oath of office. But
if the Bush administration won't end the war, as president
and commander in chief, Hillary will.
The choices we make about energy touch nearly every
aspect of our lives. Our economy, our national security, our
health, and the future of our planet are all at stake as we
make a choice between energy independence and dependence on
foreign sources of oil. Hillary has proposed an Apollo
Project-like program dedicated to achieving energy
independence.
Hillary has long been a passionate advocate for providing
greater educational opportunities to all children. She knows
that parents are our children's first teachers, and the
early years have a tremendous impact on their lives. She
also knows that we have to improve our K-12 system in order
to ensure that every child is prepared to compete, and has a
plan to make college affordable for all.
Hillary will ensure that all those who sacrifice on
behalf of our country receive the help and care they need.
They not only deserve our country's gratitude and support;
they deserve the gold standard in health care and benefits
when they return home. That is our most solemn obligation to
those who have put their lives on the line for our country.
America is ready for a president who fights for our
children. From her first job out of law school at the
Children's Defense Fund to her time as First Lady of
Arkansas and of the United States to her service in the
Senate, helping children has been at the center of Hillary's
public life.
The next president's most urgent task will be to restore
America's standing in the world to promote our interests,
ensure our security, and advance our values. America is
stronger when we lead the world through alliances. As
president, Hillary will lead by the words of the Declaration
of Independence, which pledged "a decent respect to the
opinions of mankind."
Hillary's historic statement in 1995 that "women's
rights are human rights" still echoes worldwide. As a
lawyer, advocate, First Lady, and senator, Hillary has
fought for issues important to women here at home and around
the world for decades. Hillary will continue her lifelong
fight to ensure that all Americans are treated with respect
and dignity.
Americans are ready for a government that puts competency
ahead of cronyism. For the past six years, we've had an
administration that has contempt for government. And because
they view it with contempt, they treat it with contempt. We
need a return to transparency and a system of checks and
balances, and a 21st century government to meet our 21st
century challenges.
Fair and honest elections are the bedrock of a successful
democracy. Yet we have seen abuses in national elections
since 2000 that have undermined our democracy and Americans'
faith in our electoral system. Hillary is a leading champion
of election reform. She has introduced the Count Every Vote
Act to avoid repeating the problems of the past and ensure
the integrity of our elections.
Our immigration system is in crisis. The laws we
currently have on the books are inadequate and no longer
serve our best interests. As a nation, we place a premium on
compassion, respect, and policies that help families, but
our immigration laws don't reflect that. Hillary has
consistently called for comprehensive immigration reform
that respects our immigrant heritage and honors the rule of
law.
At a time when workers are anxious about the challenges
of globalization and there is growing concern that America
is losing its competitive edge, Hillary offered her views on
how innovation can be the key for creating new jobs,
stimulating economic growth, and ensuring American
leadership of 21st century industries.
Hillary has a vision for rebuilding rural communities to
ensure that opportunities are available and people can still
achieve the American dream. At the core of Hillary's vision
is her strong support for family farms. She believes that
there are many opportunities to create good jobs and improve
key services in rural areas.
John
McCain
Economic
Stimulus Plan
John
McCain has bold solutions to stimulate the American
economy.
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McCain
Tax Cut Plan
John
McCain believes taxes should be low, simple, and fair
and has a track record of commitment to these
principles.
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Government
Spending, Lower Taxes and Economic Prosperity
America's
economic progress requires that the federal government
abide by the same standards of common sense and fiscal
restraint as hardworking families.
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Straight
Talk on Health System Reform
John
McCain is willing to address the fundamental problem:
the rapidly rising cost of U.S. health care. Bringing
costs under control is the only way to stop the
erosion of affordable health insurance, save Medicare
and Medicaid, protect private health benefits for
retirees, and allow our companies to effectively
compete around the world.
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Strict
Constructionist Philosophy
John
McCain believes that one of the greatest threats to
our liberty and the Constitutional framework that
safeguards our freedoms are willful judges who usurp
the role of the people and their representatives and
legislate from the bench. As President, John McCain
will nominate judges who understand that their role is
to faithfully apply the law as written, not impose
their opinions through judicial fiat.
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Human
Dignity & the Sanctity of Life
During
more than five years as a POW in Vietnam, John McCain
experienced the worst assaults on human dignity
imaginable. Yet each day he also saw in his fellow
prisoners the power of human compassion and the will
to prevail against unimaginable evil. It is this
experience, and a life dedicated to public service,
that has imbued in John McCain a fundamental
commitment to the protection of human dignity that
will shape his presidency.
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Lobbying
& Ethics Reform
John
McCain believes that a government "of the people,
by the people, and for the people" must remain
ever faithful to that noble charge. America needs
leadership devoted to the public interest, not the
special interest, and a government that fulfills its
duties with unfailing integrity, accountability, and
common sense. Those who serve in positions of public
trust have a patriotic duty to serve the national
interest with integrity and accountability, to conduct
ourselves in a manner worthy of the people we are
privileged to serve, and to devote ourselves to
America's agenda, not that of narrow special
interests.
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Strategy
for Victory in Iraq
John
McCain believes that we must not fail in Iraq.
Succeeding in the cause of helping the Iraqi people
build a stable, secure, representative state is
essential to achieving an enduring peace in a region
of the world central to American prosperity and
national security. Failure in Iraq will endanger
America for generations to come. America has a vital
interest in a secure, democratic Iraq, at peace with
its neighbors, to help stabilize a dangerous and
critical region.
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Border
Security & Immigration Reform
I
have always believed that our border must be secure
and that the federal government has utterly failed in
its responsibility to ensure that it is secure. If we
have learned anything from the recent immigration
debate, it is that Americans have little trust that
their government will honor a pledge to do the things
necessary to make the border secure.
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Commitment
To America's Service Members: Past And Present
America
owes its liberty, its prosperity, and its future to
our veterans who have dedicated their lives to
protecting our great country. John McCain has fought
to honor our national commitment to our veterans who
have given their careers and livelihoods to ensuring
our freedom. He believes we must provide for service
members and their families while they serve, we must
help those who return from combat to adjust to
civilian life, and we must honor and never forget the
service of those who do not return.
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Education
Excellence,
Choice, and Competition in American Education
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National
Security
The
most sacred responsibility vested in a president - the
commander in chief - is to "preserve and
protect" American citizens. John McCain has the
necessary vision and unrivaled experience to command
the United States armed forces and adapt our nation's
defenses to the demands of a changing and dangerous
world.
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Stewards
of Our Nation's Rich Natural Heritage
John
McCain has a proud record of common sense stewardship.
Along with his commitment to clean air and water, and
to conserving open space, he has been a leader on the
issue of global warming with the courage to call the
nation to action on an issue we can no longer afford
to ignore.
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Protecting
Second Amendment Rights
John
McCain believes that the right of law abiding citizens
to keep and bear arms is a fundamental, individual
Constitutional right that we have a sacred duty to
protect. We have a responsibility to ensure that
criminals who violate the law are prosecuted to the
fullest, rather than restricting the rights of law
abiding citizens. Gun control is a proven failure in
fighting crime. Law abiding citizens should not be
asked to give up their rights because of criminals -
criminals who ignore gun control laws anyway.
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America's
Space Program
"Let
us now embark upon this great journey into the stars
to find whatever may await us."
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Barack
Obama
Economy
Education
Environment
Faith
Foreign
Policy
Iraq
Immigration
Healthcare
Ron
Paul
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