The Economy
Obama Obama proposes a new direction that would break with President Bush’s economic policies. He calls for: a $1,000-per-household tax cut for working families; $22 billion to jumpstart the economy through federal aid to states and local communities to prevent cuts in health, education, housing and heating assistance and avoid property tax increases; $150 billion in investments in creating Green Jobs developing new energy sources; and restoring tax rates for the very wealthy to their levels during the late 1990’s. [Obama].
McCain McCain has often said that the “fundamentals” of the economy are “sound.” He initially opposed President Bush’s tax cuts for the very wealthy but now supports them. He would cut corporate taxes from 35 to 25 percent. [McCain]
Health Care
Obama Obama would provide all Americans with affordable and comprehensive health insurance. As a Senator, he has voted to improve and expand children’s health insurance (the State Children’s Health Insurance Program – SCHIP – that helps states insure kids) [Senate]. He would: Let all Americans buy the same health insurance that members of Congress get. Cover all children in the USA. Require insurance companies to sell policies to everyone, regardless of chronic conditions. Invest in preventive care that helps families find and treat small problems before they become big problems and in cost-saving technologies. [Barack Obama]
Biden Supports Obama’s healthcare plan, including allowing all Americans to buy into the comprehensive plan that members of Congress have. [Joe Biden] Voted to expand health coverage for children and supports its improvement. [Senate]
McCain McCain would tax the healthcare benefits that Americans get at work. He would replace the system that currently covers 158 million Americans. Instead, he would provide people with tax credits to buy their own insurance in a deregulated private market where insurance companies would decide whether to cover people with chronic conditions. [John McCain] [American Progress Action Fund] He opposed expanding health care for children and supported President Bush’s veto of the bill that would have expanded coverage to over 10 million kids. [Senate]
Palin Palin has said she wants to encourage “competition” in healthcare and supports “flexibility” in government – words that are often used to support plans like McCain’s. [KSBW] [American Progress Action Fund] [Alaska Health Care Strategies Planning Council]
Iraq War
Obama Obama opposed the Iraq War from the beginning. He wants to withdraw all U.S. combat troops within 16 months of becoming president. [Barack Obama] [Rocky Mountain News]
Biden In 2002, Biden voted to give President Bush the authority to go to war. Now he fully supports Obama’s plan to withdraw all U.S. combat troops 16 months after the new administration takes office. [Joe Biden] [Politico]
McCain McCain supported the invasion of Iraq. He has said that any timetable for withdrawal is unacceptable. [CNN] [News Max] [John McCain]
Palin In March 2007, Palin said that she supported the Bush Administration on the Iraq War but wanted to see an “exit plan” in place. [Alaska Business Monthly]
Education
Obama Obama will invest in early childhood education. He will help school districts offer higher salaries to recruit and retain more and better public school teachers. He will help young people from middle class and low-income families to attend college by providing $4,000 in student aid in exchange for 100 hours of community service. [Obama]
Biden Biden has consistently voted to maintain and approve student loan and student aid programs to help young people from middle class and low-income families to afford college. He shares Obama’s commitment to expanding early childhood education, recruiting more and better K-12 teachers, and making college affordable for all qualified young people, regardless of family income. [Biden]
McCain McCain would cut the total amount of federal funding for public schools and student aid for college students. With the remaining funds, he would shift money to recruit better teachers, give bonuses to teachers with students who do well on tests, give principals more control over school funds, and expand “school choice” for private schools and charter schools. [John McCain]
Palin She favors teaching creationism alongside evolution in schools. She has said that it would “take more than money alone to pave the way toward better schools.” [Palin for Governor]
Fair Pay for Working Women
Obama Obama recognizes the problem of pay discrimination against women. He supports the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act ensuring equal pay for equal work for women and men. (The proposed law is named after Lily Ledbetter, who suffered pay discrimination while working for Goodyear but whose lawsuit against the discrimination was denied by the U.S. Supreme Court.) [Associated Press]
Biden Biden supports the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. He also introduced and led the fight for the Violence Against Women Act, which protects women against domestic abuse and gender-based assaults. [Joe Biden]
McCain McCain opposed the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act for working women saying it interfered with “the business of a private enterprise system.” [Associated Press]
Palin Opposes the Lily Ledbetter Equal Pay Act but supports the idea of equal pay. [Associated Press]
Social Security
Obama Obama is committed to keeping Social Security solvent for decades to come. He is opposed to privatizing Social Security, warning that the Bush Administration plan would put older Americans’ retirement incomes at risk of panics on Wall Street. He would consider a payroll tax increase of 2 to 4 percent on people making more than $250,000 if it is necessary for Social Security’s long-term stability. [Obama]
Biden He has opposed all efforts to privatize Social Security. [Joe Biden]
McCain McCain has supported the Bush Administration’s efforts to privatize Social Security. He has said that, when it comes to fixing Social Security, everything “is on the table,” except he has ruled out the possibility of payroll tax increases, even on the wealthy. [CBN]
Palin Palin has not made any public statements about the future of Social Security. [Sarah Palin]
Choice
Obama Obama is committed to upholding a woman’s right to choose. He has a 100 percent pro-choice voting record. He supports the U.S. Supreme Court’s pro-choice Roe v. Wade decision. [ProChoice America]
Biden Biden is pro-choice. He supports the Supreme Court’s pro-choice Roe v. Wade decision. [Joe Biden]
McCain McCain is firmly pro-life. He has a consistent 0% voting record from NARAL. He has promised to nominate pro-life judges. He wants to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court’s pro-choice Roe v. Wade decision. [USA Today]
Palin Palin believes that abortions should be illegal in all cases – even in rape or incest – except when it is needed to save the life of the mother. [Eagle Forum]
Taxes
Obama Obama would cut taxes for 95 percent of Americans. .. including every individual making less than $200,000 a year and every family making less than $200,000 a year. He would also eliminate all capital gains taxes on small businesses and start-ups. In order to pay for his policy proposals, he would close corporate tax loopholes, getting rid of the tax break for sending U.S. jobs overseas. He would restore income tax rates on people making more than $250,000 to the levels that existed during the late 1990’s. [Barack Obama] [Tax Policy Center]
Biden Biden supports Obama’s plan for tax relief for the middle class and would fix the Alternative Minimum Tax to make sure it doesn’t raise taxes on the middle class. He has voted to increase the Earned Income Tax Credit, which helps low-wage workers. [Joe Biden]
McCain McCain originally opposed the Bush Administration’s tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. Now he supports these tax cuts and proposes $300 billion in additional tax cuts for corporations. McCain’s proposed tax cuts for families making less than $70,000-a-year are less than a fifth those proposed by Obama. [Tax Policy Center]
Palin As Governor, Palin supported lower property taxes and lower taxes for small businesses. [KSBW]
Minimum Wage
Obama Obama supports raising the minimum wage. He also wants to set the minimum wage to keep increasing when the cost-of-living increases. [Obama]
Biden Biden has consistently supported increases in the minimum wage. [Joe Biden]
McCain McCain has usually opposed minimum wage increases. He firmly opposes setting the minimum wage to keep increasing when the cost-of-living increases. [Politifact]
Palin As Governor of Alaska, Palin opposed a state minimum wage increase. She has made no public statements about the federal minimum wage. [Sunday Tribune] [KSBW]
Energy/Climate Change
Obama Obama wants to provide every household in America with a $1,000 tax credit to pay for soaring energy costs, including gasoline and heating oil. He would pay for this with a windfall profits tax on the oil companies. He would invest $150 billion in developing new sources of energy, creating new jobs in this emerging industry and ensuring that 25 percent of America’s energy comes from renewable sources by 2025. He would pay for this with charges on air pollution. He would allow some off-shore drilling but makes clear that the U.S. cannot drill its way out of the energy crisis. [Barack Obama]
Biden Joe Biden supports investments in clean and renewable energy sources, an energy tax rebate, improving the fuel efficiency of cars and trucks, and charges on air pollution. [Joe Biden]
McCain McCain would increase subsidies for the coal, nuclear and natural gas industries. He would open the outer continent shelf – just off the country’s coasts – for oil drilling. He would not increase investments in non-polluting wind, solar and hydro-electric power. He would give away permits for carbon emissions, instead of auctioning them (as Obama would). He has consistently voted against tax incentives for clean alternative energy. [John McCain] [Center for American Progress Action Fund]
Palin Palin supports drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (which McCain opposes). She supports more drilling, including offshore. Asked about global warming (climate change), she said she wouldn’t necessarily “attribute it to being man-made.” [Center for American Progress Action Fund] [NewsMax]
All Candidates
America’s Independent Party, Alan KeyesBoston Tea Party/ Personal Choice Party, Charles Jay
Constitution Party, Charles Baldwin
Democratic Party, Barack Obama
Green Party, Cynthia McKinney
Independent Party, Ralph Nader
Libertarian Party, Bob Barr
Prohibition Party, Gene Amondson
Reform Party, Ted Weill
Republican Party, John McCain
Socialism and Liberation Party, Gloria LaRiva
Socialist Party USA, Brian Moore
Socialist Workers Party, Roger Calero
