|
John
McCain |
Barack
Obama |
Ralph
Nader |
Bob
Barr |
Chuck Baldwin |
Cynthia McKinney |
| Gender |
Male |
Male |
Male |
Male |
Male |
Female |
| Age |
72 |
47 |
74 |
59 |
56 |
53 |
| Party |
Republican Party |
Democratic Party |
Independent
|
Libertarian
Party
Republican Party
(former) |
Constitution
Party
Republican Party
(former) |
Green Party
Democratic Party
(former) |
| Profession |
U.S. Senator, U.S. Congressman,
Businessman Naval Aviator |
U.S. Senator, Attorney, Professor of Constitutional Law[3] |
Consumer advocate, lobbyist |
Former U.S. Congressman, United States Attorney, CIA employee |
Pastor, syndicated columnist and radio host |
Former U.S. Congresswoman, high school teacher, and college professor |
| Undergraduate education |
B.S. United States Naval Academy
(The Naval Academy had a fixed curriculum and did not allow
Midshipmen to pick a major) |
B.A. Columbia University (Political Science, International Relations) 1983[4] |
B.A. Princeton University (East Asian Studies, International Relations) 1955 |
B.A. University of Southern
California (International
Relations) 1970 |
B.A. Liberty University |
B.A. University of Southern
California (International
Relations) |
| Graduate education |
National War College |
J.D. Harvard Law (1991) |
L.L.B. Harvard Law (1958) |
M.A. George Washington
University (International
Relations) (1972), J.D. Georgetown University Law
Center (1977) |
Master's Degree in Theology Christian Bible
College |
M.A. Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts
University (1982?); diplomatic fellow, Spelman College
(1984); a PhD student at University of
California, Berkeley |
| States/Countries lived in |
Arizona, Florida, Panama Canal
Zone, North
Vietnam, Washington, D.C. |
California, Hawaii, Illinois, Indonesia, Massachusetts, New York, Washington, D.C. |
Connecticut, Washington,
D.C. |
California, Georgia, Iowa, Lima, Peru, Tehran, Iran, Washington,
D.C. |
Indiana, Florida, Virginia |
Georgia, California |
| Last political office |
U.S. Senator (1987-present) |
U.S. Senator
(2005-2008) |
None |
U.S. Congressman
(1995-2003) |
None |
U.S. Congresswoman (1993-2003,
2005-2007) |
| Other political experience |
United States Congressman (1982-1986) |
Illinois State Senator (1996-2004) |
Consultant to Department of Labor
(1964) |
Region 4 Representative for the Libertarian National
Committee (2006-2008), National Rifle Association
Board Member, |
Florida Chairman of Moral Majority (1980-1984), 2004 Constitution Party
Vice Presidential nominee |
Member of the Georgia House of
Representatives, (1988-1992) |
| U.S. Senate committee memberships |
Armed
Services Committee; (Chairman of the)
Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee; (Chairman of
the) Indian
Affairs Committee; Committee
on POW/MIA Affairs |
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, Foreign
Relations;
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs; Veterans'
Affairs[5] |
Advised auto safety subcommittee (1964) |
None |
None |
None |
| U.S. House committee memberships |
Committee on
the Judiciary,
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Committee
on Financial Services |
None |
None |
Committee on
the Judiciary,
Government Reform Committee, Committee
on Financial Services, Committee
on Veteran's Affairs |
None |
Committee
on Interior Affairs, Committee
on Armed Services;
Subcommittee on Military Personnel;
Subcommittee on Terrorism and Unconventional Threats, Committee on
the Budget |
| Management/Corporate experience |
Vice President of Public Relations for Hensley &
Co. |
President of the Harvard Law Review; Junior editor for Business International
Corporation; Associate Lawyer of Davis, Miner, Barnhill &
Galland |
None |
President of the Southeastern Legal Foundation |
Founded/lead Crossroad Baptist Church, Pensacola (1975-) |
|
| Teaching experience |
Gave the 114th Landon Lecture on March 15,
1999 at Kansas State[6] |
Lecturer in Constitutional Law at the University of Chicago Law School
(1993-2004) |
Professor of History and Government (University of Hartford) |
Adjunct professor teaching "Privacy and Public Policy in 21st
Century Business and Society" at Kennesaw State University
(2008) |
Pastor of Crossroad Baptist Church, Pensacola (1975-) |
Earth Day Lecturer
at CSU (2008) |
| Armed Forces experience |
(1958-1981)
Midshipman, US Naval
Academy; Naval Aviator; Prisoner of
War; Commander; Commanding
Officer, VA-174
"Hellrazors" |
None |
US
Army (1959) |
None |
|
None |
| Armed Forces awards |
Silver Star, Legion of
Merit, Bronze Star, Distinguished
Flying Cross, Navy Commendation Medal and the National Order of Vietnam
from South
Vietnam |
None |
None |
None |
|
None |
| Net worth (with spouse) |
$23–36 million (USD)[7] |
$1–3 million (USD)[8] |
$4 million (USD)[9] |
|
|
$50,000 (USD)[10] |
| Spouse |
Cindy Hensley McCain (m. 1980) |
Michelle
Obama (m. 1992) |
None |
Jeri
Barr (m. 1986) |
Connie Cole Baldwin (m. 1973) |
None |
| Spouse’s undergraduate education |
B.A.
in Education, University of Southern
California |
Princeton University |
n/a |
None |
|
n/a |
| Spouse's graduate education |
M.A. in Special Education, University of Southern
California |
Harvard Law School |
n/a |
None |
|
n/a |
| Spouse’s profession |
High School Teacher, Businessperson, Philanthropist |
Attorney, Executive |
n/a |
Numerous positions in Cobb, Georgia |
|
n/a |
The third party candidates' tax plans were not studied by
mainstream media outlets and the Tax Policy Center. Chuck Baldwin
supports replacing the income tax with a 10% across-the-board
tariff on imported goods.[16] Bob
Barr supports replacing the income tax with a consumption tax (the
FairTax). The details of his
exact plan are not known but consumption taxes tend to be regressive unless
accompanied by a negative income tax for the poor to offset
necessary expenditures.[17]
Cynthia McKinney supports sharply progressive
taxation, with higher taxes for the rich and a tax cut for the
middle class.[18]
| John McCain |
Barack Obama |
| Supported bailout |
Supported bailout |
| Bob Barr |
Cynthia McKinney |
| Opposed bailout.[19] Barr
will seek to limit policies that permit political interference in
the economy in favor of the exercise of a free-market economic
model. This would include: formally and clearly end the bailouts
which promote private economic retrenchment and corporate
work-outs; limiting powers of the government to place sustained
federal pressure to increase mortgage lending, through Freddie Mac
and Fannie Mae; amending or revoking the Community Reinvestment
Act; limiting the ability of the Federal Reserve to manipulate the
currency for political purposes; Ensuring enforcement of the SEC
regulations to insure solvency and transparency in the operation of
major investment firms; Permanently lowering tax rates and
simplifying taxes to more effectively reinforce long-term plans for
hiring, inventory and production; cutting environmental rules such
as Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards on vehicles; initiating
a detailed audit of federal rules, relaxing or eliminating any
regulations for which costs outweigh benefits; reducing penalties
on people for delayed tax payments and premature withdrawals from
IRAs; ending nonessential federal spending, particularly frivolous
special interest outlays; Over the longer term, evaluate, plan, and
implement for future federal liabilities and obligations—FDIC bank
guarantees, Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation promises, Social
Security and Medicare liabilities, and more. [20] |
Opposed $700 billion bailout to Wall
Street. Instead offered 14-point proposal
including: a moratorium on foreclosures; elimination of all ARM
mortgages and their renegotiation into 30- or 40-year loans;
establishment of new mortgage lending practices to end predatory
and discriminatory practices; establishment of criteria and
construction goals for affordable housing; redefinition of credit
and regulation of the credit industry so that discriminatory
practices are completely eliminated; full funding for initiatives
that eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in home ownership;
recognition of shelter as a right according to the UN Declaration
of Human Rights; target funds to cushion job loss and provide for
retraining of those at the bottom of the income scale as the
economy transitions; close all tax loopholes and repeal of the Bush
tax cuts for the top 1% of income earners; fairly tax corporations,
denying federal subsidies to those who relocate jobs overseas
repeal NAFTA; appoint former Comptroller General David Walker to
fully audit all recipients of taxpayer cash infusions, including JP
Morgan, Bear Stearns, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and AIG, and to
monitor their trading activities into the future; eliminate all
derivatives trading; nationalize the Federal Reserve and establish
a federally-owned, public banking system that makes credit
available for small businesses, homeowners, manufacturing
operations, renewable energy and infrastructure investments; and
criminally prosecute any activities that violated the law,
including conflicts of interest that led to the current crisis.[21] |
| Chuck Baldwin |
Ralph Nader |
| Opposed bailout.[22][23] |
Ralph Nader opposed the bailout,
suggesting that derivatives transactions be taxed instead.[24] |
| John McCain |
Barack Obama |
| McCain is a strong proponent of free trade.[25]
He supports the North American Free
Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the existing General Agreement on
Tariffs and Trade, and U.S. participation in the World Trade Organization
(WTO).[25]
He opposes including labor and environmental conditions to trade
agreements.[25] |
Obama supports expanding trade only if
the United States' trade partners place labor and environmental
standards on their industries to "level the playing field" for
American interests. If elected President, Obama plans to
renegotiate NAFTA to include stricter labor and environmental
standards for Canada and Mexico. He has criticized the current
agreement for not including such standards, and he also voted
against and criticized the Central America Free Trade Agreement
(CAFTA) for similar reasons.[26] |
| Chuck Baldwin |
Bob Barr |
Cynthia McKinney |
Ralph Nader |
| Baldwin would lead the US out of the North American and
the Central America Free Trade Agreements.[27]
He would impose a revenue tariff.[28] |
Barr's campaign site states that America "should encourage
private involvement around the world, particularly through free
trade. The most effective way to preserve peace is through an
expanding free market, backed by a full range of cultural and other
private relationships".[29] |
McKinney stresses enacting laws on US corporations to keep
labor standards high at home and raise them abroad. She would
repeal NAFTA (North American Free
Trade Agreement), CAFTA, the Caribbean FTA, and US-Peru FTA.
She opposes the guest-worker program as riddled with abuses;
supports justice for immigrant workers, and immigrant reform that
includes amnesty and a path to legalization for undocumented people
who have been living and working in the US for years.[30] |
Nader views NAFTA and the WTO as subverting national regulatory
agencies. He blames them for diminishing standards of living (i.e.
race to
the bottom). Nader supports a constitutional amendment
asserting the "sovereignty of people over the power of
corporations."[31] |
| John McCain |
Barack Obama |
| McCain favors tax credits of up to
$5,000 for families that purchase health insurance.[32]
"We do not believe in coercion and the use of state power to
mandate care, coverage or costs."[32]
His plan would reduce the number of uninsured by 1 million by 2009
and 5 million by 2013, while raising the national debt by $1.3
trillion over 10 years, according to one estimate.[33] |
Obama's health care plan includes
implementing guaranteed eligibility for affordable health care for
all Americans.[34] His
plan would reduce the number of uninsured by 18 million by 2009 and
34 million by 2018, covering nearly all children, while raising the
national debt by $1.6 trillion over 10 years, according to one
estimate.[35] |
| Chuck Baldwin |
Bob Barr |
Cynthia McKinney |
Ralph Nader |
| Believes in supplying better health care to America's
veterans.[27]
Supports freedom of choice, opposes compulsory vaccination.[28] |
Wants to cut costs by reducing controls and regulations.
Believes Medicare and Medicaid are financially unstable, and "need
to be transformed to emphasize patient choice, focus on the truly
needy, and add cost-saving incentives."[36] |
Co-sponsored every bill in Congress to create a system of universal health care under a single payer model. Opposes
forced, coerced, or uninformed medication and sterilization;
believes Americans should be able to purchase drugs from other
countries if the price is cheaper, and the U.S. should negotiate
with drug companies to provide cheaper drugs for all U.S.
residents. [37] |
Nader supports a universal single-payer health care
system and full Medicare for everyone.[38] |
| John McCain |
Barack Obama |
| While McCain has historically favored
deficit reduction over tax cuts,[39][40] he
has pledged not to rescind recent tax cuts in combination with
reduced spending.[41][42][43]
McCain believes that lower taxes will stimulate the economy, and
that the current deficit owes more to overspending than to tax
cuts.[44]
McCain plans to balance the budget by the end of his first
term.[42]
According to the Tax Policy Center, McCain's tax plans (by
extending the Bush tax cuts and cutting corporate tax rates from
35% to 25% to increase investment, among other measures), would
increase the national debt by nearly $5 trillion over 10 years, a
nearly 50% increase.[33] |
Obama advocates responding to the
"precarious budget situation" by eliminating "tax credits that have
outlived their usefulness", closing corporate tax loopholes, and
restoring the PAYGO policy that
prohibits increases in federal spending without a way to compensate
for the lost revenue.[45] Obama
proposes extending the Bush tax cuts for low- and middle-income
families, while letting taxes go back up for individuals earning
over $200,000 or couples earning over $250,000. According to the
Tax Policy Center this plan would increase the national debt by
$3.5 trillion over 10 years, a nearly 35% increase.[33] |
| Chuck Baldwin |
Bob Barr |
Cynthia McKinney |
Ralph Nader |
| Baldwin would work to repeal the Sixteenth
Amendment (income tax), inheritance taxes, and property taxes.
"We are bankrupting our country with this
incessant and burdensome tax system."[27] |
Barr supports repealing the Sixteenth
Amendment and mentions the Fair Tax as a possible alternative.
"Meaningful tax reform begins with reining in government
spending."[46] |
Would repeal Bush tax cuts for top 1% of income earners; close
tax loopholes; tax corporations more; and deny federal subsidies to
those who relocate jobs overseas. Proposes to regain control of the
monetary system and respond to the current economic crisis, by
steps that include a moratorium on foreclosures; elimination of all
ARM mortgages and their renegotiation into 30- or 40-year loans;
establishment of new mortgage lending practices to end predatory
and discriminatory practices; funds targeted at cushioning job loss
and retraining of those at the bottom of the income scale as the
economy transitions; appointment of former Comptroller General
David Walker to fully audit all recipients of taxpayer cash
infusions, including JP Morgan, Bear Stearns, Fannie Mae, Freddie
Mac, and AIG, and to monitor their trading activities into the
future; elimination of all derivatives trading; nationalization of
the Federal Reserve and the establishment of a federally-owned,
public banking system that makes credit available for small
businesses, homeowners, manufacturing operations, renewable energy,
and infrastructure investments; criminal prosecution of any
conflicts of interest that led to the current crisis.[47] |
Nader opposes corporate welfare and seeks to end
corporate loopholes, exemptions, credits, accelerated depreciation
schedules, deductions, and targeted exceptions.[48]
He would balance the national budget by cutting military spending
by $100 billion, or about a fifth, and through sharply progressive taxation.[49] |
| John McCain |
Barack Obama |
| In June 1999, McCain said "The only way
to increase the yield on Social Security dollars is by allowing
workers to make investment decisions for themselves; by empowering
American families to invest, in most robust portfolios, a portion
of their earnings for Social Security that they would otherwise pay
in taxes to Social Security."[50] In
January 2000, he repeated his strong support for creating private
Social Security accounts.[51]
Partial privatization, or diverting payroll taxes to private
accounts, would reduce available funds for current retirees
significantly, requiring large debt increases to cover the
transition.[52] |
Obama has said that Social Security's
funding problem is "real but manageable." He has proposed to fund
Social Security by applying payroll taxes to individual income
above $250,000 per year, and says that these high-income earners
should "pay their fair share." When asked if he would consider
raising the retirement age or cutting benefits, Obama did not rule
these approaches out entirely, saying, "everything should be on the
table." However, he has said that he would not push for either of
those approaches, and says that an increase in tax revenue is
necessary to stabilize the system. Obama opposes adding personal
accounts to Social Security.[53] |
| Chuck Baldwin |
Bob Barr |
Cynthia McKinney |
Ralph Nader |
| Phase out Social Security.[28] |
Social security is not sustainable.[54
] Social Security should be changed to an
"individualized system of private accounts."[55
] |
McKinney strongly opposes privatizing Social Security, and
recognizes cuts disproportionately harm women. [56]
She believes tax payments on benefits should be reduced, and
benefits increased.[56] |
Nader views Social Security as "government as it should work --
a coming together of society to ensure that we, as a community,
take care of each other as we age or suffer from disabilities."[57]
Nader opposes a privatized system that would replace "systemic
tranquility with an enforced anxiety". He says people are already
able to take risk in the stock market through IRAs, 401Ks and other tax-subsidized
private retirement devices.[57] |
| John McCain |
Barack Obama |
| John McCain voted for the Family and Medical
Leave Act of 1993 which granted workers the right to take 12
weeks of unpaid leave for family medical reasons without being
penalized by their employer. McCain sponsored the Family Friendly
Workplace Act which sought to allow employers to provide more
flexible work schedules to help balance work and family.[71] |
|
| Chuck Baldwin |
Bob Barr |
Cynthia McKinney |
Ralph Nader |
| Impose a revenue tariff on
all foreign goods to keep jobs in America.[28] |
|
Wants to repeal the anti-union Taft-Hartley
Act.[72]
Supports full
employment and a living wage for all workers. Supports
justice for immigrant workers, and opposes guest-worker programs as
riddled with abuses.[73]
Opposes 'free trade' agreements and unelected international trade
authorities (NAFTA, CAFTA, WTO, GATT, 'Fast Track', etc.) that give
corporate power and profit priority over labor rights and
environmental protections; McKinney has voted against these
agreements and advocates withdrawal. Human rights protections and
amnesty for undocumented immigrants, an end to raids, and tearing
down the border wall; believes the flood of new immigrants is a
result of economic policies and agreements (e.g., NAFTA) that
impoverish people and drive them across borders, and that
immigration should be addressed by fixing these policies while
ensuring worker rights and right to organize. Favors a strong
safety net for middle- and low-income working people and families,
with support for Main Street (small businesses and local economies)
instead of Wall Street, and a massive transfer of federal funding
from military contract and war spending to human needs.[74] |
Nader promises to repeal the Taft-Hartley
Act.[38]
He supports an increase in the minimum wage to $10 an hour to give
low-wage workers "a fair return for their work".[75][76]
Nader supports family farms and opposes large agribusiness.[77] He is
credited with helping pass the Mine Health and Safety
Act (1977), Whistleblower Protection
Act (1989), and OSHA
(1970) - all three are fundamental to modern labor protection.[70] |
| John McCain |
Barack Obama |
| In a speech to AIPAC on April 23, 2002,
McCain said that "no American leader should be expected to sell a
false peace to our ally, consider Israel's right to self-defense
less legitimate than ours, or insist that Israel negotiate a
political settlement while terrorism remains the Palestinians'
preferred bargaining tool."[82] |
Obama supports a two-state
solution.[83]
Referring to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in January
2006, Obama denounced Hamas
while praising former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. At a
meeting with then Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom on the eve of Hamas' sweeping
election victory,[84] Obama
stated that Sharon's role in the conflict had always been
"absolutely important and constructive."[85] |
| Chuck Baldwin |
Bob Barr |
Cynthia McKinney |
Ralph Nader |
|
|
US should stop weapons transfers to Middle East countries,
including Israel—and be "honest broker." In terms of two- versus
one-state solution, would listen to the voices and human rights
advocates who are there. [86] |
Nader supports the Israeli peace
movement and views resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as central to
national security.[87][88]
Nader was critical of the US-supported bombing of Lebanon in 2006, seeing it
as collective punishment.[87]
Nader wants enforcement of UN
resolutions concerning Israel and a peaceful two-state
solution.[87] |
| John McCain |
Barack Obama |
| McCain supported the invasion of Iraq
and has stated that he would keep troops in Iraq for as long as
needed, dependent on agreement from the Iraqi government. "It's not
a matter of how long we're in Iraq, it's if we succeed or not."[89] John
McCain was an early supporter of the Surge. |
Obama opposed the Iraq war as early as
2002 and has pledged a responsible, phased withdrawal.[90]
Obama was a strong opponent of the Surge and up until
July 2008, he continued to call it a failure, in spite of a general
consensus that the surge had been a success. [91] and
he wrote and introduced the Iraq War De-Escalation
Act of 2007 which would have stopped the Surge and started to
pull American troops out of Iraq in 2007.[92] He
continues to criticize the Surge because he says it has not
achieved political reconciliation, has overtaxed the military and
diverted focus from Afghanistan and Pakistan, which he considers to
be the central front in the War on Terror.[90] |
| Chuck Baldwin |
Bob Barr |
Cynthia McKinney |
Ralph Nader |
| Baldwin has stated that the US's involvement in Iraq is clearly
unconstitutional as well as unnecessary, and would begin safely
withdrawing troops.[27] |
Barr considers the invasion and occupation of Iraq to have been
mistakes. American presence "emboldens both insurgents and
terrorists", and has cost "hundreds of billions of U.S. taxpayer
dollars." He supports "withdrawal without undue delay."[93] |
McKinney calls for the immediate and orderly withdrawal of all
US troops and contracted personnel from Iraq and Afghanistan; she
would dismantle US military bases in the area, and demand that US
and other international corporations relinquish any claims to Iraqi
oil or other resources.[94
] She has consistently opposed funding for the war
and the military budget.[95
] |
Nader opposes the US occupation of
Iraq on the grounds that “it’s the occupation that is breeding
the resistance.”[96]
He supports a “responsible, orderly withdrawal” within six
months.[96]
Following withdrawal, he supports inclusion of an international
peacekeeping force under UN auspices, promotion of Iraqi self-rule
through independent elections, and the providing of humanitarian
aid to stabilize the country.[97] |
| John McCain |
Barack Obama |
| John McCain has called the crisis with
Iran "the most serious crisis we
have faced - outside of the entire war on terror - since
the end of the Cold War."
"Nuclear capability in Iran is unacceptable," said McCain. McCain
has criticized Russia and China for causing "gridlock" in the UN Security Council and preventing the
sanctioning of Iran as well as other areas of conflict such as Darfur and Burma. If elected, McCain pledges to create a
"league of democracies" with the purpose of addressing those
conflicts without the approval of China and Russia.[98][99] |
Obama stated he regards Iran's
government as "a threat to all of us," stating that the US "should
take no option, including military action, off the table. Sustained
and aggressive diplomacy combined with tough sanctions should be
our primary means to prevent Iran from building nuclear
weapons."[100] |
| Chuck Baldwin |
Bob Barr |
Cynthia McKinney |
Ralph Nader |
|
Has stated that "an attack on Iran would be unnecessary,
counterproductive, costly and dangerous", that "[t]here is no
imminent threat, and only an imminent threat can ever justify a
preemptive strike", and concludes "any nonproliferation strategy
must begin with diplomacy and include a willingness to address the
other side".[101] |
McKinney believes we must leave behind the militarization that
has accompanied the Bush administration. She supports leaving Iraq
and moving toward peaceful methods of dealing with other countries.
[102] |
Nader believes the US must stop “saber rattling” with Iran and
take up Iran's
proposal in 2003 to negotiate all outstanding issues between
the US and Iran.[88] |
| John McCain |
Barack Obama |
| McCain has called upon the United
States to reject Sudan's demand that the AU peacekeeping force
leave or be bullied. McCain believes that America must convince our
allies in the region and friendly Arab nations to abandon their
support for Sudan and force them to accept more peacekeepers. On a
more immediate time-frame McCain has called for the use of NATO
air-power to establish a no-fly zone and the use of intelligence
assets to gather evidence of genocide and build cases against its
perpetrators.[103] |
In a December 2005 Washington
Post opinion column, and at the Save
Darfur rally in April 2006, Obama called for more assertive
action to oppose genocide
in the Darfur
region of Sudan.[104] He
has divested $180,000
in personal holdings of Sudan-related stock, and has urged
divestment from companies doing business in Iran.[105] |
| Chuck Baldwin |
Bob Barr |
Cynthia McKinney |
Ralph Nader |
|
|
Expressed concern that atrocities in Darfur might be used to
justify US occupation of Sudan. [106] |
Nader believes the US could do more to end the genocide in Darfur. He would refuse
normalized relations with the Government of
Sudan “until the Sudanese government removes all obstacles to
the full deployment of the multilateral UNAMID, fully implements the
CPA, and engages in good faith in a
comprehensive, open and inclusive peace process.”[107] |
| John McCain |
Barack Obama |
| McCain maintains a relatively moderate
stance concerning Pakistan, although he has recognized the South
Asian nation as an important part of US Foreign Policy. In the
aftermath of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's
assassination (in December 2007) McCain appeared to rule out the
option of US forces entering Pakistan, saying that it was not an
appropriate time to "threaten" Pakistan.[115] |
On August 1, 2007, Obama declared in a
foreign policy speech that the United States must be willing to
strike al Qaeda targets inside Pakistan, with or without the consent of the
Pakistani government. He claimed that if elected, "If we have
actionable intelligence about high value terrorist targets and
President Musharraf won't act, we will".[116] |
| Chuck Baldwin |
Bob Barr |
Cynthia McKinney |
Ralph Nader |
|
|
"Free and fair elections, not U.S. troops, are the best
strategy for achieving peace and stability in Pakistan." is the
belief of Cynthia McKinney in Pakistan. She also opposes a United States war
with Pakistan.[117] |
Nader has said that military action against Pakistan is off the
table. |
| John McCain |
Barack Obama |
| In October 2005, McCain, a former POW, introduced the
McCain
Detainee Amendment to the Defense Appropriations bill for 2005.
That month, the U.S. Senate voted 90-9 to support the
amendment.[118] In
October 2007, McCain said of waterboarding that, "They [other
presidential candidates] should know what it is. It is not a
complicated procedure. It is torture."[119]
However, in February 2008 he voted against HR 2082, the Intelligence
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008, which included
provisions that would have prevented the CIA from waterboarding
prisoners. |
Obama voted against the Military Commissions Act
of 2006[120] and
later voted to restore habeas corpus to those detained by
the U.S. (which had been stripped by the Military Commissions
Act).[121]
He has advocated closing the Guantanamo Bay detention
camp, but has not supported two specific bills that would have
done so.[122]
Obama opposes the use of torture.[123] |
| Chuck Baldwin |
Bob Barr |
Cynthia McKinney |
Ralph Nader |
|
|
|
Nader views CIA kidnapping
and extraordinary rendition as leading to diminished respect
around the world.[107]
"Constitutional crimes against due process, probable cause, habeas
corpus, together with torture and indefinite imprisonment... will
worsen and erode American jurisprudence with serious consequences
for both the nation's security and its liberties."[124] |
| John McCain |
Barack Obama |
| At a town hall meeting January 6, 2008
McCain was reported to have answered a question on the Armenian
Genocide by noting that he recognizes the Armenian Genocide, but
opposes the Armenian Genocide Resolution due to the Turkish
government's sensitivities and the importance of their continued
contribution to the war on terror.[125] On
September 29, 2008, in an open letter to the Armenian-American
Community of the United States he stated, that "it is fair
to say that one of the greatest tragedies of the 20th century, the
brutal murder of as many as one and a half million Armenians under
the rule of the Ottoman Empire, has also been one of the most
neglected" and that "it is our responsibility to recognize those
tragic events".[126] |
On January 19, 2008 Obama announced
that as a U.S. Senator, he has stood with the Armenian
American community in calling for Turkey's acknowledgement of the Armenian
Genocide, and supports its recognition. In
2006, Obama criticized Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice for firing United States
Ambassador to Armenia, John Evans, after he used the term
"genocide" to describe Turkey's killing of hundreds of thousands of
Armenians.[127] On
June, 2008 Obama restated his commitment to U.S. recognition of the
Armenian Genocide in a letter to ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian.[128]
Obama supported House
Resolution 106 which recognized the killings as genocide. |
| Chuck Baldwin |
Bob Barr |
Cynthia McKinney |
Ralph Nader |
| |
|
|
|
| John McCain |
Barack Obama |
| McCain's stances on global warming
and other environmental issues have often put him at odds with the
Bush administration and other Republicans. For example, he has
generally opposed drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge.[135]
According to the League of Conservation Voters' 2006 National
Environmental Scorecard, McCain took an "anti-environment" stance
on four of seven environmental resolutions during the second
session of the 109th congress. The four resolutions
dealt with issues such as offshore drilling, an Arctic national
wildlife refuge, low-income energy assistance, and environmental
funding.[136]
McCain's measures to lower auto emissions include higher fines for
not complying with CAFE standards, calling for a level playing
field for all alcohol-based biofuels, issuing a Clean Car Challenge
to automakers (a US$5,000 dollar tax credit for each and every
customer who buys a zero-emissions car) and awarding a substantial
prize to the auto company that develops a next-generation car
battery.[137] |
Obama has a 'New Energy for America'
plan and he has pledged to cut greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent
below 1990 levels by 2050 by forcing a market-based cap-and-trade system,[138]
recommitting federal resources to public mass
transportation and carbon sequestration (incentives to plant
trees, restore grasslands or undertake farming practices). Obama
also has plans for improving air and water quality through reduced
carbon emissions.[139]
Obama worked as a member of the US Senate Committee on Environment and Public
Works during the 109th Congress.[140] At
least 30 percent of federal government's electricity would come
from renewable sources by 2020.[139]
Also, he wants to create a 'Global Energy Forum' of the largest
energy consuming nations (G8+5). The
League of Conservation
Voters has given Obama the highest lifetime rating of anyone
currently running for president. [141] |
| Bob Barr |
Cynthia McKinney |
| Barr pledges to eliminate restrictions
that inhibit energy production, as well as all special privileges
for the production of politically-favored fuels, such as ethanol;
supports the exploration and production of America’s abundant
domestic resources, including oil in the Outer Continental Shelf
and Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and alternative sources such
as oil shale, which
would lower costs to the consumer and assure more adequate and
consistent supplies. [142] |
McKinney plans to create a cap on
production and consumption as well as add organic farming,
sustainability, and GM to the current Farm Bill. She also plans to
assess toxic levels after Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita.
She voted yes on further AMTRAK funding and no on changing the Endangered Species Act of 1973.
She also voted down a bill that allowed commercial logging on
public land.[143] |
| Ralph Nader |
Chuck Baldwin |
| Nader is credited with helping the Clean Air Act
(1970) and Safe Drinking Water Act
(1974).[70]
He was one of the first public figures to advocate renewable
energy during the 1970s.[144
] Nader supports mandatory standards for recycling
and precycling,
especially in areas of government control.[145] |
| John McCain |
Barack Obama |
| McCain gave a major speech on his
energy policy at the Center for
Strategic and International Studies. He connected energy
independence with national security, climate change, and the
environment.[146][147]
McCain proposed increasing ethanol imports and moving from
exploration to production of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. He
said that US dependence on foreign oil is "a major strategic
vulnerability, a serious threat to our security, our economy and
the well being of our planet." He is co-sponsor of a Senate cap-and-trade bill designed to limit
greenhouse gas emissions,[148] and
is seen as a bipartisan leader on the issue.
McCain supports the increased use of nuclear energy in the US and reduce renewable
sources to produce electricity. He has promoted the expanded
use of nuclear power, calling for 45 new nuclear reactors to be
built by 2030.[149]
|
Obama has presented a 'New Energy for
America' plan to achieve a low carbon
economy, subsidizing 5 million new green
jobs.[138]
He proposes $150 billion over 10 years to accelerate the
commercialization of plug-in hybrids, promote development of
commercial scale renewable energy
(establishing a 100% federal RPS to
require that 10 percent of electricity be derived from renewable
sources by 2012 and 25% in 2025[139]),
encourage energy efficiency, advance the next
generation of biofuels (requiring 60 billion gallons by
2030) and fuel infrastructure, and begin transition to a new digital electricity grid (smart metering,
demand
response, distributed generation and
electricity storage systems).[138]
He also plans to reduce overall U.S. oil consumption by
at least 35%, or 10 million barrels per day, by 2030 to offset
imports from OPEC nations.[150][151]
Obama and other Senators introduced the BioFuels Security Act in 2006.
Regarding the domestic use of nuclear power, Obama declared himself
flatly opposed to building a nuclear waste repository in Nevada and
has called for the facility's closure [152][153].
However, Obama voted for the Energy Policy Act of 2005,
which allocated $4.3 billion in tax credits to the nuclear energy
sector. [154][155]
Obama and other Senators introduced a bill in 2007 to promote the
development of commercially viable plug-in hybrids and
other electric-drive vehicles in order to shift away from petroleum fuels and "toward
much cleaner – and cheaper – electricity for transportation".[156] In
his plan, related with transportation, he proposes increase fuel economy standards 4 percent per each
year, specific focus on R&D in advanced battery technology and
a $7,000 tax credit
for the purchase of advanced technology vehicles as well as
conversion tax credits and $4 billion retooling tax credits and
loan guarantees for domestic auto plants and parts manufacturers;
the entire White House fleet would be converted to plug-ins and
half of cars purchased by the federal government will be plug-in
(hybrids or all-electric) vehicles by 2012.[138] |
| Chuck Baldwin |
Bob Barr |
Cynthia McKinney |
Ralph Nader |
| Would dissolve the Department of
Energy. Believes in American energy independence by repealing
prohibitions on domestic oil drilling, oil refineries, and nuclear
plants.[27] |
Says the free
market needs to be the foundation of the United States' energy
policy. Supports drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge.[157
] |
McKinney wants to leave Alaskan oil in the ground, declare the U.S.
carbon-free and nuclear-free, and implement the Kyoto
Treaty. She has voted no on scheduling permitting for new oil
refineries and authorizing construction of new oil refineries. She
has voted yes on keeping moratorium on drilling for oil offshore,
raising CAFE standards; incentives for alternative fuels,
prohibiting oil drilling development in ANWR, and starting
implementation of Kyoto Protocol.[158] |
Nader is a strong supporter of solar energy and wants to end government
subsidies for the fossil fuel and nuclear energy industries.[145]
He says "technologies are way ahead of the political framework" and
envisions a "massive conversion from a hydrocarbon-based economy to
a carbohydrate-based economy" within 20 to 25 years.[144
][145]
He opposes corn
ethanol "which has a very poor net energy and water-usage
characteristic" in favor of cellulosic ethanol.[144
] He says that cap-and-trade
programs "can be easily manipulated" and wants to tax inefficient
technology and pollution at the production source.[144
] |
| John McCain |
Barack Obama |
| In 2004, McCain voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment,
arguing that each state should be able to choose whether to
recognize same-sex marriages.[160][161] He
supported the 2006 Arizona initiative to
ban homosexual marriage.[162] |
Obama voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment
which would have defined marriage as between one man and one woman,
but personally believes that marriage is a religious bond between a man and
a woman. He supports civil unions for same-sex couples which would be homosexual
marriage in all but name, but believes that decisions about the
name marriage should be left to the states.[163][164][165] |
| Chuck Baldwin |
Bob Barr |
Cynthia McKinney |
Ralph Nader |
| Baldwin believes marriage is between a man and a woman and
supports the DOMA.[166
] |
Barr opposes any federal definition of marriage, whether by
statute or constitutional amendment. He
believes the states should be free to determine what constitutes
marriage.[167] |
Supports homosexual adoption and has a HRC
80 rating on gay rights issues.[168] |
Nader opposes DOMA and the military's Don't Ask Don't Tell policy.[169]
He says, "We've got to get rid of this discrimination, this
chilling, this bigotry toward gays and lesbians that are reflected
in literally hundreds and hundreds of statutes and regulations in
this country."[170] |
| John McCain |
Barack Obama |
| On February 18, 2007, John McCain
stated, "I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be
overturned."[171]
McCain believes that Roe v. Wade should be overturned and that the
issue of abortion should be returned to the states. |
In his write-in response to a 1998
survey, Obama stated his abortion position as: "Abortions should be
legally available in accordance with Roe v. Wade."[172]
While serving in the Illinois Senate, Obama voted against
bills that included partial birth
abortion bans. In the presidential debate of October 16, 2008,
he argued that partial birth abortions were already illegal, and he
does not support the practice in accordance with Illinois law. He
has received a 100 percent rating from the Illinois Planned
Parenthood Council[173] |
| Chuck Baldwin |
Bob Barr |
Cynthia McKinney |
Ralph Nader |
| Baldwin would encourage Congress to pass Ron Paul's Sanctity of Life Act. Would deny
federal funds to abortion clinics.[27] |
|
McKinney supports full reproductive rights for women, including
safe access to comprehensive prenatal and postnatal/infant care;
family planning services and contraception, including "morning
after" medication; and abortion. She rejects forced, coerced, or
uninformed medication and sterilization, and supports single-payer universal healthcare.[174] |
Nader is opposed to legal restrictions on abortion, "I don't
think government has the proper role in forcing a woman to have a
child or forcing a woman not to have a child... This is something
that should be privately decided with the family, woman, all the
other private factors of it, but we should work toward preventing
the necessity of abortion."[175] |
| John McCain |
Barack Obama |
| John McCain believes that the right to
keep and bear arms is a fundamental, individual Constitutional
right. In the past he has voted to protect gun manufacturers from
attempts to make them liable for crimes committed by third parties.
McCain opposes restrictions on assault rifles and has voted against
such bans. He has supported legislation requiring gun manufacturers
to include gun safety devices such as trigger locks in product packaging. He
cosponsored legislation to lift the DC gun ban.
McCain has opposed "waiting periods" for the purchase of firearms.
[176]
McCain also voted against the 1993 Brady Bill to restrict
the availability of handguns. [177] |
During a February 15, 2008 press
conference, Obama stated, "I think there is an individual right to
bear arms, but it's subject to commonsense regulation."[178]
He supports the right of local municipalities to determine gun
laws.[179][180]
Obama has also stated that he will work to reintroduce the expired
Federal Assault Weapons Ban
and to make it permanent.[181] In
Illinois, he backed changes to state law that included a ban on
assault weapons sales and limiting handgun sales to one a month. In
Congress, voted to leave gun-makers and dealers open to lawsuits
for actions committed by third-parties. [182][183]
Obama has proposed outlawing types of ammunition[184]
Obama has stated he does not believe states should be allowed to
issue concealed carry licenses.[185] |
| Chuck Baldwin |
Bob Barr |
Cynthia McKinney |
Ralph Nader |
| Supports the right to bear arms as an individual
right.[27] |
Supports the right to bear arms as an individual
right. "I oppose any law requiring registration of, or restricting
the ownership, manufacture, or transfer or sale of firearms or
ammunition to law-abiding citizens."[186
] |
|
|
| John McCain |
Barack Obama |
| McCain has promoted the legislation and
eventually the granting of citizenship to the estimated 12–20
million illegal aliens in the United States and the creation of an
additional guest worker program with an
option for permanent immigration. In his bid for the 2000
Presidential nomination, McCain supported expansion of the H-1B visa program, a
temporary visa for skilled workers.[194] In
2005, he co-sponsored a bill with Ted Kennedy that would expand use of guest
worker visas.[195] |
Obama's plan: 1) Improve border
security; 2) Crack down on employers who hire illegal immigrants;
3) Enable undocumented workers to voluntarily pay a fine, learn
English, and get in line for legal citizenship; 4) Fix the
immigration bureaucracy; and 5) Provide additional economic
assistance to Mexico.[196]
Obama also supports issuing driver's licenses to illegal immigrants
to prevent unlicensed drivers from creating a public safety
hazard[197]. |
| Chuck Baldwin |
Bob Barr |
Cynthia McKinney |
Ralph Nader |
| Baldwin would enforce visa rules, and does not support a "path
to citizenship"/amnesty for aliens currently residing in the US
illegally. Employers who knowingly hire illegals would be
prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Would end "birthright
citizenship", and thus end the problem of "anchor babies". No
federal monies would be used for any services to illegal
aliens.[27] |
Supports better border security to crack down on illegal
immigration while also supporting reforms that will "sharply
increase" legal immigration. Supports ending birthright citizenship
and ending government benefits and services for illegal
immigrants.[198] |
McKinney believes the wave of new immigration is a result of
economic policies and agreements (e.g., NAFTA) that impoverish
people and drive them across borders. She opposes the guest-worker
program as riddled with abuses, and support human rights
protections and amnesty for undocumented immigrants, an end to
raids, and tearing down the border wall.[199] |
Nader does not support open borders, which he
says will create a "cheap-wage policy" for businesses.[200]
He supports giving illegal workers, who have their taxes withheld,
the same labor standards and benefits as American workers.[201]
He says the government should "crack down" on employers and stop
"brain draining"
Third World countries with H-1B visas.[201] |
| John McCain |
Barack Obama |
| Members of the McCain camp have pointed
out that George Bush signed a federal directive in 2001 that
outlawed racial profiling and ordered the
Attorney General to look into the matter.[202] |
Obama wants to eliminate racial
profiling by federal law enforcement agencies.[203] As
state senator in Illinois, Obama helped bring about passage of the
state’s first racial-profiling law.[204] In
October 2007, he asked Attorney General-Designate, Judge Michael
Mukasey, to end the practice.[205] |
| Chuck Baldwin |
Bob Barr |
Cynthia McKinney |
Ralph Nader |
|
|
McKinney supports comprehensive federal investment in low-come
families and communities, with an emphasis on people of color, to
eliminate racial and other disparities in education, healthcare,
imprisonment, family income, wealth, home ownership. She supports a
moratorium on foreclosures, and end to the privatization of
prisons. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita survivors should be recognized
as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs); she supports protecting
their right of return, including their right to vote in their home
states, and reparations for the losses they incurred due to
government abandonment and negligence. She calls for an end to the
"War on Drugs," which justifies foreign military intervention and
assaults civil liberties; mandatory minimum drug sentences should
be ended, and the budget should focus on treatment and prevention.
[206] |
|
| John McCain |
Barack Obama |
| McCain supports the use of school vouchers.[209]
In 2006 he said, "Should intelligent design be taught as a
science class? Probably not."[210]
On July 29, 2007, McCain voted against increasing federal student
loans and Pell grants and expanding eligibility for financial
aid.[211][212] |
During an October 2004 debate, Obama
stated that he opposed education
vouchers for use at private schools because he believes they
would undermine public schools.[213][214] |
| Chuck Baldwin |
Bob Barr |
Cynthia McKinney |
Ralph Nader |
| Baldwin would support homeschoolers and disband the Department of
Education.[27] |
Would abolish the Department of
Education and eliminate federal grants and regulation; also
opposes No Child Left
Behind. Believes that education should return to the local
level. Supports state-level tax credits to parents who use private
education or homeschool. "Ultimately, education will best serve the
children of America if it occurs within a competitive private
system rather than a government system."[215
] |
Has often stated that it is wrong public education
receives $38 billion annually while the Pentagon receives $700 billion
annually. She also believes reforms like No Child Left Behind hurt the education
system, and that free higher education and better primary
education is what will improve school systems throughout the
nation. She also voted yes on a substitute bill to lower student loan interest rates and increase
black college and Hispanic college quality
and quantity. She voted yes on a bill for state-testing and voted
no on bills to allow vouchers in the District of Columbia, allowing
vouchers in private schools and parochial schools, and no on a bill that
would only give federal aid to schools that allowed school prayer.[216] |
|
| John McCain |
Barack Obama |
| McCain voted to extend the wiretap
provision in the Patriot Act. He also voted to reauthorize the
Patriot Act in 2006.[217] |
Obama called for the repeal of the
Patriot Act in 2003.[218] He
voted for the reauthorization of the Patriot Act in 2006. [219] He
supported recent FISA legislation
giving telecommunications corporations immunity for cooperating
with warrantless
surveillance programs.[220] |
| Chuck Baldwin |
Bob Barr |
Cynthia McKinney |
Ralph Nader |
|
During the Libertarian
Convention, Barr said of Patriot Act: "I'd drive a stake
through its heart, shoot it, burn it, cut off its head, burn it
again, and scatter its ashes to the four corners of the world."
[221] |
McKinney calls for the repeal of the Patriot Act.[222
] |
Nader has called for the repeal of the Patriot Act. He has
stated that it has eroded civil liberties and due process of law,
particularly for Muslims and Arab Americans.[223][224] |
Wikis
Quiz
Map
Search