2008 Election - ProCon.org
a thread was started asking for a non-partisan site that people can compare the candidate side by side on the issues and this is what I've found...this site asks the candidates the same question and provides their response, through their own words to each question:
Abortion: "Should abortion remain a legal option in America?"
McCain:
Obama:
Criminal Justice: "Should felons, who have completed their jail time and probation and paid all their fines, be allowed to vote in elections?"
McCain:
Obama:
Death Penalty: "Should the death penalty remain a legal option in America?"
McCain:
a thread was started asking for a non-partisan site that people can compare the candidate side by side on the issues and this is what I've found...this site asks the candidates the same question and provides their response, through their own words to each question:
Abortion: "Should abortion remain a legal option in America?"
McCain:
Now Con: "John McCain believes Roe v. Wade is a flawed decision that must be overturned, and as president he will nominate judges who understand that courts should not be in the business of legislating from the bench. Constitutional balance would be restored by the reversal of Roe v. Wade, returning the abortion question to the individual states. The difficult issue of abortion should not be decided by judicial fiat. However, the reversal of Roe v. Wade represents only one step in the long path toward ending abortion. Once the question is returned to the states, the fight for life will be one of courage and compassion - the courage of a pregnant mother to bring her child into the world and the compassion of civil society to meet her needs and those of her newborn baby. The pro-life movement has done tremendous work in building and reinforcing the infrastructure of civil society by strengthening faith-based, community, and neighborhood organizations that provide critical services to pregnant mothers in need. This work must continue and government must find new ways to empower and strengthen these armies of compassion. These important groups can help build the consensus necessary to end abortion at the state level. As John McCain has publicly noted, 'At its core, abortion is a human tragedy. To effect meaningful change, we must engage the debate at a human level.'"
"Human Dignity and the Sanctity of Life: Overturning Roe v. Wade," John McCain's official candidate website (accessed Aug. 20, 2008)
[Editor's Note: Prior to John McCain's Con position accessed on Aug. 20, 2008, he expressed a Pro position as indicated in his July 21, 2005 statement below.]
Pro: "[John McCain]: I think it [right to an abortion] depends on the stage of the pregnancy, and I know we're splitting hairs here. But there's a point-there's a point where the woman's health is, obviously, in the later stages of pregnancy, is-gains in greater and greater importance. But I believe that if Roe v. Wade itself were repealed, we would go back to the states. And the states would make decisions according to the standards that they want to prevail within their states. So, if Roe v. Wade were repealed, that wouldn't have the Draconian effects that some view it. And I'm, being a states rights guy, that would be fine with me...
[Chris Mathews]: It would be OK with you if some states said that a woman couldn't have an abortion, even if her health was in danger?
[John McCain]: My position-my position is life of the mother, obviously... Rape, incest, or the life of the mother."
Hardball with Chris Matthews, MSNBC, July 21, 2005
Obama:
Pro: "One of the things that I've always said is that abortion is a deeply moral issue. And those who would deny that there is a moral component to it I think are wrong. The reason that I make a decision to support the choice position is not because I don't think it's a moral issue but because I trust women to make a prayerful decision about this issue."
"Obama on Gay Marriage, Abortion," The Brody File, CBNnews.com, Nov. 7, 2007
Criminal Justice: "Should felons, who have completed their jail time and probation and paid all their fines, be allowed to vote in elections?"
McCain:
Not Clearly Pro or Con: "This is a State rather than a federal issue, because the Supreme Court has held that States may prohibit felons from voting, and most States do. The Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution specifically recognizes that the right to vote may be taken away if a person commits a crime...
The right to vote should be restored to felons only on a case by case basis after they have served their full sentences and have satisfactorily demonstrated that they have turned over a new leaf."
"The NAACP 2008 Presidential Candidate Civil Rights Questionnaire" (2.4MB) National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) website (accessed Aug. 20, 2008)
Obama:
Pro: "I support restoration of voting rights for ex-offenders. I am a cosponsor of the Count Every Vote Act, and would sign that legislation into law as president."
"The NAACP 2008 Presidential Candidate Civil Rights Questionnaire," (1.1MB) emailed from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to ProCon.org on July 28, 2008, Obama's responses originally published in Dec. 2007
Death Penalty: "Should the death penalty remain a legal option in America?"
McCain:
Pro: "I support the death penalty for heinous crimes in which the circumstances warrant capital punishment. I have supported legislation that sought to expand the number of federal crimes punishable by death, including terrorism and narcotics trafficking by drug kingpins."
"The NAACP 2008 Presidential Candidate Civil Rights Questionnaire" (2.4MB) National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) website (accessed Aug. 20, 2008)
Obama:
Pro: "While the evidence tells me that the death penalty does little to deter crime, I believe there are some crimes- mass murder, the rape and murder of a child- so heinous, so beyond the pale, that the community is justified in expressing the full measure of its outrage by meting out the ultimate punishment."
The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream, 2006
Economy: "Is outsourcing jobs to other countries good for America?"
McCain:
Pro: "Globalization is here to stay. That is not something to fear. It is an opportunity to be seized. But globalization will not automatically benefit every American.
Change is hard, and while most of us gain, some industries, companies and workers are forced to struggle with very difficult choices. It wasn't government's job to spend millions to save buggy whip factories and haberdashers when cars replaced carriages and men stopped wearing hats. But it is government's job to help workers get the education and training they need for the new jobs that will be created by new businesses in this new century...
Older workers can use their experience and work ethic to adapt to the challenges of the next job, but often the starting pay of the next job doesn't measure up. We should give these displaced workers who move to a new job a few years of supplement to their earnings so that the impact of their economic dislocation is not so severe. They will be less resistant to taking a lower paying job and we will all benefit from having their experience back on the job.
I have always believed that before I can win someone's vote, I have to win their respect. And to do that I have to be honest with you. So here's a little straight talk I know the people of Michigan will understand. Some jobs that have left Michigan are not coming back. And the answer to that isn't to raise false hopes that somehow we can bring back lost jobs but to create new ones."
"Remarks To Americans For Prosperity Michigan Summit," John McCain's official campaign website, Jan. 12, 2008
Obama:
Not Clearly Pro or Con: "The No. 1 priority is jobs and job loss and that is something that is hitting communities downstate as well as here in Chicago. Everywhere I go people are out of work or they are insecure with the jobs that they have. The whole issue of outsourcing is enormously important. Not only are blue collar jobs being exported now, but you have got white collar jobs going to India and Singapore, and so people feel enormous economic insecurity and that has to be priority No. 1."
Public Affairs with Cliff Kelly, interview on WVON, 1450 AM, Chicago, IL, Feb. 27, 2004
Q: "Has the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) had an overall benefit for the US?"
McCain:
Pro: "I know NAFTA was a good idea. It has created millions of jobs and it has helped the economies of all three of these nations. All you have to do is go to Detroit and see the thousands of trucks lined up every day or go to our southern border. There have been winners and losers. And that's the problem. But free trade is something that I think is vital to America."
"Re: Was NAFTA a good idea?" Big Think website, Dec. 14, 2007
Obama:
Con: "We can't keep passing unfair trade deals like NAFTA that put special interests over workers' interests...
...I don't think NAFTA has been good for America - and I never have. I didn't just start criticizing unfair trade deals like NAFTA because I started running for office - I'm doing it because I've seen what happens to a community when the factory closes down and the jobs move overseas."
"Remarks for Senator Barack Obama: National Gypsum in Lorain, Ohio," Barack Obama's official candidate website, Feb. 24, 2008
Education: "Has the No Child Left Behind Act been effective at improving public education?"
McCain:
Pro: "The principles underneath No Child Left Behind -- standards, accountability, transparency, and choice-- are a major step in the right direction; taking away power from education bureaucrats and returning it to those on the front lines of education -- the local schools, the local teachers and the local parents. It has provided support and guidance to our state and local communities to strengthen our schools, while also giving much needed flexibility for every state in the use of federal education dollars. It also contains many initiatives that have helped ensure that more federal education dollars reach our classrooms rather than being lost in bureaucratic black hole."
"The Presidential Field: John McCain," Washington Post online election resource guide (accessed Jan. 25, 2008)
Obama:
Con: "No Child Left Behind Left the Money Behind: The goal of the law was the right one, but unfulfilled funding promises, inadequate implementation by the Education Department and shortcomings in the design of the law itself have limited its effectiveness and undercut its support. As a result, the law has failed to provide high-quality teachers in every classroom and failed to adequately support and pay those teachers."
"Issues: Education," Barack Obama's official campaign website (accessed Jan. 28, 2008)
Q: "Should sex education in our schools be based on abstinence only?"
McCain:
Pro: "Q: What about grants for sex education in the United States? Should they include instructions about using contraceptives? Or should it be Bush's policy, which is just abstinence?
Mr. McCain: (Long pause) Ahhh. I think I support the president's policy."
"McCain Stumbles on H.I.V. Prevention," New York Times, Mar. 16, 2007
Obama:
Con: "...[W]hat I have consistently talked about is to take a comprehensive approach where we focus on abstinence, where we are teaching the sacredness of sexuality to our children.
But we also recognize the importance of good medical care for women, that we're also recognizing the importance of age-appropriate education to reduce risks. I do believe that contraception has to be part of that education process."
"Encore: Democratic Candidates Compassion Forum," CNN.com, Apr. 20, 2008
Immigration: "Should the US build a physical barrier, such as a fence, along the US-Mexico border?"
McCain:
Now Con: "Look, America is a land of opportunity. The question was just asked, what is it to be an American? It's to share a common goal that all of us -- a principle -- are created equal and endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights...
Of course it has to be legal. Of course that it has to be regulated. And 18 months, by the way, will go by while we fix the border before we do anything else on this issue...
And we're not going to erect barriers and fences."
Republican Presidential Debate, Saint Anselm College Manchester, New Hampshire, hosted by CNN, June 5, 2007
[Editor's Note: Prior to John McCain's June 5, 2007 Con position above, regarding building a border fence, he has also expressed a Pro position as indicated in his Sep. 29, 2006 Senate vote in support of the "Secure Fence Act of 2006."]
Pro: Voted Yes to the "Secure Fence Act of 2006 (H.R. 6061)"
"SEC. 3. CONSTRUCTION OF FENCING AND SECURITY IMPROVEMENTS IN BORDER AREA FROM PACIFIC OCEAN TO GULF OF MEXICO...
(1) SECURITY FEATURES.-
(A) REINFORCED FENCING.-In carrying out subsection
(a), the Secretary of Homeland Security shall provide for least 2 layers of reinforced fencing, the installation of additional physical barriers, roads, lighting, cameras, and sensors..."
"H.R.6061: Secure Fence Act of 2006," Library of Congress website, Sep. 29, 2006
Obama:
Pro: "Well, this is an area where Senator Clinton and I almost entirely agree. I think that the key is to consult with local communities, whether it's on the commercial interests or the environmental stakes of creating any kind of barrier...
As Senator Clinton indicated, there may be areas where it makes sense to have some fencing. But for the most part, having border patrolled, surveillance, deploying effective technology, that's going to be the better approach."
Democratic Presidential Debate, hosted by CNN, Austin, TX, Feb. 21, 2008
Iran:"Should the US use military force against Iran if Iran does not dismantle its nuclear program?"
McCain:
Not Clearly Pro or Con: "And every option must remain on the table. Military action isn't our preference. It remains, as it always must, the last option. We have some way to go diplomatically before we need to contemplate other measures. But it is a simple observation of reality that there is only one thing worse than a military solution, and that, my friends, is a nuclear armed Iran. The regime must understand that it cannot win a showdown with the world."
"John McCain Addresses the Christians United for Israel," Speeches, John McCain's official campaign website, July 18, 2007
Obama:
Now Con:
"The Problem: Iran has sought nuclear weapons, supports militias inside Iraq and terror across the region, and its leaders threaten Israel and deny the Holocaust. But Obama believes that we have not exhausted our non-military options in confronting this threat; in many ways, we have yet to try them. That's why Obama stood up to the Bush administration's warnings of war, just like he stood up to the war in Iraq.
Opposed Bush-Cheney Saber Rattling: Obama opposed the Kyl-Lieberman amendment, which says we should use our military presence in Iraq to counter the threat from Iran. Obama believes that it was reckless for Congress to give George Bush any justification to extend the Iraq War or to attack Iran. Obama also introduced a resolution in the Senate declaring that no act of Congress — including Kyl-Lieberman — gives the Bush administration authorization to attack Iran.
Diplomacy: Obama is the only major candidate who supports tough, direct presidential diplomacy with Iran without preconditions. Now is the time to pressure Iran directly to change their troubling behavior. Obama would offer the Iranian regime a choice. If Iran abandons its nuclear program and support for terrorism, we will offer incentives like membership in the World Trade Organization, economic investments, and a move toward normal diplomatic relations. If Iran continues its troubling behavior, we will step up our economic pressure and political isolation. Seeking this kind of comprehensive settlement with Iran is our best way to make progress."
"Foreign Policy," Barack Obama's official candidate website (accessed July 29, 2008)
[Editor's Note: Prior to Barack Obama's July 29, 2008 Con position, his position was Not Clearly Pro or Con as indicated in his Nov. 1, 2007 statement in a New York Times article titled "Interview With Barack Obama" below.]
Not Clearly Pro or Con: "Q. If you were to open such a discussion with Iran, would you retain a military option for striking Iran's nuclear facilities if they persisted on that course, or do you believe that it would be wiser to craft a deterrent and detainment strategy for Iran and acquiesce their nuclear capability?
A. I don't think the President of the United States takes military options off the table, but I think that we obviously have to measure costs and benefits in all the decisions that we make. Iran is one problem. Pakistan is another problem. Afghanistan is another. Iraq is yet another. My decision making, with respect to military options versus diplomatic options, a containment strategy versus a strike strategy, is going to be informed by how is that going to impact not just Iran, but how is that going to impact the stability of the region and how's that going to impact our long-term security interests."
"Interview With Barack Obama," New York Times, Nov. 1, 2007
this site provides answers on every issue that I would assume the voters are interested in... you can compare them side by side....i found it very interesting....
everyone knows I support Obama... my opinion didn't get changed but for those who are still on the fence this might provide them some insight as to which candidate they agree with more or less....
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