What do all the democrats stand for? Who should you vote for? This article outlines the similarities and differences between Clinton, Edwards and Obama.
As we all know, Americans are gearing up to vote for a new president in 2008. With so many hopeful candidates in the running and so many promises flying around, it can be hard to know who to vote for. Below are the similarities and differences between the top Democrat candidates: Clinton, Obama and Edwards.
So, let’s start with the key factors, according to them. Clinton’s focus, should she become America’s first female president, will be to “strengthen the middle class,” provide affordable health care, and end the war in Iraq. Obama’s will focus on strengthening America’s foreign relations, end the war in Iraq and create a “healthcare system that works.” Finally, John Edwards will focus on “standing up for regular families,” restoring America’s leadership in the world and “investing in our future and our communities.”
However, that is all pretty vague and most of us have very specific hot topics that we want addressed. So where do the candidates stand in regards to Abortion, the War in Iraq, Education, Health Care, etc? Here, briefly, are the candidates’ opinions:
Abortion: All three candidates agree that abortion should be legal, regardless of their personal opinions.
Education: All three candidates are opposed to the use of school vouchers. Obama supports higher pay for teachers. Clinton and Edwards support early-education initiatives and further strengthening the public education system. Edwards also believes that the government should provide full tuition, books and fees for college students working part-time.
Environment: Edwards wants to make his entire campaign carbon neutral and advocates capping emissions, reducing the cap every year. Edwards and Obama pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions below 1990 levels by the year 2050. Clinton supports energy conservation, releasing oil reserves and ratifying the Kyoto Protocol. Obama supports Bio Fuels, nuclear power and the use of hybrids.
LGBT Issues: Edwards and Obama are opposed to same-sex marriage and support state ruling of civil unions. Clinton opposes the military’s “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy and believes openly gay people should be allowed to serve. She opposed a constitutional amendment that would have banned same-sex marriage.
Immigration: Edwards supports expanding immigration laws between the United States and Mexico. Clinton supports “a path to earned citizenship for those who are here, working hard, paying taxes, respecting the law, and willing to meet a high bar for becoming a citizen.” Obama has been quoted saying he “will not support any bill that does not provide an earned path to citizenship for the undocumented population.”
Health Care: Edwards has a universal health care plan which subsidizes health insurance for poor Americans and requires employers to offer health insurance through Medicare as an option for their workers. Clinton supports incremental reforms that would provide universal health care by subsidizing insurance premiums. Obama supports a universal health care plan.
War in Iraq: Edwards favors troop withdrawal and training of Iraqi troops, as well as removing American contractors. Although Clinton is vocal about wanting to end the war in Iraq, she supports keeping US troops there, because “we cannot lose sight of our very real strategic national interests.” Obama supports “bringing a responsible end” to the war in Iraq.
Media: All three candidates support net neutrality. Edwards has also outlined a plan to establish high-speed internet availability to all American homes by 2010.
If your hot topic wasn’t addressed, it likely means that all three candidates have yet to issue their opinion. Check out their websites (Hilary Clinton, Barack Obama, John Edwards) for further details.
