Who do you support for president? Why? Give concrete reasons and refer to news articles &/or their website to substantiate your posts. Include the link to the references you cite in your post so that others can retrace your steps.
If you don't support anyone for president, then answer:
Which of the candidates would you most oppose as the next president? Why? Give concrete reasons and refer to news articles &/or their website to substantiate your posts. Include the link to the references you cite in your post so that others can retrace your steps.
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The presidential candidate I support most is Ron Paul. I support him because of the reason I stated in the first blog post, because I feel he is the most trustworthy. I don’t mean he’s a nice, genuine, likable guy. I mean he’s trustworthy because he is a constitutionalist, and his voting records have seldom changed since he was a politician, so we know what we’re getting with him. He’s a man that will stick to his morals, and whether I agree with him or not I feel he is least likely to be corrupted by the special interest groups that offer him the most money. He voted against the War in Iraq, and has maintained that viewpoint ever since.
If we HAVE to talk about issues, then I respect Ron Paul’s point of view on foreign policy. It is a good idea to spread our values, but not by force. Ron Paul not only wants to withdraw from Iraq, but from the other countries we have too many troops in. As it says on his website “Both Jefferson and Washington warned us about entangling ourselves in the affairs of other nations.” He feels our troops are spread too thin around the world, and we do not have enough troops defending our own country. America is just a country, as great as it may seem we could very easily one day be forced to fight a war on our own soil. I’d rather have troops here to defend the country than have them over in Saudi Arabia played world police. Yet aside from wanting to withdraw our troops he wants open trade and communication with other nations, so America’s presence can grow through peace.
I am also a liberal, but I don’t blindly follow the democratic candidates. Ron Paul is a republican, but he is known as a liberal republican, closer to the middle. I think the white house is about ready for another moderate (rather than an extreme liberal or conservative) to clean up after this last administration’s mess. I know very few people will agree with me on who is the best candidate (judging by Ron Paul’s 2% following) but I would rather see Ron Paul in the white house than either of the current leading candidates.
http://www.ronpaul2008.com/
http://www.ontheissues.org/
http://www.ronpaulfacts.com/
Sorry HTML is pretty awesome some days. Here's my post:
I support Hillary Clinton for the next president of the United States. I believe that she has the vision, the experience, and the connections that many other candidates lack. I also support her stance on many issues.
First, I believe that out of all of the current candidates, Senator Clinton will get us out of Iraq the fastest. This is based on her proposal and support of the Iraq Troop Protection and Reduction Act of 2007. Even though she is not president yet, she is using the power she has to end one of the greatest foreign policy disasters this country has ever known.
I believe she will also be effective in many other areas of foreign policy, such as rebuilding alliances and stopping the spread of AIDS, because in her time as First Lady and as a senator she has met many global leaders and made valuable connections for the United States. Through these trips, she has also gained understanding of the affairs of other nations so she will be able to create more effective compromises .
Lastly, I believe Senator Clinton's health care plan will greatly enhance the lives of millions of Americans. Someone I am very close to has a chronic condition that will make finding health insurance almost impossible when she is older. This is simply not acceptable as there is no way she could manage her condition without the financial support of health insurance. I know that she is one of millions facing this problem. I believe Hillary can end it by requiring insurance companies to offer care to all who can pay their premium and providing tax credits to those who cannot pay it on their own .
I have a link on health care as well: http://www.hillaryclinton.com/feature/healthcareplan/
Sorry it looks terrible.
I first off, would like to start by post by saying how awesome it is to see the different campaigning techniques these days. Many of the presidential candidates have a facebook, myspace, blogs, youtube videos, etc.
That said, the candidate I support the most in the presidential race so far is Sen. Barack Obama. I feel he is the candidate who is the most trustworthy. Throughout politics, you hear and see candidates “flip flopping” on issues and changing stances. It’s not that I don’t believe someone can change their mind on an issue after more facts or presented, but when you can’t get a definitive response from candidates, you question their honesty and reliability. Obama’s stances on issues have been pretty rock solid throughout his terms as Senator, and as a presidential nominee.
Corruption has plagued some people’s desire to get involved in their government. I feel under our current presidency there has been many scandals and much corruption, dishonesty, and fraudulence. Electing Barack Obama for president will help promote an “open and honest government.” (honesty) “In the 110th Congress, Obama worked with Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) to introduce legislation described as the "gold standard for reform." He then worked with the Senate Leadership to craft strong ethics reform legislation to help restore the public trust in the institution. The final package that passed the Senate includes a number of Obama/Feingold provisions: a full ban on gifts and meals from lobbyists; an end to subsidized travel on corporate jets; full disclosure of who is sponsoring earmarks; additional restrictions to close the revolving door between public service and lobbying shops; and much tighter disclosure requirements for political contributions that lobbyists "bundle."” –Barack Obama’s Presidential Campaign website (corruption)
As far as the War in Iraq, Sen. Obama has remained constant in his stance with the war. He has always believed that “it was wrong in its conception.” He has believed since going into the war, that the invasion would lead to “occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences” (obama) He has shown the courage to stand by his stance throughout the war and had the audacity to speak out against it from the beginning. Obama’s plan to end the war is simple and I believe doable. He will immediately begin withdrawing troops engaged in combat operations, bringing home one or two brigades every month, which will be completed by the end of next year. After calling for a new constitutional convention in Iraq, assembled with the United Nations, he would use the rightfully deserved presidential leadership to surge our diplomacy on behalf of a new regional security compact.
A major criticism of Sen. Barack Obama is his inexperience. If you click onto this website (experience) you will find a list of his experiences in public service, elected offices, business, board memberships, and past careers. I believe these are plenty qualifications for presidency. As many will recall, JFK was the youngest president elected into office, and many still hail him as one of the greats.
If I could vote for someone I would vote for Dennis Kucinich. I wouldn't vote for him just because I did my presentation on him. I really like him as a person. I don't know if he's telling the truth about his parents. I was really moved that his parents barely had enough money to pay the rent. What impressed me even more is that given his background he has succeeded in life and he is now running for president (1). However, his life is not that important for a president. I also like that he is a pacifist and that he would prefer not to get involved in other people's business. He believes that the US is a superpower but as a superpower it doesn't need to police the world. He also believes that the US would be a stronger country if it would use peace tactics to get things done. Also the US should use their massive power not for bullying but for leading. War should also be the last resource and it should be used for self-defense and not as a policy making tool (2). Also, even though I know that this would probably never pass, he has introduced two bills in Congress that would get rid of nuclear weapons and space weapons (4 and 5). Nuclear bombs are a scary thing and I don't think they help anyone. Dennis Kucinich would like to stop the use of depleted uranium munitions because of how dangerous they are. On his website (3) he explains that the US through four wars has deployed tons of uranium munitions. After the Gulf War 350 tons of depleted uranium remain in Iraq. Uranium has a half life of 4.5 billion years. Even if wars end the remains of these uranium ammunitions still remain in the country which means that people still die even after peace has been declared. That to me doesn't sound like the end of a war but it sounds like a continuous war that won't end for billions of years. Peace is very important to me and it seems like Mr. Kucinich is the only one who cares about these issues and who is willing to put an end to all of the wars and conflicts that the US has started. Domestic policy is important too and I really like his education policy. He would like to have free kindergarten and college for those who need and want it (6). Education for me is very important and I believe that the US wouldn't have as much poverty if everyone would have the opportunity to go to college or get a good education. However, as important as domestic policy is for some people, foreign policy is still more important to me. The US has been policing the world far too much and I think that it is losing popularity every single day and its relationships with other countries are deteriorating. That is very dangerous in a world where the US needs allies.
1)http://www.dennis4president.com/about-dennis/
2)http://www.dennis4president.com/go/issues/strength-through-peace/
3)http://www.dennis4president.com/go/resources/dennis-on-depleted-uranium-weapons/
4)http://www.commondreams.org/news2006/0726-26.htm
5)http://www.fas.org/sgp/congress/2001/hr2977.html
6)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Kucinich
This is an answer to Alyssa G.
I really like Sen. Obama. He was actually the guy I wanted to write my post about but I decided that I liked Kucinich a little better. Flip flopping has been a pretty big issue in the 2004 elections and I believe that Kerry lost because of it. That is not Sen. Obama's problem and he doesn't have to worry about it when like alyssa said, his stance on different issues has been pretty rock solid. His stance on Iraq hasn't changed and I find that remarkable. Also as I said in my post, foreign policy is extremely important to me. Sen. Obama wants to strengthen US' foreign policy. He wants to do this by first, ending the war in Iraq and also by making US' partnerships with other countries long lasting (1). He would like the US to be present in other countries foreign policy but not create conflicts that the US would have to get involved in. As long as he has a clear vision on what needs to get done about the war in Iraq, I would vote for him. Congress is not very effective on actually making a difference in his war. I don't think they are unwilling to make a difference. I think the only problem right now is that Pres. Bush is not letting Congress do their job. He is vetoing any law that comes on his desk and also is not willing to have a discussion with the legislative branch on what actually needs to get done. Sen. Obama, I believe, would like to have that kind of discussion with them because he has been in their shoes and knows how hard it is to get things done when the president is unwilling to help. i also agree with Alyssa that JFK was a good president and he didn't have that much experience. Why would Sen. Obama be any different. Are people really that racist that they would not feel comfortable with an African American president?
Now, the issue that he may not be black enough to be the first African American president seems a little ridiculous to me. By the time the American public decides that it is OK to have an African American president, most of the black civil rights activists will either be dead or too old to actually be able to be the president of the US. Sen. Obama I think is the perfect candidate to be the first African American president. He has been a community activist since a very young age and also he has lived in Indonesia for a while which makes me appreciate him even more because it shows me that he has been exposed to other cultures which would make him more understanding (3).
1)http://www.barackobama.com/issues/strengtheningamerica/
2)http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1584736,00.html
3)http://www.barackobama.com/about/
I would support Hillary Clinton for the next president of the United States. I think that she will provide the changes in government that Americans have been craving. Even though many of her stances on issues are similar to her Democrat candidate opponents, she sets herself apart from the rest of the Democrat field for a number of reasons. She is experienced, she is realistic about what she would like to accomplish as president, and her stances on issues are what America wants even if they are similar to the other Democrat candidates.
Hillary Clinton has been working towards improving the quality and availability of health care since before she was the First Lady. She has developed a plan for universal health care that she wants to implement when she becomes president. It is called the American Health Choices Plan. It lowers the cost of health care and provides more options for the consumer. It also provides non-discriminatory health care, and it is available to everyone who wants it. If you already have a plan that you like, you do not need to change it. She is also realistic about her plan because she knows that it will cost money in order for it to be implemented. With millions of Americans who are not covered by healthcare, this is exactly the type of plan the country needs to follow in order for everyone to be covered by healthcare (www.hillaryclinton.com/feature/healthcareplan/).
Another big issue that Hillary will handle realistically and wisely will be the ending of the Iraq War. She has proposed a bill called the Iraq Troop Protection and Reduction Act of 2007 that sets forth a number of policies that will quickly end the Iraq War. Most of the troops will be removed, and only some will stay behind to execute counterterrorism operations, provide logistical support, and train Iraqi troops. Hillary Clinton is the right person to elect in order to end the war quickly and save as many American lives as possible (http://www.hillaryclinton.com/issues/iraq/).
Finally, Hillary understands that cutting taxes hurts us in the long run. She opposed President Bush’s tax cuts in 2001 and 2003. She also opposes the extension of theses tax cuts through 2010. No one likes to pay taxes, but they are the price we pay for the high quality services we receive in America. When taxes are cut, schools lose funding and need to call for tax levies to make up for the loss of money from lower taxes. When there is less funding for road construction and repair, tragedies such as bridge collapses happen. Hillary will do what’s best for us in the long run when she becomes our next president (http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/candidates/hillary.clinton.html).
I want to thank Georgia for posting & trying to credit where she got her info from in her post. I'd also like to encourage others to find a way to integrate their research into their posts as well. :) M. Aby
I’m more inclined to blog about the candidate that I least support, seeing as I agree with Georgia on almost all of her points and would feel as if I was reiterating the positions she described.
Almost every candidate has a position that I find it easy to disagree with, but I chose Sam Brownback as the candidate that I’d blog about. I chose him for two main reasons: his beliefs concerning privacy (or lack thereof), and his viewpoints on warfare.
Brownback bases his stances on the PATRIOT Act, abortion, and wiretapping on his opinion that there is no right to privacy protected by the Constitution. During an interview with FOX news, Brownback is quoted as saying that, “legally, the doctrine of a right to privacy, which I don't find anywhere in the Constitution, comes up all the time.” (1). It’s true that the word “privacy” doesn’t appear anywhere in the constitution. However, The Bill of Rights does reflect the view that an individual has rights that the government cannot intervene in, such as the privacy of their thoughts (Amendment I), privacy of their home (Amendment III), privacy of personal possessions (Amendment IV) and a further, broader protection of privacy (Amendment IX). The ninth amendment states that, “The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.” Essentially, this means that the government can only intervene in the lives and actions of the people if the power is specifically granted to them by the Constitution. I take the ninth amendment to mean that a person has an inherent right to privacy protected by the Constitution, and that the government cannot interfere with that. Brownback voted yes on both reauthorizing the Patriot Act and its wiretap provision, which in my opinion, violates the protection against unreasonable search and seizure. Additionally, I believe that his pro-life stance on abortion violates a woman’s right to privacy protected by the ninth amendment. Personal privacy and liberty cannot be sacrificed and disregarded for questionable safety or religious motive, it is much too important!
Concerning warfare, I disagree with Brownback on many levels. First and foremost, I disagree with his vote against banning chemical weapons. This peaceful measure, supported in the past by presidents such as Nixon and George Bush senior would contribute to a safer, peaceful world. Brownback has also voted against adopting the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, which “would ban nuclear weapons testing six months after ratification by the 44 nations that have nuclear power plants or nuclear research reactors” (2). My personal opinion is that both chemical and nuclear weapons are inhumane, dangerous, can do nothing to benefit the world and should be outlawed, so it’d be obvious that I would disagree with his opinions regarding these issues. With concern to the Iraq War, Brownback believes that the United States cannot win the war without uniting together in support. ” In my opinion, this is an unreasonable expectation and will never happen. If we are to wait until the majority of America supports the War in Iraq, the war will become even more stretched-out than it is currently and we will ultimately fail. During a disagreement with Republican Senator Ron Paul, Brownback stated, “I vote for the strength of America, and I vote for our place in the world. That this is a key country, and it's a country that's standing up to Islamic fascism, and it's a country that is standing up for the rights of individuals, and I think there is a just war that's going on in Iraq” After reading the quote, I interpret it as another one of the government’s conquest for macho-man validation (but that’s just my opinion). If the president said that he went to war with Iraq to liberate the Iraqi people and destroy weapons of mass destruction and not to confirm out standing in the world, I would’ve expected Brownback to take a similar viewpoint. Lastly, Brownback has also been quoted as saying, that “Iran is the lead sponsor of terrorism around the world” (3). He supports a tough confrontation with the nation, but no diplomatic relations. If there is substantial evidence demonstrating that Iran is supporting global terrorism, I believe that diplomatic relations are necessary to contribute to a more peaceful environment. Global cooperation against terrorism and towards peace can’t happen if countries aren’t willing to further diplomacy.
If I actually had a vote in the upcoming election, it would certainly not be given to Senator Brownback. I believe that personal privacy is a right too important to give up, and that his stances on war and peace will be disadvantageous if he is given the presidency. We need a president who can successfully help America regain what was lost in the past eight years, and Sam Brownback isn’t the one who can do that for the American people.
1. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,172948,00.html
2. http://ontheissues.org/2008/Sam_Brownback_Homeland_Security.htm
3. http://ontheissues.org/Sam_Brownback.htm
Amendment I: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Amendment III: No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.
Amendment IV: The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Amendment IX: The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
I have to agree with Tony in saying that the presidential candidate I support the most is Ron Paul. I feel that he is a candidate who will stick with his beliefs and not flip flop on issues. We know this because he has stated before that he is a constitutionalist, and that is where his policy belief comes from (1). Also, I feel that Ron Paul is the candidate best suited to handle the current situation in Iraq. He originally voted against authorizing force in Iraq and has also consistently voted against the Iraq War (2). A majority of the students in this class indicated through the first post that they feel that the Iraq War is the most important issue in this current election. So who better to solve this issue than someone who has been against the war since the beginning? I also agree with Paul’s stance on border patrol. While we our attempting to fight terrorism, we leave our own country unguarded. This is a situation that Ron Paul can improve and has consistently voted for (3). I also believe that Ron Paul is correct with his belief that the government is a potential threat to our privacy. Ron Paul believes that our personal privacy is being threatened along with medical and financial privacy. Also, he is against the Patriot Act which is something else that could lessen people’s individual privacy (4). Ron Paul is also a very trustworthy candidate who has shown a tremendously consistent voting record. He derives his policy and beliefs from the Constitution and, because of this, we know that he will not change his stance on an issue just for the sake of looking better (5). In conclusion, I support Ron Paul for the 2008 election because of his trustworthiness and his policy stances. Most importantly, if we had listened to Ron Paul in 2002, we would not be where we are currently in Iraq.
1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FE72V5dJ5Jg
2. http://ontheissues.org/Ron_Paul.htm#War_+_Peace
3. http://www.ronpaul2008.com/issues/border-security-and-immigration-reform/
4. http://www.ronpaul2008.com/issues/privacy-and-personal-liberty/
5. http://www.ronpaul2008.com/issues/
The candidate I support most in the upcoming presidential election is Mitt Romney, the governor of Massachusetts. Although I do not agree with all of his ideas, I think he has some ideas that would be beneficial to our country. While looking at his stances on the issues, I was glad to find that he acknowledged the importance of education in America. Gov. Romney said in March 2006, “…Unequal educational opportunity is the civil rights issue of our time.” I agree with that Gov. Romney was trying to illustrate, which is that unequal education is a problem in America and it hurts many young people in this country. He also said on education, “We cannot continue to have an excellence gap [refering to education] with the rest of the world and intend to remain the economic superpower and military superpower of the planet.” I totally agree that education up to college in America is far behind some other countries in the world, and I think that can only hurt our country.
I also agree with Gov. Romney’s stance on illegal immigration. Gov. Romney said in June 2006, “I want to see more immigration in our country, but more legal immigration and less illegal immigration.” I was pleased to find that Gov. Romney does not favor cutting down on legal immigration, as some Republican candidates seem inclined to do. Gov. Romney also feels we must reform our immigration laws by setting up a biometrically enabled, tamper proof documentation and employment verification system. Mainly, as he stated, he supports more legal immigration and less illegal immigration.
Gov. Romney is also pro-life and does not support stem cell research, which is something that I want in the presidential candidate I support. However, I am not certain as to how strongly he is pro-life since he had taken a less active stance on abortion before he started running for president. I also support his idea of keeping lower taxes.
Although I agree with Gov. Romney’s hope for energy independence, I do not support drilling in ANWR. So, even though I do not support all of Gov. Romney’s stances, I do agree with many of his ideas. Gov. Mitt Romney is a candidate that I support more than the other presidential candidates so far. I also do not think that Gov. Romney being a Mormon should have anything to do with whether he is elected or not. People of all religions should be able to be president, what matters is their positions on important issues and whether or not they are capable of being president. Race, creed and sex should not matter.
(This link also lets you look at the stances of other governors on the issues, just scroll down the page)http://quiz.ontheissues.org/Governor/Mitt_Romney_Energy_+_Oil.htm
www.mittromney.com
THEORETICAL IDEAL CANDIDATE (100%). This was on the top of my list of results after I filled out the survey on SelectSmart.com’s Presidential Candidate Selector. I found it interesting that the next highest percentage match was only 68%. Clearly the only way to find a candidate that represents all of my views perfectly would be to actually run myself (1). Since that is out of the question, I started thinking about who shares the largest majority of my views, as well as who I think would make the best president. After some consideration, I believe that Hillary Clinton is the strongest candidate in the upcoming presidential election. Not only do I agree with the majority of her views on pressing issues, but she is clearly dedicated to improving the United States as a whole.
First and foremost I agree with The Iraq Troop Protection and Reduction Act of 2007. This piece of legislature, if passed, would force Congress to revoke authorization of the war if troops were not beginning to leave Iraq within 90 days (2). Ending this war is very important to me and even if this bill does not pass, Sen. Clinton is committed to ending the war if she elected as president. Although she is very focused on pulling out of Iraq, she also acknowledges that a small, specialized force may be needed to provide needed post-war support but still opposes any permanent bases (2).
Secondly, the environment and the issue of global warming is very important to me as I believe it is necessary for our future to act now in trying to prevent further harm to our earth. Although I am pretty sure that there are no candidate’s who are, in theory, opposed to stopping global warming, Hillary Clinton has a plan she proposed to Congress that would merge efforts to help our environment with plans to strengthen our economy and regain energy independence (2). The Strategic Energy Fund would fund research and development of clean, renewable and efficient energy sources. It would also provide good jobs for middle-class Americans. The best part is the 50 billion dollars needed for this project would not come from taxes. In fact, the money would come from oil companies by making them choose between paying into the fund or investing in engineering new sources of energy themselves (2).
I also believe that Hillary Clinton would make the best choice for president because of her experience in politics and her clear talent for leadership. She was voted into the 100 most influencial lawyers in America on two different occasions and argued for cases of human rights vigorously (1). She was also arguably the most active first lady ever, constantly advocating for women’s rights and health care among other things. Finally, as a senator, Hillary Clinton has consistently supported “the invisible people” (1). Senator Evan Bayh, who dropped out of the Democratic race for candidacy in December said, "The next president of the United States must be experienced and seasoned, must be smart and must be tough.” He then concluded that, “Hillary Clinton is all of these things and more (3).”
Overall, I support Hillary as the most able presidential candidate. As well as her stances on the war in Iraq and the environment, I also agree with her plans for universal health care, giving illegal immigrants the chance to gain citizenship, achieving full equality for women, battling AIDS, and increasing funding to schools. Her amount of experience as a politician and her commitment to helping the whole America rather then just the economic elite are also factors in why I would vote for Hillary Clinton.
As Hillary stated in her Wellesley class’ commencement speech, “The challenge now is to practice politics as the art of making what appears to be impossible, possible (2).”
(1) Aby, Meredith
(2) http://www.hillaryclinton.com/
(3) http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article/
I would like to start out with thanking everyone for their very informative presentations on the presidential candidates this week. It really helped me get to know different political views of each individual very well.
Alright, so onto the fun part. Since I’m still undecided about which candidate I really prefer, I’m going to do the same as Sophie and talk about the candidate I would least like to see as President. My least favorite candidate would have to be Mike Huckabee for the 2008 election. This is for several reasons. First, I feel like his foreign policy issues don’t fully address a lot of the needs that I think America wants met at the moment. Specifically, his policy in Iraq, I feel, is ignorant of a lot of the casualties and losses America has taken. (1) He defends that “we have always declared war until victory” and that even to consider leaving Iraq is a bad idea. He suggests pressuring Iraq’s neighbor countries into shouldering the economic burden in helping Iraq become stable once again. I think this not only unfair to the international community, but also unfair to Iraq. As far as I see it, this plan of action only leaves Iraq even more indebted to countries that it doesn’t want to be involved with. I think his policy of military strength being of more worth than peace talks or diplomatic interactions with other countries is likely only going to create more enemies than protect us from the old ones. He also made the statement in January of 2007 that the Iraq war has led to less focus on the Iraq war (2), but he also advocates continuing the war and increasing troop levels. I feel like if he’s going to be more serious about the war in Iraq, which I don’t approve of, then the only place he could have won my vote is on the domestic policies, which it sounds like he will be distracted from.
One domestic issue of his I blatantly disagree with is his support of passing a bill to define marriage as only between a man and a woman. I feel like it violates the basics of the constitution and the principles our country was founded on to say that if a person is homosexual, they shouldn’t be entitled to the same marriage rights as a heterosexual would. In an article in Time Magazine (3), he made the statement that “they want to change the rules, though, of institutions like marriage, I feel I have a responsibility to speak out. The rules are one man, one woman for life.” I feel like this statement is politically ignorant in today’s society. To say that there are “rules” to marriage (and provide no political evidence to back it up), is not allowing for equal treatment of people beneath the law. I also disagree with his values, which would represent the entire country, were he elected president. In June 2007 he said that (2) “One worldview will prevail: God-centered or human-centered.” I’m not really sure what to think of him. I think his heavy emphasis on religion and his refusal to acknowledge a woman’s right to an abortion, or civil rights to homosexual couples, is almost exactly what I don’t want representing me on the international stage. I want to have a President who is open to change and won’t make statements like “Our culture of life separates us from Islamic fascists” or “I would disagree that protection of innocent life is insignificant. It is what separates us as a civilization from the very jihadists we are fighting.” I feel like he’s internationally ignorant and domestically unfair when it comes to the minority or when it comes to important issues I support.
1.http://www.mikehuckabee.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Issues.View&Issue_id=2
2.http://www.ontheissues.org/Mike_Huckabee.htm#War_+_Peace
3.http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1607158,00.html
The presidential candidate that I support the most at this point is Dennis Kucinich.
He has opposed the Iraq War from the beginning and would take steps to end it if he was elected. I also agree with his argument that America needs to improve its diplomacy. A president like him would be a relief after the current administration, which implies that if you don't like what it's doing, you can take a hike. That sort of arrogant attitude is what got us into Iraq, and it's what destroyed the favorable view the world had of us after 9/11. http://www.dennis4president.com/go/issues/strength-through-peace/
He also supports a universal health care system, which is already in bill form. He wants to provide education for all Americans from pre-school through college. I'm not quite sure how he thinks he's going to do that, but if it worked, it would be pretty awesome. This seems to indicate that he would support things such as more financial aid for college, which is a huge concern of mine. http://www.dennis4president.com/go/issues/survival-of-the-middle-class/
He also campaigns in favor of sustainability, which will be crucial in upcoming years. We can't depend on fossil fuels forever. He wants to reverse unsustainable actions in:
"1) Energy consumption
2) Military spending
3) Economic and tax policy
4) Environmental policy
5) Land and water use"
http://www.dennis4president.com/go/issues/a-sustainable-future/
These all seem like good goals to me.
He is experienced in many areas of government, having served as a court clerk, a city council member, a mayor, a senator, and a representative. He also campaigned for the presidency in 2004. This shows that he will have the skills necessary to do the job.
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/2008-presidential-candidates/dennis-kucinich/
Also, he doesn't seem to engage in the sort of mud-slinging that other candidates do. Perhaps this is because he's a second-tier candidate, but I still think it reflects well on him.
-This is Kendra.
I support senator Obama for president in the election. As my previous post stated the issue I am paying the most attention to is the one I deem most closely related to my life currently…Education. I see senator Obama’s current stance on education as a realistic one that, if carried out would strengthen our public schools and help relieve the burden of college tuition http://www.barackobama.com/issues/education/.
In addition I like his plan to strengthen foreign policy. His plan states that he wants to take weapons out of terrorist’s hands and put an end to the threat of nuclear terrorism. Obviously two very good ideas he has also been very outspoken about the United State’s need to stay a step ahead of the avian flu which is a very real and very grave issue should it become a pandemic http://obama.senate.gov/news/050307-staying_ahead_of_the_avian_flu/index.php . Lastly he has created a plan to stop the mass genocide in Darfur which in my mind is a must. He is one of the leading voices in Washington in this issue, he worked with Senator Brownback on the Darfur peace and Accountability act and has met with the United nations and Sudanese officials campaigning to end the bloodshed. http://www.barackobama.com/issues/strengtheningamerica/
When all is said and done I really like Senator Obama’s stance on most of the issues these were just a few I decided to highlight. In the end the most important thing I think is trust. In these modern days politicians get the reputations for being huge scam artists and good liars. It is one thing to like a person’s theory and another step entirely to believe that they are qualified and truthful enough to follow through and I trust Senator Obama. One of the major reasons is that he has been rock solid with all his issues. Also, that he has been very straight forward with his campaign and it seems to me that he is a very outspoken and trustworthy individual. The fact that that he hasn’t changed his stance so far says to me that I can count on him to stay strong while in office as well
Although none of the candidates really tickle my fancy at this point, the candidate I would be most likely to vote for is Rudy Giuliani. I think he would make a decent president because he has had experience as Mayor of one of the biggest cities in the world, New York City. He is also a good speaker, presenting speeches across the United States. My brother saw him speak and liked him very much. Also, there's not really anything that would tarnish his reputation too severely besides the fact that he has been married three times and once to his second cousin.
Being more of a moderate conservative I agree with many of Rudy's accomplishments and stances on various issues. For example, he believes it would now be unreasonble to set a timetable right now withdraw from Iraq. Although I believe that we should eventually get out, I think remaining in Iraq is a good idea to prevent the war from spreading to neighboring countries. I also think that withdrawing would be a sign of weakness and just prompt other countries to attack. We would no longer seem like such a strong nation.
As for abortion, Rudy is for resonable restrictions such as partial birth abortions but ultimately leaves the decision up to a woman and her doctor. I am pro-choice so I agree with him on this topic.
Also, he supports gay partnerships, which are basically like marriages but a different title. I support gay marriage but Rudy is the only candidate I could find that best fits all of my morals.
Rudy is definitely the candidate who best fits my interests. His moderate conservative values lead me to believe that he will receive a number of liberal votes as well as the more moderate conservatives. Seeing that he is currently in the lead in the GOP running for candidacy, I have high hope that he will be the Republican candidate in the 2008 election.
Oh, and here are my websites:
www.ontheissues.org
www.time.com
www.joinrudy2008.com
I support Hillary Clinton for president because she is politically experienced and I agree with her on many of her key issues. I think that her domestic policy plans are we need to reform our country.
To begin with, I think that her experience in politics (as First Lady and Senator) is an important asset. As a senator, she has already proposed legislation dealing with the issues on her platform, showing that she has solutions and is ready to take action. As a few people have already said, she has proposed the Iraq Troop Protection and Reduction Act of 2007 to deal with the war (http://www.hillaryclinton.com/issues/iraq/) and the Strategic Energy Fund to develop alternative energy sources and reduce dependence on foreign oil (www.hillaryclinton.com/issues/energy). The fact that she has solutions for America’s problems and has already put forth an effort to control them shows that she will be an active president who is committed to reform.
She has also worked towards creating a universal healthcare system as First Lady; although it failed she has learned from her mistakes and is ready to try again. I agree that a universal healthcare system is necessary, seeing that millions of Americans are uninsured and the health of our average citizen is far from ideal. As a developed nation, I think that the state of health our citizens are in is an embarrassment. Clinton’s American Health Choices Plan provides the ideas and steps to establishing a more effective healthcare system (http://www.hillaryclinton.com/issues/healthcareplan/).
I also think that her plans on other domestic issues will reform our country. She supports increasing funding for education, which I think is important if we want to keep up with foreign schools. The cost of a college education has also risen drastically in the last few years (http://www.hillaryclinton.com/issues/family). Furthermore, she has supported immigration reform and has created a “Real Plan for Government Reform” which would increase Americans’ confidence in the government and decrease the national debt (http://www.hillaryclinton.com/issues/realplan).
One issue that I think distinguishes her from the other Democratic candidates is her concentration on women’s rights. She supports the Roe v. Wade decision, arguing that the government should not have a role in such a personal decision, and has proposed the Paycheck Fairness Act with hopes of decreasing discrimination. She notes on her website that even today’s society, with an increasing number of women in high-end jobs, women only earn 77 cents for every dollar that men earn (http://www.hillaryclinton.com/issues/women). Although I do not think that women’s rights should be the most important issue in the election, I think that it is an overlooked topic that does need reform.
My favorite candidate in the upcoming election would have to be John Edwards. While there are several candidates in this election that I would strongly support if they were to receive the Democratic nomination, I prefer Edward because of his focus on domestic policy, his foreign policy, and the fact that I think he would be the Democratic Party’s best chance at winning.
Throughout his campaign, John Edwards has made it clear that universal health care is a priority. While other candidates do indeed touch on it, he was the first candidate I heard articulate a clear plan to achieve universal healthcare. Edwards also has mentioned in every debate his intentions to end poverty in the U.S. Though this is indeed an idealistic and lofty goal, we should at least attempt to bring more Americans above the poverty level. Also, Edward’s plan to stop global warming has been called the “most comprehensive global warming plan of any presidential candidate to date” by the League of Conservation Voters.
John Edwards, like most other Democratic candidates, believes in withdrawing troops from Iraq, which I strongly agree with. He plans to immediately withdraw 40,000 to 50,000 troops if he is elected. Edwards’ overall goals in foreign policy are to work more with other countries and the UN, and thereby restore The United States’ reputation. John Edwards’ less aggressive plans for foreign policy are one of the reasons I prefer him to Barack Obama.
The last reason I prefer Edwards is I think he would have the best chance at winning. In polls by Newsweek setting him versus the leading Republican candidates he had as much success as either Obama or Clinton. His presence in the Senate since 1998 would, I think, be an advantage over Obama’s three years. While I do in many ways like Clinton’s ideas, many “moderates” I have spoken to have strongly disliked her for reasons that they could not explain. While I think this inexplicable dislike is ridiculous, I believe it could affect election results. Though Edwards is in some ways more liberal than either of the other Democratic frontrunners, my uncle, who I would consider almost reactionary, showed a preference for him for no apparent reason. Also, when I’ve watched different Democratic debates, Edwards has always received much more support from the audience than other candidates. While I think that unexplainable dislikes for other candidates and public speaking skills say little of how a person will govern, I really want a liberal candidate to win and believe Edwards is the Democratic Party’s best hope.
Overall, I hope John Edwards has success in the upcoming primaries and continues on to receive the Democratic nomination. His positions on domestic and foreign policy are quite similar to mine. While other candidates have opinions I support, it is unfortunate, but true, that personality and likability do play a strong part in winning votes. For all of these reasons I would like to see Edwards’ name end up on the ballot next November.
Youtube debates
Johnedwards.com
http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20070901faessay86502/john-edwards/reengaging-with-the-world.html
http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20070701faessay86401/barack-obama/renewing-american-leadership.html
http://www.pollingreport.com/2008.htm
In my opinion, Barack Obama is the best candidate for presidency. My opinions tend to be more on the democratice side, so, after reading his views, I can say that I agree with and support them.
On his website, Obama provides informations about his plans for all of the issues. First of all, Obama has been fighting to strengthen the United State's position in the world. He wants our reputation restored so we can tackle problems like the manufacturing of weapons of mass destruction and stopping the genocide in Darfur (1).
Obama has laid out a plan to get the United States out of Iraq. Right from the start, he has disagreed with the concept of the war saying, "Saddam posed no imminent threat to the United States," and, "invasion would lead to an occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences." I agree with this statment. Though I think that Saddam was a threat to the United States, now that he is out of power and dead, there is no reason for us to be in Iraq. There war has gone on too long, cost too much money, and cost too many lives (1).
In May of this year, Obama made a speech about health care in Iowa City. He said, "I...believe that every American has the right to affordable health care. I believe that the millions of Americans who can't take their children to a doctor when they get sick have that right...We now face an opportunity-and an obligation-to turn the page on the failed politics of yesterday's health care debates. It's time to bring together buisinesses, the medical community, and members of both parties around a comprehensive solution to this crisis..." I also see the problem of health care this way. It saddens me to think that when people are in dire need of medical attention, they can't have it because the costs of medicine and insurance are too high for them (2).
Obama also agrees that we need to clean up the earth and stop global warming. He wants to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases that add to global warming. Like Edwards, Obama supports the "cap and trade" system, which ultimatly reduces carbon emissions by up to 80% by 2050. THis system will raise money to upgrade our energy infrastructure and create tons of new job opportunities. In the end, Obama's goal is to make the United States energy independent. I agree with this because I believe that global warming is real and if we don't act now to stop it, it will drastically affect life for us and our future generations (3).
On the issue of school improvement, Obama believes that all students should get a good education, "regardless of race, class, or background." He wants to give struggling districts and schools support and resources to help the students get the best education possible. I think this is a good plan because I believe that it isn't the school that is in the way of a child's learning but the resources that the school provides (1).
Lastly, I agree with Obama on his opinions of abortion and gay rights. He is in support of abortion and Roe vs. Wade and is also in support of gay rights and wants to include sexual orientation in anti-discrimination laws (4).
1. http://www.barackobama.com/issues
2. http://www.barackobama.com/healthcare
3. http://www.barackobama.com/enviornment
4.http://www.ontheissues.org/Barack_Obama.htm
I support Ron Paul for president in the 2008 election. I believe that he is the most trustworthy candidate. He and I share a constitutionalst view on political issues and his voting record is consistent. I believe that he will not be subject to changes in policy due to corruption, etc.
When it comes to the issues I agree with views on gun control. He was rated A by the NRA, showing that he supports gun rights(1); I agree with this view because of the 2nd Amendment. I also agree with his views on
homeland security and foreign policy. The view that we should spread our influence around the world without using force is good. He believes that going to war for anyone is unintelligent and has turned out badly for us in the past in Afghanistan and other places(2), but he does not want an isolationist state; he supports free trade and communication around the world(2). I also oppose restricting rights such as privacy and habeas corpus(1).
Ron Paul is a strong candidate because he votes consistently with the constitution and does not change his views easily. He is a moderate Republican, which will appease more people than a hardcore liberal or conservative.
(1) http://www.ontheissues.org
(2) http://www.ronpaul2008.com
The candidate that I support the most for the 2008 election is Barack Obama. Though he does not have the political experience as some of the other candidates do, I believe that Obama offers a fresh face to America. Obama opposes the Iraq war, a position with which I strongly agree. In addition, Obama has a plan that would get the United States out of Iraq in a timely manner. This includes withdrawing the troops by one or two brigades every month. This would ensure that the United States troops are out of Iraq by the end of next year. Secondly, Obama proposes to renew alliances such as NATO. The United States has squandered its goodwill by going into an ill-advised war, making no plans for post-war reconstruction, engaging in improper interrogation, and suspending the writ of habeas corpus.
One issue that I am worried about concerning Obama is that he may rush to stop terrorism and the building of weapons of mass destruction so much that he would start another foolish war in Pakistan or another country in the Middle East. He has stated that he would attack Pakistan if he had sufficient intelligence that “imminent” danger exists.
I feel that domestic policy should also be a national priority. I agree with most of Obama’s stances and plans for the United States domestic policy. I support his stance on health care. Obama wants more affordable health care for the poor and universal health coverage. Though I do not know how he plans to carry it out, he has many ideal ideas, such as mandatory health coverage for children. I also support his stance on abortion. It should be the woman’s right to choose what happens to her body. As a side note on that, Obama also agrees with stem cell research, which has the potential to revolutionize the world of medicine. Stem cell research has shown tremendous promise in helping people with spinal cord injuries to walk again and alleviating the suffering of cancer patients. Furthermore, Obama voted against the reauthorization of the Patriot Act, which was a clear violation of the U.S. Constitution and the citizens’ right to privacy. It also shows the central government’s distrust of the people. In addition, his policy on gun control with restrictions on the possession of firearms and the abolishment of capital punishment, coexist with my own personal beliefs.
Overall, I feel as if Obama has many good ideas concerning the United States domestic policy. With concern to foreign policy, I agree with Obama’s stance on Iraq. However, I am uncertain of his need to lead other countries and am afraid that he will tend to bully other countries into submission.
Sources:
http://selectsmart.com/president/2008/comparethem.html
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/iraq/
“There is not a liberal America and a conservative America. There is a United States of America.” (www.barackobama.com/issues) This is a quote from Barack Obama and it sums up why I support him for president. I don’t agree with Obama on every single issue but I think he presents one of the most complete campaign packages for me.
An important point that I think Obama has is that he never supported the Iraq War from the beginning (www.barackobama.com/issues). I like the fact that he hasn’t flip-flopped on this issue. While I am not entirely sure withdrawing from the war immediately is a good idea, I feel that Obama has good ideas for diplomacy and creating a constitution that can actually work for Iraq.
On the subject of healthcare I feel that Obama does a good job of making an effort to give everyone the healthcare they deserve. One of Obama’s main focuses is prevention and public health knowledge for problems like obesity and AIDS (www.barackobama.com/issues). It costs the United States $100 million a year to manage obesity (www.medicine.com/med/topic/1653.htm). I feel that this makes prevention so important and I am totally with Obama on this topic. In Obama’s health plan he also provides for flexibility of programs in the states, which I think can help to really meet the needs of different groups of people (www.barackobama.com/issues). All in all Obama’s healthcare makes sense to me.
As far as the environment goes, our sea levels and earth’s temperature are on the rise (www.epa.gov/climate/change.scinece.futurecc.html). I feel that Barack Obama will do something about this in a reasonable amount of time. He provides in his plan for decreasing our dependence on foreign oil, which I think would save the United States from a lot of problems in the future.
Obama’s policy on illegal immigration is one that is particularly appealing to me. My family has become really close friends with some recent immigrants and we have seen firsthand what coming to the United States means to them. I don’t however believe in total and immediate amnesty for illegal immigrants. I think Obama’s series of requirements before allowing illegal aliens to become legal bridge the gap between deportation and a get-out of jail free card. I also believe in his plan to strengthen borders without a huge fence (www.barackobama/issues)
One final thing that attracts me to Obama is his handling of issues and negotiating with people he doesn’t always agree with. Gwen Ifill made a comment on Obama’s willingness to unite with others of opposite parties: “Two senators from opposite sides of the aisle have joined together to call for increased U.S. involvement in Darfur. They are Sam Brownback, Republican of Kansas and Barack Obama, Democrat of Illinois.” As of right now I think the best choice for me in 2008 would be Barack Obama.
As a first point, I would like to mention that I initially supported Senator Obama when potential candidates began declaring their intentions. He seemed like a fresh face, a relative newcomer to politics who wouldn’t be swayed by corruption and power. However, he made an enormous tactical blunder when he announced that he would support preemptive missile strikes against Pakistan (1). Obama essentially lost the entire anti-war vote with this single comment, and mine as well. We need a President who isn’t as trigger-happy and careless about human lives as our current ‘leader’.
With this said, I wholeheartedly support Hillary Clinton for the Presidency. According to 2008 SelectSmart.com, Hillary has been a staunch supporter of the American Civil Liberties Union, and generally takes positions consistent with their beliefs. In my opinion, the next president absolutely must protect civil liberties at all costs. The current situations in Guantanamo Bay as well as warrantless wiretapping against United States citizens reveals the current departure from protection of these valuable civil liberties, allegedly to enhance ‘national security’, but the 9/11 Commission Report revealed that the United States is in fact less safe due to our controversial foreign policy. So, in effect, we have unwillingly sacrificed many of our civil liberties to no avail. I strongly believe Hillary Clinton will turn this around when she becomes president. Also, once again according to 2008 SelectSmart.com, Hillary supports civil unions for gay couples. This may not be extremely important in the eyes of many people, but it is symbolic of the overall environment of tolerance in our nation. If we are not affording equal rights to all citizens, it is absolutely repugnant that we pride ourselves on being a free and fair nation. Hillary Clinton would make sure that these equal rights are afforded to all, without offending the religious right by redefining marriage.
Hillary Clinton is an extremely viable candidate, as she is the frontrunner among the Democratic potentials in both public opinion and funds raised. I fully support her in her bid to become the United States’ first female president.
-Silas
1.http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/08/04/asia/AS-GEN-Pakistan-US-Obama.php
2.http://selectsmart.com/president/2008/comparethem.html
It is really hard for me to choose a presidential candidate when I consider myself a moderate. So I am going to talk about two presidents from both sides of the political spectrum that I support. I agree with Mitt Romney on his approach to the war, immigration, environment, and foreign relations. I support Barack Obama because of his stance on abortion, environment, gun control, and education.
The Republican candidate I support is Mitt Romney. The reasons I agree with Mitt Romney above all the other Republican candidates is because his personality is just so genuine and down to earth. I agree foremost with Mr. Romney on his stance in the Iraq War. It is important for the United States to stay there and finish out the battle we started (http://www.mittromney.com/Issue-Watch/Defeating_the_jihadists). I also strongly support ending the millions of illegal immigrants living in America. To accomplish this he plans on strengthening the borders, having harsher punishments, and rejecting amnesty (http://www.mittromney.com/Issue-Watch/Immigration). Mr. Romney’s stance on foreign relations is important as well. To do this he plans on building trade and strengthening NATO to fight the world jihad. And like all politicians I find that helping the environment is super important! We can help the environment by increasing ethanol use and developing technology through cars and resources (http://www.mittromney.com/Issue-Watch/Energy) (http://www.ontheissues.org/Mitt_Romney.htm).
As for the Democratic nomination, I support Barack Obama. I really like his charisma and passion. But the reason I am so attracted to his platform is because of his domestic agenda. He is first of all pro-choice, which I believe is very important for a woman to have an option. He is also very insistent upon the use of hybrid cars and alternative energy sources (http://www.barackobama.com/issues/environment/). Mr. Obama thinks there should be a stronger and stricter requirement on firearms. He also talks about raising the minimum wage and increasing teachers’ salaries with I believe to be important and helpful (http://www.ontheissues.org/Barack_Obama.htm).
I have to agree with Amy A. that the possible candidate I am most opposed to, without a doubt, is Mike Huckabee. In reading through the handout about him and through my search for information on the internet, I have found that I really could not disagree more with this potential presidential candidate on basically all of the most pressing issues.
The first thing that I disagree with is his stance on health care. He says that he is opposed to universal health care because of the amount of government involvement that it would bring (1). I personally believe that more government involvement is a good idea when it comes to health care, especially is it means that universal health care would be a possibility.
The second thing that I will mention is his opinion on the war with Iraq. Mike Huckabee believes that we should continue our fight, and that “setting a time table for withdrawal is a mistake (4).” He also says that he is “…focused on winning.” In my opinion, we should end the war in Iraq, and not wait until we achieve “victory.” This war has already resulted in too many lost lives.
He is also trying to push a constitutional amendment that “…defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman (2).” He has already passed a state amendment in Arkansas that states such. I do not believe that just because that is what he believes about how marriage should be that he should go to the extreme of incorporating an amendment into the Constitution supporting his point of view.
Lastly, Mike Huckabee says that his number one priority is to secure America’s border with Mexico (3). He advocates that we build a fence. I really don’t think that this is the most important issue that we have to worry about right now; I think that the issue in Iraq is much more pressing.
To conclude, the candidate that I most oppose as the next president is Mike Huckabee. I disagree with his stance on many major issues including: health care, Iraq, gay marriage, and border security as the first priority.
Sources:
1. http://www.mikehuckabee.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Issues.Home
2. http://www.mikehuckabee.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Issues.View&Issue_id=10
3. http://www.mikehuckabee.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Issues.View&Issue_id=4
4. http://www.mikehuckabee.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Issues.View&Issue_id=2
Being one of the more optimal candidates, I am going to use this opportunity to endorse Barack Obama. A main focus of mine concerning the campaign in 2008 is the war in Iraq. Obama never fails to remind us that he has opposed the war from the beginning. Personally, I find this a little irrelevant; the past is concrete, and a new solution is needed. Regardless, he still stands strictly by his reasoning. Being in Iraq has done nothing to resolve political problems or stabilize the country in the midst of civil war. In a speech made in Chicago in 2005, Obama voiced the realization that there is little debate over what we can do. There are no guaranteed answers, and every solution fabricated seems fruitless (1). In July 2007, while speaking at a middle school in Cedar Rapids, Obama credits the problems we face to special interest groups rather than bad planning in our government. The oil companies, the insurance companies, and the drug companies are dominating our legislation. Without changing the basis of America’s legislation, we can’t change anything (2). Obama has a favorable plan of withdrawal, removing one or two brigades every month so to be completely out of combat by the end of next year. After eliminating weaponry, then a constitutional convention could be called in Iraq with the company of the United Nations (3).
Obama also has marginally positive stances on domestic policy issues. Obvious big-ticket items like abortion, gun control, and gay marriage are all issues to be reviewed. Obama is pro-choice, believing that putting a ban on abortion would only force women to seek other unsafe ways to terminate the unwanted pregnancy (4). The Senator also has a history to expand restrictions on gun possession. In July 2005, Obama voted “No” on prohibiting lawsuits against gun manufacturers (5).
Obama does not support gay marriage, but he does support civil unions. Few things in history that resulted in positive change were ever done quickly. Eventually, like the civil rights movement and the women’s rights movement, gay marriage will work it’s way into our country’s acceptances. For now, keeping people in office not completely apposing the idea is a big step. In his book The Audacity of Hope, Obama admits that he remains "open to the possibility that my unwillingness to support gay marriage is misguided... I may have been infected with society's prejudices and predilections and attributed them to God." He also opposed a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage (6).
(1)http://obama.senate.gov/speech/051122-moving_forward/
(2)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEMxfme7OQI&feature=PlayList&p=11D5123E4731FC63&index=0
(3)http://www.barackobama.com/issues/iraq/
(4)http://www.ontheissues.org/Social/Barack_Obama_Abortion.htm
(5)http://www.ontheissues.org/Gun_Control.htm
(6)http://pewforum.org/religion08/compare.php?Issue=Gay_Marriage
The candidate I support is John Edwards. I feel his foreign policy agenda is the most direct and realistic. Unlike many of the democratic candidates, he does not offer immediate withdrawal in Iraq. I believe this is important because the United States should now make an effort to restore some structure and organization to the war-torn country. He also plans to spend tax many to help train the troops already in Iraq. I believe this is the most responsible way to handle the situation. Also in regards to foreign affairs, Edwards plans to deal with the rising tensions with Iran in a logical way. Like many candidates, he plans to continue to isolate Iran if they continue with their nuclear technology, but he also plans to set sanctions to encourage Iranian peace. This makes sense because the ultimate goal is peace with Iran.
Edwards also dedicated significantly more of his agenda to supporting work done in places like Darfur and Uganda. This is the type of situation the United States should be involved in--efforts to work with NATO and peace keeping forces. He also plans to place sanctions on countries such as Sudan who comply with genocide.
With emphasis on these specific global affairs, I feel Edwards also focuses on the most pressing affairs domestically. Unlike republican candidate Mike Huckabee, who has a central focus around supporting an Amendment that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman, Edwards is focusing his agenda on supporting social programs in healthcare, education, and passing laws that protect our fragile environment. Edwards does support gay and lesbian rights, but he does not direct his campaigning solely to capture all the votes of one interest group such as same sex marriages or abortion activists. He has more dimensions to both his campaign and agenda, and I believe he has a logical plan to deal with the diverse problems and needs of the United States.
http://johnedwards.com/issues/
http://www.mikehuckabee.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Issues.Home
The candidate I support for president is Barack Obama. I believe that we as a nation need to improve our world image, and Barack is our man. He plans to turn America's image around by respectfully exiting Iraq and providing aid to countries in need. On his campaign website, it says, "Obama believes that America must lead the world, by deed and example, and that America cannot meet the threats of the century alone and that the world cannot meet them without America."
He is also promoting an "open and honest government," with less corruption and less money changing hands between politicians. His views on the current government give me complete confidence that he will not keep the American public in the dark.
Although his recent comments about an invasion of Pakistan are a little unnerving for supporters, I still believe that he will lead foreign policy back in the right direction. It also proves that he is not afraid to state his opinions and positions to the public.
Another reason to elect Senator Obama to the presidency is his consistent stances on issues, including the Iraq War, as seen on the Washington Post's list of Senatorial votes on key issues. His stance has always been against the war in Iraq, and he's one of the few people that could now say without hypocrisy, "I told you so."
www.barackobama.com
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/o000167/key-votes/
Although he is not one of the democratic frontrunners at this early stage in the election, I identify most with the viewpoints of Dennis Kucinich. His campaign slogan, “Strength through peace,” is one that characterizes many of his proposed solutions. Speaking out against the war consistently and boldly during his service as an Ohio Representative, Kucinich states, “War must truly become the last desperate measure of self defense, not the handy policy tool it is now used for.” I thoroughly agree with this belief. Whereas candidates like Hillary Clinton support special peacekeeping forces to remain in Iraq, Kucinich suggests the United Nations take over the cooperative efforts to maintain peace in the Middle East. Also, he plans to put money from Iraq’s oil economy back into their system to develop programs for their betterment.
In regards to America’s economy, Kucinich promotes a focus on the country, not corporations. He plans to reward companies that choose not to outsource their labor, therefore enhancing the job market within the United States. To further improve the unemployment increase our country is currently facing, this candidate also proposes a Works Green Administration, combining public works opportunities with the EPA and NASA to protect not only America’s not only the economic integrity but also the sustainability of our environment.
It is this dedication to environmental betterment that also draws me to Dennis Kucinich. He declared, “A clean environment, a sustainable economy, an intact ozone layer are not luxuries, but necessities for our planet’s future.” This statement couples well with his focus on combating global warming, attaining energy efficiency, and protecting our land from oil drilling. Kucinich proposes our country’s membership in the Kyoto Treaty. This treaty, to take effect in 2008, works to reduce carbon emissions over the next decade by funding poor countries to help advance their technology, requiring emission reports, and necessitating legal punishment for countries that break emission regulations.
Kucinich’s other focuses, including universal healthcare, conquering poverty, and protecting privacy by opposing the Patriot Act, have all shaped and distinguished his campaign. For his main stances against the war in Iraq and his solutions in that regard, his plans to rebuild the economy, and his attention to the overwhelming issue of global warming, I will support Dennis Kucinich in the upcoming election.
Sources:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2233897.stm
http://www.dennis4president.com/go/issues/
My favorite candidate would have to be Kucinich for all the reasons mentioned by the intelligent students who have already posted. For the purposes of having a less repetitive post, I have decided to post on my least favorite candidate, Duncan Hunter. To me, he is the antithesis of what I consider to be a good candidate. He demonstrates this in his views toward abortion, immigration, and relations with the international community. To start off with, he has stated that he would amend the Constitution in order to prohibit any form of abortion. He has also introduced the Right to Life Act which defines “personhood” at the moment of conception thereby guaranteeing rights to the unborn (1).I am not for killing babies but I am for protecting a woman’s privacy and choice of what to do with her body.
In the area of immigration, Hunter legislatively mandated a 14 mile security fence along the international border separating San Diego County and Tijuana, Mexico in 1994. In that year, illegal immigration and the smuggling of narcotics decreased by a significant amount. He consistently uses this to support his idea for a security fence along the entire US-Mexico border (1). He has said that if he becomes President, the 754 mile double layer border fence will be built in less than a year. However, this will have a negative impact on both Mexican Americans and US-Mexican relations (3). First, the fence stigmatizes people of Mexican/Hispanic heritage. This sends the message that people who are of that race are not wanted in this country. This also hurts American relations with Mexico by reinforcing the idea that the US is not open to finding bilateral solutions. This has a critical effect on the way the US is perceived by the International Community.
Lastly, Hunter is way too militaristic for my liking. Despite evidence to the contrary, he claims that America still has to stay its course in Iraq and set up a “democratic” government. Additionally, after China started its programs for space militarization, he claimed that we needed to start positioning missiles in space to prevent competition (4). This would again, show the rest of the world that America is a big bully afraid of letting other nations get ahead (2). On his website, he claims that he, “believe[s] in peace through strength.” In my opinion, that is an oxymoron.
1. http://www.gohunter08.com/inner.asp?z=4
2. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070925/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iran_us
3. http://archive.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2007/1/29/123851.shtml
4. http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/h000981/
In this upcoming election, no particular candidate really stands out to me above the rest as being the great potential leader that our country will need in 2008. However, I suppose no candidate will ever have all the right answers. Because no candidate really appeals to me in this election, I find it necessary to pick the candidate who is the least of all evils. I believe this person to be Ron Paul. Ron Paul is a moderate republican candidate who is well known for his consistent voting record and constitutionalist approach to legislation (1). I think this proves that he is an honest candidate who does not change his viewpoints just to get into office. I agree with Tony in that he is a candidate we can trust and will not give us any big surprises. Ron Paul makes his decisions based on what our founding fathers built this nation on---the Constitution. I also support Ron Paul because he has a realistic approach to how we should deal with the problems currently facing our nation. First, Ron Paul recognizes that we must begin to withdraw our troops from Iraq. The war was sold to us with untruthful information and has only become more dangerous over time. He recognizes that securing our borders at home is the first step in ensuring national security. Ron Paul once said, “It makes no sense to fight terrorists abroad when our own front door is unlocked” (1). This is a very valid point that I think needs to be addressed. If terrorist can walk across the border, there is essentially no point for us to be wasting valuable lives and money fighting in Iraq. Ron Paul voted against the war from the start and has held his position on that issue. Ron Paul also feels that we have the right to spread our values but not by force (2). Furthermore, Ron Paul believes we need to have a limited constitutional government, lower taxes, and free markets. Although I do not agree with Ron Paul on all of the issues, he definitely seems like the most honest candidate that America can trust. He has been serving in the House of Representatives since the late 1970’s therefore he has a lot of experience and a lot to offer as the next president (1).
1. http://www.ronpaul2008.com/issues/
2. http://www.ontheissues.org/Ron_Paul.htm
I support John Edwards for the upcoming election. This is because I agree with most of his stances on foreign and domestic issues, and I also think he would be the best choice for the United States in general.
One issue that is at the center of Edwards’ attention is Healthcare. In April Edwards noted, “my plan would require employers to cover all their employees or pay into a fund that covers the cracks in the health care system -- mental health parity, which others have spoken about; chronic care; preventative care; long-term care; subsidized health care costs. Give people a choice, including a government choice; no pre- existing conditions -- banned as a matter of law. And the law actually requires that every single American be covered” (Huffington Post). This idea would be a good foundation for American society. I think that America wants someone who is down to earth and willing to help out not only the middle class but also the lower class. Also, I think that Healthcare is like a right- everyone should have access to it.
Another issue that I agree with Edwards on is the war. With over $200 million being spent (on average) every day to keep the war going (USLiberals), I think it is a good choice to finally pull out. Edwards has declared multiple times that there is no military
solution to the fighting in Iraq, and that he supports the withdrawal of troops. He also has expressed the need of clarification for why we even entered the war, and the legal grounds for going into Iraq (JohnEdwards.com).
I also feel very strongly about abortion. Edwards is staunchly pro-choice, and I consider that a HUGE factor as to whom I consider for president. I just find a woman’s right to choose extremely important and I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t vote for someone who is anti-abortion.
In addition, John Edwards is overall a very clean-cut, well established man. He has a lot more experience than many of the other candidates, and he is less controversial. I’m not saying that I think America needs a white man for president, I’m just saying that overall, I think that John Edwards (who sometimes resembles JFK in my opinion) would have the greatest chance at the democratic nomination and the presidency.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/09/07/in-their-own-words-democ_n_63523.html
http://usliberals.about.com/od/homelandsecurit1/a/IraqNumbers.htm
www.johnedwards.com
According to the online quiz on this website, I have a tie between Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama, however while I agree with many of their stances, neither of them really seem to fit me that well. My biggest issue with Barack Obama is that I feel he is simply not experienced enough to play the role of president for our country, considering he has not been involved in the government for very long. I also agree with many of Hilary Clinton’s stances, however I strongly disagree with her stance on abortion and that happens to be a very important issue to me. That is why I feel that the best candidate for me is Dennis Kucinich. I give a lot of respect to Kucinich because of the way he was brought up and how he had to work for what he got. I feel more comfortable with him running, probably because he is more like an average person running for president instead of somebody with a wealthy background, which is something highly unusual to see.
I strongly agree with his beliefs on abolishing nuclear weapons, because I feel that there is absolutely no need for these weapons and they simply cause more fear and problems between countries. I also agree with what he said about the United States “not policing the world anymore.” I feel that we have no right to simply go into another country and start telling their government how to run their country better. Even if we are trying to help, we can’t force these people to become like us and if they don’t want our help we need to let them figure things out on there own. Especially right now, I feel the United States needs to back out of foreign affairs, because I feel that one of our biggest goals after withdrawing troops from Iraq should be to try and build up America in the eyes of other countries once again. I also agree with his plan to pull out of Iraq, especially the part talking about turning over all contracting work to the Iraqi government, because I think that the biggest problem with pulling out of Iraq is that there isn’t a stable government, therefore we need to start training the people in the new government on how to run it, because right now they simply are dependent on us. I was also very happy to see that he supports the United States joining the Kyoto treaty and also has many other plans beneficial for the future of our planet.
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2006/0726-26.htm
http://www.dennis4president.com
http://www.fas.org/sgp/congress/2001/hr2977.html
Michelle Ludwig:
According to the online quiz on this website, I have a tie between Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama, however while I agree with many of their stances, neither of them really seem to fit me that well. My biggest issue with Barack Obama is that I feel he is simply not experienced enough to play the role of president for our country, considering he has not been involved in the government for very long. I also agree with many of Hilary Clinton’s stances, however I strongly disagree with her stance on abortion and that happens to be a very important issue to me. That is why I feel that the best candidate for me is Dennis Kucinich. I give a lot of respect to Kucinich because of the way he was brought up and how he had to work for what he got. I feel more comfortable with him running, probably because he is more like an average person running for president instead of somebody with a wealthy background, which is something highly unusual to see.
I strongly agree with his beliefs on abolishing nuclear weapons, because I feel that there is absolutely no need for these weapons and they simply cause more fear and problems between countries. I also agree with what he said about the United States “not policing the world anymore.” I feel that we have no right to simply go into another country and start telling their government how to run their country better. Even if we are trying to help, we can’t force these people to become like us and if they don’t want our help we need to let them figure things out on there own. Especially right now, I feel the United States needs to back out of foreign affairs, because I feel that one of our biggest goals after withdrawing troops from Iraq should be to try and build up America in the eyes of other countries once again. I also agree with his plan to pull out of Iraq, especially the part talking about turning over all contracting work to the Iraqi government, because I think that the biggest problem with pulling out of Iraq is that there isn’t a stable government, therefore we need to start training the people in the new government on how to run it, because right now they simply are dependent on us. I was also very happy to see that he supports the United States joining the Kyoto treaty and also has many other plans beneficial for the future of our planet.
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2006/0726-26.htm
http://www.dennis4president.com
http://www.fas.org/sgp/congress/2001/hr2977.html
The candidate I would least like to see as the next president is Fred Thompson. I disagree with his conservative views on some of the issues most important to me. He is anti-abortion, pro-war, and does not have a clear plan on dealing with energy issues.
The first issue I disagree with him on is abortion. Thompson opposes abortion rights and says Roe vs. Wade is a ‘bad law’ and ‘bad medical science’. It would be unconstitutional to overturn Roe vs. Wade, and I do not believe that a ban on it should be made the federal law. Plus, I do not believe a ban on abortions would prevent abortions.
The second issue that I do not agree with Fred Thompson on is his pro- Iraq War stance. Thompson is for the use of military force in Iraq. He agrees with the president Bush’s decisions and says “ I would do essentially what the president's doing [on Iraq]. I know it's not popular right now, but we're the leader of the free world whether we like it or not. People are looking to us to test our resolve and see what we're willing to do in resolving the situation that we have there.”. The war should not be about pride. If we want to provide leadership to the world, we can be a leader in peace and tolerance. A super power should demonstrate how to solve problems and bring people together with diplomacy rather than military force.
Lastly, I would not like to see Fred Thompson as president because of his vague plan on energy issues. Global warming and our country’s energy consumption is a very important issue in this election and Fred Thompson does not give enough of a plan of action. According to his website, he says he is committed to “A balanced approach to energy security that increases domestic supplies, reduces demand for oil and gas, and promotes alternative fuels and other diverse energy sources.”, but he does not give specifics on how he will carry any of this out. It is not only important to have ideas how we can stop our energy dependence, but there also needs to be substance and something realistic, and I just do not see this from Fred Thompson.
Fred Thompson needs to provide more specifics on his action plans and Thompson’s conservative views on abortion, the war in Iraq, and dealing with global warming do not align with my viewpoints
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/candidates/fred.thompson.html
http://www.ontheissues.org/International/Fred_Thompson_War_+_Peace.htm
http://www.fred08.com/Principles/PrinciplesSummary.aspx
At the present moment it is hard for me to narrow down my vote to just one candidate. At this point in the election many of the candidates support the same stance on issues, and differentiating between the candidates is hard. the idividuals running for President must first win their party nomination to proceed in the final race. Because of this they are emulating their partys' stances as much as possible. At this point in the race one candidate I know I won't be checking on the ballot is Barack Obama. Surprising isnt it? a young African American woman NOT supporting Democratic Obama? Though I commend how far he has come in the race so far , I truly do not belive he is ready to be president of a nation. Barack Obama has spent only 2 years in the U.S. Senate and only 7 years in the Illinois Senate. His experience at the federal level is far too little to be considered as a possiblity for the head of one of the top nations in the world .According to Matt Pearson (head of the Democratic party in Iowa), “A lot of the people I know say they really like him, but just don't think it's his time yet."
Obama's inexperience is "the big question mark" about his candidacy, says Rep. Beth Arsenault, a Democrat who was just elected to the New Hampshire Legislature.(USA Today) Obama's lack of experience shines through in several instances and proves that he is not quite ripe enough to be the President of the United States. For example,while at a town meeting in Illinois, Obama replied to a young child that if he was given $1 billion he would pay off his mortagae and give the rest to his wife. After comtemplating this anser he changed his reply and said he would give "some" of the money to charities as well, and (oh!) “severeal hundred million into buying mosquito nets” for the prevention of malaria in Africa. Earlier in the race Obama again made "mistakes" when it came to public speaking. Obama stated that soldiers lives who had been killed in Iraq were "wasted" lives. He later apologized for the statement saying "even as I said it , I'd realized I'd misspoken"(News Hound)
Now granted many candidates make unintelligent comments, but the lack of eloquentcy and poise of Obama in these instances are just more evidence to prove that he's just not quite ready for the "big race" yet. Maybe next time Obama.
oops! my sources so that all of you can check my facts and fantastic quotes:
www.usatoday.com
www.newshound.com
I support Mike Huckabee for president. Mike Huckabee displays exemplary qualities that would make him an extremely capable President of the United States. His positions on issues, leadership, and personality cause Huckabee to be an appealing presidential candidate to support in the upcoming election. Out of all the presidential candidates in the race thus far, Mike Huckabee is the candidate that most closely follows my personal stance on issues. He understands crisis management, believes in a “preventative health system”, supports stronger immigration control, and has a plan for energy independence (Huckabee).
Mike Huckabee displays an extensive history of leadership experience. Most notably, he served as the governor of Arkansas. He led organizations such as the National Governor’s Association, the Southern Governors Association, the Southern Regional Education Board, and many more (Huckabee). His success in positions of political management has been acclaimed by several organizations. He was selected as ‘Public Official of the Year’ in 2005 by Governing Magazine (Governing). Other tributes have been awarded to Huckabee by institutions such as Time Magazine, the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM), and the AARP (AARP Magazine). In addition to serving in leadership occupations, Mike Huckabee was recognized by outside parties as being successful in those enterprises. The previous leadership experience of Huckabee proves he would be an efficient and victorious president.
The above-mentioned candidate exhibits an extremely genuine, confident, and admirable personality. He distinctly voices his views rather than broadening and distorting his beliefs to become seemingly more appealing for a wider audience. I admire a candidate that feels he or she is not required to compromise beliefs and the true person he or she is for a “better image”. For instance, Huckabee proudly claims that his faith influences his political actions (Huckabee). Despite criticisms of his religious views, former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich found Huckabee to be, “likable as anybody else” in the race (Washington Post). In addition, Mike Huckabee has demonstrated that he desires to be in direct contact with American citizens. In several situations, Huckabee has been one of few candidates to arrive in person for forums, conventions, and straw polls. He attended a forum at the Baltimore Morgan State University while candidates such as Thompson, Romney, and Giuliani opted out (NY Times). Similarly, Ron Paul simply telephoned to the Palmetto Family Council stump and straw poll while Huckabee appeared in person to win the straw poll with 206 votes (Washington Post). Out of respect, Mike Huckabee understands the importance of meeting in person with citizens to discuss their needs and his stance on issues.
Mike Huckabee’s views on issues, knowledge of successful leadership, and honest personality cause him to be the best and most capable candidate for president. I support Mike Huckabee.
Works Cited
www.mikehuckabee.com
http://www.namm.org/resource-center/music-for-life
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Gingrich-Minorities.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/20/AR2007092000780.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/20/AR2007092002797.html
http://www.governing.com/poy/2005/huckabee.htm
http://www.aarpmagazine.org/people/impact_awards_huck.html
So far, John Edwards is the most appealing to candidate to me. I believe that his domestic and foreign policy are, on average, better than all the other candidates. I may feel this way because he basically reflects my political views and stances on key issues.
Domestically, I like his healthcare and energy plan the best. His healthcare plan aims for universal coverage through increased federal programs as well as a health care market (2). I believe the market system is a very powerful force and if healthcare is part of the market, supply and demand – with a little bit of regulation – will benefit consumers with prices and producers by enlarging their consumer base. Also, his energy plan seems very pragmatic. For one, he wants to sequester carbon, a method of storing the carbon instead of letting it into the air (2). Also he looks to the source of emissions: business. The best way for businesses to reduce their emissions is to offer them economic incentives, not to expect them to do it out of the goodness of their hearts. Harsh economic standards also hurt a companies bottom line so government aid is necessary to offset this. Edwards wants to have a carbon tax and sell pollution permits with the proceeds supporting research towards new energy technology. He wants to reduce emissions 80% by 2050 (2).
Abroad, I like his Iranian policy as well as his global poverty and military policies. His method of dealing with Iran includes setting more economic sanctions and isolating Iran if they continue down their present path (2). This nonviolent method is most effective, as few lives will be lost. As I’ve said before, the economy is a powerful force and if a leading government agent has his assets frozen or Iran can’t import televisions there will be change, whether from the bottom up or the top down is to be seen. Bogging ourselves down in Iran is preposterous and I can’t see why people would consider that after the failure of Iraq. Military measures should be an absolute last resort. I believe Ahmadinejad is a demagogue whose ridiculous views will soon erode any support that he still has. It’s more of a waiting game and sanctions are a good way to shorten the wait. Edwards’ solution to global poverty is to increase basic education, while providing more vaccinations and clean water to extremely poor areas (1). This is completely sensible. He aims to attack poverty more or less in Maslow’s order of Needs. He is trying to secure the basic comforts and then move up to actualization. If the poor can be educated there is no stopping their upward climb. They will not stand for dictatorships, because they will know what they deserve. Their economies will not crumble, because they will have a stable, growing, skilled workforce. The spark of education could create a powerful, sovereign state. Of course, reality tells us that we still need some military support to prevent anarchy in the early stages, but Edwards is willing to do that (2). Finally, Edwards believes the military should be assertive and powerful but not in a way that harms civil rights (1). This makes sense – if we take away our captives rights and treat them like dogs, are we any better? He wants a moral military.
My only criticism of Edwards are that he seems like he may be a weak leader, just based on his personality. The US will need a strong force at the helm, because the next several decades will be full of change and we can’t afford to have another president to botch our plans. Edwards may not be the man to guide us unwaveringly, but only time will tell how he will act. His $400 haircuts may hurt the Budget a bit, but considering his well laid plans I think he is our best bet.
(1)http://johnedwards.com/issues/
(2)http://www.ontheissues.org/John_Edwards.htm
The Presidential candidate I would most likely support at this point would be John Edwards. I would support Edwards because of his continuing support for “the little guy”. I agree with his goal in returning America to the moral leader of the world, and to give us a better image than we have right now. I also respect Edwards climb from an average American citizen to a Senator. He was the first person in his family to attend college and then went on to be in the Senate and is now running for President. He came from a much different life then other political figures, such as President Bush. I think this change would be good for the country.
As for the issues, I agree with him on many. One thing I especially like about Edwards is his specific plans he has for the problems he sees. This was a problem for me when researching some of the candidates. I came across many candidate websites that listed out things they thought were wrong and problems that needed to be fixed, but specific points about how they were going to go about fixing them didn’t seem to be there.
One issue that Edwards is especially connected to is him ambitious goal to end poverty within a generation. His specific plan for this is to basically create a working society. He would do this by raising minimum wage, create more short term jobs- for those who have trouble getting jobs because of their location, lack of education, lack of skills or things like a criminal record. His plan is to create small temporary jobs that will lead on to more permanent jobs.
Another thing that seems to set Edwards apart and a reason I support him is his stance on the environment. Edwards has a firm belief that our generation is the one that must stop global warming, become more energy independent and start a new energy economy. He has specific points that he will go through to cap greenhouse gas pollutions and improve our environment, which he believes will lead to being energy independent- which is something I strongly agree with.
I support John Edwards because I think he better represents the average American and what it means to have to work up from something. I think his continuing support for the working classes will have a good impact on the country and our future policies.
http://johnedwards.com
http://blog.johnedwards.com/
I would have to say that Mike Huckabee is the candidate that I am most opposed to gaining the presidency. I am strongly opposed to many of his stances on issues such as healthcare, school prayer, and foreign policy.
In the issue of healthcare, his advocacy of preventive measures over insuring that all Americans have access to healthcare ignores the realities of people who are already dealing with acute health problems; prevention only works in the long-term and fails to address the immediate problems with the present healthcare system [1].
His belief that ending school prayer contributed to America's moral decay[2] falls in line with his background as a pastor, but runs counter to the First Amendment's guarentee of freedom of religion.
Huckabee continues to believe that the War on Terror can actually be won, starting in Iraq, though he doesn't indicate what victory in Iraq would look like. He favors brute force to accomplish objectives in the Middle East, something that I don't believe will be effective in bringing stability to the region, one of our ultimate goals in the area [1]. Furthermore, his support for providing weapons to Israel for their national defense [1] strikes me as likely to provoke anger and/or fear in the Palestinians; if we give Israel these weapons, there exists the possibility that they will use them, sparking off what would likely be World War III. Israel has their own weapons, but the US adding to their arsenal further complicates the position of the US in regards to the rest of the Middle East.
[1] http://www.mikehuckabee.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Issues.Home
[2] http://www.ontheissues.org/Mike_Huckabee.htm
It’s hard to give a definitive answer of who I would vote for because I honestly haven’t done enough research to say for sure. However, at this point in the election I am most inclined toward Rudi Giuliani. I believe he has the experience to be president, as he was the United States Attorney for the southern district of New York, The Chief of the Narcotics Unit, Associate Deputy Attorney General, Chief of Staff to the Deputy Attorney General, and also mayor of New York (1). Although I am sure most candidates have this running record of political office holdings, I believe that Mr. Giuliani has proved himself in a number of unique ways. Giuliani is known for his response to the Terrorist attacks of September 11, with what Times 2001 Man of the Year article explains as an even calm tempered hand (2). I think that is exactly what this nation needs: a leader who has preformed well in the past under extraordinary and unexpected circumstances. Prior to his success in response to September 11, Giuliani cut New York crime by 56% and murder by 66%. He also had one of the “largest and most successful” welfare to work programs and got the welfare rolls to decrease by 66% (1). These are some of the things I would like to see similar improvements in the United States as a whole. If Giuliani can reform one of the largest and most dangerous cities in the US, I’m sure he can manage to do something for the rest of the country as well. I’d also like to mention that he is a republican and in New York, where 83% of the population is democrats, he won the election by 57% (1).
I’d like to address a few of his main topics, because though I don’t fully agree with his entire platform, I believe that he is so far the closest to my political beliefs and the following are some of the topics I do stand with him on. Giuliani believes that leaving Iraq and setting a time table would be a grave mistake because it would make us look weak an provoke other terrorist attacks. He wants to make sure Iraq is stable before we leave, that there is no way to win if we only ever talk about withdrawing. He states that a stable Iraq will help decrease terrorist threats. I also agree with his stance on Abortion, because I believe it should be the woman’s choice, but at the same time, he also thinks there should be restrictions such as a ban on partial births and requirement of parental notification. His stance on education is very firm, he reformed the nations’ largest school system, hiring new teachers, increased school funding (including those to chartered schools) and ended principal tenures. I think most of the U.S needs reforms on school systems; I think Giuliani will aim to do the same as he did in New York. Lastly, Giuliani believes that marriage is between a man and a woman, but supports domestic partnerships. I strongly support domestic partnerships, but I also support gay marriage.
Rudi Giuliani may not be perfect, and he may have a hard time getting the far right vote, because of hi three marriages. But I think he is one of the most well qualified candidates out there. I think we need a relatively moderate president now, not an extremist. More than that I think we need a president who has reformed issues like crime, welfare and education before, and knows how it works. We need someone who won’t crack under pressure and is good at making decisions.
1. http://www.joinrudy2008.com/about/
2. http://www.time.com/time/poy2001/poyprofile.html
- AlyssaV
I am against Sam Brownback for president because of his position on gay marriage and illegal immigration. I believe that gay couples should have equal rights. Brownback would support an amendment to ban gay marriage, which I think is wrong. States at least should have the right to decide. Securing the borders is a major focus for Brownback. He has voted to build 700 miles of fences along the border, along with 350 miles of vehicle barriers. He wants a “tough, smart, border securing strategy” (www. brownback.com) Brownback puts more focus on this issue than he does the Iraq war. His plan there seems rather vague.
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/09/05/audience-boos-brownbacks-proposal-to-ban-gay-marriage/
http://www.brownback.com/s/Issues/tabid/60/Default.aspx#Healthcare
http://www.brownback.com/s/Issues/tabid/60/Default.aspx#Iraq
My vote for the 2008 presidential election would be for Rudi Giuliani. His policies match up well with my beliefs on some important issues. I classify myself as a moderate liberal who supports mainly the Democratic Party; however, Giuliani is a very moderate friendly choice. First off, his views on the War in Iraq and on terror are realistic ones that maintain the credibility of the US as well as work to end the war. Not having a timetable is a smart decision due to the fact that we have to finish what we started as fast as possible without creating more conflict. You can not put a time frame on war or global conflict, which just is not realistic. I also agree with his educational plan for change. His solution to this problem is to support more rigorous schooling in elementary and secondary education. Also, he believes in making college affordable to those who wish to pursue a higher education.
As for the moral issues of the election, abortion and marriage, I agree on Giuliani’s stance the most out of all of the candidates. A woman should have ultimately the right to choose what happens to her body, but there also needs to be a greater emphasis on sex education outside of abstinence. This would give youth another alternative or plan against unplanned pregnancies. He also supports civil rights and domestic partnerships. This solution is fair to both sides of the issue. Same sex couples gain rights that other couples share as well as the religious protesters who believe strongly in the sanctity of marriage. Therefore, his policy on marriage is the best choice and most practical. These are just some reasons for supporting Giuliani, issues that I feel strongly about. He isd what this country needs, a moderate candidate.
http://www.joinrudy2008.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudy_Giuliani
Michelle Howard
The person that I support and will most likely vote for in the upcoming election is Hillary Clinton. I support her because I agree with her on a lot of her views. She wants to end the war in Iraq by capping troop levels and by enforcing her Iraq Troop Protection and Reduction Act. I also agree with her stances on promoting energy independence and fighting global warming. Hillary's plan that she introduced to Congress shows that she isn't going to just sit there and tell everyone that global warming is a problem, it shows that she can come up with solutions. I believe that Clinton's American Health Choices Plan will greatly benefit our country because it will be affordable, available, and reliable. I also like that Hillary is a huge advocate for women's rights (i suppose it would be pretty silly if she weren't) and that she is Pro-Choice. Another reason that I support Hillary Clinton is because she is a chica (sorry i just like saying chica). I think it would be very interesting to see how Americans would react with there being a woman running our country. I think that a woman president would be a breath of fresh air.
~ The Almighty Toasty a.k.a The Almighty Asia
http://www.ontheissues.org/Hillary_Clinton.htm
http://www.hillaryclinton.com/issues/
For the presidential election I do not have a lot to say. There is no one person that I would support, but there is also no-one that I would not want to see take the seat of office. This election has a lot of candidates that have many varying views on important issues. The person that I would give the most respect to is John McCain. He plans to stay in the war; he is pro-life, wants to help disadvantaged students by cutting pork barrel spending. John McCain is also for strengthening immigration boarders, and clean air and water acts. These are the good that Mr. McCain has to offer, but there is also the bad. I believe that civil unions should receive the same advantages as marriages. Also I do believe in background checks before a gun is sold to a person. I think that Mr. McCain needs to inform the people about his health care plans and that his budget may be a little high.
http://www.johnmccain.com/ Follow the issues links at the top to see what he has to say.
The presidential candidate I support the most is Joe Biden. I support his viewpoints on education like hiring more teachers and raising their salaries. I believe teaching is the most important proffession, and more qualified people would choose to be teachers if they were paid more. I also like the fact that he wants to play a roll in preventing further damage to the earth through global warming. His viewpoints on abortion and gay marriage are also opinions I share with him. I like that he has a detailed plan for what our country will do for Iraq, how many troops will be removed, and that he is concerned about the war in the long term, not just tomorrow. I think he is capable and would be able to get the job done for our country.
I suppport John Edwards for Preseident. I know that i did my project on him but the more information that i read about him and his stances on the war healthcare and his overall plan for the nation.
I really like his dedication to eliminating poverty within the generation. I do think that it is a lofty goal but it is definately something that affects so many Americans ans needs to be dealt with.
I am not positive whom I support quite yet but one who I do oppose is John McCain, along with about all the other Republicans running, but the reason I oppose him is for his stance on issues which are similar to that of other Republicans but anywho.... for one he wants to overturn the supreme court decision on Roe vs. Wade. John McCain said "At its core, abortion is a human tragedy. To effect meaningful change, we must engage the debate at a human level." It is not exactly a tragedy because women who seek abortions have justified reasoning for wanting an abortion such as age, marital status, sexual abuse, economic stance, etc. We can take measures to help educated people and try to cut down the rate of abortions but outlawing it all together would create problems in society and having children growing up in an unfit societies.
secondly I oppose his stance on marriage he wants to preserve the right of "traditional marriage" in other words that of a man and women. I believe that gays should have the same privledges in marriage as straight people get.
I disagree with his stance on Iraq he thinks that we need more troops to help in security of rebuilding Iraq. I do not think we need more troops at all I think we just need to keep it how it is for a bit with the number of troops then start to actually get somewhere with rebuilding the country then slowly pull troops out and let the iraqi government deal with their own issues.
he said "Increasing U.S. troop levels will expose more brave Americans to danger and increase the number of American casualties." I believe bringing more will just give more opportunity for more of our soldiers to get killed. We have lost 3801 soldiers according to the iraq coalition casualties listing. We have lost way more than needed.
on his campaign page it says:
"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."
i dont believe that gun control is a failure it does help reduce crimes. it helps limit the amount of guns that are easily obtained. That is our problem is that it is so easy for anyone to obtain a gun that is why there is so much gun violence i believe we need better gun control laws which makes it harder for anyone to get a gun.
forgot to add my sources :
http://icasualties.org/oif/
http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/77636553-6337-4ecd-b170-49e1c07d2fbd.htm
http://www.religioustolerance.org
So far in this election campaign, I have not decided
the candidate I would most likely vote for. What I do know is the candidate I would least likely vote for. This candidate would be Rudy Giuliani. I am least likely to vote for him because of his stances on many issues. He reminds me of our current President, George W. Bush. They have the same stances on many domestic issues and their foreign policies are similar. He believes that the war in Iraq should be escalated and the presence of United States in Iraq is necessary to protect the U.S from future attacks. He is against abortion and gay marriage. We already know how George Bush's stances on domestic and foreign issues have caused this nation. The nation is almost $9,000,0000,0000 in deficit caused by the invasion of Iraq. Also it has resulted in countless deaths of U.S soldiers and Iraqi civilians.
His foreign policy is what I disagree with the most. I do not believe the war needs to be escalated because there is an inevitable defeat. Escalating the war will do nothing but cause more deaths and debt to this country. What the next president needs to be focused on is getting the troops out of Iraq with some dignity. There needs to be a timetable for the withdrawal of the troops. Some domestic issues I disagree with are abortion and gay marriage. I disagree that the government should decide if a woman could have an abortion or not. That is a decision that a woman should be able to make. On the issue of gay marriage, there needs to be equal rights for gays. This issue is not about what is morally right but equal rights for every citizen in the United States. The union of gay couples should be recognizing by the law from state to state. I do not believe it is up to the government to decide moral issues, but rather it should focus on protecting the American citizens, creating more jobs and stabilizing the economy.
I posted this on Monday, but apparently it hates me and didn’t work, so I’ll try it again and hopefully it will actually work this time.
In regards to the 2008 presidential election, I can honestly say I am as yet undecided. I don’t want to make a concrete decision until later in the campaign process. When it is actually the year 2008, for example. I may sound like a total geek here, but I’m really excited to be able to vote this coming year, and I want to have all of the facts before I go out and perform my civic duty.
However, if I were to choose one candidate right now, I would have to say I support Barack Obama. His stances on the big issues of the election closely mirror my own viewpoints on most counts. For example, I agree with nearly all of his publicized stances in the realm of domestic issues. He believes in a woman’s right to choose when it comes to abortion, and I myself am pro-choice. He also promotes equal rights for homosexuals.
My biggest concern, as noted in the previous blog post, is that of Global Warming. Senator Obama supports alternative energy and believes the first step is to cap greenhouse gas emissions, which I believe is a very positive course of action.
In regards to foreign policy, I agree with Obama on most counts. He believes in spreading democracy through peaceful negotiations, which would be another positive step for the United States. His stance on the Iraq War involves an exit strategy, which is more than I can say for our current president. I find his possible plans to invade Pakistan to find Al Qaeda rather sketchy, but as I mentioned before, I’m not quite ready to make a concrete decision on who I am voting for.
So, if I had to choose right now, I would choose Barack Obama. However, since the election is still more than a year away, for the moment I feel my time is better spent sitting back and watching how things turn out.
http://www.barackobama.com/index.php
For the rest of my sources, I used the information we all received in class from our presentations on the candidates.
Though I most oppose Mike Huckabee, Amy and Judy have already covered everything what I had to say about him, so I will move to my second least-favorite, Rudy Giuliani. Though there are others I more disagree with, Giuliani is ahead in the Republican field in most polls, which makes him a greater concern than others. Since I think foreign policy is extremely important, Giuliani’s ideas in this area worry me. He believes himself to be himself to be the highest qualified candidate in foreign policy, though the majority of his real experience comes from 9/11. Candidates Joseph Biden and John McCain easily have more experience: McCain was a Navy pilot and Biden has been on the Foreign Relations Committee for over thirty years. Further, Giuliani still believes that America can “win” the war in Iraq. His main advantage is an ability to remain calm and rational in crisis. This is what makes him a good mayor; however, on the flip side, it has become plain that this characteristic has led to an overconfidence in his own abilities, which would not serve him well as President. As according to polls by CBS News, most Americans do not believe the war can be “won,” and most support pulling the troops out, either gradually or immediately. Ideas such as “we’ve never won a war while discussing how to retreat” aren’t going to help him in his campaign or his presidency.
This makes me sound like a single-issue voter, which I am not. I do agree with Giuliani on some issues, and I certainly prefer him to Huckabee and Romney. However, I can’t ignore the Iraq issue right now. Unless I feel, after this next election, that Congress can muster enough power to oppose him, I don’t think I would vote for Giuliani for president. Except maybe if he is against Hillary. Then there could be some problems. I really don't feel that I've done enough research to make any absolute statements yet, however.
Sources: Time Magazine Sept 3, Candidate handouts from class
Though I most oppose Mike Huckabee, Amy and Judy have already covered everything what I had to say about him, so I will move to my second least-favorite, Rudy Giuliani. Though there are others I more disagree with, Giuliani is ahead in the Republican field in most polls, which makes him a greater concern than others. Since I think foreign policy is extremely important, Giuliani’s ideas in this area worry me. He believes himself to be himself to be the highest qualified candidate in foreign policy, though the majority of his real experience comes from 9/11. Candidates Joseph Biden and John McCain easily have more experience: McCain was a Navy pilot and Biden has been on the Foreign Relations Committee for over thirty years. Further, Giuliani still believes that America can “win” the war in Iraq. His main advantage is an ability to remain calm and rational in crisis. This is what makes him a good mayor; however, on the flip side, it has become plain that this characteristic has led to an overconfidence in his own abilities, which would not serve him well as President. As according to polls by CBS News, most Americans do not believe the war can be “won,” and most support pulling the troops out, either gradually or immediately. Ideas such as “we’ve never won a war while discussing how to retreat” aren’t going to help him in his campaign or his presidency.
This makes me sound like a single-issue voter, which I am not. I do agree with Giuliani on some issues, and I certainly prefer him to Huckabee and Romney. However, I can’t ignore the Iraq issue right now. Unless I feel, after this next election, that Congress can muster enough power to oppose him, I don’t think I would vote for Giuliani for president. Except maybe if he is against Hillary. Then there could be some problems. Though I have not done enough research to make any absolute statements at this time.
Sources: Time Magazine Sept 3, candidate handouts from class.
As the 2008 election nears I find myself supporting Barack Obama for presidency more than any other candidate. The reasoning behind my support being that we share many views on various issues ranging from education to energy. For instance, regarding the issue of energy both him and I feel as though the United States should be closer to energy independence, and as a response Barack has been behind a comprehensive national energy policy for renewable fuels and clean coal. Another example is that of the environment. Obama wishes to considerably reduce greenhouse gas emissions and while trying to prevent global warming, use it as a medium for innovation and job creation. Even more, he and I also believe that the issue of our poverty level must be address. Barack intends to create a White House Office on Urban Policy, increase the minimum wage, and wants high-quality teachers in low-income classrooms. Therefore, seeing as how Barack and I share so many viewpoints on various issues, I feel as though he would represent me the best out of the 2008 presidential candidates, and hence be an excellent choice for president.
http://www.barackobama.com
http://www.obamapedia.org/page/Why+should+I+vote+for+Barack+Obama+in+2008%3F?t=anon
http://www.gwu.edu/~action/2008/dnc0207/obama020207spt.html
http://www.slate.com/id/2171730
Alright, i'm gonna try this out again. My post didn't show up yesterday.
I know i did my project on John Edwards but the more research i did about him and his stances on issues that are important to me the more i liked him.
I think its so awesome that he cares so much about eliminating poverty and has an actual plan to do it. I also liked the fact that Edwards has always fought for the little guy. He talks alot about standing up for those whose voices are too often silenced. I think that is a very compelling and powerful statement.
so if i were 18 i would cast my vote for John Edwards.
In response to all of the people choosing Obama as their candidate they would like to support, I have to say that I disagree. Like we established on the first post of the year, the war in Iraq is one of the most important issues facing this presidential election. Taking that into consideration, Obama would not be my choice of candidate due to his stance on the war. As many of you know, Obama plans to immediately begin withdrawing the troops engaged in combat by one to two brigades each month. With this plan he hopes to have almost all of our troops at home by the end of 2008. My problem with this solution is the message it purveys to the rest of the world. By pulling out of Iraq regardless of whether they can stand on their own two feet or protect their newly formed government, it shows the rest of the world that we can't finish what we started in the first place. As against the war as people are in the US, there was majority support at the time of entry. We have to finish what we started in this war or it will send a message to the rest of the world that the US is divided and are not united, therefore an easy target for future attacks. I support the ending of the war, but abruptly pulling out of the war is not the way to go at this point.
www.barackobama.com
www.cnn.com (search war on iraq polls)
Michelle
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