Choose one Democrat seeking the nomination for President and one Republican seeking the nomination for President. Explore his/her websites and then focus in on the hopefuls' positions on policy issues. Choose ONE issue to discuss from each website (Dem and Rep) and tell us where they stand on the issue. You may choose different issues for each person. What you may NOT do is comment on an issue someone else has already posted a comment on. It's fine to choose the same person, but not the same issue.
Do you think either of the people you chose has a shot at winning the nomination of their party? Do you think they have a shot at the White House? Why or why not?
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I chose John McCain and John Edwards because I feel they are the better candidates of their respective parties. On the issues John Edwards started in on what I call “universal healthcare.” According to the North Carolina web site under Medicade Qualifications, $1575 is the maximum a family may make, after deductions, for eligibility of coverage under medicade. Based on the figure it seems that anyone living in poverty already has health coverage under medicare. If a family makes more than this, remember this is not gross, but net after deductions, they are charged an annual deductable. I have federal Blue Cross/shield and I pay the same thing as a deductable. What is there to fix. Is he asking Doctors and medical institutions to take less money? Under his plan he would require all citizens to pay for health insurance, thereby spreading the cost for universal healthcare over the whole population. I call this socialism, redistribution of taxpayer (our) money and creating another bureaucracy from which to burn taxpayer monies, it is never going to be free to anyone. Mr. McCain has obviously sold out to the gun lobby as he has devoted more space to gun control than any other issue on his web-cite. I personally do not believe that the second amendment give us the right to bear arms in peaceful times. Put into context, our nation was a nation of militia men who felt the need to retain their weapons in case of attack from foreign governments or Indians. They were in effect the national guard of that time period. Today we supply weapons for this use, therefore I don’t believe this amendment to be applicable to this era of American history. A collector is one thing but a personal armory of assault weapons is just ridiculous.
I forgot to add who I thought would win the race for the white house. I believe it will be Fred Thompson. McCain and Edwards are both polical hacks. No one else on either side has much of a chance in my opinion.
For Bill Wren:
I have to agree with you. Fred Thompson looks like he would be the best fit for the White House. I like the fact that he really doesn't give in to pressures. Now if he would only declare his candidacy.
On the Democratic side, I will comment on Barack Obama's plan for improving education. Mr. Obama proposes a "best practice" program, where effective teachers are identified, rewarded with a 10 to 20 percent bonus above their base salaries, and having their practices implemented in 20 districts across the country. Okay, great idea. But, here is what bothers me. I am a teacher. 20 districts across the entire country will be eligible for these grants to promote effective practices. I don't even dare to guess where those districts may be. On top of that, the programs will be implemented in conjunction with the teacher unions in the targeted districts. To me, that is like giving the unions carte blanche to feed a pet project. I've got issues with that as mentioned in my earlier blogs on the NEA. Of course, this whole plan is outlined under the banner "Innovating Teacher Pay and Teacher Support". The banner caught my eye, but that portion doesn't look like its going to do anything "innovative" for my pay. Also in Mr. Obama's education plan is a summer learning program for disadvantaged youth that provides funding for summer education programs. This part of his plan meets my approval. Truly, summer educational programs are not that expensive to operate which puts very little burden on the government. The only trouble here is, try to get the kids to go to summer school. That's a tough problem! Lastly, Mr. Obama has proposed a higher cap on Pell Grants for college students. The limit would be raised $1050.00. That's nice, but I'm trying to put a kid through college and pay for a few courses for me. That increase is appreciated if it should fly, but my daughter is going to be paying off loans for years. $1050.00 won't make much difference, but like I said, it would be appreciated. On the Republican side, I will comment on Rudy Giuliani's stance on public education. His position is that public education should be placed in the hands of the parents. By this, Mr. Giuliani stresses that parents should have a choice where their child will go to school and not be required to attend a school mandated by beauracracy. He tells a story about a program in New York that would award scholarships to 2500 students to attend any school (elementary or secondary) they choose. Approximately 165,000 students applied. In his opinion, parents wanted better for their children than the public schools could offer. It is Mr. Giuliani's contention that competition by schools for students should be promoted. Schools that do a better job of educating young people will naturally attract more students and the funding that goes with them. I know that this may seem to foster a growth in private schools, but Mr. Giuliani created a Charter School Fund in New York to provide funding for schools similar to the one I teach in. We are not a private school. We have open enrollment and do not charge tuition. We are required to accept students that live in our district, but we can be selective in which out of district students we accept. In my six years at this school, we've only turned away less that a dozen. I agree that parents should have the right to choose which school their child attends. Colleges and universities have to vie for students, why can' elementary and secondary schools compete as well. Both candidates' plans will require tax dollars, but I believe that placing the bulk of the responsibilities for school improvement on the local schools and not mandating costly initiatives is the right way. At this moment, I believe that Mr. Obama and Mr. Giuliani have a shot at their respective party nominations. Mr. Obama has the edge in campaign contributions on the Democratic side at this time, and we've already discussed the importance of money in the campaign process. Hillary Clinton, in my own opinion, has a few too many skeletons in her closet that will surface to hurt her chances. But again, that's my opinion. On the Republican side, Mr. Giuliani has the shot, but it is an outside shot. He, too, has some skeletons that may pull him out of the race before we get half way through the primaries. Of the candidates currently on the Republican side, John McCain is probably going to be the nominee mostly because he is completely moderate and willing to stand for his beliefs. But, if Fred Thompson declares, I see him taking the Republican nomination and giving the Democratic side a run. Because of the way in which President Bush has handled Iraq, the Social Security question and his tendency for bone-headed comments, the Democrats have a leg up on the 2008 election. It's going to be a very interesting 16 months to watch this all play out.
Ch.12 question1
I chose Hilary Clinton as the democratic candidate, because I honestly believe she will be our next President of the United States. I viewed many websites concerning her policy views and also how she has voted on past bills. I found that she works very strongly with the Planned Parenthood programs that support pro choice. Hillary has been a powerful advocate for women in the Senate. Her commitment to supporting the rights of women and reducing the number of abortions, by reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies is very interesting. I really like her fight with the Bush Administration that ensured that there will be an emergency contraceptive, which will be available to millions of American women and will reduce the need for abortions.
I also chose Rudy Giuliani as the republican candidate, because I think the American people will definitely be more likely to nominate him for the presidency, because of 9/11 which made him such a well known politician. Rudy Giuliani believes marriage is between a man and a woman. He does not and has never supported gay marriage. But he believes in equal rights under law for all Americans. That's why he supports domestic partnerships that provide stability for committed partners in important legal and personal matters.
I believe that the next President will definitely be from the Democratic Party, because the Bush administration has caused so much turmoil within the Republican Party over the Iraq war. I think Hilary Clinton has a huge chance of winning; her polls are up and have always been up. She is experienced and she has Bill to help her. How can we go wrong with that much knowledge in the White House?
Scott Brehm said...
Dr. Patton- Would you agree that the incidence of gay characters in television shows has increased the acceptance of the lifestyle in our country? I'd like to hear your thoughts on how the visual media influences the way we think. I'm glad I'm old. Then, I can use that as an excuse for being set in my ways.
July 10, 2007 8:57 PM
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Hi Scott - yes, I do think the increased incidence of gay characters on tv shows has changed the way many people think about gay people. I would also include individuals such as Rosie O'Donnell and Ellen DeGeneres in this crowd. Rosie in particular who openly talks about her partner and refers to her as her wife, etc. She was on the show "The View" this past year and my understanding is that their ratings went up considerably, so her presence did not hurt the show. I don't think this effect of media is just regarding gay people though. There are many more shows on today (and tv commercials) that feature single mothers and bi-racial couples, for example, in a positive way.
Barack Obama is one of the top contenders among the Democrats for the race to the White House. One of the many policies that he stands for is expanding the use of E85 and other renewable fuels and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from our fuels. E85 is a fuel that is 85 percent clean-burning and 15 percent petroleum gasoline. There are only about 1200 gas stations that currently offer this fuel out of a possible 180,000. If the gas stations will make this fuel a selection and install E85 pumps, then they will be eligible for tax credits. Barack Obama is dedicated to reducing the greenhouse gases and according to his campaign and estimates, Obama's legislation would reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions by about 180 million metric tons in 2020 or the equivalent of 30 millions cars off the road (BarackObama.com). The Republican candidate that I chose to discuss is John McCain. McCain’s view on national security is of one that understands the dangers and threats affecting our nation. He believes that the United States needs to increase the size of our military in order to keep our security and he supports the development of national missile defenses. I believe that Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton has a shot at winning the nomination for Democrat. They are both really strong candidates in my eyes and I am having a tough decision deciding which one at this point. I believe Rudy Giuliani or John McCain will have a shot at winning the Republican Party. I would have to lean towards Rudy Giuliani though because of the way he handled September 11. He gained a lot of respect and he showed that he could handle a crisis. I do think they all have a shot at the White House because of their experiences. Hillary is experienced because of her reign as First Lady and then Senate. Obama has a good shot as well due to the Senate as well as McCain. Giuliani has a shot at the White House for the reason I mentioned earlier.
The two presidential candidates that I would like to look at are two of New York’s power houses Rudolf Giuliani and Hillary Clinton. On the issues theses two differ in many areas but are more similar then some opposing candidates. The two different issues I would like to look at are abortion and health care. Giuliani could be considered to be a little less conservative then other republican candidates especially on such issues as abortion on his official website this what he had to say about his views on abortion. Rudy Giuliani supports reasonable restrictions on abortion such as parental notification with a judicial bypass and a ban on partial birth abortion – except when the life of the mother is at stake. He’s proud that adoptions increased 66% while abortions decreased over 16% in New York City when he was Mayor. But Rudy understands that this is a deeply personal moral dilemma, and people of good conscience can disagree respectfully. Though I personally disagree with this stance I feel that he is an over all strong candidate. As for Hillary health care seems to be a hot button issues and throughout her political career she has pushed for such policies as nationalized heath care. On her official website she has this to say about her views on heath care. Few issues touch all of our lives more closely or cause us more anxiety than healthcare. While Americans receive some of the best care in the world, unfortunately our healthcare system has some serious flaws. We see it in the increasing cost of health care and health insurance premiums, the rising number of people who lack coverage or have limited coverage, and lack of access to needed services. And despite the fact that the United States spends more per capita on health care than any other industrialized nation, we still rank far below other countries on key quality indicators such as life span and infant mortality. Clearly, we must address these problems so that we can strengthen our health care system and prevent it from collapse. Though a broad and not very specific statement it is know that Hillary is an advocate of affordable of national healthcare. As for what I believe will happen in regards to these tow candidates and the 2008 election aim not quite sure. I think that of the republican candidates Giuliani probably has the best chance of winning the white house because of his more liberal stance and past success in NY. But I am not sure that he will get past primaries for theses same reasons. As for Hillary really hope that she dose not get the presidency because I believe she is far too liberal for what our nation needs. But I do think she has a decent chance of winning but it will be hard to get past such competing as Obama. Also I think that if she dose get the white house it will be not because of her own efforts but because people want the Clinton team back in. they understood that when Bill was president and hope to get it again.
When I look at all the candidates seeking the nomination for president in 2008, there are so many and believe there are only two major Democratic contenders are Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Of the two, I will choose Hillary Clinton. She is trying to seek a middle ground to appeal to as many voters as possible. The one problem I see with Senator Clinton’s website and policy issues is how hard she is to show how opposite she is from President Bush. On policy issues, the one area that I liked was her position on restoring America's reputation (standing) in the world. Her policy is that the U.S. needs global coalitions to go after the problems that face the United States and the whole world. The war on terrorism has played a major force in shaping the current U.S. policy as regards to the world outside our borders and it seems that Senator Clinton’s goal to help in restoring America’s reputation is to seek to end the war in Iraq. She is against the current administration when it comes to the war in Iraq and if she is elected, I can see her working to end the war. However, she still faces a tough primary election race against Senator Obama. For the Republicans, I feel that it is anyone’s race. I believe the major contenders are Fred Thompson, Senator John McCain, Rudolph Giuliani and Mitt Romney. However, Senator McCain will not be around long enough and Former-Senator Fred Thompson is still undeclared. I will choose Mitt Romney. Former-governor Romney seems to me to be a clean-cut person. He is fiscally conservative and has the standard Republican-leaning stance on policy issues. He is for new, strong, leadership. On terrorist issues, he tows the standard Republican line about defeating the Jihadists through an “effective strategy [involving] both military and diplomatic actions to support [of] modern Muslim nations.” What I have found is that Mitt Romney, along with those of Senator Clinton, is that their websites do not give much in information on their stands in regards to the different policy issues. All answers seem to be brief and almost a sound bite in the sense that American’s want quick answers to all their problems. As for these two winning their nomination of their party, I believe that Senator Clinton has the best shot. In Senator Clinton’s case, she has the money and resources in the name of her husband, to go far and she is attractive I in the sense that she brings back to the White House the allure of the Clinton Presidency of the past, with the exception of all the lying, cheating and womanizing. As for former-governor Romney, I see an uphill battle. He is still largely an unknown candidate, with bigger fish to compete against, I believe if he does well in the early primaries, that he might stand a chance. However, with Rudy Giuliani and Fred Thompson in the way, I do not see him winning the nomination. As for the winner in the general election come fall 2008, I would like to see either Rudy Giuliani or Fred Thompson win.
In response to Bill Wren’s comments, I think Senator McCain and Senator Edwards are political hacks. In the sense that both have taken up issues that they appear to be for the American poor and the middle class, however, both are independently wealthy and the issues on healthcare, employment, etc that are generally the most important, are just a tool to get them votes and elected. I personally have met Senator McCain, and can tell you, he is a wonderful person to talk with and he does seem knowledgeable. However, if he was a Democrat, I can see him having a better chance of becoming President. In a primary election, Senator McCain has burnt too many bridges for mainstream Republicans to come to his side. With the quitting of many in his campaign, I suspect they know they’re on a losing candidates campaign. I agree with you on Fred Thompson, and wish he would only go ahead and get into the race.
This is just FYI information, while I was searching the internet; I came across a website that listed all the candidates for president, Republican and Democrat, with links to each candidate’s websites, and a brief synopsis on the candidates. There are also other things about voting that seem informative. It is at http://www.vote-smart.org/election_president.php
I choose to talk about Ron Paul for the Republican Party. One of the topics discussed on his website was the concern of the Patriot Act. He believes that the Patriot Act was a wrong decision and is leading to more serious privacy problems. He discusses on the government trying to pass tracking devises on everyone’s driver’s license called, Real ID Act. I don't do anything illegal but I don't want the government to be able to track me where ever I go. The government says they want to do this to help against identity theft. I chose to talk about Mike Gravel for the Democrat Party. The topic that caught my eye on his campaign website was his Iraq Withdraw Plan. He believes the troops need to come out now and can’t wait until the next President. He discusses on how the Iraqi people want the American troops out. His solution to get the troops out NOW is to pass a law that states American troops have to be out of Iraq by 120 days. If the troops aren’t out then the President, Vice President, Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of Treasury are committing a felony. I’m sorry but I quit reading after this, what kind of fool would come up with an idea like this. Why would he think its okay to make a law just so you can get someone out of office? I’m not saying Bush is making the right decision by keeping troops in Iraq but you can’t make laws to force him out of office. I don’t think Mike Gravel has a chance in office but I am going to do more research on Ron Paul. There were a few things I didn’t agree with but he seem to have a better chance than Mike Gravel.
The two candidates that I chose are Barack Obama (D) and John McCain (R). The issue that I am focusing on is the war in Iraq. On Obama’s website it says that he calls for several different things to happen to help the situation in Iraq. These ideas include;
1) reducing the number of troops, 2) creating a time frame for a phased withdrawal,
3) urging the Iraqi government to make progress on forming a political solution,
4) improving reconstruction efforts to restore basic services in Iraq, and 5) engaging the international community, mainly the key neighboring states and Arab nations, to help with the efforts in Iraq. This past January Obama introduced an alternative to President Bush’s escalation policy. It called for redeployment of American troops no later than May 1, 2007. The ultimate goal is to have all combat brigades removed by March 31, 2008. A small number of troops would still remain in Iraq, although.
McCain has a different idea for Iraq. He thinks that a greater military commitment is necessary if we want to have long term success in Iraq. He thinks that we need more troops to 1) clear and hold insurgent stronghold, 2) provide security for rebuilding local institutions and economies, 3) to disarm Sunni and Shia militias, 4) to disarm al Qaeda, and 5) to train the Iraqi Army and police units. Obviously these two men have two very different ideas about what needs to happen in Iraq.
I think that Obama has a chance to get his party’s nomination for president, but I do not think that he will be elected president. I’m not sure about McCain yet; I have mixed feelings about him. I do not know yet who I think will or should be our next president.
Erica are we reading the same thing about clinton yes reducing the "amount" of abortions but she's very much for it. So to rduce it you must get red of it. She is for women's choie of course she's a women I' a democrate but she's so one sided and even I can see that. Big Question her proposal was to limit when you can have an abortion correct but if you limit and its still legal you can just start timing it by knowing when to get so it's really notgoing to decrease it huh??
Or am I wrong how many women take months to find out there pregnant or make the desicion????
I chose Hillary Clinton and Rudolf Giuliani. They seem to be pro pro pro as I looked at there sites and newspaper articles. So I chose where they stand on homosexuals and there rights. Hilary says that she is for gays that it's about time they get there rights and freedoms as citizens as well as Giuliani.She is calling anyone, specifically the President, but anyone else like the President who doesn’t embrace her brand of moral relativism [a bigot],” said Matt Barber, Concerned Women for America’s Policy Director for Cultural Issues to LifeSiteNews.com. Instead of demanding the rights Guliani says he is pro homosexuals and very symathetic towards there needs.I find though he is "progay" he says very little to stand up for them nor talk about them the newspapers point that out as well. So maybe for him its a voter trip a way to get more voters.
Clinton will win her party and the whitehouse although i dont agree with all her views I will vote for her. I think????
I chose a Libertarian candidate, Steve Kubby, because I though we needed a little variety. (And, I’m libertarian…). He has an interesting stance on immigration reform. He’s for what he calls “open immigration.” On his website, www.kubby2008.com, he describes open immigration as “Free movement over borders by peaceful people.” He writes that no matter what rules are set for immigration, people will come in to the United States. He also writes that those who mean no harm to the government should be allowed to come in without hassle, “publicly and conveniently instead of sneaking over it in the middle of the night and in the middle of the desert. Believe me, they'd rather be welcomed than hunted ... and welcoming them rather than hunting them will reduce the cover they provide for our enemies.” He claims that allowing people to come into the country to live will keep them from protecting our enemies. He says, “a border is nothing more than an imaginary line on the ground, drawn by politicians…my job will be to secure the rights of the people within the set of lines that have been drawn, and to defend them from attack across those lines -- not to impede peaceful people from crossing them.” I think this is a very interesting stance on immigration. What do you think?
The republican candidate i chose was John McCain. I reasearched his position on oil prices and what kind of solution can most effectively lower outrageous oil prices, or help move us past this crisis. McCain thinks a possible solution to the problem is to rely much more heavily on extracting oil from American soil. He believes that the monopoly foreigners have over our economy is wrong and that we may have a much calmer relationship with other nations. He was quoted saying, "as president, i'll propose a national energy strategy that will amount to a declaration of independence from the fear bred by our reliance on oil sheiks and our vulnerability to the troubled politics of the land they rule."
The democratic cnadidate i chose who is seeking nomination for president is John Edwards. I also researched his poistion on our energy crisis and he wasnt quite as concise as McCain was. H was quoted saying he would ask Americans to be patriotic about something "other than war" and support his plan of creating a new energy economy based on clean renewable energy and improved energy efficiency.
I personally feel that both Edwards and McCain have a shot at winning their party nomination. However i feel as if McCain has a legitamite shot at winning the overall presidency, and he is my guess as to who will win. I feel that McCain has enough backbone to try to get more accomplished in Iraq before leaving (obviously my personal opinion on the matter), and he has enough support from other parties to be taken seriously in Congress.
I am choosing Barak Obama because I believe that he is in the news a great deal, though I know very little about his complete platform. I have great interest in non-profit organizations and helping families, especially children. Also, my fiancé works at an emergency youth shelter in Lexington. So, I chose one of Obama’s agendas regarding the issue of poverty. Barak pledges to implement a program called 5-E Disconnected Youth Service Corps. The 5-E stands for “Energy Efficiency, Environmental Education and Employment.” This program would help disconnected and underprivileged youth to hook up with the new, growing job sector. It would benefit employers to connect with these youth and would ultimately benefit the community. This topic is always on the forefront of discussion at my fiancé’s work. As people come in as youth, when they go out as technically adults, the issue facing them is a place to live and a job. Obama’s zeal for the eradication of poverty is admirable.
Like most candidates, Mitt Romney is supportive of education reform. Romney says that unless something is done about the situation of education in the United States, we will fall behind other countries. Among other education issues, Romney mentions on his website that increasing math and science education are essential in keeping the United States the forerunner of science and technology. Unlike other candidates, Romney relates education to the economy and says that increasing education standards is also vital in maintaining a successful economy. Other than a few quotes, which I extracted the above information from, Romney’s campaign website gives no formal stand on these issues.
I visited Hillary Clinton’s website a democrat and John McCain who is a republican. As far as the issues section both candidates had an issues section. I chose the issue on Hillary Clintons page on the war in Iraq. She is very strong on this issue. She opposes the war and the costs that have been placed on our troops their families and the budget. She also opposes the war because of the violence not declining and strongly opposes the permanent bases in Iraq. Her page was easy to see the issues that she feels strongly about. On John McCain’s website his opinions were a little more vague. The issue on the war was not strongly for or against. He said a lot about taking care of the families. He did not mention the budget issues. I feel strongly that a democrat will win the next election, due to the fact many people are against the current president. I feel that Hillary Clinton will have a good shot at the next election.
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