What are the political positions of the US presidential candidates on some the main campaign issues?
What are the political positions of the US presidential candidates on some the main campaign issues?
Hillary Clinton
- Lawyer
- 68 years old
- Democrat candidate for US presidency
- Secretary of State 2009-2013
- New York Senator 2001-2009
- US First Lady 1993-2001
Economy
For:
- raising the federal minimum wage
- tax breaks for companies that improve employee profit-sharing or have apprenticeship programs
- raising tax on higher-incomes
- encouraging long-term investment by increasing capital gains for assets held between one and six years
- was formerly in favour of TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) but no longer supports it
Health
- will protect and expand social security
- wants paid leave for families and medical leave
- supports all health programs (Obamacare, Medicare, Medicaid…) and wants to expand some parts of them
- will reduce the price of prescription drugs
- will allow access to health insurance regardless of immigration status
Foreign policy
- strong supporter of Israel
- for a nuclear deal with Iran
- for coalition air campaign and an intelligence war against ISIS
- for investing in reform and innovation in military
- for Iraq war in 2003 but now expresses regret
Education
- for access to a public university in own state without taking on any student debt
- wants all community colleges to offer free tuition
- creation of a fund to help minority-serving institutions
- for helping student parents
- for a national plan to modernise the teaching profession
- for making computer science available to all students
- Wants to rebuild old, damaged schools
- for universal pre-school and increased access to child care
Immigration
- creation of a “pathway to full and equal citizenship”
- against family detention
- for closing private immigration detention centers
- for promoting naturalisation
- against the three and 10-year bars
Climate
- sees climate change as an urgent threat
- for boosting the production and use of renewable energy, natural gas and nuclear energy
- for energy waste cuts
- for oil consumption cuts and for cutting tax subsidies to oil and gas companies
- for extending the Clean Power Plan (Barack Obama)
Religion
- Methodist (Protestant)
Abortion
- for safe and legal abortion
- for protecting access to contraception and reproductive healthcare for women
LGBT
- for full equality for LGBT Americans, including marriage
- will upgrade service records of Americans in the military who were dismissed due to their sexual orientation
- vows to make it easier for transgender Americans to change their gender marker on identification documents
- will end so-called conversion therapy for minors, combat youth homelessness by ensuring adequate funding for shelters
Tobacco and cannabis
- for medical marijuana and for allowing medical research on the medical benefits of cannabis
- for focusing “federal enforcement resources on violent crime, not simple marijuana possession”
- will allow any States who have legalised marijuana to keep on doing so
Guns
- for expanding background checks to more gun sales
- wants to take on the gun lobby by removing legal protection for illegal and irresponsible actions
- against gun sales to terrorists, criminals, domestic abusers, the severely mentally ill
Tim Kaine
- 58 years old
- Virginia Senator since 2013
- Governor of Virginia from 2006 to 2010
- Democratic vice-president candidate
- He endorsed Barack Obama in the 2008 campaign, announcing his support as early as February 2007
- A fluent Spanish speaker, he is the first US senator to deliver a speech in Spanish in front of the Senate
Economy
- in favour of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TTP) until recently, but then changed his stance and declared that he could not support the agreement in its current form
- for a nuclear deal with Iran
- for the regulation of the financial industry, notably through the Consumer Protection Act and the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform
- defended the extension of emergency unemployment insurance benefits in Virginia
Health
- in favour of Medicare and Medicaid
- puts particular emphasis on preventive care: “maybe we should be a little more focused on health and a little less on the hospitals”
Foreign policy
- pro-Israel but boycotted Netanyahu’s 2015 speech to congress over the Iran nuclear deal
- for the normalisation of US-Cuban relations
- called for the creation of safe zones to protect Syrian civilians in the war against the Islamic State
- for the international nuclear agreement with Iran
Education
- supported the Every Student Succeeds Act, which is aimed at giving states more flexibility to set education policies and at de-emphasising standardised testing without taking on any student debt
- for making college “debt-free for everybody”
- for all children starting school at age four
Immigration
- for the expansion of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, offering temporary relief from deportation to children immigrants
- defends a comprehensive immigration reform, allowing persons illegally living in the US to obtain legal status by paying taxes and a fine
- wishes to promote the immigration of foreign students by making it easier for them to obtain Green Cards
Climate
- acknowledges the scientific consensus on climate change
- condemns those who claim that there is an opposition between economic and environmental concerns, arguing that “protecting the environment is good for the economy”
- for the development of offshore wind turbines and solar energy
- for the use of fracking to harvest natural gas
Religion
- raised catholic and educated by Jesuits
- speaks openly about his faith: “My faith is central to everything I do”
- believes women should be allowed to become priests
Abortion
- personally against abortion but does not believe it should be outlawed
- for legal restrictions on abortion, such as requiring parental consent for minors
LGBT
- for gay marriage: “I believe all people, regardless of sexual orientation, should be guaranteed equal rights, including the legal benefits and responsibilities of marriage”
- co-sponsored the Employment Non-Discrimination Act in the Senate, aiming at barring employment discrimination on sexual orientation grounds
- for homosexual couples being allowed to adopt children, providing a “judge deems it is in the best interests of the child”
Tobacco and cannabis
- against the decriminalisation or legalisation of marijuana: “I wouldn’t vote for a law at the federal or state level that would decriminalise marijuana”
- received an “F” in the grades given to members of congress by the National Organization for Reforming Marijuana Laws (NORML)
Guns
- supporter of the right to bear arms guaranteed by the Second Amendment
- believes nonetheless that concrete steps should be taken to reduce gun violence, such as mental health services and background record checks prior to gun purchases