Recap of Obama on the issues

The youth vote turnout helped Obama take the White House in a landslide victory... Now you may be wondering where Obama stands on the issues that matter to you. Do Something's created an abbreviated version just for you!

OBAMA ON THE ECONOMY

Believes the economy will grow faster with…

• More government oversight of the economy
• Less enthusiasm towards free trade
• A tax system that reverses existing economic inequalities

The Bailout Plan

• Also plans to “jumpstart” the economy and prevent job losses by providing another $50 billion to the economy.
• $25 billion would go to the State Growth Fund to provide assistance and prevent cuts in health, education, housing and heating assistance.
• $25 billion would go to the Jobs and Growth Fund to prevent cutbacks in road and bridge maintenance and fund school repair. This is in order to save jobs in danger of being cut.

Tax Plans

• Cut taxes for small businesses and 95% of people, including families making than $250,000.
• Raise income taxes for those above that cutoff

OBAMA ON THE ENVIRONMENT

Cap & Trade

• Supports a cap and trade system to cut U.S. emissions by 80% below 1990 levels by 2050, in line with the scientific consensus for avoiding the worst consequences of global warming.
• Would auction off 100% of emissions permits, making polluters pay for the CO2 they emit. The revenue raised (an estimated $30-$50 billion a year) would go toward developing and deploying clean energy technology and creating millions of “green collar” jobs.

Offshore Drilling

• Generally opposes opening additional U.S. waters to offshore oil drilling but would consider it as part of a compromise to achieve broader energy policy goals which include massive investments in renewable and alternative energy.

Renewable energy

• Calls for getting 10% of U.S. electricity from renewables by 2012, and 25% by 2025.
• Proposes investing $150 billion over 10 years in renewable, advanced biofuels, and other clean technologies. Says this will create 5 million green jobs.

Ethanol

• Acknowledges that cellulosic ethanol is a more alternative fuel but has been criticized for taking cues from powerful corn growers who have contributed to his campaign.
• Says he would maintain subsidies and tariffs that support the industry.
• The detailed energy plan he published early in his campaign included the goal of producing 60 billion gallons by 2030 and transforming the entire U.S. vehicle fleet to run on ethanol blends of gasoline.

Nuclear Power

• Doesn’t oppose the use of nuclear energy but says it’s not a great option because of safety and storage issues.
• Says we should explore nuclear power as part of his energy plan which focuses on renewables.

OBAMA ON EDUCATION

Financial Aid for College

• Launch  a national “Make College a Reality” initiative with the goal of increasing the number of students taking Advanced Placement (AP) or college-level classes by 50% by 2016.
• Allot an American Opportunity Tax Credit of $4,000 for college in exchange for community service.
• Eliminate the confusing financial aid application, and allowing families to apply for financial aid by checking a box on their tax forms, thus making a separate application unnecessary.

“No Child Left Behind”

 “Teachers should not be forced to spend the academic year preparing students to fill in bubbles on standardized tests.”

• Double funding for the Federal Charter School Program, to provide students with a variety of opportunities.
• Recruit math and science degree college graduates to teaching to strengthen these subjects in school.

The High School Dropout Crisis

• Pass legislation to give funding to school districts to start intervention in middle school, so kids won’t drop out in high school.
• Have students invest personally in their educations by creating long-term academic plans.
• Increase parent involvement, sponsor mentoring programs, extend learning time, and provide intensive instruction on the basics of reading and mathematics.
• Double funds for afterschool programs provided for K-12, accordingly helping kids to stay more engaged in their school community.

OBAMA ON ANIMAL RIGHTS

Obama has said: I think how we treat our animals reflects how we treat each other, and it's very important that we have a president who is mindful of the cruelty that is perpetrated on animals."

Hunting

• Recognizes hunting and fishing as American traditions.
• Vows to protect hunters’ gun rights, and to expand and restore habitat for hunting and fishing.
• He spearfished growing up, but does not hunt or fish in Illinois.

Animal fighting

• Co-sponsored the Animal Fighting Prohibition Act to criminalize dogfighting and cockfighting.

Slaughterhouse treatment

• Did not co-sponsor the Downed Animal Protection Act, which bans the use of animals too injured or weak to walk to slaughter in human food.
• Did sign the letter to the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee which sought funds for the Animal Welfare Act, the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, and federal animal fighting laws.

Drilling for oil in the artic

Drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge would endanger the animals, like polar bears, who live there.

• Voted for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Drilling Amendment, which would have kept the wildlife refuge closed to drilling.

OBAMA ON GAY RIGHTS

Employment Non-Discrimination

• Supports the Federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), a proposed U.S. federal law that would prohibit discrimination against employees on the basis of sexual orientation..

“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”

• Opposed the discriminatory “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.

Relationship Recognition

• Opposes same-sex marriage, but also opposes a constitutional ban. Says states and local governments should set their own marriage policies.
• Supports repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), a federal law passed in 1996 which defined the word “marriage” as the union between a man and a woman.
• As stated on the Obama campaign Web site, he supports full civil unions that "give same-sex couples equal legal rights and privileges as married couples, including the right to assist their loved ones in times of emergency as well as equal health insurance, employment benefits, and property and adoption rights."

Hate Crimes

• Supports inclusive legislation to protect the entire GLBT community against bias-motivated violence.

HIV/AIDS

• Supports Ryan White CARE Act, the U.S.’s largest federally funded program for people living with HIV/AIDS. The legislation funds improved availability of care for low-income, uninsured and under-insured victims of AIDS and their families. The act passed in the House by a vote of 402 to 4.
• Supports the Early Treatment for HIV Act (ETHA) which gives states the option of extending Medicaid coverage to include uninsured, pre-disabled poor and low-income people living with HIV. ETHA addresses a cruel irony in the current Medicaid system — that under current Medicaid rules people must become disabled by AIDS before they can receive access to Medicaid provided care and treatment that could have prevented them from becoming so ill in the first place.
• Supports comprehensive sex education aimed at preventing disease.

Adoption

• Both Obama and Biden oppose bans on adoption by same-sex couples.

OBAMA ON IRAQ

• Voted against authorizing the war in 2002
• Introduced legislation to end the war in Iraq, including a plan for a phased withdrawal of combat troops

On maintaining an American presence in Iraq

During a speech in Fayetteville, North Carolina on March 19, 2008, Obama said: “Fighting a war without end will not force the Iraqis to take responsibility for their own future…and will not make American people safer.”

• Get all troops out fo Iraq within 16 months from January 2009.
• Slowly shift defense resources from Iraq to Afghanistan.

OBAMA ON OTHER MAJOR ELECTION ISSUES

Immigration

• Create secure borders while legalizing immigrants preently here and cracking down on employers who hire illegally.

Foreign Policy

Iran

• PUsh for negotiation with President Ahmadinejad but would resort to military action to limit Iran's nuclear capacities.

Darfur

• Plans to increase pressure on the Sudanese and hold the government to uphold its commitments under a peace accord they signed.

Global poverty

• By the end of his first term, he plans to double the annual investment in foreign aid from $25 billion to $50 billion to meet the Millennium Development Goals, which aim to cut extreme poverty in half by 2015.
• Plans to fully fund debt cancellation for “Heavily Indebted Poor Countries.” In other words, he is for letting poverty-stricken countries off the hook for debts they owe to other countries.
• Plans to invest at least $50 billion by 2013 to fight HIV/AIDS, a huge problem in impoverished countries.