The candidates on service

Millennials are the most civically engaged generation in decades. Service matters to you, as it does to us, after all, that’s what we’re all about – doing something. So you may be wondering how the candidates plan to reform, expand, and promote service opportunities for Americans looking to take action. Check out the details below.

The Problem

Senator Barack Obama

“President Bush squandered an opportunity to mobilize the American people following 9/11 when he asked Americans only to go shopping.”

  • Believes that there isn’t enough government support for service, and Americans should have been asked to serve in their communities after the 9/11 attacks.
  • Sees a disconnect between charities that can fund innovation and organizations on the ground that can practice new ways to help people. To that end, he says more research and development is needed in the nonprofit sector to resolve this problem.  

 Senator John McCain

“We needed at that time [September 11, 2001] to take advantage of the unity in the United States of America. I would have called them to serve.”

  • Feels strongly about renewing America’s civic purpose, and would have implored the American to get civically involved after the 9/11 attacks.
  • Believes the teaching of American values and civic history needs to be strengthened to inspire other Americans.
  • Believes America’s “civic purpose and fractured patriotism” must be strengthened by service of all kinds, including civilian, military, full-time, and part-time.

 

Their Record

Sen. Barack Obama

  • Obama moved to Chicago to direct the Developing Communities Project, which works to improve living conditions in poor neighborhoods plagued by crime and unemployment.
  • After law school, he became head of Project Vote, which helped register 150,000 new African American voters in Chicago.

Sen. John McCain

  • Was an original cosponsor of the National Call to Service Act, which established a National Service Plan with incentives to enlist in the armed forces.
  • Sponsored the Troops-to-Teachers Improvement Act, which extended the Troops-to-Teachers Program encouraging retired military personnel to become teachers, especially in rural or disadvantaged schools.
  • Co-sponsored the Hatch-Kennedy Bill to expand the number of national service participants to 250,000. To that end, the bill asks 175,000 more Americans to give a year of service to deal with specific national challenges.

General Plans

Sen. Barack Obama

  • Wants to expand AmeriCorps from 75,000 to 250,000 people, and double the Peace Corps to 16,000 volunteers by 2011.
  • Will incorporate retiring Americans on a large scale.
  • Set up America’s Voice Initiative to help Americans who are fluent speakers of foreign languages travel to foreign countries to expand public diplomacy.
  • Seeks to extend opportunities for teachers, engineers and doctors to serve overseas.

Sen. John McCain

  • Hopes to increase volunteerism with a national service initiative to provide opportunities for people wanting to serve their communities and country.
  • Would like to coordinate all service efforts across the federal government.
  • Will ensure that all service programs are treated equally in the eyes of the government.
  • Plans to convene “Volunteerism Summits” so people can share ideas about what has worked and brainstorm future plans.
  • Will increase service opportunities tailored to families with young children, veterans, high school students, etc.  
  • Allow faith-based organizations to improve volunteerism by allowing them to hire employees with similar religious views without this hurting their federal funding.
  • Will create a Volunteer Generation Fund which will award 3-5 year grants to support recruitment and training of volunteers.
  • Also intends on increasing the size of the Peace Corps
  • Will expand the “Volunteers for Prosperity” Program to provide more opportunities for international service
  • Hopes to utilize college students through Federal Work-Study programs by exchanging service for financial aid.

Service in Schools

Sen. Barack Obama

  • Plans to set a goal that all middle and high school students do 50 hours of community service a year, and will establish a new tax credit that is worth $4,000 a year in exchange for 100 hours of public service a year.
  • Wants to develop national guidelines for service.
  • Plans to create Green Job Corps, an energy-focused youth jobs program to provide underprivileged youth with service opportunities such as weatherizing buildings and getting experience in various green career areas.
  • Hopes to expand the YouthBuild Program which gives underprivileged youth the chance to complete high school and build affordable housing in their communities. The expansion entails having 50,000 low-income young people benefit from YouthBuild each year.
  • Plans to exchange required service hours for money towards financial aid.
  • Wants to promote college “serve-study” to ensure that at least 25% of college work study funds are used to support service opportunities instead of work-study jobs in dorms, dining halls, and libraries.

Sen. John McCain

  • Plans to include more college students in community service through the Federal Work-Study Program where currently only 7% of recipients are required to perform community service.
  • Plans to create a teaching certification equivalency for individuals with years of service and work to give them the opportunity to tutor or teach. He believes that these tutors can strengthen the curriculums of American History Civics classes throughout the country.

Engaging Senior Citizens in Service

Sen. Barack Obama

  • Plans to expand and improve programs that connect people over 55 with volunteer opportunities.

Sen. John McCain

  • Plans to use SeniorCorps volunteers as tutors and mentors to address the dropout crisis. SeniorCorps is a national organization that provides volunteer opportunities for those 55 and over.

Personal Causes

The candidates have made national service a priority in their presidential administrations, but they don’t just talk the talk, they also walk the walk.

Sen. Barack Obama

Obama is passionate about fighting HIV/AIDS in the U.S. and worldwide. More than 1 million people in the U.S. are living with HIV or AIDS and 33 million people worldwide battle the disease. He has said, “We are all sick because of AIDS – and we are all tested by this crisis. Yes, there must be more money spent on this disease. But there must also be a change in hearts and minds, in cultures and attitudes…AIDS must be an all-hands-on-deck effort.” Obama is so involved in the movement to fight AIDS/HIV infections that in 2006 his family traveled to Kenya to encourage African men and women to be tested for HIV/AIDS.  

  • Plans to implement a National HIV/AIDS strategy in the first year of his presidency that will include all federal agencies. His strategy will include increasing access to health care.
  • He is a strong supporter of the Ryan White Care Act (RWCA) which provides critical life-saving treatment and care for over half a million low-income Americans infected with HIV/AIDS.
  • Will promote AIDS prevention through comprehensive age-appropriate sex education in schools.
  • Plans to expand funding for research for better medicines and a cure for HIV/AIDS.
  • Hopes to assure adequate and safe housing for people living with HIV/AIDS. To that end, he supports increased funding for Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS.
  • Plans to expand access to HIV/AIDS testing for pregnant women to prevent the spread of the disease.
  • On a global scale, Obama plans to strengthen health care infrastructure and increase America’s contribution to the Global Fund for AIDS, Malaria and TB.
  • Plans to increase access to affordable drugs in third world countries.
  • Wants to reauthorize and revise PEPFAR (President’s Emergency Program for AIDS Relief) and implement the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS relief to get more funding for global AIDS relief.

Sen. John McCain

McCain’s causes are autism and veteran affairs. As a Vietnam veteran and POW for five years, his passion for military veterans isn’t surprising, but many are perplexed by his interest in autism. But a recent federal report says “the number of children who have an autism disorder – as many as 1 in every 150 – is significantly higher than previously thought.” McCain has touched on an issue that has so far remained out of the headlines saying, he is “very concerned about the rising incidence of autism among America's children” and hopes to increase funding and research into autism so children with the disorder can live more full lives.

  • Believes federal research should support approaches to understanding the factors that lead to autism, including environmental factors, for prevention and treatment.
  • Cosponsored and supported the Combating Autism Act of 2006. The law helped to increase awareness and screening of autism, promoted the use of evidence-based interventions and created Autism Centers of Excellence for Spectrum Disorder Research and Epidemiology. 
  • Has lent his support to the Wounded Warrior Project, which raises awareness and aid for the needs of injured military men and women, and provides programs to meet the needs of severely injured service members.

The Role of the First Lady

Though the First Lady of the President has no official duties, historically First Ladies have taken on public service projects and serve as unofficial ambassadors to causes abroad. So, our next First Lady (either Michelle Obama or Cindy McCain) will likely take a large role in shaping the face of public service in this country, so we checked out their service interests and backgrounds.

Michelle Obama

  • After leaving her job at a corporate law firm, she became the founding executive director of the Chicago chapter of Public Allies, an AmeriCorps program that helps to prepare young people for service. It’s important to note that more than 350 young leaders have graduated from Chicago’s Public Allies.
  • Since 1996, Michelle has worked for the University of Chicago where she first worked as Associate Dean of Student Services. In that position, she developed the university’s community service program.
  • She then became the Vice President of Community and External Affairs for the University of Chicago Medical Center. Under her leadership, volunteering in the hospital and community greatly increased. Additionally, the number of hospital employees serving in the community increased fivefold and the number community members volunteering in the hospital almost quadrupled.

Cindy McCain

  • Founded and ran American Voluntary Medical Team from 1988 to 1995. During this time she led 55 medical missions to third world or war-torn countries. One of the missions was to Mother Theresa’s orphanage in Bangladesh, where the McCain family adopted a daughter .
  • Works with HALO, an organization dedicated to landmine removal and weapons destructions in war-torn country. She has traveled to several countries to see the impact of HALO, recently returning from Cambodia.
  • Board of Directors for Operation Smile, whose mission is to repair cleft lips, cleft palates, and facial deformities.
  • Currently on a leave of absence from the Board of Directors of CARE, USA, which looks to fight global poverty, particularly among women.

Sources: BarackObama.com, JohnMcCain.com, AmeriCares.org, whitehouse.gov, cnn.com, washingtonpost.com  

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