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| 2024 Election: | Joe Biden's book | Kamala Harris' book | Donald Trump's book | JD Vance's book | 2024 Senate Debates |
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| Book Reviews | |||||||||||||||
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(from Amazon.com) | |||||||||||||||
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(click a book cover for a review or other books by or about the presidency from Amazon.com) |
from The Boston Globe (number of quotes indicated): |
| OnTheIssues.org excerpts: (click on issues for details) |
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Abortion Al Gore: Abortion question is for women, not government or president. Al Gore: Position on federal funding of abortion has �evolved�. Al Gore: Wrote in 1984 that �abortion is arguably taking a life.�. Al Gore: Bush�s �strict constuctionism� is like slavery�s 3/5ths rule. Alan Keyes: Not OK to kill child of 6; not OK to kill child in the womb. Deval Patrick: Decisions on abortion should be made by women. George W. Bush: States should decide abortion issue; not Roe v. Wade. George W. Bush: GOP should keep plank to ban all abortions. Howard Dean: Favors abortion rights. John McCain: Supports fetal tissue research; against over-intensity. John McCain: Feds involved because fed money is used for abortions. John McCain: Overturn Roe v. Wade, but keep incest & rape exceptions. John McCain: Prosecute abortion doctors, not women who get them. Kerry Healey: Favors embryonic stem cell research. Steve Forbes: Personally opposed; but limit legal restrictions. Steve Forbes: Would require his minor daughter to carry child to term. |
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Budget & Economy Bill Bradley: Don�t raise taxes during economic downturns. Donald Trump: Predicts 35% boost to economy from eliminating national debt. Howard Dean: Fiscally to the right of "borrow-and-spend" Bush. Kerry Healey: Work cooperatively with legislature on economic stimulus. Martha Coakley: Economic system spiraling out of control; go after Wall St. Mitt Romney: Will cut deficit and help Americans save. Shannon O'Brien: Accused of mismanagement of Abandoned Property account. Stephen Pagliuca: Managing director at Bain Capital; trained as accountant. |
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Civil Rights Al Gore: End racial profiling. Al Gore: Affirmative action still needed - continue the fight. Alan Keyes: Our rights come from God, not from the Constitution. Alan Keyes: HIV workshop violates parents who think gay is immoral. Bill Bradley: Race relations solution: Talk & be vulnerable. Bill Bradley: Opposed to same-sex marriages, but won�t ban them. Harriet Miers: Pledged to be �inclusive of women and minorities'. Deval Patrick: Supports equal marriage rights for gays. Deval Patrick: Former civil rights prosecutor under President Clinton. Dick Cheney: Voted that US civil rights laws not apply to South Africa. Dick Cheney: Stopped military academies from banning gays. Harriet Miers: Poor, elderly, and disabled are under-represented. Howard Dean: Supported civil unions for same-sex couples. John McCain: Career-long history of supporting Indian causes. Joseph Lieberman: Supports affirmative action now; but phase it out by 2010. Joseph Lieberman: Affirmative action is "patently unfair", in 1995. Kerry Healey: Ban gay marriage, but not in GOP party platform. Mitt Romney: Sexual orientation should not preclude being a Scout. Mitt Romney: Put gay marriage ban into GOP party platform. Rev. Jesse Jackson: Black disenfranchisement part of Civil Rights movement. Tom Reilly: Opposed gay marriage but now supports it. |
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Corporations Ralph Nader: Shift power from corporations to consumers. |
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Crime Howard Dean: Supports death penalty for terrorism. Mitt Romney: Safe streets will be a campaign theme. Mitt Romney: Will bring new businesses to urban areas. |
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Drugs Al Gore: Decrease disparities in punishing crack vs. powder cocaine. Al Gore: Loosen restrictions on medical marijuana. Al Gore: Tougher drug policies; fight drugs in Colombia. Bill Bradley: Candidate drug use matters; admits pot but no cocaine. Bill Bradley: More funds for drug treatment; tackle demand, not supply. George W. Bush: Identifies with former addicts based on former alcoholism. George W. Bush: Supports military package to Colombia to fight drug supply. George W. Bush: Stronger penalties for first time cocaine possession. John McCain: Administration is AWOL on the war on drugs. Ralph Nader: Treat hemp like poppy seeds, not like heroin. |
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Education Al Gore: $5B/year for universal preschool for 3- & 4-year-olds. Al Gore: $176B over 10 years for pre-school, special ed, & more. Al Gore: No experimental vouchers. Al Gore: Lieberman experiments with vouchers; Bush destroys with them. Al Gore: Spend resources rebuilding public schools. Bill Bradley: $400M per year for community colleges for tech & jobs. Bill Bradley: $200 per month stipends to elderly mentors. Chris Gabrieli: More charter schools and individual merit pay. Chris Gabrieli: Supports charter schools and calls them successful. Christy Mihos: Supports charters, but keep the cap for now. Deval Patrick: Cap charter schools until funding formulas improved. Deval Patrick: Supports unionized Horace Mann charter over regular charters. Deval Patrick: Supports MCAS but would add a science test and other tests. George W. Bush: Focus on responsibility and parents, not on federal spending. George W. Bush: $25B over 10 years for reading, Pell Grants, & charters. George W. Bush: TX test score improvements not reflected on national tests. Howard Dean: Supported Act 60's controversial statewide education fund. Kerry Healey: No in-state tuition break for illegal immigrants. Kerry Healey: Raise mandatory age to 18 with incentives to stay in school. Kerry Healey: Higher percent of spending in classrooms & teachers. Kerry Healey: Strong backer of more charter schools. Ralph Nader: Abandon standardized testing; focus on teaching civic skills. Tom Reilly: Supports charter schools and MCAS testing. Tom Reilly: More charter schools and individual merit pay. Tom Reilly: Supports charter schools in districts with low test scores. |
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Energy & Oil Al Gore: For Kyoto; for national parks; against drilling ANWR. Al Gore: Press gives credit to discredited ideas in name of fairness. Dick Cheney: Sued in Supreme Court for keeping energy policy secret. George W. Bush: Against Kyoto & national monuments; for drilling ANWR. |
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Environment Al Gore: Texas is the smoggiest state with the smoggiest city in US. Al Gore: Continue & do more cleanup of Great Lakes. Al Gore: No logging in roadless forests; protect 40M acres. Bill Bradley: 2-year effort in 1990 changed CA water allocations. George W. Bush: Weaken Clean Air; no comment on Clean Water. Joseph Lieberman: Texas is last in social programs; but first in pollution. Mitt Romney: Clean environment will be a campaign theme. Pat Buchanan: Celebrating Earth Day is like worshiping dirt. |
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Families & Children Al Gore: Parental Responsibility Accounts: dads pay kids, not welfare. Bill Bradley: $2B per year for �Smart Start� preschool program. Bill Bradley: Expand Family Leave laws. Kerry Healey: Teach abstinence as part of comprehensive sex ed. |
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Foreign Policy Alan Keyes: Panama Canal: Keep US in; keep China Out. Dick Cheney: Voted to support foreign aid programs. Gary Bauer: Abolish the IMF. George W. Bush: Focus on Big Three: Russia, China, & India. George W. Bush: Puerto Rico: Back statehood if majority votes for it. John McCain: IMF's Russia policies bad, but agency is OK. Pat Buchanan: Push US foreign policy toward isolationism. Steve Forbes: IMF made Asian crisis worse. Steve Forbes: IMF & USAID create economic crises by hiding risk. Steve Grossman: Former chair of pro-Israel lobby continues strong support. |
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Free Trade Al Gore: Make trade work for working families. Bill Bradley: More truck inspectors at Mexican border, within NAFTA. Pat Buchanan: More import tariffs: 10% on Japan; 20% on China. Pat Buchanan: Globalists are wrong; dumping destroys towns. Pat Buchanan: Supporting WTO is a march into captivity. Ralph Nader: Renegotiate NAFTA & WTO "as if human beings mattered". Steve Forbes: Hopes for WTO as worldwide arbiter & lowering barriers. |
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Government Reform Al Gore: Puerto Rico: Back statehood if majority votes for it. Al Gore: Pledges to add not one new federal position. Alan Keyes: Wife Jocelyn�s issues: anti-poverty & anti-abortion. Dick Cheney: Accused in 1992 House banking scandal. Gary Bauer: Wife Carol would promote traditional women's roles. George W. Bush: Wife Laura's issues would be education & literacy. Harriet Miers: Calls for more volunteer legal aid work. Hillary Clinton: Whitewater investigation ends; Hillary questions $52M spent. Howard Dean: First Democrat to opt out of campaign finance system. Jim Ogonowski: Kerry is an out-of-touch insider; Washington is broken. John McCain: Wife Cindy sees First Lady's role as hostess. Steve Forbes: Wife Sabina's agenda would be children. |
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Gun Control Alan Keyes: Teach high school students to use guns. Bill Bradley: Stand up to the NRA. Howard Dean: No more federal gun laws; leave them to states. Rudy Giuliani: All gun owners should pass written test. |
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Health Care Al Gore: Incrementally fix lack of health care access. Al Gore: Aims to insure 15 million uninsured. Al Gore: No neat & simple approach - must go step-by-step. Al Gore: $110B for Medicare prescriptions & teaching hospitals. Al Gore: Cap senior prescription costs at $4,000 per year. Al Gore: $253B for Medicare prescriptions & subsidized premiums. Bill Bradley: $650B over 10 yrs for children�s mandatory health insurance. Bill Bradley: Refuses to rule out tax hike for health plan. Bill Bradley: �Outrageous scare tactics� on Medicare�s HIV treatment. Chris Gabrieli: Raise employer uninsured healthcare assessment above $295. Deval Patrick: Supports employer uninsured healthcare assessment, plus more. George W. Bush: Cap senior prescription costs at $6,000 per year. George W. Bush: $158B for Medicare prescriptions & subsidized premiums. Howard Dean: Patient Bill of Rights is hot air: get people insured. Howard Dean: Full access first, then tackle reform afterwards. Steve Grossman: Advocates bulk purchasing of medication to reduce prices. Steve Grossman: Commit to public school teaching in exchange for scholarship. Tom Reilly: Opposes $295/yr employer fee for uninsured employees. |
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Homeland Security Al Gore: Test Ban Treaty is the tide of history; ratify it. Al Gore: 20-year history of supporting comprehensive arms control. Bill Bradley: Let gays serve openly in military. Jim Ogonowski: His brother, an airline pilot, killed on Sept. 11, 2001. John McCain: Rogue State Rollback: actively support resistance fighters. John McCain: Terminate C-130, B-2, and Seawolf; use funds to modernize. John McCain: Politicians keep unneeded bases open for political purposes. Ralph Nader: Deter wars by being attuned abroad. |
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Immigration Jim Ogonowski: Vows to fight illegal immigration. Kerry Healey: A nation of immigrants, but also a nation of laws. Niki Tsongas: Supports undocumented immigrants earning citizenship. Pat Buchanan: Most pressing foreign policy crisis: illegal immigration. |
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Jobs Al Gore: Add $1 to minimum wage; add earned-income credits. Al Gore: Save the family farm. Ralph Nader: Repeal Taft-Hartley; strengthen unions. Robert Reich: Prodded Clinton on minimum wage & corporate welfare. Stephen Pagliuca: 10% unemployment is totally unacceptable. |
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Principles & Values Alan Khazei: Would take a "big citizenship" approach to Washington. Bill Bradley: Stick to ideals & stay above the fray of a �broken� system. Bill Bradley: Factory town upbringing permeates campaign imagery. Bill Bradley: Theme of campaign is racial unity. Bill Bradley: Don�t settle for anything but big solutions. Bill Bradley: No nickel-and-diming, no nibbling around the edges. Bob Smith: Most reliable Republican in Senate, despite resigning GOP. Bob Smith: Smith quit because GOP was hostile to his activist causes. Christy Mihos: �Game on�, but maybe as Republican or maybe independent. Deval Patrick: Galvin withdraws; it�s head-to-head against Tom Reilly. Deval Patrick: Galvin withdraws; it�s head-to-head against Tom Reilly. Deval Patrick: Patrick wins first test at caucuses, by 2-1 margin. Dick Cheney: One of the most conservative voting records in Congress. George Bush Sr.: It's an emotional roller-coaster; Gore's a sore loser. George W. Bush: Favorites: PB&J, tacos, Winston Churchill, kissing Laura. Howard Dean: Distrusts political extremism & ideologues. Howard Dean: Turned to medicine and politics after family tragedy. Jane Swift: First sitting governor to give birth. John Kerry: Last nominee to get 2nd chance was Adlai Stevenson in 1956. Kerry Healey: Focus on giving voters a meaningful choice. Martha Coakley: Considers herself a liberal, but look at the record. Michael Capuano: Proud to say I'm a liberal. Pat Buchanan: Yes, a "Christian nation," not "Judeo-Christian" principles. Ralph Nader: Experience to run government comes from suing most agencies. Robert Reich: Calling Democrats "dead" meant to stimulate debate. Robert Reich: Pro-economic growth progressive. Shannon O'Brien: Spouse resigns as lobbyist, to avoid conflict of interest. Steve Forbes: Withdraws, saying "money well spent". Steve Grossman: All deserve equal opportunity to benefit from hard work. Tom Reilly: Conte case: Reilly wanted to spare family, not cover up. Tom Reilly: Conte case: Reilly wanted to spare family, not cover up. Tom Reilly: Galvin withdraws; it's head-to-head against Deval Patrick. Tom Reilly: Galvin withdraws; it's head-to-head against Deval Patrick. Tom Reilly: Built $4M warchest from those doing business with AG office. Tom Reilly: Built $4M warchest from those doing business with AG office. Tom Reilly: Running mate withdraws due to troubled personal finances. Tom Reilly: Appeals to centrist voters and blue-collar workers. |
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Social Security Al Gore: No privatization; no increase in retirement age. Gary Bauer: Cut Soc.Sec. taxes AND benefits by 20%. Ralph Nader: Social Security is solid; pending bankruptcy is nonsense. Shannon O'Brien: Swift's pension plan would cost an extra $8 billion. |
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Tax Reform Bill Bradley: Honesty compels avoiding �no new taxes� pledge. Bill Bradley: Allied with Reagan to pass 1986 tax overhaul. Christy Mihos: Set aside 40% of state revenue for local aid. Deval Patrick: Restore local aid so towns can cut property taxes. Deval Patrick: Supports local meals tax and local-option taxes. Donald Trump: One-time 14.25% tax on wealth, to erase national debt. Donald Trump: Tax assets over $10 million, paid over 10 years. Gary Bauer: 20% cut in Soc.Sec. tax; raise business tax to compensate. Gary Bauer: Taxes today are higher than in WWII, Middle Ages, or Bible. Gary Bauer: Deduct charity & mortgage; cut capital gains & estate taxes. George W. Bush: Keep charitable deduction as incentive for giving. Howard Dean: Bush tax cuts were hooey; don't trust GOP with our money. Jim Ogonowski: Make Bush tax cuts permanent. John McCain: Remove charitable deduction; it only benefits rich. John McCain: Big money interests fear closing loopholes. Kerry Healey: More local aid, to keep property taxes low. Kerry Healey: Opposes local meals tax and local-option taxes. Ralph Nader: Put meat in the process of progressive taxation. Steve Grossman: Supports income tax rollback. Steve Grossman: Fund health care with greater cigarette tax. Tom Reilly: Lift lottery fund cap to increase local aid. |
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Technology Christy Mihos: Sell naming rights to Big Dig bridge. |
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War & Peace Bill Bradley: Should have foreseen & prevented Yugoslav actions. George W. Bush: No deadline for removing troops from Kosovo. John Kerry: Kerry's C.O. says Kerry deserved his Silver Star? John Kerry: Man Kerry rescued says Kerry deserved his Bronze Star. John Kerry: Regrets nothing more that his 2002 vote for Iraq War. Niki Tsongas: War costs $15 million an hour; time to change course. Pat Buchanan: Endorses Arafat as Palestine Pres., despite "repulsiveness". Pat Buchanan: Kuwait: Predicted a "Korea-style bloodbath". Ralph Nader: Wage peace and anticipate conflicts abroad. |
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Welfare & Poverty Bill Bradley: Fundamental changes in welfare law needed. Bill Bradley: Economy, not laws, changed welfare stats. Bill Bradley: Opposed 1996 Welfare Reform; now �wait & see� how it�s used. Dick Cheney: Voted against WIC welfare nutrition programs. Dick Cheney: Bush�s call for charity not heeded by Cheney�s 2% donations. George W. Bush: Remove tax "tollbooths" for poor single moms. George W. Bush: "No-strings" vouchers for religious groups to do charity. Kerry Healey: Faith-based organizations ok for providing social services. Pat Buchanan: Corporations are "amoral behemoths". Ralph Nader: Domestic Marshall Plan to abolish poverty. |
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