Where the Dem, GOP candidates stand

[Ron Burgundy]

AP - The stands of these presidential candidates on a selection of issues: New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, Democrats; former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Arizona Sen. John McCain, Republicans.

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ABORTION: Favor abortion rights?

Clinton: Yes.

Obama: Yes.

Huckabee: No. Favors constitutional amendment banning abortion rights.

McCain: No. Has voted for abortion restrictions permissible under Roe v. Wade, and now says he would seek to overturn that guarantee of abortion rights. Would not seek constitutional amendment to ban abortion.

CAMPAIGN FINANCE:

Clinton: Has raised more than $20 million for the general election, more than any other candidate, in anticipation of not using public money and its associated spending limits in the fall.

Obama: Campaign is hedging on his proposal last year to accept public financing and its spending limits for the general election if the Republican nominee does, too.

Huckabee: Has run primary campaign without public financing.

McCain: Co-author of McCain-Feingold campaign finance law pledges to run general campaign on public financing money and its spending limits if Democratic nominee agrees to do the same. But turned down federal matching funds for primaries so he could spend more than the limits. Is defying a Federal Election Commission letter that said he needs FEC approval before withdrawing from the primary public financing system.

CUBA:

Clinton: Consider responding positively to "some action that demonstrates they are willing to change" in Cuba. Not willing to meet new Cuban leader Raul Castro before Cuban policy changes.

Obama: Ease trade embargo if Havana "begins opening Cuba to meaningful democratic change." Ease restrictions on family-related travel and on money Cuban-Americans want to send to their families in Cuba. Open to meeting new Cuban leader Raul Castro without preconditions.

Huckabee: Keep trade and travel restrictions until free elections are called, all political prisoners are freed and civil liberties are legalized.

McCain: Ease restrictions on Cuba once U.S. is "confident that the transition to a free and open democracy is being made."

ECONOMIC STIMULUS:

A $168 billion package that became law in February will provide checks of up to $600 for most individuals and $1,200 for couples, plus $300 for each child.

Clinton: Proposed $110 billion stimulus, including $40 billion in tax rebates of $250 for low- and middle-income taxpayers.

Obama: Proposed $250 rebates to low and middle-income earners and $250 bonuses to Social Security recipients.

Huckabee: Supports Washington stimulus plan but questions "whose economy is going to be stimulated the most" if package is financed by foreign lenders and used to buy products made in China.

McCain: Proposed cutting corporate tax to 25 percent, let companies expense investments in equipment and technology in year of purchase instead of spread out.

DEATH PENALTY:

Clinton: As first lady, lobbied lawmakers to support her husband's expansion of the federal death penalty. As senator, co-sponsored law that requires and helps pay for DNA testing for people sentenced to death under federal law.

Obama: Supports death penalty for crimes for which the "community is justified in expressing the full measure of its outrage." As Illinois lawmaker, wrote bill mandating videotaping of interrogations and confessions in capital cases and sought other changes in system that had produced wrongful convictions.

Huckabee: Supported executions as governor. "I carried out the death penalty 16 times, more than any other governor in my state's history."

McCain: Has supported expansion of the federal death penalty and limits on appeals.

EDUCATION:

Clinton: $10 billion for universal preschool. More money for special education. Opposes performance-based merit pay for teachers, favors incentives for teachers who work in places and on subjects where shortages exist. Supported No Child Left Behind accountability law but says it has not been properly financed or run, and should be replaced. $10,000 higher education scholarships for all who engage in national service full-time for a year. Raise value of tuition tax credit to a maximum $3,500 from $1,650.

Obama: Encourage but not require universal pre-kindergarten programs, expand teacher mentoring programs and reward teachers with higher pay not tied to standardized test scores, in $18 billion plan to be paid for in part by delaying elements of moon and Mars missions. Change No Child Left Behind "so that we're not just teaching to a test and crowding out programs like art and music." Tax credit to pay up to $4,000 of college expenses for students who perform 100 hours of community service a year.

Huckabee: States are responsible for education and should be given more authority to run it, not Washington.

McCain: Favors parental choice of schools, including vouchers for private schools when approved by local officials, and right of parents to choose home schooling. More money for community college education.

GAY MARRIAGE: Prohibit it with constitutional amendment?

Clinton: No.

Obama: No.

Huckabee: Yes.

McCain: No.

GLOBAL WARMING:

Clinton: $150 billion, 10-year energy package, including $50 billion "strategic energy fund" to develop new sources of fuel, to be paid for by eliminating tax subsidies for oil companies. Tougher fuel efficiency standards financed in part by $20 billion in "green vehicle bonds." Backed stringent caps on greenhouse gas emissions.

Obama: Ten-year, $150 billion program to produce "climate friendly" energy supplies that he'd pay for with a carbon auction requiring businesses to bid competitively for the right to pollute. Joined McCain in sponsoring legislation that would set mandatory caps on greenhouse gas emissions. Supports tougher fuel efficiency standards.

Huckabee: Supports mandatory caps on greenhouse gas emissions and increase to 35 mpg fuel efficiency standard by 2020.

McCain: Led Senate effort to cap greenhouse gas emissions; favors tougher fuel efficiency.

GUN CONTROL:

Clinton: Voted for ban on assault-type weapons and to require background checks at gun shows. Favored leaving gun-makers and dealers open to civil suits. Also, in 2000 supported proposals for a federal requirement for state-issued photo gun licenses, as well as a national registry for handgun sales.

Obama: Voted to leave gun-makers and dealers open to suit. Also, as Illinois state lawmaker, supported ban on all forms of semiautomatic weapons and tighter state restrictions generally on firearms.

Huckabee: Supports state laws allowing people to carry concealed weapons and a national "right to carry" law that would require states to recognize concealed weapons permits issued by other states.

McCain: Voted against ban on assault-type weapons, but in favor of requiring background checks at gun shows. Voted to shield gun-makers and dealers from civil suits.

HEALTH INSURANCE:

Clinton: Mandatory universal coverage in first term. Tax credits for working families to make insurance more affordable — ensuring premiums do not exceed a percentage of income. Business would be required to offer insurance to employees or pay into a pool for people without it. Expand Medicare and federal employees' health insurance plan to cover those without adequate workplace insurance. Raise taxes on wealthier families to help pay estimated cost of $110 billion a year. Also, raise taxes on a portion of "very generous" plans covering people making more than $250,000.

Obama: Mandatory coverage for children, no mandate for adults. Aim for universal coverage by requiring employers to share costs of insuring workers and by offering coverage similar to that in plan for federal employees. Says package would cost up to $65 billion a year after unspecified savings from making system more efficient. Raise taxes on wealthier families to pay the cost.

Huckabee: Favors market solutions, state innovation. "We don't need universal health care mandated by federal edict or funding through ever-higher taxes." Spend more on prevention and research.

McCain: $2,500 refundable tax credit for individuals, $5,000 for families, to make health insurance more affordable. No mandate for universal coverage. In gaining the tax credit, workers could not deduct the portion of their workplace health insurance paid by their employers.

HOUSING:

Clinton: A 90-day freeze on home foreclosures arising from subprime lending, and a freeze on subprime lending rates, in $30 billion plan. Says bailouts for bad loans make sense to protect neighborhoods and tax base.

Obama: Tax credit covering 10 percent of annual mortgage interest payments for "struggling homeowners," scoring system for consumers to compare mortgages, a fund for mortgage fraud victims, new penalties for mortgage fraud, aid to state and local governments stung by housing crisis, in $20 billion plan geared to "responsible homeowners."

Huckabee: Opposes tougher controls on lending or a broad freeze on subprime rates.

McCain: Open to helping homeowners facing foreclosure if they are "legitimate borrowers" and not speculators.

IMMIGRATION: Support legal status for illegal immigrants?

Clinton: Voted for 2006 bill that proposed conditional path to citizenship, and backed border fence. Opposes letting illegal immigrants get drivers licenses.

Obama: Voted for 2006 bill that proposed conditional path to citizenship, and backed border fence. Supports letting illegal immigrants get drivers licenses.

Huckabee: Has favored allowing illegal immigrants who are in the country to apply for legal status if they pay penalties, get guest worker permits, register with authorities and aren't allowed to jump in line ahead of other applicants. As governor, opposed banning state services for illegal immigrants.

McCain: Sponsored 2006 bill that would have allowed illegal immigrants to stay in the U.S., work and apply to become legal residents after learning English, paying fines and back taxes and clearing a background check. Now says he would secure the border first. Supports border fence.

IRAQ:

Clinton: Voted for war, opposed troop increase, has not committed to a timetable for completing a withdrawal.

Obama: "Our combat troops out within 16 months." Opposed troop increase, spoke against war at start.

Huckabee: Now faults Bush for not sending enough troops to Iraq at the start. Supported the 2007 troop increase and would not withdraw forces any faster than recommended by commanders.

McCain: Opposes scheduling a troop withdrawal, saying latest strategy is succeeding. Supported decision to go to war, but was early critic of the manner in which administration prosecuted it. Key backer of the troop increase.

SOCIAL SECURITY:

Clinton: Noncommittal on raising the $97,500 income cap on Social Security. Proposes a federal match of up to $1,000 per person to help people set up 401(k) plans in program costing $25 billion a year, to be paid for by freezing the estate tax at 2009 levels.

Obama: Proposes raising cap with an unspecified "small adjustment" that would subject a portion of higher incomes to Social Security taxes.

Huckabee: Higher benefits for people who delay retirement past 70. Give retirees option of declining their benefits, and instead have Social Security issue a lump sum payment at their death, with the money going to their children or grandchildren.

McCain: Would consider "almost anything" as part of a compromise to save Social Security, yet rules out higher payroll taxes for now.

STEM CELL RESEARCH: Relax restrictions on federal financing of embryonic stem cell research?

Clinton: Yes.

Obama: Yes.

Huckabee: No.

McCain: Yes.

TAXES:

Clinton: Raise income taxes on wealthiest and keep estate tax on them. Higher tax breaks for college. Also, would tax a portion of health insurance benefits provided to workers making more than $250,000. $1 billion paid family leave program to be financed by eliminating some tax shelters.

Obama: Raise income taxes on wealthiest and their capital gains and dividends taxes. Raise corporate taxes. $80 billion in tax breaks mainly for poor workers and elderly, including tripling Earned Income Tax Credit for minimum-wage workers and higher credit for larger families. Eliminate tax-filing requirement for older workers making under $50,000. A mortgage-interest credit could be used by lower-income homeowners who do not take the mortgage interest deduction because they do not itemize their taxes.

Huckabee: Replace income and investment taxes with national sales tax, sheltering purchases up to poverty line.

McCain: "No new taxes" if elected. Twice opposed Bush's tax cuts, at first because he said they were tilted to the wealthiest, and again because of the unknown costs of Iraq war. Now says those tax cuts, expiring in 2010, should be permanent. Proposes cutting corporate tax rate to 25 percent. Promises to balance budget in first term, says that is unlikely in his first year.

TRADE:

Clinton: Seek to reopen North American Free Trade Agreement to strengthen enforcement of labor and environmental standards. "Time out" on negotiating similar trade agreements. Spoke in favor of NAFTA, enacted during her husband's presidency; now says it did not deliver expected benefits.

Obama: Seek to reopen NAFTA to strengthen enforcement of labor and environmental standards. In 2004 Senate campaign, called for "enforcing existing trade agreements," not amending them.

Huckabee: Blames China's currency manipulation and weak U.S. regulatory enforcement for imbalance in trade and imports of unsafe products, but has not said what he would do.

McCain: Free trade advocate.

source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080222/ap_on_el_pr/where_they_stand [link]