Shall we begin with the Democrats? There are two candidates for President left on the Dem’s side, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Both have tons of money and a strong base of supporters throughout the 50 states. They have both laid out exits to the war, modernizing the health care system, strong economic plans and both have really good looking spouses. Which in my book makes it really had to pick between the two of them, that is if you are of the liberal persuasion. Below I have provided a breakdown on each candidate on five topics; the economy, health care, the war, terrorism and education. Lets get started.

Hillary Clinton:

The plus of the Hill Dog as President in my mind is that she is seasoned. Eight years with her husband as President, eight years as a US Senator where she has served on various committees and solidified her political connections. She has been through hell and back so many times, I have lost count. She is organized, energized and well connected. Everything you want in a new President. Did I mention that her husband was also President. Two for one baby! Not a bad deal.

Economy: Her website provides some nice bullet points that outline how she thinks the economy can get back on track. This give you an overall picture of what she plans on doing in her first four years. Nothing groundbreaking. I always read this stuff and I am hopeful. But lets face it, a lot can change from now until January. Look at Bush’s first year in office.

• Lowering taxes for middle class families.
• Providing quality, affordable health care to every American.
• Making college accessible and affordable.
• Confronting the growing problems in the housing market.
• Bolstering retirement security by promoting savings and investment.
• Returning to fiscal responsibility and moving towards balanced budgets.
• Harnessing innovation to create the high-wage jobs of the 21st century.
• Creating a $50 billion Strategic Energy Fund to jumpstart research and development of alternative energies.
• Strengthening unions and ensuring our trade laws work for all Americans.

War: Hillary has said she will put together a viable plan to bring the troops home in the first 60 days of her Administration. If you read the whole outline I think it is a little more complicated than just pulling out the troops. Read on.

Terrorism: There is a great bit on her website titled: “Restoring America’s Standing in the World”. She talks about getting back to what America does best, not fighting, but building strong alliance and working diplomatically to end conflict and strife. Both candidates say pretty much the same thing in regard to less fighting and more talking. Read on.

Education: Her education policy is about what you would expect from a liberal democrat. Here are some of the key points. Read on.

• End the unfunded mandate known as No Child Left Behind.
• Invest $100 million in a new public/private summer internship program.
• Recruit and retain thousands more outstanding teachers and principals, especially in urban and rural areas.
• Double the after school program to ensure that 2 million young people have a safe and stimulating place to go between 3 and 6 p.m.
• Create a new $3,500 college tax credit.
• Increase to $10,000 the college scholarship for those who participate in AmeriCorps full-time for one year.
• Strengthen community colleges through a $500 million investment.

Healthcare: You might remember Hillary tried in 1992 to pass a comprehensive health care plan and was thwarted by both the Republicans and the health care industry. She has said that fight in 92 taught her important lessons on how to deal with the health care crises in this country. Here is a link to the summary of what she envisions. Plan

• Affordable: Unlike the current health system where insurance premiums send people into bankruptcy, the plan provides tax credits for working families to help them cover their costs. The tax credits will ensure that working families never have to pay more than a limited percentage of their income for health care.
• Available: No discrimination. The insurance companies can’t deny you coverage if you have a pre-existing condition.
• Reliable: It’s portable. If you change or lose your job, you keep your health care.

Barack Obama:

Obama is young, 47, and has spent the last four years in the US Senate. Before Washington he was in the house and state senate in Illinois. He is a Harvard educated lawyer and by the looks of his resume he has everything you would need to be President. He is a strong public speaker with great convictions this combined with his good looks helps convey his trustworthy every man persona. He gained national attention after his speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2004. I remember saying to myself, “this guy will run for president”. Still think he should have waited to 2012, but what do I know?

Economy: Tax Credits, Tax reduction, small business support, tax break for the elderly, easier tax forms and did I already mention support for small business? Barack’s economic plan is pretty standard fair. All the candidates are pretty much touting the same plan only with different colored bows. Read.

• Tax Fairness for the Middle Class
• Strengthen America’s Workforce
• Strengthen & Enforce International Trade Agreements
• Support Small Businesses
• Invest in American Innovation
• Address the Subprime Mortgage Issue
• Level the Playing Field for American Businesses
• Create a Climate that Promotes Business Innovation
• Help Low-Income Workers
• Provide Universal Health Care Access
• Energy Independence and Creating New Jobs

War: Obama has pledged to immediately begin to remove the troops from Iraq if he becomes President. He has never supported the war in Iraq and believes that the only way Iraq will stand for its self is if we leave. He has laid out a plan to make this happen along with how we will continue to support Iraq and the region in the future. Read

• Judgment You Can Trust
• Bring Our Troops Home
• Press Iraq’s leaders to reconcile
• Regional Diplomacy
• Humanitarian Initiative

Terrorism: Under foreign policy on Obama’s website we learn about his ideas on the war in Iraq, renewing diplomacy, locking up the nuclear weapons, dealing with Iran (which I personal think he is misguided on) the site outlines his policies on keeping America safe and in doing so stymieing terrorism here at home and abroad. Read

• Ending the War in Iraq
• Iran
• Renewing American Diplomacy
• Nuclear Weapons
• Building a 21st Century Military
• Bipartisanship and Openness
• On Israel

Education: Instead of axing “no child left behind“, he wants to reform the program, this a difference between the two candidates. He also wants to work with drop outs, increase funding for after school programs, tax credits for college students and more. Hillary and Obama are pretty close on how they would deal with education. It comes down to the numbers, yep money. Read

• Expand Early Head Start and Head Start: Obama will quadruple Early Head Start, increase Head Start funding and improve quality for both.
• Expand High-Quality Afterschool Opportunities: Obama will double funding for the main federal support for afterschool programs, the 21st Century Learning Centers program, to serve one million more children.
• Reward Teachers: Obama will promote new and innovative ways to increase teacher pay that are developed with teachers, not imposed on them. Districts will be able to design programs that reward accomplished educators who serve as a mentor to new teachers with a salary increase.

Healthcare: I love how both of plans have the word “portable”. What does that mean, portable? Maybe I can take the plan with me when I leave here. Obama’s plan feels more like the start of national healthcare and takes a lot of plays from Hillary’s health care bill of rights. Read

• Quality, Affordable and Portable Coverage for All
• Lower Costs by Modernizing The U.S. Health Care System
• Fight for New Initiatives

There you have it! A break down on five key issues that define, I think, the campaigns for both candidates. There is tons of information and I am pretty sure you could spend the rest of your life researching both candidates. I have used the candidates websites as my frame of reference. I am not looking to debate the who, why and where at this point. I just wanted you to see a couple of key issues and be able to link to the information quickly. I have provided a couple more links here at the bottom of this post if you want more to read.

Tomorrow we will take a look at the Republicans. What FUN!

Links: Hillary, Obama, Debates, the money, campaigning, a break down