Tag Archives: obama

Politics

Obama McCain Nader Comparison

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Which candidate best matches your views? Here are few ways to sift through the hype and partisan bickering to figure it out.

To start, download the non-partisan guide published by the League of Women Voters called the “2008 Presidential Election General Election Voter’s Guide”. They offer brief, non-partisan information in detail. For instance, did you know that the President of the United States earns a salary of $400,000 per year? According to Salary.com, that’s equivalent to most presidents of public universities and football coaches.

The nonpartisan site, glassbooth.org, is another good place to go for more in-depth comparisons of the candidates. You can take a closer look at each of the three presidential candidates, Barack Obama, John McCain and Ralph Nader. (If you’re looking more info on each candidate’s pick for VP, see the post “Biden Palin Comparison”.)

At glassbooth, you can compare the presidential candidates on these issues:

  • Abortion and Birth Control
  • Civil Liberties and Domestic Security
  • Crime and Punishment
  • Education
  • Environment and Energy
  • Gay Rights
  • Gun Control
  • Health Care
  • Immigration
  • Iraq and Foreign Policy
  • Medical Marijuana and Drug Policy
  • Social Security
  • Taxes and Budget
  • Trade and Economics

Let’s take a closer look at the three candidates on one issue, the environment and energy. Obama supports the idea that human pollution is a significant cause of global warming. McCain says the same. Nader strongly supports the idea that human pollution is a significant cause of global warming. Read more at glassbooth to see where they differ.

Or you can start with issues and work back to which candidate most closely matches your views by taking glassbooth’s quiz. There are twenty issues, and you rank each of them according to how much it means to you. The issues in the quiz are the same as those listed above.

Another informative, non-partisan site to compare the candidates is procon.org . In addition, users can compare the pros and cons of controversial issues such as gay rights, illegal immigration, and the death penalty.

Politics

Hawaiians and the Pennsylvania Primary

On April 22, the Democratic party in Pennsylvania will hold its much-discussed presidential primary. The media feast so far has focused on polls and standings: whose ahead, Obama or Clinton, and by how much. But what about Hawaiians and people from Hawaii living in Pennsylvania? How might they influence the primary?

Island Style

Obama went to high school in Hawaii, which counts among the core factors of being “from” Hawaii. If you weren’t born in Hawaii, but went to high school here, you can still call yourself local, especially if you love spam musubi. Not surprisingly, Obama garnered a high level of support during the Hawaii Democratic primary caucus on February 19 (see related story) and overwhelmingly won the state. So it’s not off the mark to think that Hawaiians in Pennsylvania would likely vote for him there, too.

Ripple or Tsunami?

Since Hawaiians in Pennsylvania seem likely to vote for Obama, what is the potential magnitude of their impact? According to the most recent US Census data, not very much. Only about 2,000 people from Hawaii moved to Pennsylvania during the years between 1995 and 2000. Most of them went to Philadelphia, where other liberals in the state are concentrated. So if anything, they could help Obama win the primary by increasing the turnout and impact of liberal voters in an already liberal area. Theirs would likely be a ripple effect, not a tsunami.

Figure It Out Soon

Whatever the voters in Pennsylvania decide, including transplants from Hawaii, the sooner the Democrats choose their candidate, the better. If for no other reason than to stop john McCain from trailing around unopposed with nothing to do but look presidential. Only the lamest party in history could lose a presidential election that was in the bag.