Barack Obama's Political Views

The Audacity of Hope. A once in a generation political talent. The first viable African-American candidate for president in the history of the United States.

A limousine liberal. An elitist, Harvard educated lawyer who is out of touch with mainstream America. An inexperienced politician who lucked into the right place at the right time.

Like his fellow presidential candidates, Senator Obama's personality, life history, and personal life has received almost as much coverage as his policy positions and his plans for the country. I'm almost certain that more people could tell you that his preacher has made some incendiary statements about America than could correctly identify the major points of his health care plan or his vision for withdrawing American troops for Iraq. This Hub is an attempt to provide an unbiased look at Barack Obama's stances on a number of key issues.

1. Abortion: Very strong supporter of women's rights. Received a 0% rating from the National Right to Life Council (a leading anti-abortion group), which means he is considered to be very supportive of a women's right to choose by conservative groups. Voted against banning partial birth abortion as a legislator in Illinois.
2. Gay Rights:Received an 89% rating from the Human Rights Council, indicating strong support for LBGT issues. Voted against the constitutional amendement to ban gay marriage. Says that he is opposed to gay marriage but supports civil unions and granting same-sex couples health benefits.
3. Iraq/Homeland Security:If elected will immediately try and close Guantanamo Bay, end the use of torture by American intelligence and military services, and begin to pull troops out of Iraq, with the goal of removing all American troops by 2013 if possible. Would encourage the greater use of diplomacy as a tool in foreign policy. Voted against the renewal of the Patriot Act, for a bill limiting troop deployments in Iraq to 12 months, for bills increasing benefits to veterans, and for bills strengthening security at America's ports and borders. Believes that "battling terrorism must go beyond belligerence vs. isolation." Was one of the first politicians to come out against the Iraq War, a big key for Obama this campaign season has been his unchanging opposition to the war (in contrast to Hilary Clinton, John Edwards, and all of the Republican candidates besides Ron Paul). Belives that "ideology has overriden facts and reality" in Washington.
4. Tax Issues: Wants to repeal some of the Bush tax cuts and spend the money on infrastructure improvement and health care. Has consistently voted against abolishing or raising the limits on the so-called "death tax" (which currently only applies to individuals passing on more than two million dollars worth of property to their children). Obama has received a 100% rating from Citizens for Tax Justice, a group devoted to "progressive taxes."
5. Health Care: Wants to create a national health care system that allows uninsured individuals to buy into the congressional health care program if they want too. Would not require Americans to buy into the system (as Hilary's program does), though some argue that this will end up making his program more expensive in the long run. Claims that his program will cut the cost of most family's premiums by $2500 a year. Will pay for these programs by using money saved by repealing the Bush Tax cuts on wealthy Americans making over $150,000 a year and raising taxes on capital gains.
6. Immigration: Would create a guest worker program and encourage a path to citizenship for potential immigrants while strengthening border security and cracking down on employers who exploit illegal immigrant labor. Voted yes on the comprehensive immigration reform bill supported by President Bush but killed by Congress. Rated 8% by the United States Border Control lobbying group, indicating a strong desire for immigration reform and relatively open borders.
7. Gun Control: Supports stricter gun control, a ban on semi-automatic weapons, and stricter accountablity for gun show dealers.
8. Free Trade: Wants to keep NAFTA and other free trade agreements intact, but revise by raising environmental and labor standards to protect American jobs and workers. Somewhat vague on the details of what specifically these revisions would call for.

All positions cited come from www.ontheissues.org