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Which Democratic Presidential Candidate Are You Most Similar to?

By Paula Vasan
Maryland Newsline
Friday, Feb. 29, 2008

Maryland’s primary elections are over, but three Democratic candidates are still competing for delegate votes at the Democratic National Convention this summer-- Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and former Sen. Mike Gravel of Alaska. Discover how your positions compare with theirs by clicking on the responses you most agree with to the questions below. The "Get Score" button at the end of the quiz will show you how closely your positions align with each candidate. The responses for Clinton were obtained from transcripts of debates and the candidate’s campaign Web site. Positions from Obama and Gravel were obtained from their campaign press secretaries.


    1. How should the federal government tackle the future of our nation's health care? 

I support universal health care with voluntary enrollment for insurance coverage required only for children. Young adults up to age 25 should continue coverage through their parents' plans. People cannot be required to buy insurance if they can't afford it. Anyone who wants health care should get it.      I believe in universal health care with mandatory insurance enrollment for all U.S. residents and small businesses, made more affordable through tax credits and federal subsidies. The government must force individuals to purchase health care because universal enrollment is the only way to bring down insurance costs.   I support a single-payer universal health care plan, which would give people vouchers that could be used to pay doctors and hospitals, and a choice of five or six health plans. Equal medical services should be financed with proceeds from a retail sales tax, which would replace the income tax and IRS. Those who want more coverage would pay for additional coverage.  

    2. What is your opinion about U.S. involvement in Iraq?

I have always opposed the U.S. invasion of Iraq. I support withdrawing troops from Iraq immediately with one to two combat brigades removed each month and all combat brigades out of Iraq within 16 months. No permanent bases should be built in Iraq but some troops should be kept in Iraq to protect the U.S. embassy and diplomats. If al Qaeda attempts to build a base within Iraq, troops should remain in Iraq or elsewhere in the region to carry out targeted strikes on al Qaeda.

I support leaving some personnel to fight Al Qaeda in Iraq for an unspecified period.

 

 I initially supported the U.S. invasion of Iraq. I support a phased program of troop withdrawal without a precise timetable. Some personnel should be left to fight Al Qaeda in Iraq for an unspecified period. I believe nonbinding congressional resolutions are ineffective and Congress should instead demand an end to the war. Aggressive and skilled diplomacy is needed to end sectarian violence. I believe in immediate troop withdrawal, with all troops out of Iraq within four months. I have presented legislation to the Congress that, if passed, would make it a felony to remain thereafter. Instead of privatizing Iraqi oil resources, we must keep U.S. corporate interests out of Iraq so that Iraqis can be empowered to stabilize their own country.

 

    3. What is your stance on illegal immigrants obtaining driver's licenses?  

 I support allowing illegal immigrants to obtain driver's licenses and auto insurance so that if they get into car accidents, they won't "hit and run." This would protect the public safety of other drivers on the road. I believe in an immigration bill that provides for tougher border security, a workable process for allowing guest workers to come into the country and a pathway to citizenship for the 12 million undocumented persons in the United States.
 		 I oppose undocumented workers obtaining driver's licenses. Illegal immigrants should begin a pathway to citizenship before being allowed licenses. I believe in a naturalization process and monitoring our borders, but not demagoguing the issue of immigration, as it is currently treated. The idea of a border fence is absurd and would not solve anything without real reform. We need to address the root causes of immigration, rather than scapegoating groups in our society.  Renegotiating unfair trade policies like NAFTA, and helping the economies of Mexico and other Central American nations, will help stabilize both sides of the borders. 

    4. What is your opinion about tax credits to encourage Americans to save for retirement?

I support a simple program that is less likely to confuse people. I support requiring companies to automatically deduct money from their employees' paychecks, transfer it to an employee-owned savings account, and give employees the ability to opt out of the program. I support the creation of a new "Making Work Pay" tax credit of up to $500 per person, or $1,000 per working family and the expansion of the existing Savers Credit to match 50 percent of the first $1,000 of savings for families that earn less than $75,000.   I support narrowly targeted as opposed to across-the-board retirement tax credits that would help middle-class and working families save. The plan would match the first $1,000 saved by couples making up to $60,000. For those making between $60,000 and $100,000, the match would be 50 cents on the dollar on the first $1,000 of savings. This matching tax credit would be available to all Americans in existing 401 (k) type accounts as well as the new American Retirement accounts.
 		  Our entire system of taxation needs to be changed. The United States has the world's highest personal debt on a per capita basis. To fix this, we need to shift from a nation of spenders to a nation of savers. This can be accomplished by replacing the income tax and IRS with The Fair Tax, a retail sales tax. With this change in taxation, Americans will save without needing any artificial stimulus. 
 

    5. What is your opinion on gun ownership?     

I believe in individuals’ rights to bear arms. However, in the wake of senseless acts of violence across the country – from Virginia Tech to Northern Illinois University – I believe we must do whatever it takes to eradicate gun violence from our streets, neighborhoods, cities, and schools.

I support regulation such as closing the gun show loophole, requiring mandatory background checks on purchasers at gun shows, and reinstating the assault weapons ban. I support tighter background checks for gun buyers, ensuring the mentally ill are not able to purchase a gun. I support reinstating the assault weapons ban, making gunlocks mandatory and ensuring parents are criminally responsible for children who injure someone with a gun found in the home.

 People have the right to bear arms, as stated in the Second Amendment, but we need to crack down on illegal gun dealers. Law-abiding citizens should be able to own guns, but we need an effective registry that prevents guns from being in the hands of felons and people who have been committed to mental institutions.   I support the Second Amendment, but I believe potential gun owners should be licensed and properly trained before owning a gun. I have no problem with gun ownership, but much of the gun violence in our society is more a product of a culture based on war, militarism [and] fear than it is ownership itself. This needs to change, above all else. 

    6. How should our nation recover from the U.S. subprime housing crisis and a destabilized economy?

     
I support an emergency fund to aid homeowners and tougher restrictions on predatory lending.   I support an emergency fund to help financially suffering homeowners and a freeze on adjustable rate mortgages for those facing foreclosure. 

The long-term solution to the subprime mortgage fiasco is to reenact the Glass-Steagal Act, which was repealed by the Clinton administration in 1999. This permitted Wall Street to get into all of these machinations and is what is damaging the economy today. Unfortunately, quick fixes, like the $168 billion that will be handed out to the people, are not going to do any good. They will only compound the problem and add to the consumer-spending problem we have as a nation. If anything, the cash infusion will only go to benefit the Chinese economy.




Your match with Sen. Barack Obama is:
Your match with Sen. Hillary Clinton is:
Your match with former Sen. Mike Gravel:

Copyright © 2008 University of Maryland Philip Merrill College of Journalism

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