Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Candidate Profile: John Edwards

Candidate profiles: How do they work? I promise that in this upcoming primary season, I would profile all the candidates for president so that everyone has the tools available to make their decisions (remember: no excuses this year). I’ll give you basic details about the candidate, their position on some key issues, and in areas where I think they’ve hit the nail on the head in recognizing a problem, I’ve awarded them “bonus points”. Although I marked my top two candidates, I’ve tried to remain neutral (although sometimes, even with candidates like Kucinich, it’s hard to not show a little bias). Please remember that anything I state is simply my opinion- I don’t pretend to be an expert, but I have watched every Democratic debate thus far and parts of Republican debates. I do follow Democrat candidates closely so I probably know more than the average person, but take my opinion with a grain of salt. My goal is to give you the information about the candidates.

The Candidate:

John Edwards

*This candidate is my second choice for the presidential nomination.

Experience: Former Senator from N.C.

Former V.P. Candidate

Legal career experience, clerked for a federal judge

The positions:

The economy:

Reducing poverty is one of Edwards’ key goals

*Bonus Points* The Edwards administration promises payment of tuition, books, and fees for any student who agrees to work part time during their first year at a public college.

*Bonus Points* Edwards wants a complete revamp of the student loan program

The environment:

Edwards supports reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and other initiatives to reduce global warming.

Controversial Issues:

Favors legal access to abortion

Opposes a military draft

Opposes gay marriage, also not supportive of amendments banning gay marriage

Supports the presentation of timetables to withdraw from Iraq

Supports programs that create paths for illegal immigrants to become citizens

Healthcare:

Supports subsidized healthcare purchases for low income Americans

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