Design by Nate Barton, Photos courtesy of the Clinton, Trump, Johnson, Stein campaign websites
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
Presidential nominee: Hillary Clinton
Clinton served in the U.S. Senate from 2001 to 2009, a position from which she left to accept the position of Secretary of State in the Cabinet of President Barack Obama. A Yale Law School graduate, Clinton has been heavily involved in the political world, from becoming a member of the House Judiciary Committee, First Lady of Arkansas, First Lady of the United States, Democrat in the United States Senate, Democratic presidential candidate, Secretary of State, and now the Democratic presidential candidate for the 2016 election, according to the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
Education: Bachelors degree with departmental honors in Political Science from Wellesley College (1969) and a Juris Doctor degree from Yale Law School (1973).
On the issues: http://2016election.procon.org/view.source-summary-chart.php
For:
- The death penalty used by the federal system (in regard to dealing with terrorism)
- Pro-abortion
- Some tuition-free public colleges/universities
- Fracking
- Enacting more gun control laws
- President Barack Obama’s health care law
- Physician-assisted suicide (euthanasia)
- Federal funding for Planned Parenthood
- Allowing undocumented immigrants to become legal U.S. residents
- Allowing Syrian refugees into the U.S.
- An increase in the federal minimum wage
- The medical use of marijuana
- The Black Lives Matter movement
- Affirmative action
- Allowing transgender people to use the bathroom of their choice
Against:
- States conducting the death penalty
- Criminalizing drug use
- Sending U.S. ground troops to fight ISIS
- Using interrogation techniques that some consider torture (i.e. waterboarding, etc)
Truth-O-Meter rating: (http://www.politifact.com/personalities/hillary-clinton/)
Percentage of things she’s said that are TRUE = 24%
Percentage of things she’s said that are MOSTLY TRUE = 27%
Percentage of things she’s said that are HALF TRUE = 22%
Percentage of things she’s said that are MOSTLY FALSE = 14%
Percentage of things she’s said that are FALSE = 10%
Percentage of things she’s said that are PANTS ON FIRE (aka: VERY FALSE) = 3%
Campaign website: www.hillaryclinton.com
VP nominee: Tim Kaine
Kaine is a U.S. senator from Virginia, and was elected to the Senate in 2012. Kaine was also the governor of Virginia from 2006 to 2010, and has been very vocal regarding immigration raids, gun violence and women’s health. He is defined by Clinton as “… a progressive who likes to get things done,” and crafted the Teach Safe Relationships Act, which encourages schools to teach their students about safe relationship behavior, in an effort to prevent sexual assault. His major focus is fighting for social justice. Kaine played a role in both the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Education: Bachelors degree in Economics from the University of Missouri (1979) and a Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School (1983).
On the issues: www.kaine.senate.gov/issues
For:
- Dramatically reducing the cost of college
- Creating more rigorous K-12 curriculums
- Using public policy to preserve the environment
- Medicare and Medicaid
- President Barack Obama’s health care law
- Creating a path for immigration
- Enhancing border security
- Marriage equality
- Equal pay for men and women
- 2nd Amendment right of responsible gun owners
- Expanding mental health services, background record checks prior to gun purchases, and limiting certain weapons and high-capacity magazines
Against:
- Emphasis on standardized testing
- Allowing individuals to bring concealed weapons into restaurants that serve alcohol, according to Hillary Clinton’s campaign website.
- The Catholic church’s forbidding of ordaining women as priests, according to Emma Green’s article titled, “Why Only Cafeteria Catholics Can Survive in American Politics,” published by The Atlantic.
- Increasing penalties for individuals who illegally re-enter the United States after being removed and for other purposes
Truth-O-Meter rating: (http://www.politifact.com/personalities/tim-kaine/)
Percentage of things he’s said that are TRUE = 18%
Percentage of things he’s said that are MOSTLY TRUE = 29%
Percentage of things he’s said that are HALF TRUE = 31%
Percentage of things he’s said that are MOSTLY FALSE = 16%
Percentage of things he’s said that are FALSE = 6%
Percentage of things he’s said that are PANTS ON FIRE (aka: VERY FALSE) = 0%
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REPUBLICAN PARTY:
Presidential nominee: Donald Trump
Trump’s previous jobs include being a real estate developer, entrepreneur, author and host of the NBC reality show “The Apprentice.” Some companies Trump has launched include: Trump Mortgage, Trump Steaks, Trump Vodka, Trump: The Game, Trump Magazine, Trump University and the various Trump Hotels, according to an article titled, “11 Donald Trump Businesses And Where They Are Today,” published on Business Insider.
Education: Spent two years at Fordham University and then transferred to the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania and graduated with a degree in Economics (1968).
On the issues: http://www.ontheissues.org/Donald_Trump.htm
For:
- The death penalty
- Fracking
- Anti -abortion
- Building a wall on the U.S./Mexico border
- An increase in the federal minimum wage
- The medical use of marijuana
- Sending U.S. ground troops to fight ISIS
- Increasing the U.S. military budget
- Using interrogation techniques that some consider torture (i.e. waterboarding, etc.)
- Affirmative action
Against:
- Some tuition-free public colleges/universities
- Common core standards for education
- Enacting more gun control laws
- President Barack Obama’s health care law
- Federal funding for Planned Parenthood
- Allowing undocumented immigrants to become legal U.S. residents
- Allowing Syrian refugees into the U.S.
- Requiring children to be vaccinated for preventable diseases
Truth-O-Meter rating: (http://www.politifact.com/personalities/donald-trump/)
Percentage of things he’s said that are TRUE = 4%
Percentage of things he’s said that are MOSTLY TRUE = 11%
Percentage of things he’s said that are HALF TRUE = 14%
Percentage of things he’s said that are MOSTLY FALSE = 20%
Percentage of things he’s said that are FALSE = 34%
Percentage of things he’s said that are PANTS ON FIRE (aka: VERY FALSE) = 18%
Campaign website: https://www.donaldjtrump.com
VP nominee: Mike Pence
Pence is the governor of Indiana, and previously served for 12 years as a congressman from Indiana. Pence is considered socially conservative, holds strong opinions in areas such as foreign policy and immigration, and is rated A by the NRA, according an article, titled “What You Need To Know About Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, Donald Trump’s Reported Running Mate,” published on July 15, 2016 by New York Daily News.
Education: Bachelors degree in History from Hanover College (1981) and Juris Doctor degree from Indiana University McKinney School of Law (1986).
On the Issues: http://www.ontheissues.org/IN/Mike_Pence.htm
For:
- Cutting taxes for corporations and individuals
- Free trade agreements
- The war in Iraq
- Interrogation techniques that some consider torture (i.e. waterboarding, etc.)
- Building a wall on the U.S./Mexico border
- Anti-abortion
Against:
- The concept of climate change
- Federal stimulus packages
- Birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants
- Excessive military spending
- Federal funding of Planned Parenthood
- Women in the military
Truth-O-Meter rating: http://www.politifact.com/personalities/mike-pence/
Percentage of things he’s said that are TRUE =11%
Percentage of things he’s said that are MOSTLY TRUE = 1%
Percentage of things he’s said that are HALF TRUE = 30%
Percentage of things he’s said that are MOSTLY FALSE = 22%
Percentage of things he’s said that are FALSE = 27%
Percentage of things he’s said that are PANTS ON FIRE (aka: VERY FALSE) = 0%
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LIBERTARIAN PARTY:
Presidential nominee: Gary Johnson
This is Johnson’s second time as the Libertarian presidential nominee, and he was the previous Republican governor of New Mexico.
Education: Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from the University of New Mexico (1975).
On the Issues: http://www.ontheissues.org/Gary_Johnson.htm
For:
- Fracking
- Pro-abortion
- Required vaccinations for children
- Physician-assisted suicide (euthanasia)
- Federal funding for Planned Parenthood
- Allowing undocumented immigrants to become legal U.S. residents
- Allowing Syrian refugees into the U.S.
- The lowering of the legal drinking age
- The legalization of recreational marijuana
- The medical use of marijuana
- The Black Lives Matter movement
- Allowing transgender people to use the bathroom of their choice
Against:
- The death penalty
- Criminalizing drug use
- Some tuition-free public colleges/universities
- Common core standards for education
- An increase in the federal minimum wage
- Enacting more gun control laws
- President Barack Obama’s health care law
- Building a wall on the U.S./Mexico border
- Sending U.S. ground troops to fight ISIS
- Increasing the U.S. military budget
- Using interrogation techniques that some consider torture (i.e. waterboarding, etc.)
- Affirmative action
- Requiring children to be vaccinated for preventable diseases
Campaign Website: https://www.johnsonweld.com
VP nominee: Bill Weld
Weld is the former Republican governor of Massachusetts, has had a wide array of involvement in politics. In the early 1970s, Weld served as Counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives Impeachment Inquiry staff, during which he worked to impeach his own party’s president, Richard Nixon, after the Watergate scandal, according to an article titled “William ‘Bill’ Weld, Libertarian Vice President Candidate: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know,” published on May 28, 2016 by Heavy. In 2008, Weld endorsed President Barack Obama, and has now joined the Presidential race on the Libertarian end.
Education: Bachelors degree in Classics from Harvard College (1966), a diploma in Economics and Political Science with distinction from Oxford University (1967), and graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School (1970).
On The Issues: http://www.ontheissues.org/default.htm
For:
- State input on education
- Tightening opioid prescription rules to keep them off the streets
- Same-sex marriage
- Pro-abortion
- Medical marijuana and needle-exchange programs
- Anti-gun control
Against:
- One national standard for education
- Putting substance abusers into criminal prisons
- Trump’s plan to deport undocumented immigrants
- Polarization in Congress
- Criminalizing drug use
- Abolishing social security
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GREEN PARTY:
Presidential nominee: Dr. Jill Stein
Jill Stein’s focus centers on environmental racism and injustice, along with strengthening local green economies, promoting healthy communities, campaign finance reform, green jobs and other environmental issues. Stein is a practicing physician, which allowed her to learn more about the connection between environmental issues and human illness, according to her campaign website.
Education: Bachelors degree in a combined major of Anthropology, Sociology and Psychology from Harvard (1973), and graduated from Harvard Medical School (1979).
On The Issues: http://www.ontheissues.org/Jill_Stein.htm
For:
- Some tuition-free public colleges/universities
- Pro-abortion
- Enacting more gun control laws
- Allowing undocumented immigrants to become legal U.S. residents
- Allowing Syrian refugees into the U.S.
- An increase in the federal minimum wage
- The legalization of recreational marijuana
- The medical use of marijuana
- The Black Lives Matter movement
- Allowing transgender people to use the bathroom of their choice
- Requiring children to be vaccinated for preventable diseases
Against:
- The death penalty
- The war on drugs
- Common core standards for education
- Fracking
- President Barack Obama’s health care law
- Building a wall on the U.S./Mexico border
- Sending U.S. ground troops to fight ISIS
- Increasing the U.S. military budget
- Using interrogation techniques that some consider torture (i.e. waterboarding, etc.)
Campaign Website: www.jill2016.com
VP nominee: Ajamu Baraka
Ajamu Baraka’s main focus is human rights. Baraka has four decades of experience in both domestic and international activism. Baraka has served as the founding executive director of the U.S. Human Rights Network, the Coordinator of the U.S.-based “Black Left Unity Network’s” Committee on International Affairs, on the boards of organizations such as Amnesty International (USA) and the National Center for Human Rights Education, on the boards of the Center for Constitutional Rights, Africa Action, Latin American Caribbean Community Center, Diaspora Afrique, and the Mississippi Workers’ Center for Human Rights, according to Stein’s presidential campaign website.
Education: Attended Clark Atlanta University.
On The Issues: http://www.ontheissues.org/default.htm
For:
- International oversight of U.S. police killings
- Black Lives Matter movement
- Reinstating the Voting Rights Act
- Colin Kaepernick’s protest
- Continuing the legacy of W.E.B. DuBois and Malcolm X
- Internationalizing human rights
- Pro-abortion
- Increasing federal funding of public schools
Against:
- Imprisoning people convicted of nonviolent drug offenses
- The Dakota Access Pipeline
- The death penalty
- Common core standards for education
- No Child Left Behind Act
- Advertising to children in schools
- The sale of soda pop and junk food ins schools
* Some candidates either did not have Truth-O-Meter ratings or they were not included.
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Follow Taylor Centineo on Twitter: @lifeoftay
