|
Issues |
Sen. Joe Biden |
Gov. Sarah Palin |
| Iraq
For more information: |
Co-authored a five-point plan to end the war in Iraq, partly by establishing a limited central government in Baghdad that would be in charge of border defense, oil production and distribution of oil revenue. In 2007, the Senate voted to endorse parts of the plan. During an April Congressional hearing Biden probed the Commanding General David Patraeus about the possibility of an immediate troop withdrawal. |
During a March 2007 interview she said, “I’ve been so focused on state government, I haven’t really focused much on the war in Iraq.” Palin declared her support of the Bush administration but asked about an exit strategy. |
| Civil Rights
For more information: |
Supported a local hate crimes prevention act that would allow the Justice Department to assist local agencies in investigating and prosecuting hate crimes. It would also expand the definition of hate crimes to include offenses based on sexual orientation, gender, or disability. The act passed a House vote last May. |
Opposes same-sex marriage
Opposes category of hate crimes, saying “all crimes are crimes of hate” During the race for governor, Palin’s campaign established an internal diversity |
| Defense/National Security
For more information: |
In 2007, Biden successfully pushed to increase the Bush administration’s spending on armored military vehicles from $1.79 billion to $22.4 billion. He victoriously fought to keep his state’s Air National Guard Base open. He proposes to invest $10 billion a year for five years in homeland security, which includes increasing railway security and implementing 9/11 Commission recommendatio |
Commands the Alaskan National Guard
Palin has repeatedly cited Alaska’s proximity to Russia as giving her insight Commands the Alaskan National Guard |
| Disabilities
For more information: |
Has been a long supporter of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Backs efforts to allow Medicaid to provide home- and community-based support services |
Palin’s 5-month-old son has Down Syndrome.
During her RNC speech, Palin pledged to be an advocate for families with special-needs |
| Education
For more information: |
In 2007 Biden introduced the College ACCESS Act providing a $3,000 refundable tax credit ó equivalent to a $12,000 deduction. The plan would also increase the Pell Grant maximum to $6,300. The bill has not been voted on. He would improve No Child Left Behind by giving schools greater flexibility in evaluating student performance and fully funding education. Biden says the Bush Administration underfunded the program by $85 million. |
In March, she signed legislation increasing public school funding including increasing per pupil spending by $100 to $5,480 for next year. In August, she congratulated 294 Alaska public schools that made adequate progress in language arts and math under the federal No Child Left Behind requirements. |
| Energy
For more information: |
Supports spending $50 billion over five years on new incentives for research into alternative fuel and energy sources, renewable energy and new technologies Would require 20% of the country’s electricity to come from clean, renewable Has worked to repeal tax giveaways to major energy companies currently making record Opposes expansion of offshore drilling |
Backed the creation of a $40 billion natural gas pipeline in Alaska
Supports offshore drilling In 2006 she opposed a natural gas reserves tax. In Junes she proposed to give $1,200 |
| Ethics
For more information: |
Is under scrutiny for accepting legal aid from his son’s law and lobbying firm totaling $140,000 for 2008 Since Obama has banned lobbyists from contributing to his campaign, Biden will no Supports Obama’s push for public disclosure of lobbyists, and prohibiting them |
Overhauled Alaska’s ethics laws. Created the Petroleum Systems Integrity Office to provide oversight and maintenance of oil and gas equipment, facilities and infrastructure Palin is being investigated by the Alaska legislature for the illegal firing of the |
| Immigration
For more information: |
In 2007, Biden voted in support of a 700-mile fence along the U.S.-Mexico border. “Our immigration system is broken and we have an obligation to work on it until we fix it,” Biden says. He supports allowing illegal immigrants citizenship under certain circumstances. |
In 2006, with an influx of Latino and Asian immigrants to Alaska, Palin said she’s “reached out to those communities to determine their needs.” She supports creating more vocational training and senior assistance programs, as |
| Veterans
For more information: |
In response to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center maltreatment of returning soldiers, Biden successfully added a provision to the National Defense Reauthorization Act for 2008. The provision prevents budget cuts to military medical facilities while the nation is at war. He supports simplifying the disability and claims processing system for veterans |
Supported strengthening awareness of veteran’s benefits and rights through Alaska’s Permanent Fund Dividend Division. |
| Second Amendment
For more information: |
In 2007, authored a renewal on former president Clinton’s assault weapons ban legislation. The bill has not passed. During the 2007 South Carolina democratic debate, Biden called for a ban of the gun show loophole “so you can’t go into a gun show and buy a gun that you couldn’t buy walking into a gun shop.” |
Palin is a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association. “I support our Constitutional right to bear arms and am a proponent of gun safety programs for Alaska’s youth,” she says. |
| Iran
For more information: |
Biden is the chairman of the U.S. Foreign Relations Committee. In a 2007 Huffington Post blog, Biden wrote, a possible “war with Iran is not just a bad option. It would be disaster.” He has called for the implementation of “coordinated international sanctions” on Iran. |
During her RNC speech Palin said, “to confront the threat that Iran might seek to cut off nearly a fifth of world energy suppliesÖwe Americans need to produce more of our own oil and gas.” |
| Social Security
For more information: |
Opposes the privatization of social security
Supports a bi-partisan plan to fix social security by raising the amount of income |
Implemented the senior benefits support program which provides benefits for low-income older Alaskans. |
| Housing Crisis
For more information: |
Champions legislation that will assist first-time homebuyers, and provide counseling and refinancing assistance to those facing foreclosure. Such legislation would crack down on predatory lending |
Supports lowering taxes leaving more money in the pockets of Americans to help pay their mortgages. In a speech in Colorado Springs Palin misstated that publically traded “Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have gotten too big and too expensive to tax payers.” |
| Tax Policy
For more information: |
Backs Obama’s economic plan that he says will cut taxes for all but the wealthiest Americans which Biden says will raise $85 billion annually. Biden voted against a capital gains tax during the 2005-2006 congressional session. He’s in favor of raising taxes on dividends, which he says will raise $195 billion a year. |
During the 2006 Alaska race for governor, Palin said she would not support a state income tax but would consider a seasonal sales tax.” |
| Small Business
For more information: |
Supports legislation that would provide tax breaks for small businesses
Backs extension of the Research and Development Tax Credit allowing businesses to |
In Junes 2008, Palin signed a bill cutting the Alaskan business licenses fee in half to $50. Palin said, “Small [business] owners make a major contribution to our economy.” |
| Trade
For more information: |
Voted for the North America Free Trade Agreement in 1993.
Voted against the Central American Free Trade Agreement in 2005. Supports trade policies that protect U.S. labor standards. |
Palin’s stance on trade is not yet clear. |
| Domestic Intelligence
For more information: |
Though Biden helped draft the original FISA bill in 1978, he voted against its renewal in July. In a 2006 Miami Herald OpEd he called the act an “illegal expansion of presidential power.” |
Palin’s stance on domestic intelligence is not yet clear. |
| Banking Crisis
For more information: |
Biden initially opposed a government bailout of American International Group (AIG)
During a speech in Ohio, Biden called for greater transparency for corporations that |
Supports updating the banking regulation system. During a campaign speech in Cleveland Palin said she was disappointed that “taxpayers were called upon for another government rescue.” |