Voter Guide: Where the Candidates Stand on Health and the Environment

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Tags : barack obama, environment, green, health care, john mccain, presidential election

Voter Guide: Where the Candidates Stand on Health and the Environment

Posted on 27 October 2008 by Judy Lubin

Who’s the greener candidate? Who has the best proposal for health care reform?

This election, like no other, represents an opportunity for all of us to vote our values and make a difference today and for future generations. But which candidate, Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) or Senator John McCain (R-AZ), will lead us toward a healthier, more environmentally-conscious and sustainable America?

Whether you support McCain or Obama, your vote is important. Women yield an incredible amount of power at the voting booth. In 2004, 8.8 million more women than men voted in the presidential election. This year, we can take a stand for a better health care system, one focused on preventive care and equal access to high-quality, affordable treatment, care and prescription drugs for all Americans.

We also need a president that is fully committed to a healthier planet for our kids to grow and live. One that will provide real leadership on climate change, alternative energy sources and a green economy that rewards innovation and keeps jobs at home.

With Election Day around the corner, I’ve listed links to some of the best resources for in-depth information on where the presidential candidates stand on two of the most pressing issues this election season. You’ll also find links and phone numbers to voter protection hotlines at the end of this guide.

On Health Care

The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) offers a side-by-side comparison of both presidential candidates’ proposals and positions on a variety of health care issues including covering the nation’s 47 million uninsured, prescription drugs, long-term care, biomedical research, women’s health, veteran’s care, mental health parity and racial and ethnic disparities. . KFF also has a collection of video highlights (soundbites) of both Senators remarks on health care topics while on the campaign trail.

Your Candidates Your Health, a voter education initiative presented by Research! America and over 40 partners, provides a comparison tool outlining the 2008 presidential and congressional candidates position’s on health and research. Enter you zip code on the site to find your local candidates.

The Bottom Line:

The nonpartisan, Urban Institute’s analysis (PDF) of both Senators McCain and Obama’s health care plans concluded:

“In short, Obama’s proposal contains the basic components necessary for effectively addressing the most important shortcomings of the current health care system, that is, limited coverage, inadequate risk pooling, and high-cost growth.”

“In brief, McCain’s proposal would dramatically change how many Americans obtain health insurance coverage, make coverage less accessible for those with health problems, have a high budget cost, but have little effect on the number uninsured.”

On the Environment and Green Economy

Grist.org provide an easy to read, at-a-glance chart on where the candidates stand on environmental issues including climate change, offshore drilling, renewal energy, biofuels, nuclear energy and fuel economy standards for automobiles.

Alternet.org’s Obama vs. McCain: Saving the Environment May be Our Best Hope for the Economy — Voter Guide outlines ten key environmental issues this year including green jobs, clean energy, climate change, biofuels and more. Solutions are presented for the each issue along with what both McCain and Obama have proposed and already done to address these challenges.

The Bottom Line:

The nonpartisan Pew Center on Climate Change (PDF) concluded:

The plans of Sen. Obama and Sen. McCain for addressing global climate change are remarkably similar to each other, and are profoundly different from those of the current administration. Either, if enacted, would make major reductions in U.S. GHG emissions. While there are more similarities than differences between the two candidates’ proposals, some of the differences that do exist are significant.

Some of these differences include additional and specific proposals presented by Obama, including:

Obama would declare CO2 a dangerous pollutant and direct the Environmental Protection Agency to use the 1990 Clean Air Act to set emissions limits on power plants and manufacturers. (Bloomberg.com Oc 16, 2008).
Obama would provide families with a $1,000 tax credit and stimulus checks paid for by taxing the oil companies’ record profits. He will also close the loophole that allows speculators to game the system and run up energy prices.
Creation of a Global Energy Forum - based on the G8+5, which include all G-8 members plus Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa - of the world’s largest emitters to focus exclusively on global energy and environmental issues.
Invests $150 billion over the next ten years in alternative sources of energy - wind and solar power, and advanced biofuels, in the commercialization of plug-in hybrid cars, and development a new digital electricity grid.

Time magazine