Re: Obama
His current rhetoric and position papers are more moderate
Rhetoric yes, at least most of it. Positions? I'm not so sure.
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"Reduce Carbon Emissions 80 Percent by 2050"
(Which would imply a per person level of CO2 emission that we have probably never met in our history. See
The Real Cost of Tackling Climate Change online.wsj.com or siliconinvestor.com
"Require 25 Percent of Renewable Electricity by 2025"
"Increase Fuel Economy Standards: Obama will double fuel economy standards within 18 years."
"Set National Building Efficiency Goals: Barack Obama will establish a goal of making all new buildings carbon neutral, or produce zero emissions, by 2030. He'll also establish a national goal of improving new building efficiency by 50 percent and existing building efficiency by 25 percent over the next decade to help us meet the 2030 goal."
"Re-Engage with the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change: The UNFCCC process is the main international forum dedicated to addressing the climate problem and an Obama administration will work constructively within it."
"Expand Hate Crimes Statutes
Obama will strengthen federal hate crimes legislation and reinvigorate enforcement at the Department of Justice's Criminal Section."
"Amend the North American Free Trade Agreement: Obama believes that NAFTA and its potential were oversold to the American people. Obama will work with the leaders of Canada and Mexico to fix NAFTA so that it works for American workers."
(amend meaning putting the left's agenda on the environment and for unions)
"Boost the Renewable Energy Sector and Create New Jobs: The Obama plan will create new federal policies, and expand existing ones, that have been proven to create new American jobs. Obama will create a federal Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) that will require 25 percent of American electricity be derived from renewable sources by 2025..."
"Obama cosponsored and is strong advocate for the Employee Free Choice Act"
(The "Employee Free Choice Act" removes the requirement for secret ballots of union organizing, and so subjects employees to union pressure to agree to be represented by the union. See heritage.org and article.nationalreview.com )
"Create a Living Wage: Obama will raise the minimum wage and index it to inflation"
"Reverse Bush Tax Cuts for the Wealthy"
(In other words raise taxes)
"Create a Credit Card Rating System to Improve Disclosure: Obama will create a credit card rating system, modeled on five-star systems used for other consumer products, to provide consumers an easily identifiable ranking of credit cards, based on the card's features..."
(Not necessarily a bad idea for some private consumer group or other type of rating organization, but not the business of government)
"Cap Outlandish Interest Rates on Payday Loans and Improve Disclosure: Obama supports extending a 36 percent interest cap to all Americans."
(Sounds decent to some people, but it basically amounts to not allowing people with poor credit to get short term loans (or perhaps any loans), and so pushing them to pawn shops or perhaps loan sharks. More generally its a price control (interest is a price on money) with all the problem that implies).
"Affordable, High-Quality Child Care: Obama will also provide affordable and high-quality child care to ease the burden on working families."
"Recruit, Prepare, Retain, and Reward America's Teachers"
(A state and local responsibility, not a national/federal one)
"Obama supports public financing of campaigns combined with free television and radio time"
"Obama will immediately begin to remove our troops from Iraq. He will remove one to two combat brigades each month, and have all of our combat brigades out of Iraq within 16 months."
"To lower drug costs, Obama will allow the federal government to negotiate for lower drug prices for the Medicare program"
(In other words Obama will use government power to push down drug prices and greatly reduce the incentive to pay the massive R&D and testing costs for new drugs)
"and he will help nurture America's success in clean technology manufacturing by establishing a federal investment program to help manufacturing centers modernize."
"Barack Obama would repeal the Tiahrt Amendment"
("...Tiahrt Amendment, which prohibits the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) from releasing information from its firearms trace database to anyone other than a law enforcement agency or prosecutor in connection with a criminal investigation. Additionally, any data so released is inadmissible in a civil lawsuit..." en.wikipedia.org also see Erasing a Clinton Legacy Rolling back antigun regs - nationalreview.com )
"He supports closing the gun show loophole"
(There is no gun show loophole. Sales at gun shows have to follow the same laws and regulations that other sales have to follow)
"He also supports making the expired federal Assault Weapons Ban permanent"
(In other words he supports banning guns because they are scary looking) |
