Transcript File

Democratic Party
Vs.
Republican Party
On the issues…In Their own
words!
Abortion
Campaign Finance
Minimum Wage
Unions
Death Penalty
Gays in the Military
Education
Student Loans
Energy
Environment
Climate Change
Gay Marriage
Gun Control
Healthcare
Immigration
Taxes
ABORTION
Democratic Party Position
Republican Party Position
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2012 Democratic Party Platform
Abortion
The Democratic Party strongly and unequivocally
supports Roe v. Wade and a woman’s right to make
decisions regarding her pregnancy, including a safe and
legal abortion, regardless of ability to pay. We oppose
any and all efforts to weaken or undermine that right.
[p.18]
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2012 Republican Party Platform
Abortion
We support a human life amendment to the Constitution and
endorse legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth
Amendment’s protections apply to unborn children. We oppose
using public revenues to promote or perform abortion or fund
organizations which perform or advocate it and will not fund or
subsidize health care which includes abortion coverage. We
oppose the FDA approval of Mifeprex, formerly known as RU486, and similar drugs....[p.34]
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CAMPAIGN FINANCE
Democratic Party Position
Republican Party Position
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2012 Democratic Party Platform
CAMPAIGN FINANCE
Our opponents have applauded the Supreme Court’s
decision in Citizens United.... In stark contrast, we
believe we must take immediate action to curb the
influence of lobbyists and special interests on our
political institutions. [p.12]
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2012 Republican Party Platform
CAMPAIGN FINANCE
[W]e support repeal of the remaining sections of McCainFeingold, support either raising or repealing contribution limits,
and oppose passage of the DISCLOSE Act or any similar
legislation designed to vitiate the Supreme Court’s recent
decisions protecting political speech in Wisconsin Right to Life v.
Federal Election Commission and Citizens United v. Federal
Election Commission. [p.19]
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Minimum Wage
Democratic Party Position
Republican Party Position
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2012 Democratic Party Platform
Minimum Wage
We will raise the minimum wage, and index it to
inflation. [p.10]
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2012 Republican Party Platform
Minimum Wage
No official platform listed in the 2012 Publication on this issue.
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Unions
Democratic Party Position
Republican Party Position
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2012 Democratic Party Platform
Unions
Democrats believe that the right to organize and
collectively bargain is a fundamental American value.
[p.9]
We will continue to vigorously oppose “Right to Work”
and “paycheck protection” efforts, and so-called “Save
our Secret Ballot” measures whenever they are
proposed. [p.10]
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2012 Republican Party Platform
Unions
We demand an end to the Project Labor Agreements; and we
call for repeal of the Davis-Bacon Act.... [p.8]
We support the right of States to enact Right-to-Work laws....
[p.8]
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Death Penalty
Democratic Party Position
Republican Party Position
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2012 Democratic Party Platform
Death Penalty
We believe that the death penalty must not be
arbitrary. DNA testing should be used in all
appropriate circumstances, [and] defendants should
have effective assistance of counsel.... [p.20]
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2012 Republican Party Platform
Death Penalty
Courts should have the option of imposing the death penalty in
capital murder cases. [p.37]
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Gays in the Military
Democratic Party Position
Republican Party Position
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2012 Democratic Party Platform
Gays in the Military
The President’s record, from ending Don’t Ask, Don’t
Tell in full cooperation with our military leadership...
reflects Democrats’ belief that all Americans deserve
the same chance to... serve their country.... [p.17]
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2012 Republican Party Platform
Gays in the Military
We will enforce and defend in court the Defense of Marriage
Act (DOMA) in the Armed Forces.... [p.43]
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Education
Democratic Party Position
Republican Party Position
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2012 Democratic Party Platform
Education
We are committed to ensuring that every child in
America has access to a world-class public education
so we can out-educate the world and make sure
America has the world’s highest proportion of college
graduates by 2020. [p.5]
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2012 Republican Party Platform
Education
We support... block grants and the repeal of numerous federal
regulations which interfere with State and local control of public
schools. [p.36]
[W]e support the English First approach... [p.36]
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Student Loans
Democratic Party Position
Republican Party Position
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2012 Democratic Party Platform
Student Loans
[W]e doubled our investment in Pell Grant
scholarships and created the American Opportunity
Tax Credit worth up to $10,000 over four years of
college, and we’re creating avenues for students to
manage their federal student loans so that their
payments can be only 10 percent of what they make
each month. [p.5]
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2012 Republican Party Platform
Student Loans
The federal government should not be in the business of
originating student loans; however, it should serve as an
insurance guarantor for the private sector as they offer loans to
students. [p.37]
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Energy
Democratic Party Position
Republican Party Position
HOME PAGE
2012 Democratic Party Platform
Energy
[support]…innovation to reach [the] goal of generating
80 percent of our electricity from clean energy sources
by 2035. Democrats support making America the
world’s leader in building a clean energy economy by
extending clean energy incentives.... [p.7]
Democrats will fight to cut tax subsidies for Big Oil
while promoting job growth in the clean energy
sector.... [p.7]
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2012 Republican Party Platform
Energy
We will end the EPA’s war on coal.... Further, we oppose any
and all cap and trade legislation. [p.16]
We will respect the States’ proven ability to regulate the use of
hydraulic fracturing, continue development of oil and gas
resources in places like the Bakken formation and Marcellus
Shale, and review the environmental laws that often thwart
new energy exploration and production
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Environment
Democratic Party Position
Republican Party Position
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2012 Democratic Party Platform
Environment
Democrats are committed to balancing environmental
protection with development, and that means
preserving sensitive public lands from exploration, like
the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Pacific West Coast,
Gulf of Maine, and other irreplaceable national
landscapes. [p.7]
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2012 Republican Party Platform
Environment
We support opening the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) for
energy exploration and development and ending the current
Administration’s moratorium on permitting; opening the coastal
plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) for
exploration and production of oil and natural gas; and allowing
for more oil and natural gas exploration on federally owned and
controlled land. [p.16]
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Climate Change
Democratic Party Position
Republican Party Position
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2012 Democratic Party Platform
Climate Change
We affirm the science of climate change, commit to
significantly reducing the pollution that causes climate
change.... [p.20]
Democrats pledge to continue showing international
leadership on climate change, working toward an
agreement to set emission limits in unison with other
emerging powers. [p.21]
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2012 Republican Party Platform
Climate Change
We also call on Congress to take quick action to prohibit the EPA
from moving forward with new greenhouse gas
regulations....[p.19]
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Gay Marriage
Democratic Party Position
Republican Party Position
HOME PAGE
2012 Democratic Party Platform
Gay Marriage
We support marriage equality and support the
movement to secure equal treatment under law for
same-sex couples. We also support the freedom of
churches and religious entities to decide how to
administer marriage as a religious sacrament without
government interference.[p.18]
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2012 Republican Party Platform
Gay Marriage
We reaffirm our support for a Constitutional amendment
defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman.
[p.10]
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Gun Control
Democratic Party Position
Republican Party Position
HOME PAGE
2012 Democratic Party Platform
Gun Control
[W]e will preserve Americans’ Second Amendment
right to own and use firearms. We believe that the
right to own firearms is subject to reasonable
regulation. [p.18]
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2012 Republican Party Platform
Gun Control
We condemn frivolous lawsuits against gun manufacturers and
oppose federal licensing or registration of law-abiding gun
owners. We oppose legislation that is intended to restrict our
Second Amendment rights by limiting the capacity of clips or
magazines or otherwise restoring the ill considered Clinton gun
ban. [p.13]
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Healthcare
Democratic Party Position
Republican Party Position
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2012 Democratic Party Platform
Healthcare
We believe accessible, affordable, high quality health
care is part of the American promise, that Americans
should have the security that comes with good health
care, and that no one should go broke because they
get sick. [p.3]
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2012 Republican Party Platform
Healthcare
Congressional Republicans are committed to its [the Affordable
Care Act's] repeal. [p.32]
No healthcare professional or organization should ever be
required to perform, provide for, withhold, or refer for a
medical service against their conscience. [p.34]
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Immigration
Democratic Party Position
Republican Party Position
HOME PAGE
2012 Democratic Party Platform
Immigration
[T]he country urgently needs comprehensive
immigration reform that brings undocumented
immigrants out of the shadows and requires them to
get right with the law, learn English, and pay taxes in
order to get on a path to earn citizenship. [p.13]
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2012 Republican Party Platform
Immigration
[W]e oppose any form of amnesty.... [p.25]
The pending Department of Justice lawsuits against Arizona,
Alabama, South Carolina, and Utah must be dismissed
immediately. The double-layered fencing on the border that
was enacted by Congress in 2006, but never completed, must
finally be built. [p.26]
[F]ederal funding should be denied to sanctuary cities that
violate federal law... and federal funding should be denied to
universities that provide instate tuition rates to illegal
aliens....[p.26]
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Taxes
Democratic Party Position
Republican Party Position
HOME PAGE
2012 Democratic Party Platform
Taxes
We want to cut tax breaks for companies that are
shipping jobs overseas and for special interests, and
instead offer tax breaks to companies that are
investing right here in the United States of America....
[p.8]
We Democrats support lowering the corporate tax rate
while closing unnecessary loopholes, and lowering
rates even further for manufacturers who create good
jobs at home. [p.8]
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2012 Republican Party Platform
Taxes
[W]e call for a reduction of the corporate rate to keep U.S.
corporations competitive internationally, with a permanent
research and development tax credit, and a repeal of the
corporate alternative minimum tax. We also support the
recommendation of the National Commission on Fiscal
Responsibility and Reform, as well as the current President’s
Export Council, to switch to a territorial system of corporate
taxation, so that profits earned and taxed abroad may be
repatriated for job-creating investment here at home without
additional penalty. [p.2]
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