Bill Richardson on VoteMatch

VoteMatch Responses (Click here for VoteMatch quiz)
VoteMatch Question & Answer (Click on question for explanation and background)	Based on these stances: (Click on topic for excerpt & citation)
Strongly Favors topic 1: Abortion is a woman's unrestricted right (+5 points on Social scale)	Stem cell research as part of preventive healthcare: Favors topic 1 Supreme Court model cannot be justice who dissented on Roe: Strongly Favors topic 1 Resist any effort to weaken a woman’s right to choose: Strongly Favors topic 1 Protect the reproductive rights of women: Strongly Favors topic 1
Strongly Favors topic 2: Legally require hiring women & minorities (-5 points on Economic scale)	Diversity isn’t just talking points; it’s facts of life: Favors topic 2 New Mexico is first “majority minority” state: Favors topic 2 Supports minority preferences for government contracts: Strongly Favors topic 2 Establish a Women's Bureau in Dept. of Veterans Affairs: Favors topic 2
Strongly Favors topic 3: Comfortable with same-sex marriage (+5 points on Social scale)	Extend Domestic Partnership rights as anti-discrimination: Favors topic 3 Focus on achievable civil unions as a path to full inclusion: Favors topic 3 Voted for DOMA, but now regrets vote; repeal it: Strongly Favors topic 3 Homosexuality is a choice, but it’s not an issue of science: Opposes topic 3 Full civil unions with full marriage rights: Strongly Favors topic 3 For hate crimes law, domestic partnerships, civil unions: Strongly Favors topic 3 Let gay and lesbian servicemembers serve openly: Strongly Favors topic 3 Added sexual orientation & gender identity as NM civil right: Strongly Favors topic 3 Defeated DOMA in NM by tying it to civil union legislation: Favors topic 3 Voted for federal Defense of Marriage Act in 1996: Opposes topic 3
Opposes topic 4: Keep God in the public sphere (+2 points on Social scale)	Increase tax deduction for charities: Favors topic 4 NO on giving federal aid only to schools allowing voluntary prayer: Strongly Opposes topic 4
Strongly Favors topic 5: Expand ObamaCare (-5 points on Economic scale)	ObamaCare will be crowning achievement once we get it done: Favors topic 5 New healthcare system in one year, with no new bureaucracies: Favors topic 5 Shift Medicaid costs back from states to federal: Strongly Favors topic 5 Affordable access to healthcare for all New Mexicans: Strongly Favors topic 5 New Mexico Cares: invest in our health: Strongly Favors topic 5 Supports managed competition & medical savings accounts: Opposes topic 5 Adopt national health reform legislation before the end of the year: Strongly Favors topic 5
Strongly Opposes topic 6: Privatize Social Security (-5 points on Economic scale)	Stop talking about privatization; stop raiding trust fund: Strongly Opposes topic 6 Focus budget reform like Soc. Sec., avoiding future burden: Opposes topic 6
Opposes topic 7: Vouchers for school choice (-3 points on Economic scale)	Make education a top priority and scrap No Child Left Behind: Strongly Opposes topic 7 Scrap No Child Left Behind; it doesn’t work: Opposes topic 7 Help failing schools; don’t penalize by defunding them: Strongly Opposes topic 7 Charter schools show tremendous promise: Favors topic 7 No vouchers: they abandon public schools: Strongly Opposes topic 7 Provide parents with vouchers, even for religious schools: Strongly Favors topic 7
Strongly Opposes topic 8: Fight EPA regulatory over-reach (+5 points on Social scale)	Green Jobs Cabinet: build aggressive clean energy strategy: Opposes topic 8 Climate change cynics don’t consider cost of inaction: Opposes topic 8 Invest in bike lanes & commuter bike facilities: Strongly Opposes topic 8 Buying carbon offsets not enough; sacrifice for common good: Strongly Opposes topic 8 Require renewable technologies and ask for conservation: Strongly Opposes topic 8 Expand and create new state parks: Strongly Opposes topic 8 Develop a comprehensive water management plan: Strongly Opposes topic 8 Regulating 15 more contaminants under Clean Water Act: Strongly Opposes topic 8
Strongly Favors topic 9: Stricter punishment reduces crime (-5 points on Social scale)	Mandatory jail time, especially for repeat offenders: Favors topic 9 Supports death penalty: zero tolerance for heinous crimes: Favors topic 9 Impose “truth in sentencing” for violent criminals: Strongly Favors topic 9 NO on replacing death penalty with life imprisonment: Strongly Favors topic 9 YES on making federal death penalty appeals harder: Strongly Favors topic 9 NO on maintaining right of habeas corpus in Death Penalty Appeals: Favors topic 9
Favors topic 10: Absolute right to gun ownership (+2 points on Economic scale)	No guns for mentally ill or those with criminal background: Opposes topic 10 Assault weapons ban did not work; despite his vote for ban: Favors topic 10 The 2nd Amendment is precious: Strongly Favors topic 10 Endorsed by NRA; has his own concealed carry permit: Strongly Favors topic 10 We should ally with pro-gun recreationists in West: Favors topic 10
Favors topic 11: Higher taxes on the wealthy (-3 points on Economic scale)	End unfair & unequal tax structure for wealthiest 2%: Strongly Favors topic 11 Replace Bush tax cuts with cuts for middle class: Strongly Favors topic 11 Cut NM capital gains tax & income tax from 8.2% to 4.9%: Opposes topic 11 Continue to cut taxes and reform the tax code: Opposes topic 11 Reduce income tax; create Taxpayer Bill of Rights: Opposes topic 11 Make employee educational assistance tax-deductible: Favors topic 11 $12B in federal economic stimulus as state block grants: Favors topic 11
Favors topic 12: Pathway to citizenship for illegal aliens (+2 points on Social scale)	Allowed giving driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants: Favors topic 12 Border wall is horrendous example of misguided policy: Strongly Favors topic 12 Federal raids are ineffective; we dehumanize immigrants: Strongly Favors topic 12 McCain-Kennedy bill is not amnesty; it has strong standards: Strongly Favors topic 12 The 2007 immigration bill is not an amnesty bill: Favors topic 12 Opposes compromise immigration bill: it tears apart families: Strongly Favors topic 12 Declared state of emergency on Mexican border: Strongly Opposes topic 12 Path to legalization if illegals pay taxes & learn English: Favors topic 12 Reduce immigration; no automatic citizenship for kids: Strongly Opposes topic 12 Guarantee human services to illegal immigrants: Favors topic 12
Opposes topic 13: Support & expand free trade (-3 points on Economic scale)	Government is needed to keep markets competitive: Strongly Opposes topic 13 No such thing as completely free market; so regulate: Strongly Opposes topic 13 Enforce labor & environmental standards & job safety: Strongly Opposes topic 13 We need fair trade, not just unabashed free trade: Strongly Opposes topic 13 NAFTA critically important for US as well as Mexico: Strongly Favors topic 13 Expand regional trade with Chihuahua: Strongly Favors topic 13 Supports NAFTA, GATT, & WTO: Strongly Favors topic 13 Declined state commitment to CAFTA: Opposes topic 13
Strongly Opposes topic 14: Support American Exceptionalism (-5 points on Economic scale)	US is isolated; need vision to rejoin world: Strongly Opposes topic 14 UN pressure in 1997 kept Saddam from restarting nuke program: Strongly Opposes topic 14 Maintain Geneva Conventions; keep restrictions on torture: Opposes topic 14 UN troops in Darfur, & UN-enforced no-fly zone: Strongly Opposes topic 14 Being stubborn isn’t a foreign policy--diplomacy is: Strongly Opposes topic 14
Favors topic 15: Expand the military (-3 points on Social scale)	Spend $250K annually to fight base closures: Strongly Favors topic 15 Homeland Security Department at federal AND state level: Strongly Favors topic 15 Eliminate funding for SDI: Strongly Opposes topic 15
Favors topic 16: Make voter registration easier (+2 points on Social scale)	Whistleblower protections, & ban corporate donations: No opin. on topic 16 Instituted all-paper ballots for all N.M. elections: Favors topic 16 Prohibit PAC contributions; restrict campaign spending: Strongly Favors topic 16
Strongly Favors topic 17: Avoid foreign entanglements (+5 points on Social scale)	Surge failing politically, even if reducing violence: Strongly Favors topic 17 US military force only when US territory attacked: Favors topic 17 Withdrawing from Iraq lets real peace & reconciliation begin: Strongly Favors topic 17 Stop funding for Iraq war-it is a disaster and must end: Strongly Favors topic 17
Strongly Favors topic 18: Prioritize green energy (-5 points on Economic scale)	Green Jobs Cabinet: lead renewable energy export: Strongly Favors topic 18 About time we got Saudis to increase production: Opposes topic 18 Windfall profit tax to shift obscene profits from Exxon: Strongly Favors topic 18 New oil refineries and nuclear plants ok, if done right: Strongly Opposes topic 18 30% renewable sources in our electricity by 2020: Strongly Favors topic 18 Recommends 90% GHG reduction to IPCC: Strongly Favors topic 18 Invest in bike lanes & commuter bike facilities: Strongly Favors topic 18 Bush won’t follow the Kyoto treaty, but my state does: Strongly Favors topic 18 Sacrifice for Apollo-like program for renewable fuel: Strongly Favors topic 18 50 mpg efficiency and 30% renewable electricity: Strongly Favors topic 18 Develop alternative energy, including wind & solar: Strongly Favors topic 18 Set goal of 25% renewable energy by 2025: Strongly Favors topic 18
Favors topic 19: Marijuana is a gateway drug (-3 points on Social scale)	Treatment & education over enforcement & incarceration: Strongly Opposes topic 19 Crack down on illegal drug labs: Favors topic 19 No legalization: drugs play an insidious role in crime: Strongly Favors topic 19 Drug Courts and treatment instead of incarceration: Opposes topic 19 Mandatory jail sentences for selling illegal drugs: Strongly Favors topic 19
Favors topic 20: Stimulus better than market-led recovery (-3 points on Economic scale)	Any tax increase must expire in 3 years or less: Favors topic 20 Balanced 5 state budgets; priority to balance federal budget: Opposes topic 20 Save $150 billion in tax cuts for people who don’t need them: Favors topic 20 Eliminate $73 billion in corporate welfare: Favors topic 20 Constitutionally require balanced budget & fiscal discipline: Opposes topic 20 Increase the minimum wage to $7.50: Strongly Favors topic 20 Supports Balanced Budget Amendment: Opposes topic 20

Bill Richardson is a Populist-Leaning Liberal
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