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Books by and about 2024 presidential candidates |
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Hillbilly Elegy,
by JD Vance (2017) |
Crippled America,
by Donald J. Trump (2015) |
Fire and Fury,
by Michael Wolff (2018) |
Trump Revealed,
by Michael Kranish and Marc Fisher (2016) |
The Making of Donald Trump,
by David Cay Johnston (2016) |
Promise Me, Dad ,
by Joe Biden (2017) |
The Book of Joe ,
by Jeff Wilser (2019; biography of Joe Biden) |
The Truths We Hold,
by Kamala Harris (2019) |
Smart on Crime,
by Kamala Harris (2010) |
Becoming,
by Michelle Obama (2018) |
Higher Loyalty,
by James Comey (2018) |
The Making of Donald Trump,
by David Cay Johnston (2017) |
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Book Reviews |
(from Amazon.com) |
(click a book cover for a review or other books by or about the presidency from Amazon.com)
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| OnTheIssues.org excerpts: (click on issues for details)
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Abortion
Betsy Sweet: Protect a woman's right to choose.
Janet Mills: No comment on lawsuit to expand abortion access.
Janet Mills: Stand in the way of efforts to undermine right to abortion.
Mary Mayhew: Ban abortions after 20 weeks, like most developed nations.
Mike Michaud: Evolved from pro-life to pro-choice over period of 30 years.
Shawn Moody: Strongly pro-life: opposes any tax dollars for abortion.
Shawn Moody: 2010: private choice; 2018: ban with exceptions.
Robert Charles: Abortion steals the gift of life from mothers.
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Budget & Economy
Mary Mayhew: Reduce taxes by deep budget cuts including family services.
Paul LePage: Graded A by Cato Institute for cutting taxes, spending.
Ed Crockett: Invest in workforce development; support innovation.
Robert Charles: If you double the budget it becomes unsustainable.
Shenna Bellows: Budget cuts and reversals don't make any sense.
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Civil Rights
Betsy Sweet: Equal pay for women; plus commission on racial justice.
Eliot Cutler: Worked to uphold a law legalizing same-sex marriage.
Janet Mills: Decries proposal to eliminate Civil Rights Funding.
Janet Mills: Proud that Maine was first to vote for gay marriage.
Janet Mills: Enacted law banning conversion therapy for minors.
Mike Michaud: Would be 1st openly gay governor; but evolved on LGBT rights.
Paul LePage: Confederate monuments are about a war for land.
Shawn Moody: Marriage is one man & one woman, but respect will of voters.
Janet Mills: Mills to Trump on trans athletes: We'll see you in court .
Robert Charles: Title IX protects women, not males who think they are women.
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Corporations
Eliot Cutler: Examine corporate tax breaks; avoid clawbacks by better deal.
Janet Mills: Won $21.5M settlement against S&P's mortgage practices.
Mary Mayhew: Keeping government out of business creates good paying jobs.
Shawn Moody: Run the state like I've run my business.
Shawn Moody: Address red tape; focus on recruiting businesses.
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Crime
Angus King: Opposes the death penalty.
Angus King: More prisons, but more alternative sentencing.
Eliot Cutler: Assure support services for victims of domestic violence.
John Baldacci: End parole for repeat violent offenders.
Mary Mayhew: imprisonment for life as a deterrent to crime.
Shawn Moody: Law enforcement needs all the right tools to catch criminals.
Robert Charles: Back our troopers, unleash a full-force crackdown.
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Drugs
Betsy Sweet: Expand substance abuse treatment.
Betsy Sweet: Legalize and promote industrial hemp.
Eliot Cutler: Legal pot makes drugs seem ok, but prohibition isn't working.
Janet Mills: Legalize recreational marijuana and bring in millions.
Janet Mills: Investigate role of opioid manufacturers in drug abuse.
Mary Mayhew: Joint effort needed to provide effective drug treatment.
Mike Michaud: Legal pot makes drug more accessible to children and teens.
Paul LePage: Upholding the law includes illegal marijuana.
Shawn Moody: Strengthen criminal code & stem tide of illegal trafficking.
Shawn Moody: Opposes legalizing recreational marijuana despite 2016 vote.
Robert Charles: Worked with allies to dismantle global drug cartels.
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Education
Angus King: More teacher development; more school construction.
Angus King: Include both abstinence and safe sex in sex-ed.
Betsy Sweet: Pay teachers better; cut back on standardized tests.
Eliot Cutler: Cautious support for virtual charter schools.
Eliot Cutler: Try out Common Core standards before tweaking them.
Janet Mills: Commission on Education Reform must follow open meetings law.
Mary Mayhew: Parents should have access to multiple education choices.
Paul LePage: Strong support for charter schools, virtual or otherwise.
Paul LePage: Virtual charter schools are not the right answer.
Paul LePage: 2011: Signed onto Common Core, but now skeptical.
Shawn Moody: Parental and local control in education curriculum.
Ed Crockett: Invest in students by supporting Maine's public education.
Robert Charles: I'll remove woke politics from the classroom.
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Energy & Oil
Betsy Sweet: Invest in solar, wind, hydro, mass transit, & electric cars.
Eliot Cutler: Reduce carbon emissions to Kyoto Protocol targets.
Janet Mills: Wean ourselves off fossil fuels.
Mary Mayhew: Wind energy needs transparent commission, not moratorium.
Paul LePage: Global warming helps Maine by opening north shipping lanes.
Paul LePage: Build a natural gas pipeline from Canada.
Paul LePage: Imposed a moratorium on new wind turbine permits.
Paul LePage: Paid $7500 by lobbyists to advocate for hydropower corridor.
Shawn Moody: Door's open to renewable energy, but no subsidies.
Shawn Moody: Doesn't believe human activity contributes to climate change.
Robert Charles: Democrats more interested in subsidies for "green" crap.
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Environment
Betsy Sweet: Reduce, re-use, recycle.
Eliot Cutler: More bus services, dedicated HOV lanes, and bike routes.
Janet Mills: Joins coalition to reject proposed cuts in funding to EPA.
Mary Mayhew: Environmental stewardship that also respects businesses.
Mike Michaud: AdWatch: Replace LePage with a pro-environment governor.
Paul LePage: Abstain from EPA petition to cut Midwest emissions.
Paul LePage: Change environmental laws to replace red tape with jobs.
Paul LePage: Stop manufacturer recycling; start cost-benefit analyses.
Shawn Moody: Voluntarily adopted eco-friendly practices at Moody's.
Ed Crockett: Legislation to protect wildlife and preserve landscape.
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Foreign Policy
Eliot Cutler: China's future is like America in 1890s: booming and growing.
Janet Mills: Maine stands in solidarity with the people of Ukraine.
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Free Trade
Janet Mills: Urge the president to stop these unnecessary tariffs.
Shenna Bellows: Tariffs on Canada will increase cost of Maine license plates.
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Government Reform
Angus King: Restrict and disclose all campaign donations & spending.
Eliot Cutler: Oppose all efforts to restrict access to the ballot box.
Janet Mills: Undisclosed political money is corrosive to democracy.
John Baldacci: Limit political campaign donations.
Paul LePage: Investigate and report publicly on false campaign statements.
Robert Charles: Education bureaucrats are heavy handed with states.
Shenna Bellows: Attempted to keep Trump off ballot as insurrectionist.
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Gun Control
Janet Mills: Ban bump stocks and high-capacity magazine.
John Baldacci: Allow concealed carry.
Mary Mayhew: Pro gun ownership and armed guards wherever needed.
Shawn Moody: Pro 2nd Amendment; wants armed officials in high schools.
Shawn Moody: Right to bear arms "shall never be questioned.
Robert Charles: 2nd Amendment particularly important in rural areas.
Shenna Bellows: Allow towns to ban guns at polling places.
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Health Care
Betsy Sweet: Supports universal coverage including alternative therapies.
Janet Mills: Her office took on drug manufacturer Mylan on price gouging.
John Baldacci: Ensure access to basic health care.
Mary Mayhew: Absolutely opposed to Medicaid expansion.
Paul LePage: COVID: Spoke against shutdown while quarantined in car.
Paul LePage: Almost eradicated public health nursing in Maine.
Shawn Moody: Citizen referendum decided Medicaid expansion: make it work.
Shawn Moody: Wants health insurance open to competition amongst states.
Ed Crockett: Options for affordable, high-quality, long-term healthcare.
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Homeland Security
Mary Mayhew: Veterans should get all benefits earned, in a timely manner.
Shawn Moody: Stand behind veterans: offer school, jobs and services.
Janet Mills: Condemned Trump sending troops to California.
Robert Charles: Served on active duty at the Pentagon following 9/11 attacks.
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Immigration
Betsy Sweet: Pay for transition costs of new Mainers.
Janet Mills: Condemns President's ban on refugees.
Mary Mayhew: Slash funds for new immigrants & asylum seekers.
Paul LePage: Build border fence as high as the Great Wall of China.
Shawn Moody: Work with federal officials against illegal immigrants.
Robert Charles: Maine's Democrats are challenging removal of illegal aliens.
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Jobs
Betsy Sweet: Supports $15 minimum wage and strong unions.
Eliot Cutler: Zealously guard against interference in unionization efforts.
Janet Mills: Raise minimum wage to $12 by 2020.
Mike Michaud: AdWatch: Unions endorse Michaud "to represent Maine workers".
Paul LePage: Vetoed incrementally raising the state's minimum wage.
Paul LePage: Are low-wage call-center jobs the kind we want?
Shawn Moody: Make it easier for job creators: create a service hotline.
Shawn Moody: Roll back minimum wage increase.
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Principles & Values
Paul LePage: 2020 election was clearly stolen, and so was 2018.
Ed Crockett: Never held a party position; I do not answer to party bosses.
Janet Mills: Pope Francis inspired millions of people--of all faiths.
Robert Charles: Teaching the divine beauty of the universe is dismissed.
Shenna Bellows: Maine is the best place on earth.
Shenna Bellows: We the people do have the power to make change.
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Social Security
Eliot Cutler: Support & strengthen the foundations for Social Security.
Mike Michaud: Soc. Sec. & Medicare secure retirement; they're not welfare.
Paul LePage: Medicare and Social Security are really just welfare.
Paul LePage: Keep our promise; don't tax Social Security.
Janet Mills: Social Security.
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Tax Reform
Angus King: Decrease income taxes, but no flat tax.
Betsy Sweet: Level the playing field; more taxes for the top 20%.
Eliot Cutler: Shift burden from property tax as part of strategic reform.
Mary Mayhew: Cut tax burden for employers.
Paul LePage: Threatened to veto bills unless state income tax abolished.
Paul LePage: No to treating forgivable PPP loans as taxable state income.
Shawn Moody: You can't tax young people if we want to attract them here.
Shawn Moody: Tight N'Up spending; reduce income tax; provide transparency.
Ed Crockett: For smart property tax reform.
Robert Charles: Eliminate burdensome regulations and abolish the income tax.
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Technology
Janet Mills: Loss of net neutrality is a giveaway to huge corporations.
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Welfare & Poverty
Eliot Cutler: We need welfare reform but not demonization of recipients.
Janet Mills: Demands release of publically funded welfare study.
Mary Mayhew: Auditor: DHHS improperly managed federal welfare funds.
Mary Mayhew: Time limits on welfare benefits, to promote employment.
Paul LePage: Maine's TANF welfare system is too generous.
Paul LePage: Maine grew at 0.8% if we discount federal welfare payments.
Paul LePage: Give people in need a hand up; don't give unneeded hand-outs.
Shawn Moody: Lifetime cap on welfare; with strong fraud detection.
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