Columns and news articles in USA Today


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Abortion     Andrew Cuomo: Protect right to abortion if Roe is overturned.     Catherine Cortez Masto: Endorsed by EMILY's List.     Charlie Dent: Support abortion rights.     Donald Trump: I am pro-life; fight ObamaCare abortion funding.     Donald Trump: Completed conversion from 1999 pro-choice to 2019 pro-life.     George W. Bush: Approval of RU-486 is wrong.     Greg Abbott: Abortions unnecessary except for woman's life or health.     Kenny Marchant: Parental notification for underage to receive abortion.     Lindsey Graham: Federal crime to harm fetus during an assault.     Mike DeWine: Deflects questions about abortion during pandemic.     Mike Fitzpatrick: Oppose abortion rights.     Pope Francis: Abortion is like hiring a hit man to solve a problem.     Pope Francis: Abortion for fetal abnormalities same as Nazi-era eugenics.     Republican Party: OpEd: Democrats now openly support the murder of newborns.     Rick Santorum: There is no federal right to privacy.     Tate Reeves: Abortion services elective and unnecessary during pandemic.

Budget & Economy     Al Green: Entrepreneurs & small businesses are the economy’s backbone.     Andrew Yang: We need to take best parts of both capitalism & socialism.     Donald Trump: FactCheck: Paid income taxes for 3 years out of 5 in 1970s.

Civil Rights     George W. Bush: No gays in Boy Scouts.     Joe Walsh: It's racist to say "go back to where you came from".     John Merrill: America too interested in homosexual activities on TV.     Mike Espy: First black Mississippian in Congress since Reconstruction.     Rick Santorum: Homosexual orientation ok; but homosexual act are sodomy.

Corporations     Andrew Yang: Anti-trust doesn't address issues of modern tech companies.     Chris McDaniel: Grade "D" by Business/Industry Political Education Committee.     Scott Brown: AdWatch: Loosened financial reform regulations.     Tom Steyer: Unchecked capitalism has failed us.

Crime     David Dewhurst: Death is appropriate punishment for repeat child molesters.     Martha McSally: Criminalize harassment in military, keep commander's role.     Tom Steyer: Focus on white supremacist violence as domestic terrorism.

Drugs     Andrew Yang: Fines and judgements to fund treatment of opioid crisis.     Deval Patrick: 2012: As governor, opposed pot decriminalization.     Lincoln Chafee: Not proud of trying cocaine as college student.

Education     Andrew Yang: Forgive "significant portion" of student loan debt.     Betsy DeVos: States can fund private schools but not parochial schools.     Brett Kavanaugh: States funding private schools must fund parochial schools.     Clarence Thomas: States funding private schools must fund parochial schools.     Elena Kagan: States can fund private schools but not parochial schools.     George W. Bush: Vouchers ensure school accountability.     Jeff Apodaca: Make state's Pre-K a year-round program.     John Neely Kennedy: Willing to try anything including vouchers & school choice.     John Roberts: States funding private schools must fund parochial schools.     Neil Gorsuch: States funding private schools must fund parochial schools.     Ruth Bader Ginsburg: States can fund private schools but not parochial schools.     Samuel Alito: States funding private schools must fund parochial schools.     Sonia Sotomayor: States can fund private schools but not parochial schools.     Stephen Breyer: States can fund private schools but not parochial schools.     Tom Steyer: I will tackle the student debt crisis head on.     Tom Steyer: Supports two years free tuition to community colleges.

Energy & Oil     Andrew Yang: Get incentives right to subsidize renewable energy.     Dick Cheney: Energy plan focuses on production.     George W. Bush: Incentives for high-mileage cars, but drill for more oil.     George W. Bush: More exploration, more nuclear, more energy research.     Tom Steyer: On Day 1: declare climate crisis a national emergency.     Tom Steyer: End subsidies & tax breaks for fossil fuels.

Environment     Thad Cochran: The Quiet Persuader: Got $29B for Katrina rebuilding.     Tom Steyer: Nuclear energy is risky & not cost competitive.

Families & Children     Rick Santorum: Church scandals caused by "right to privacy lifestyle".

Foreign Policy     Alan Keyes: Rwanda: Humanitarian grounds 150x more than in Bosnia.     David Perdue: National debt impacts our foreign policy.     Donald Trump: Reject ideology of globalism; embrace doctrine of patriotism.     Donald Trump: Foreign aid only for allies with shared values.     Donald Trump: No involvement in Hong Kong protest or Tiananmen anniversary.     Joe Sestak: Building liberal world order is what makes America First.     John Kerry: Trump turned world of respect into world of chaos.

Free Trade     Colin Powell: Democracy flowers when trade is free.     Joe Biden: Trump's flimsy trade deal sells out US interest to China.     John Bolton: Trump's China trade deal focused on re-election help.     Donald Trump: China should buy more American farm products.

Government Reform     Andrew Yang: Automatic voter registration & lower voting age to 16.     Charlie Dent: Voted against boosting officials’ pensions by 50 percent.     Lisa Murkowski: Supported Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation to Supreme Court.     Pat Buchanan: Will seek non-incumbent Democrat as Vice President.     Sarah Palin: Supported Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation to Supreme Court.     Tom Steyer: The right to vote is gateway to inclusive democracy.

Gun Control     Deval Patrick: Rejected Ruby Ridge task force recommendations.     Donald Trump: I am against gun control.     Eric Swalwell: Ban assault weapons and buy back as many as possible.     Gary Johnson: Carrying guns reduces crime and mass shootings.     Gary Johnson: Discuss keeping guns away from mentally ill.     Matt Bevin: Culture of violence, like zombie shows, cause mass shootings.     Rick Perry: Welcomes NRA with a video of him using semi-automatic rifle.     Tom Steyer: I will declare gun violence a public health epidemic.     Van Taylor: Proposed bill to allow gun license as form of ID.

Health Care     Al Gore: Patient rights: access to specialists; right to sue HMOs.     Al Green: Ensure quality health care is accessible to all individuals.     Andrew Yang: Provide comprehensive mental health coverage.     Andrew Yang: Supports forced licensing of drug patents to control costs.     Donald Trump: Let vets see private doctors or VA: that's not privatization.     Donald Trump: Medicare for All is really Medicare for None.     George W. Bush: Family Health Credit: pay for 90% of basic low-income policy.     George W. Bush: Small business health insurance via trade associations.     George W. Bush: $3.6B for 1,200 new community health centers.     George W. Bush: Health care access via empowerment, not nationalizing.     George W. Bush: More CHIPs; more multistate HMOs.     Kay Hagan: AdWatch: Hagan promised wrongly that all can keep insurance.     Pat Roberts: First to call for Sebelius resignation over ObamaCare fiasco.     Ted Cruz: Washington wants ObamaCare, the people want liberty.     Todd Tiahrt: Calls for Sebelius resignation over ObamaCare fiasco.     Tom Steyer: Supports public option; allow private insurance.     Tom Steyer: More funding is needed for mental health care.

Homeland Security     Andrew Yang: Make domestic terrorism a primary focus of FBI, DHS, DOJ.     Donald Rumsfeld: Boost defense spending by $200B over next 6 years.

Immigration     Ken Cuccinelli: Give me your poor, if they won't become a public charge.     Ken Cuccinelli: Give me your poor, if they won't become a public charge.     Tom Steyer: Decriminalize unauthorized border crossings.

Jobs     Cindy Hyde-Smith: Noted as "Business and Jobs" champion by oversight committee.

Principles & Values     Bob Smith: Withdraws from FL Senate race, citing lack of money.     Donald Trump: Open-border socialism brings suffering, misery and decay.     Donald Trump: More due process was afforded at Salem Witch Trials.     Gerald Ford: Profile in Courage Award for pardon of Nixon.     John Bolton: Declined impeachment testimony due to "personal involvement".     Karen Testerman: BSA changing sexual orientation policy leads to atheism.     Mike Pence: When criticized about Jesus, I breath a prayer of praise.     Mitch McConnell: Not an impartial juror about impeachment, at all.     Ron Paul: Breaks one-day fundraising record: $6M at "Boston Tea Party".     Tulsi Gabbard: Voted "present" because of lack of bipartisan support.

Social Security     Bob Kerrey: Self-investment of Social Security .     George W. Bush: Bush commission members all back privatization.     Joe Biden: Protect Social Security & Medicare: "You have my word".     Rev. Jesse Jackson: Opposes privatizing Social Security.     Richard Cordray: Develop consumer tools to use with Social Security decisions.

Tax Reform     George W. Bush: Retroactive tax cuts may bolster faltering economy.     Kenny Marchant: Make Bush's tax cuts permanent.     Ted Cruz: Abolish the IRS.     Tom Steyer: Implement 1 percent annual wealth tax on America's richest.     Tom Steyer: Repeal Trump tax cuts; close corporate tax loopholes.     Wesley Clark: $5T tax cuts for the rich are legalized theft.

Technology     Tom Steyer: We need to hit reset button on how we think about technology.

War & Peace     Colin Powell: We must stay the course in Iraq & provide more resources.     Donald Trump: I opposed Iraq War in 2004; it destabilized entire Mideast.     Donald Trump: 2011: Knock out Ghadafi; 2016: Libya war was a mistake.     Tom Steyer: Diplomatic measures must always be the first choice.

Welfare & Poverty     Tom Steyer: Our affordable housing situation is a crisis.

Click for quotations from other sources by: Al Gore Democrat Al Green Democrat U.S. Rep Texas-9 Alan Keyes Republican Andrew Cuomo New York Democratic candidate NYC Mayor Andrew Yang New York Democratic candidate for NYC Mayor Betsy DeVos Former Education Secretary Bob Kerrey Democratic Challenger (previously Senator) Nebraska Bob Smith 2010 Challenger; lost FL GOP primary; previous NH Senator Florida Brett Kavanaugh Nominee for Supreme Court Justice Catherine Cortez Masto Democratic Sr Senator Nevada Charlie Dent Chris McDaniel Republican challenger Mississippi Cindy Hyde-Smith Republican Jr. Senator Mississippi Clarence Thomas Republican Appointee to Supreme Court Colin Powell Cabinet-2005 David Dewhurst Texas Republican Lt. Governor David Perdue Georgia Republican Challenger Deval Patrick Massachusetts Democratic Governor Dick Cheney Former Republican Vice President Donald Rumsfeld Cabinet-2008 Donald Trump Republican former President Elena Kagan Democratic Appointee to Supreme Court Eric Swalwell California Presidential candidate; Governor candidate; U.S.Rep(CA-15) Gary Johnson New Mexico Libertarian Gubernatorial Challenger George W. Bush Republican Gerald Ford Greg Abbott Texas Republican Governor Jeff Apodaca New Mexico Democratic candidate for New Mexico Governor Joe Biden Democratic President; former V.P.; former Senator Joe Sestak Democratic candidate for President; Navy Admiral Joe Walsh Illinois Republican presidential primary challenger John Bolton National Security Advisor John Kerry Cabinet Climate Envoy John Merrill Republican Senate Challenger Alabama John Neely Kennedy Louisiana Republican candidate for governor John Roberts Republican Appointee to Supreme Court Karen Testerman New Hampshire Republican Gubernatorial Challenger Kay Hagan Democratic Jr Senator North Carolina Ken Cuccinelli Virginia Republican Challenger Kenny Marchant Republican U.S. Rep Texas-24 Lincoln Chafee Rhode Island Independent Rhode Island Governor Lindsey Graham South Carolina S.C. Senator; Republican Presidential candidate Lisa Murkowski Republican Sr Senator Alaska Martha McSally Republican appointee for Arizona U.S. Senator Arizona Matt Bevin Kentucky Republican Governor Mike DeWine Ohio Republican candidate for Governor Mike Espy Democratic candidate for Mississippi U. S. Senator Mississippi Mike Fitzpatrick Republican (retiring 2016) U.S. Rep Pennsylvania-8 Mike Pence Indiana Former Republican Vice President (withdrew Oct.2023) Mitch McConnell Republican Sr Senator Kentucky Neil Gorsuch Republican Appointee to Supreme Court Pat Buchanan Reform Pat Roberts Republican Sr (Retiring 2020) Kansas Pope Francis Leader of the Catholic Church Republican Party Rev. Jesse Jackson Richard Cordray Ohio Democratic candidate for governor of Ohio Rick Perry Texas Former Secretary of Energy Rick Santorum Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul Republican (Libertarian 1988) Ruth Bader Ginsburg Former Democratic Appointee to Supreme Court Samuel Alito Republican Appointee to Supreme Court Sarah Palin Alaska Former Governor (resigned 2009); V.P. nominee (2008) Scott Brown MA Republican Jr Senator; NH candidate New Hampshire Sonia Sotomayor Democratic Appointee to Supreme Court Stephen Breyer Democratic Appointee to Supreme Court Tate Reeves Mississippi Republican candidate for governor Ted Cruz Republican 2016 Primary Challenger Thad Cochran Republican Sr Senator Mississippi Todd Tiahrt Republican Senate Challenger Kansas Tom Steyer California Democratic Challenger Tulsi Gabbard Hawaii Democratic candidate for President; U.S. Rep from HI-2 Van Taylor Republican U.S. Rep Texas-3 Wesley Clark Democrat