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Books by and about 2020 presidential candidates |
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Crippled America,
by Donald J. Trump (2015) |
United,
by Cory Booker (2016) |
The Truths We Hold,
by Kamala Harris (2019) |
Smart on Crime,
by Kamala Harris (2010) |
Guide to Political Revolution,
by Bernie Sanders (2017) |
Where We Go From Here,
by Bernie Sanders (2018) |
Promise Me, Dad ,
by Joe Biden (2017) |
Conscience of a Conservative,
by Jeff Flake (2017) |
Two Paths,
by Gov. John Kasich (2017) |
Every Other Monday,
by Rep. John Kasich (2010) |
Courage is Contagious,
by John Kasich (1998) |
Shortest Way Home,
by Pete Buttigieg (2019) |
The Book of Joe ,
by Jeff Wilser (2019; biography of Joe Biden) |
Becoming,
by Michelle Obama (2018) |
Our Revolution,
by Bernie Sanders (2016) |
This Fight Is Our Fight,
by Elizabeth Warren (2017) |
Higher Loyalty,
by James Comey (2018) |
The Making of Donald Trump,
by David Cay Johnston (2017) |
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Books by and about the 2016 presidential election |
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What Happened ,
by Hillary Clinton (2017) |
Higher Loyalty ,
by James Comey (2018) |
Trump vs. Hillary On The Issues ,
by Jesse Gordon (2016) |
Hard Choices,
by Hillary Clinton (2014) |
Becoming ,
by Michelle Obama (2018) |
Outsider in the White House,
by Bernie Sanders (2015) |
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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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Romney vs. Obama On The Issues:
Side-by-side stances on the issues
by Jesse Gordon of OnTheIssues.org
(Click for Amazon book review)
Click on a participant to pop-up their full list of quotations
from Romney vs. Obama On the Issues, by Jesse Gordon (number of quotes indicated):
- Barack Obama (2)
- Mitt Romney (2)
OR click on an issue category below for a subset. |
BOOK SUMMARY by OnTheIssues.org:
This book puts OnTheIssues' web content into book form -- a direct comparison of issue stances -- not personal biographies, not political horserace analysis, not scandal histories.
Each headline below is backed up with a referenced citation, in context, so you can compare for yourself what each candidate says.
The comparisons are made convenient in a side-by-side layout, with book reviews and a VoteMatch issue summary at the end.
Domestic Issues | Mitt Romney | Barack Obama |
|---|
| Alternative Sentencing: | One Strike, You're Ours: lifetime GPS tracking | Supports alternative sentencing and rehabilitation |
| Death Penalty: | Supports death penalty in heinous murders | Battled legislatively against the death penalty |
| Gun Rights: | Ok to ban lethal weapons that threaten police | Respect 2nd Amendment, but local gun bans ok |
| Drugs in Society: | Combat the ruthless narco-terrorists in Colombia | Expand drug courts; help prisoners with substance abuse |
| Marijuana Legalization: | Opposes legalization of recreational or medical marijuana | Not first candidate to use drugs, but first honest about it |
| Nuclear Waste: | Compensate Nevada for nuclear waste in Yucca Mountain | Opposes Yucca Mountain for nuclear waste storage |
| Environmental Philosophy: | Clean environment will be a campaign theme | Genesis teaches stewardship of earth: sacrifice for future |
| Emissions Standards: | States should be able to have their own emissions standards | Let states define stricter-than-federal emission standards |
| Energy Efficient Cars: | $20 billion package for energy research & new car technology | Let's build a fuel-efficient car in America, not abroad |
| Infrastructure Investment: | Invest in infrastructure from growing economy by lower taxes | National Infrastructure Reinvestment Bank: $60B in 10 years |
| Outer Space Policy: | Mining the moon costs too much | Cancel moon program; develop human mission to Mars |
| R&D Spending: | National R&D spending OK; picking winners not OK | Space-race-level investment in R&D; biotech; & green tech |
| Health Mandate: | Personal responsibility instead of employer mandates | Zero fines & no mandate for small business |
| Medicare: | Reform Medicare, but don't cancel prescription program | Medicare is major driver of our long-term liabilities |
| ObamaCare: | I stand by what I did in Massachusetts; but not ObamaCare | Repealing healthcare reform would cost $250B |
Economic Issues | Mitt Romney | Barack Obama |
|---|
| Corporation Policy: | Corporations are people | I will raise CEO taxes, no doubt about it |
| Financial Bailout: | Bailout program wasted money; let companies go bankrupt | We all hated the bank bailout; but it was necessary |
| Wall Street Reform: | I was CEO at mainstream businesses, not Wall St. | Pay attention to Main Street, not just Wall Street |
| Economic Stimulus: | Key to economic stimulus: get companies to buy more stuff | $1T avoided Depression; but I took office with $8T debt |
| Trickle-Down Economics: | Lowering taxes, like Bush tax cuts, grows the economy | Not enough to help those at the top: it doesn't trickle down |
| National Debt: | The "Party of No" is ok when it comes to spending | Freeze annual domestic spending for next five years |
| Balanced Budget: | Cap how much government can spend as a percentage of GDP | Appoint bipartisan fiscal commission and re-establish PAYGO |
| Campaign Finance Reform: | McCain-Feingold hurt our party and hurt the First Amendment | Public campaign financing with free television & radio time |
| Card Check: | "Card check" is a massive imposition on worker freedom | FactCheck: Yes, wants to limit secret balloting for unions |
| Unemployment: | Replace jobless benefits with unemployment savings accounts | $4,000 tax credit for companies who hire unemployed workers |
| Social Security Privatization: | Favors private accounts; prepared to be entirely bold | What do we do with the losers of privatizing? |
| Trust Fund: | Congress taking money from Trust Fund is criminal | Must capture new revenue; no new Social Security Commission |
| Entitlement Policy: | Rein in the excessive growth in entitlement programs | Good health care and tax reform will save entitlements |
| Tax-and-Spend Policies: | Reduce the tax burden on middle-income families | We need a tax code where everybody pays their fair share |
| Death Tax: | Death tax just doesn't make sense | 2011 budget proposed to raise Death Tax to 45% |
Social Issues | Mitt Romney | Barack Obama |
|---|
| Partial-Birth Abortion: | No punishment for women who have partial birth abortions | Trust women to make own decisions on partial-birth abortion |
| Stem Cells: | Stem cell research lofty goals don't justify destroying life | Stem cells hold promise to cure 70 major diseases |
| Judicial Activism: | Firmly pro-life; including Court nominations | No litmus test; nominate to Court based on their fairness |
| Welfare State: | Opportunity is in our DNA; dependency is death to initiative | Cut poverty in half in 10 years, with faith-based help |
| Welfare-to-Work: | Would require welfare recipients to work | Welfare recipients know how to succeed but need help |
| Don't-Ask-Don't-Tell: | Don't ask, don't tell sounds silly, but it's effective | Repeal Don't-Ask-Don't-Tell |
| Defense of Marriage Act: | MA Constitution, by John Adams, has no same-sex marriage | Decisions about marriage should be left to the states |
| Affirmative Action: | Failure to educate minorities is a civil rights issue | Include class-based affirmative action with race-based |
| College Loans: | China & India graduate more science & engineering PhDs | $10K college tax credit; forgive loans for public service |
| No Child Left Behind: | Changed from closing Education Dept. to supporting NCLB | We need real commitment to education; instead we got NCLB |
| School Vouchers: | Supported means-tested vouchers for public & private schools | Vouchers don't solve the problems of our schools |
| the Fathers In Families: | Child development enhanced by having a mother & father | I know what it means to have an absent father |
| the Tea Party: | Me & Tea Party are both for small government & low spending | 92% of Tea Partiers: "Obama is moving US toward socialism" |
| Personal Faith: | My faith would inform my presidency | I am a person of faith; and I reach out to people of faith |
| Religious Values: | Freedom requires religion just as religion requires freedom | Listening to evangelicals bridges major political fault line |
International Issues | Mitt Romney | Barack Obama |
|---|
| Climate Change: | They don't call it "America warming" but "global warming" | Aggressively address accelerating climate change |
| Oil Drilling: | Develop alternative energy but also drill in ANWR | We cannot drill our way out of our addiction to oil |
| Nuclear Power: | Develop energy technology like nuclear or liquefied coal | Nuclear power ok if we safeguard against waste & terrorism |
| China Trade: | China doesn't want to have a trade war; so push hard | China is a competitor but not an enemy |
| Immigrant Benefits: | Turn off the magnet that attracts immigrants | Pathway to citizenship, but people have to earn it |
| Guest Workers: | I like legal immigration; let business determine visas | Anti-immigrant bitterness stems from joblessness |
| American Exceptionalism: | American Exceptionalism means America need not decline | American exceptionalism is same as any other exceptionalism |
| Iranian Sanctions: | Unacceptable for Iran to become a nuclear nation | Iran is more isolated and will face growing consequences |
| International Diplomacy: | Encourage others to welcome democracy, without military | The UN has succeeded in avoiding a Third World War |
| the Patriot Act: | FBI wiretaps and spying on immigrants OK | The politics of fear undermines basic civil liberties |
| Defense spending: | Increase defense spending to at least 4% of GDP | Reduce defense spending 1% in 2013; add 2% per year after |
| Sources of Terrorism: | To win the war on jihad, we need friends in Muslim world | Battling terrorism must go beyond belligerence vs. isolation |
| Torture Policy: | Best to not say whether waterboarding is torture or not | No torture; no renditions; no operating out of fear |
| Guantanamo Prison: | Closing Gitmo leaves America vulnerable to another 9/11 | OpEd: Promised to close Guantanamo but it's still open |
| Afghanistan War: | Stay in Afghanistan until our generals say to leave | Troops will begin to exit Afghanistan in July 2011 |
| OnTheIssues.org excerpts: (click on issues for details)
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Budget & Economy
Barack Obama: Obama economic stances compared to Romney.
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Education
Barack Obama: Romney education stances compared to Obama.
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Health Care
Mitt Romney: Romney healthcare stances compared to Obama.
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Homeland Security
Mitt Romney: Obama defense issue stances compared to Romney.
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The above quotations are from Romney vs. Obama On The Issues:
Side-by-side stances on the issues
by Jesse Gordon of OnTheIssues.org.
VoteMatch Social Issues |
Mitt Romney |
vs. |
Barack Obama |
|---|
| Abortion is a woman’s right | opposes | | strongly favors |
| Require companies to hire more women & minorities | strongly favors | | strongly favors |
| Same-sex domestic partnership benefits | opposes | | favors |
| Teacher-led prayer in public schools | strongly favors | | opposes |
| Parents choose schools via vouchers | strongly favors | | favors |
VoteMatch Domestic Issues |
Mitt Romney |
vs. |
Barack Obama |
|---|
| More federal funding for health coverage | neutral | | strongly favors |
| Death Penalty | strongly favors | | opposes |
| Mandatory Three Strikes sentencing laws | strongly favors | | opposes |
| Absolute right to gun ownership | opposes | | opposes |
| Drug use is immoral: enforce laws against it | strongly favors | | opposes |
VoteMatch Economic Issues |
Mitt Romney |
vs. |
Barack Obama |
|---|
| Privatize Social Security | strongly favors | | strongly opposes |
| Make taxes more progressive | strongly opposes | | strongly favors |
| Stricter limits on political campaign funds | opposes | | strongly favors |
| Allow churches to provide welfare services | favors | | favors |
| Replace coal & oil with alternatives | opposes | | strongly favors |
VoteMatch International Issues |
Mitt Romney |
vs. |
Barack Obama |
|---|
| Illegal immigrants earn citizenship | opposes | | favors |
| Support & expand free trade | neutral | | opposes |
| The Patriot Act harms civil liberties | strongly opposes | | strongly favors |
| Expand the armed forces | strongly favors | | favors |
| US out of Iraq & Afghanistan | strongly opposes | | favors |
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