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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
Augustus Invictus: Leave abortion decisions to the states.
Betty Castor: Abortion should be rare, safe and legal.
Betty Castor: Abortion is a personal matter that should not be interfered.
Bill Nelson: Supports a women's right to choose.
Charlie Crist: Tea Party is too extreme on outlawing abortion.
Charlie Crist: Vetoed bill requiring ultrasound exams before abortions.
Edward Janowski: Men imposing on pregnant women makes them breeding stock.
Kendrick Meek: I have a 100% voting record on abortion, unlike Gov. Crist.
Mel Martinez: Opposed to abortion--life begins at conception.
Rick Scott: Abortion is wrong & Roe versus Wade should be overturned.
Marco Rubio: Leave it to state's voters; Democrats want no restrictions.
Debbie Mucarsel-Powell: Guarantee abortion rights in the Florida constitution.
Ashley Moody: Fought to keep abortion access question off the state ballot.
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Budget & Economy
Augustus Invictus: Fight for balanced budget & against Federal Reserve.
Betty Castor: No tax cuts to the wealthy while we are facing huge deficits.
Bill Nelson: Budget sequestration avoided national default.
Carlos Lopez-Cantera: As Lt. Governor: focus on job creation and tax reduction.
Charlie Crist: Supports economic stimulus and some parts of ObamaCare.
Charlie Crist: $8B stimulus funds saved or created 87,000 jobs in Florida.
Charlie Crist: OpEd: As incumbent, blamed for Florida's weak economy.
David Jolly: We've doubled our national debt in the last 8 years.
David Jolly: Balance the budget: morally bound and for national security.
Edward Janowski: Stimulus is short-lived; reduce barriers to market growth.
Kendrick Meek: For economic stimulus, ObamaCare, & repealing Bush tax cuts.
Kendrick Meek: Grow the economy rather than applying ideology.
Marco Rubio: Oppose Obama stimulus package; it's bad for America.
Marco Rubio: Paycheck Protection Program most effective relief program.
Mel Martinez: Promote growth and job creation to reduce the deficit.
Marco Rubio: Supports emergency relief to be spent immediately.
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Civil Rights
Augustus Invictus: Who one marries is not the concern of the Government.
Augustus Invictus: Friends with white supremacists, but denies affiliation.
Betty Castor: Support basic protections for gay couples, but not marriage.
Charlie Crist: Lifetime member of NAACP.
Charlie Crist: Opposed gay adoption; then praised Court overturning ban.
Edward Janowski: Focus on corporate benefits for same-sex couples.
Marco Rubio: Men's bathrooms are for men & women's bathrooms for women.
Mel Martinez: Support the constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.
Pam Keith: Racists are sad aberrations, but they still exist.
Rick Scott: Enforce Court decision ending college affirmative action.
Rick Scott: Urged NCAA to ban transgender athletes from women's sports.
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Corporations
Marco Rubio: Work across the aisle to make America more business-friendly.
Marco Rubio: Businesses need certainty to commit to hiring new workers.
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Crime
Charlie Crist: Chain-Gang Charlie: reinstitute prison chain gangs.
Edward Janowski: Enforce existing sentences; eliminate other crimes.
Val Demings: Police work should be about building communities.
Val Demings: Support police but we also have to deal with social ills.
Marco Rubio: Courts are used to persecute and prosecute Donald Trump.
Debbie Mucarsel-Powell: Require police reforms; address systemic racism in policing.
Ashley Moody: Supports enhanced penalties under Thin Blue Line Act.
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Drugs
Alan Grayson: Exempt high-CBD/low-THC medical marijuana from Drug War.
Augustus Invictus: Abolishing the DEA is a start to end war on drugs.
Edward Janowski: Ridiculous to consider marijuana a gateway drug.
Marco Rubio: Prove medical benefits to FDA before legalizing marijuana.
Patrick Murphy: Protect people complying with state marijuana laws from feds.
Patrick Murphy: Let states decide marijuana legalization.
Rocky De La Fuente: Focus on opioids rather than marijuana.
Debbie Mucarsel-Powell: Rated A by NORML: legalize marijuana & tax it.
Rick Scott: Rated F by NORML: no medical marijuana.
Ashley Moody: Opposed state ballot measure for recreational marijuana.
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Education
Augustus Invictus: Enemy of Common Core and No Child Left Behind.
Edward Janowski: Vouchers are regularly abused due to lack of oversight.
Patrick Murphy: Quality public education is best way to grow middle class.
Rocky De La Fuente: Keep college graduates in Florida after graduation.
Val Demings: We need to focus more on our children graduating high school.
Debbie Mucarsel-Powell: Opposes Florida's "Stop WOKE Act" in schools.
Debbie Mucarsel-Powell: Cancel student debt, or at least cancel interest.
Rick Scott: It's time for schools to stop pushing these woke ideologies.
Rick Scott: Student loan bailout is a socialist handout.
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Energy & Oil
Augustus Invictus: Find alternatives to dependence on foreign energy sources.
Betty Castor: We won’t solve this problem with more drilling.
Charlie Crist: Open to cap-and-trade plan for carbon emissions.
David Jolly: I support offshore drilling, but not off Florida's coasts.
Edward Janowski: Strong supporter of green energy.
Mel Martinez: Allow exploration in areas that support drilling.
Ron DeSantis: No delay on Keystone pipeline for security & safety study.
Marco Rubio: Produce more American oil and not buy Russian oil.
Debbie Mucarsel-Powell: Climate change is real; act to upgrade infrastructure.
Rick Scott: Address climate change impact without killing the economy.
Ashley Moody: Oppose "radical energy policies" applied to washing machines.
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Environment
Augustus Invictus: Respecting environment over business is a must.
Bill Nelson: Lake Okeechobee water is murky, but it's a state issue.
Connie Mack IV: Criticizes agricultural tax breaks for grazing land.
Edward Janowski: Rein in EPA along with other bureaucracies.
Patrick Murphy: Vital to Florida's future that we protect our environment.
Rick Scott: Lake Okeechobee water is murky, but it's a federal issue.
Rick Scott: OpEd: Protestors blame Scott for red tide algae bloom.
Rick Scott: Repealed mandatory septic tank inspection & cut state DEP.
Rick Scott: Emergency $9M to cope with red tide algae bloom.
Rocky De La Fuente: We bear responsibility as stewards of our planet.
Debbie Mucarsel-Powell: Our environment is at the heart of everything.
Rick Scott: Cut budgets of state environmental agencies.
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Families & Children
Augustus Invictus: Healthy relations between men and women: opposes deviancy.
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Foreign Policy
Betty Castor: Bush’s travel restrictions to Cuba are wrong.
Bill Nelson: Keep the Cuban embargo, but let family members travel.
Carlos Lopez-Cantera: Defend democracy in Cuba, Venezuela, & Israel.
Carlos Lopez-Cantera: After Cuban "normalization," more beatings & more oppression.
Connie Mack IV: Keep the Cuban embargo until Cuba is a free democracy.
David Jolly: Help create stability in regions where there is none.
Edward Janowski: Support American Exceptionalism.
Pam Keith: Don't live by fear; we're the most bad-ass nation.
Pam Keith: Born in Turkey; lived outside US for 9 years.
Marco Rubio: Prisoner swaps put a price tag on Americans.
Ashley Moody: Demands answers about retailer's connection to CCP.
Ashley Moody: Florida stands with the nation's ally, Israel.
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Free Trade
David Jolly: Yes to Ex-im bank; No to fast-track.
Edward Janowski: Trade deals not balanced for US but favor global economy.
Marco Rubio: Ban Xinjiang trade to fight Communist China on human rights.
Patrick Murphy: Yes to Ex-im bank; No to fast-track.
Ron DeSantis: No to Ex-im bank; Yes to fast-track.
Marco Rubio: Assume something made in China is from slave labor.
Debbie Mucarsel-Powell: Add country of origin meat labeling to trade pact.
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Government Reform
Bill Nelson: Russians penetrating our elections, but details classified.
Bill Nelson: Require ads to disclose funders.
David Jolly: OpEd AdWatch: Worked for lobbyists associated with Pakistan.
Edward Janowski: Voter ID system to end election fraud.
George LeMieux: Opposed thousands of earmarks during time in Senate.
Rick Scott: Political donations exercise the right to free speech.
Val Demings: Members of extremist groups shouldn't be in police, military.
Marco Rubio: Vice President doesn't have power to overturn election.
Debbie Mucarsel-Powell: Require independent, nonpartisan redistricting.
Rick Scott: Shrink government work force by 25% in 5 years .
Ashley Moody: Oppose unelected bureaucrats cramming down regulations.
Ashley Moody: Signed onto lawsuit attempting to overturn 2020 election.
Ashley Moody: Supported brief allowing Virginia to purge voter rolls.
Ashley Moody: Ease regulations to allow rebuilding after hurricanes.
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Gun Control
Augustus Invictus: Wants restoration of the Second Amendment.
Edward Janowski: Absolute right to gun ownership.
Patrick Murphy: More background checks: close the terrorist gun loophole.
Patrick Murphy: No civilian access to military-style assault weapons.
Patrick Murphy: Expand background checks; bar people on watch lists.
Rick Scott: Don't ban AR-15s; fully automatic weapons already illegal.
Rocky De La Fuente: Prohibit assault weapons; prohibit bump stocks.
Rocky De La Fuente: Allow open carry in all public places and schools.
Val Demings: Biden's measured, evidence-based orders will save lives.
Debbie Mucarsel-Powell: Floridians don't want more unchecked guns on our streets.
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Health Care
Betty Castor: Expand federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.
Betty Castor: Fight for a meaningful prescription drug plan.
Charlie Crist: Cover Florida: 6,000 uninsured given peace of mind.
Charlie Crist: Get waste & fraud out of Medicare so program will survive.
Connie Mack IV: ObamaCare cuts $700 billion out of your Medicare.
Connie Mack IV: Repeal ObamaCare but preserve pre-existing condition rule.
Edward Janowski: Dismantle ObamaCare, for personal sovereignty & cost too.
Marco Rubio: Provide alternatives to employer-based insurance system.
Mel Martinez: Support Bush's plan to provide prescription drug benefits.
Patrick Murphy: We can improve ObamaCare, but it has hugely positive impact.
Debbie Mucarsel-Powell: Expand Affordable Care Act and include a public option.
Ashley Moody: During pandemic we defeated mask and vaccine mandates.
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Homeland Security
Alan Grayson: Opposed $607 billion national defense bill.
Ann Kirkpatrick: Voted with GOP for DoD bill that Obama vetoed.
Augustus Invictus: Non-interventionism & no unconditional support to Israel.
Betty Castor: Support the all volunteer military, not a military draft.
Charlie Crist: Military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy has worked.
Connie Mack IV: Budget sequestration guts our military.
Edward Janowski: Expand military to provide jobs and education.
Marco Rubio: No evidence to change policy of don't ask, don't tell.
Marco Rubio: Shouldn't rely on China for our prescription drugs.
Mel Martinez: Volunteers for military service make a draft unnecessary.
Pam Keith: My military service exposed me to issues that we face.
Patrick Murphy: Voted with GOP for DoD bill that Obama vetoed.
Rocky De La Fuente: Address broken VA hospital system.
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Immigration
Alan Grayson: Allow administrative amnesty to some illegal aliens.
Augustus Invictus: Screen immigrants for status and ISIS connections.
Betty Castor: Expedite citizenship for legal immigrants on active duty.
Bill Nelson: Path to citizenship with fines & English proficiency.
Carlos Lopez-Cantera: FactCheck: Supports E-Verify, but not racial profiling.
Charlie Crist: Seal borders; enforce laws; send illegals to back of line.
Connie Mack IV: No amnesty for illegal immigrants.
Edward Janowski: Pathway to citizenship for some, to work thru quagmire.
Marco Rubio: Don't count illegal immigrants in the 2010 census.
Marco Rubio: AZ law may unreasonably single out some citizens.
Marco Rubio: Allow children of illegals to pay in-state college tuition.
Marco Rubio: No amnesty in any form, not even back-of-the-line.
Marco Rubio: GOP DREAM Act: visas for going to college or military.
Mel Martinez: Strongly oppose amnesty for illegal aliens.
Rocky De La Fuente: We have a rich history of embracing immigrants.
Val Demings: Supports Kate's Law: harsher sentences on deported migrants.
Debbie Mucarsel-Powell: Path to permanent residence for DACA (support DREAMers).
Rick Scott: Urged Trump to not end DACA (support DREAMers).
Ashley Moody: Supports Trump's immigrations policies on DAY ONE.
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Jobs
Edward Janowski: No affirmative action; no quotas.
Rocky De La Fuente: Create more jobs, and create higher paying jobs.
Val Demings: Look at hiring standards, police should reflect diversity.
Debbie Mucarsel-Powell: Supports PRO Act: fight to defend labor rights.
Debbie Mucarsel-Powell: Raise minimum wage gradually to $15.
Rick Scott: Supports the National Right-to-Work Act.
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Principles & Values
Augustus Invictus: Libertarians are the party of peace & party of principle.
Bob Smith: Only one in this race with real-world experience.
Charlie Crist: In Rubio's $600,000 slush fund only $4000 went to candidates.
Charlie Crist: Problem solving requires consensus, and sometimes concession.
Charlie Crist: I would have left GOP anyway; they're too extreme.
Charlie Crist: We need open-mindedness in a Senator, not ideology.
Connie Mack IV: Son of Senator; husband of Congresswoman.
Connie Mack IV: GOP debates only help Democrats.
Edward Janowski: Keep "God" on public buildings, as done historically.
George LeMieux: Kept his promise not run for re-election after appointment.
Marco Rubio: God does not love America more than Belgium.
Marco Rubio: Without America, the world would be a worse place.
Marco Rubio: $600,000 fund was not taxpayer money, & is fully accounted.
Marco Rubio: Fundraised via "Floridians for Conservative Leadership".
Marco Rubio: Repaid Florida GOP for overspending on party credit card.
Marco Rubio: Home purchases funded by very GOP-friendly bank boards.
Marco Rubio: As Speaker, passed 57 of "100 Innovative Ideas".
Marco Rubio: Attended 15-20 Tea Party events; but not formally vetted.
Marco Rubio: Are Floridians better off than they were four years ago? No!
Patrick Murphy: OpEd: Angry black women should oppose party-choice Murphy.
Patrick Murphy: Former Republican; FL's most conservative House Democrat.
Val Demings: Would be first Black woman elected as FL Governor or Senator.
Val Demings: Seeing VP Harris sworn in demonstrated American promise.
Val Demings: Being unified nation doesn't mean giving up beliefs.
Debbie Mucarsel-Powell: Threats in name of Christianity are religious terrorism.
Ashley Moody: Appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis to replace Marco Rubio.
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Social Security
Betty Castor: Oppose investing Social Security in the stock market.
Betty Castor: Privatizing Social Security will reduce benefits.
Betty Castor: Oppose privatizing Social Security and retirement age change.
Carlos Lopez-Cantera: Preserve and protect Social Security and Medicare.
Charlie Crist: Focus on waste & fraud, not retirement age & COLA.
Charlie Crist: Reducing COLA is unfair to seniors living on fixed income.
Charlie Crist: Don't raise retirement age; don't adjust COLA.
David Jolly: FactCheck: Discuss private accounts & other options too.
Edward Janowski: Privatizing is idiotic; it puts profits before people.
Marco Rubio: Tough choices include raising retirement age & reducing COLA.
Marco Rubio: Raise retirement age for those now under 55.
Marco Rubio: Hard choices for people under 40, to avoid runaway growth.
Marco Rubio: Keep raising the retirement age on the table.
Marco Rubio: Keep cost-of-living adjustment on the table.
Mel Martinez: Allow people to invest in a private account.
Mel Martinez: Social Security is a sacred promise but plan future solvency.
Rocky De La Fuente: Social Security is broke.
Debbie Mucarsel-Powell: Will always fight to protect Medicare & Social Security.
Debbie Mucarsel-Powell: Protect Social Security instead of Trump's tax cuts.
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Tax Reform
Betty Castor: Tax cuts must reward people who work hard for a living.
Charlie Crist: Extend the $8,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers.
Charlie Crist: Reduce the tax brackets to let private enterprise flourish.
Charlie Crist: 2006: Pledged no taxes; 2009: $2.2B in fees on 16M people.
Charlie Crist: Best to extend all tax cuts; but compromise and push later.
Connie Mack IV: Litmus test: Voting for higher taxes means it's time to go.
Edward Janowski: Remove loopholes and establish a flat tax.
Kendrick Meek: Bush tax cuts killed surpluses; no more trickle-down.
Marco Rubio: Extend Bush tax cuts, even for high earners.
Marco Rubio: 2000: $4 surcharge to cruise tickets to fund Marlins stadium.
Marco Rubio: Proposed to replace property taxes with state sales tax.
Marco Rubio: Pledged to never raise taxes as state rep.
Marco Rubio: No one should pay higher taxes in recession, not even top 2%.
Mel Martinez: Make Bush's tax cuts permanent for strong economic growth.
Debbie Mucarsel-Powell: Our country suffers when wealthy get extreme tax cuts.
Rick Scott: Permanently enact Trump's tax cuts.
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Technology
Augustus Invictus: Subsidies to ISPs are the internet's real problem.
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War & Peace
Augustus Invictus: Our foreign policies are interventionist.
Betty Castor: Would have let Bush use force in Iraq with given information.
Carlos Lopez-Cantera: No nuclear deal with Iran; support preemptive strike.
David Jolly: Cancel Obama's Iran agreement and keep sanctions.
Edward Janowski: Support UN action on disputes, instead of CIA decisions.
Kendrick Meek: Get troops out of Iraq to pay for tax cuts.
Mel Martinez: Iraq was the right decision with or without WMD.
Mel Martinez: The decision to use force in Iraq was necessary.
Patrick Murphy: Air strikes against ISIS but no ground troops.
Marco Rubio: There is no U.S. combat role in Ukraine; use sanctions.
Marco Rubio: A no-fly zone in Ukraine means World War III.
Betty Castor: Finish the job in Iraq; repair relations with other nations.
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Welfare & Poverty
Betty Castor: Raising minimum wage will help.
Mel Martinez: A buck an hour is not going to bring someone out of poverty.
Debbie Mucarsel-Powell: Expand child tax credit for lower-income families.
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