2008 Election Cycle Democratic Presidential Candidates
Senator Barack Obama is now the presumptive Democratic Nominee for President of the United States. As of July 26, 2008, there are only 100 days left before the Presidential elections. Get Involved! If you don't do something now, you can explain to your children and your grandchildren why they have to go to fight in Bush/McCain's 100 year war in Iraq later.
Go to:
to find the nearest 100 day event nearest you in Wisconsin.
"I'M ASKING YOU TO BELIEVE.
Not just in my ability to bring about real change in Washington...
I'm asking you to believe in yours."
Senator Barack Obama
On June 7, 2008 Senator Hillary Clinton ended her campaign to be the Democratic nominee for President of the United States. She has thrown her support behind Senator Barack Obama and has asked her supporters to do the same. It is time now for Democrats to unite and prevent McSame from gaining Bush's Third Term. Bush 1 and Bush 2 as well as all of the Bush cronies from their terms in office support McCain, so you'd better understand that if he gets in, it will just be more of the same. Sitting this election out, or voting for a write in candidate, or a third party candidate is the same as voting for McCain. Nader's run for the Presidency should have shown you that. The last two Presidential elections should have shown you that.
If you are really interested in changing what is happening in this country we need to unite against the special interests who fund McSame's candidacy, and who have been behind both of the Bush's. Support Senator Barack Obama and other Democratic candidates in their races all the way down the ticket if you want to see some change.
Democratic Presidential Candidates 2008
Dear DFA Member,
The Military Commissions Act. Warrantless wiretapping. Shredding of Habeas Corpus. Torture. Extraordinary Rendition. Secret Prisons.
Enough is enough.
You may have heard that I've placed a hold on any legislation that includes "retroactive immunity" for telecom companies that helped the Bush Administration spy on Americans.
And if it comes down to it, I'll filibuster.
This might not be customary, but my ask isn't that you vote for me in the Pulse Poll, it is that you let Democracy for America HQ know how you feel about our fight to restore the Constitution and preserve the rule of law.
So vote in the poll, and in the "optional" comment field, send a message encouraging DFA to join the fight on FISA today.
http://www.DemocracyforAmerica.com/VoteDoddhttp://www.DemocracyforAmerica.com/VoteDoddI've been supported in this effort by MoveOn, the ACLU, Glenn Greenwald, Atrios, the team at Firedoglake, Open Left, the Daily Kos community and countless other bloggers and organizations across the country on the issue of restoring our Constitution.
There is a hearing on retroactive immunity before the Senate Judiciary Committee in two days, in fact.
We're getting closer to stopping this bill, and DFA's support might be the factor that pushes us over the top.
Ask DFA to get involved in the fight by voting in the Pulse Poll and sharing your request in the optional comment field.
http://www.DemocracyforAmerica.com/VoteDodd 'd like to see a little more spine, frankly, on these issues. Candidates always tell us they want to lead, but a little leadership right now would certainly be welcomed on these questions.
We shouldn't have to wait to elect the next President before we finally show the courage to stand up to the grave mistakes made by this one.
Thanks for your support,
Chris Dodd
John Edwards Positions:
Here's what an Edwards presidency would mean for America:
CLEAN ELECTIONS: I'm serious about breaking the stranglehold of big money on our democracy. I'm the only leading candidate who has never accepted a dime from political action committees or federal lobbyists. And I'm the only leading candidate to accept public financing because I'm committed to walking the walk on clean elections starting today.
OUT OF IRAQ: I will end the war in Iraq – period. I believe we should begin withdrawing combat troops immediately and will ensure that we have withdrawn all troops within 10 months—leaving no permanent bases behind. I will end the outsourcing of military operations to unaccountable private contractors. And unlike other candidates, I will never equivocate about a potentially endless military involvement in Iraq.
UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE: I was the first candidate to release a detailed plan for universal health care, and I'm still the only leading candidate with a plan that truly guarantees care for everyone. My plan preserves choice by requiring the insurance companies to compete with a public plan (which may evolve toward a single-payer approach over time), reduces the cost for everyone, ensures every American is enrolled and prohibits any discrimination based on pre-existing conditions.
SOLVING GLOBAL WARMING: I have the most aggressive plan of any leading candidate. I will lead a revolution in the energy economy to reduce carbon levels by 80% by 2050 and create over 1 million new jobs along the way. My global warming plan got more votes from MoveOn.org members than my two closest competitors combined.
ECONOMIC FAIRNESS: I will lead a national effort to strengthen the middle class and end poverty in 30 years through reforms like raising the minimum wage to $9.50 by 2012, creating 1 million stepping stone jobs, bringing opportunity to rural America, and strengthening workers rights to organize. I am proud to have earned the official endorsement of labor unions representing over 2.2 million current and retired workers—more than any other candidate.
SECURING THE VOTE: Every American deserves an absolute guarantee that their vote is counted as cast. That means every vote count must be verifiable by a hand count, with access for people with disabilities. And it means that unaccountable, partisan corporations must not be allowed to monopolize the voting process.
BLUE STATES FROM COAST TO COAST: Poll after poll has shown I'm the one candidate who can really help turn America blue. I'm committed to helping local Democrats win office from Oklahoma to Maine, and to holding Congress accountable to our progressive vision.
Dennis Kucinich Positions:
Ending the war and preventing the next one
I am the only Democratic presidential candidate who campaigned against and voted against the war authorization resolution in 2002 and every supplemental appropriation since. Five years ago, I presented evidence to my colleagues in the House and Senate based on my own intelligence analysis which showed that Iraq did not have weapons of mass destruction and was not a direct threat to the U.S. or our allies. I shared that analysis with my Congressional colleagues and rallied more than 120 members to vote against the authorization.
The defense offered by other candidates - "If I knew then what I know now" - is a feeble excuse for making the wrong decision when it mattered most to make the right decision. Many of us did know then because we weren't tricked or bullied by the White House. We knew it was wrong, and we knew the consequences. So did you.
But what makes the newfound anti-war claims of some other candidates even more indefensible is that they voted to continue funding the war, year after year, at least until their Presidential campaigns began. It's simply not enough to say you oppose the war now when you continued to fund it time and time again.
Right now, the war is fully funded until early next year. There is more than enough money available to bring all of our troops and equipment home within a few months, but the Congressional leadership is unwilling to challenge the President.
My plan, embodied in HR 1234, would end the war, end the occupation, establish an international security and peacekeeping force, begin the process of reconciliation, and provide the kind of support needed for reconstruction.
My target is not 2013. My target is three months after taking office.
But in the meantime, we in the Congress, with your support, must use every means at our disposal to force the White House to act now to bring our troops home. And, we must use every means at our disposal to stop the White House from launching a new war on Iran with the same flimsy, deceptive and outright fraudulent claims it used five years ago.
After failing to deliver what it promised in last year's election, the Democratic leadership has a moral obligation, overdue, to live up to its word to the American people.
Empowering Constitutional abuses, and ending them
I am the only Democrat running for President who voted against the unconstitutional and illegal U.S.A Patriot Act. The other candidates were wrong then, and various federal court rulings have made that abundantly clear. We can't condone the shredding of our Constitution in the name of "national security." And we can't support leaders, candidates or policies that do.
True "universal health care"
I am the only Presidential candidate who supports a truly universal, single-payer, not-for-profit health care system to cover all Americans. Every other plan preserves, and in some cases, enhances the role of private, for-profit insurance companies that make their billions by not providing coverage. Forcing Americans to buy private insurance denies the moral obligation of this nation to provide coverage for its citizens. Any scheme that provides subsidies or other financial incentives to for-profit providers to make coverage less expensive or more accessible is just that: a scheme. It further enriches the insurers, at taxpayers' expense, and would still not guarantee full coverage or universal availability.
Michael Moore has endorsed my health care plan (HR 676), as have thousands of physicians, nurses, and labor union members. It's time to catch up to the rest of the industrialized nations and declare that health care is a right, not a commodity that some people can afford and others can't. No other candidate is willing to take on those insurance companies. I am. And I believe that you are, too.
Marriage equality
I am the only candidate running for president who supports full marriage equality. I believe marriage equality is a defining issue for the 21st century. Any two people who love each other should not be denied the right to share their love with each other. The other candidates disagree. Once again, they are wrong.
If we don't stand up for this issue - vote our hearts and our consciences - the Democratic Party and the Democratic candidates will continue to ignore the issue of marriage equality and continue falling back on "civil unions" as a more "acceptable" alternative. It is not acceptable. You know it, and I know it.
Impeachment
I am only the presidential candidate willing to demand the impeachment of Vice President Dick Cheney. Every pair of DFA eyes reading this e-mail knows that this President and this Vice President have committed serious crimes worthy of impeachment. This it not a personal attack against the Vice President. It is about the sanctity of the Constitution. This democracy must be protected against leaders who have no regard for the Constitution or the rule of law. The mechanism for taking action against such leaders is impeachment. We, the people, have not only the right but the obligation to stop this. HR 333, which I introduced, is the appropriate recourse under the law to hold those leaders accountable and answerable.
Again, the Congressional leadership and the other candidates are unwilling to take the kind of action that our Constitution, our laws, and our beliefs demand that we take. And again, they are wrong.
My candidacy for President of the United States is about who we are as Americans. It is about who we are as Democrats. It is about who we are as progressives. There are clear distinctions between my friends in this race and me -- major differences on every issue of importance to me and to you.
I stand proudly for my core beliefs. Only if you and others with the courage to hold the Party and its candidates accountable will we be able to make progress on a real agenda for real change in this nation. And by doing what's right, all of us together, we can send a proud and powerful message that we know what - and who - is wrong. And, very simply, we've had enough.
For more information on my record, please visit my website -- I want DFA members to have direct and constant contact with my campaign. I urge you at any time to reach out to our campaign's national field director, Vin Gopal, by e-mailing him at
vin.gopal@kucinich.us
Dear Friends,
I know you've already received a couple of emails from other candidates, asking for your vote in the Presidential Pulse Poll. They have given you what you usually get from candidates: long lists of strong policy statements and broad political philosophies.
You've seen my DFA videos on energy and Iraq, and you can visit my website for my plans on health care, education, and other important issues. But today I want to talk to you about the issue that matters most in this race:
Ending the war in Iraq.
You know where I stand: end this war now and get all our troops out as quickly as possible.
Ending the war was the defining issue in 2003, when Governor Dean called for an end to the war - before President Bush spent four more years wasting billions of dollars, and hundreds more brave American troops died.
Iraq was the issue that really mattered in 2006, when we elected a Democratic majority to Congress to end the war (though they have yet to get that done). Iraq will be the issue this spring when we select a nominee, and it will be the issue that can win us back the White House in 2008.
Ending the war is the issue that distinguishes me from the other candidates in this race.
It seems simple - yet I am the only leading candidate who is unequivocally calling for the removal of all troops now. No half-measures. No rhetorical games about "combat troops" versus "non-combat troops." No residual troops. No one left behind.
From the other leading candidates we're hearing poll-tested pieties about ending the war. But when you ask them what they'll actually do, none of them will commit to getting all of our troops out of Iraq now. They won't even commit to getting all the troops out by 2013. I've committed to ending the war my first day in office, and getting all the troops out in 2009. You can hold me to it.
If we don't elect a candidate who will get all of our troops out now, the war in Iraq may still be the defining issue in the 2012 campaign.
Ending the war means a full and complete withdrawal. That's what America needs... and it's what I'll do.
Before I was Governor of New Mexico, I was a member of Congress, Secretary of Energy, and Ambassador to the United Nations. I've successfully negotiated with the worst "bad guys" from around the world -- including Saddam Hussein. I know the region, and I know real diplomacy isn't possible until we get all of our troops out. As long as our troops are in Iraq, the Iraqis will not make the tough political compromises and the insurgents will continue to use our presence for recruitment. As long as our troops are in Iraq, they will continue to die in someone else's civil war.
I'm talking about Iraq and ending this war everywhere I visit - with DFA support and volunteers behind me, think of how far we can go.
We need to end this war now. That means getting all of our troops out. I'm the candidate committed to getting it done, and the only candidate with the experience to do it right.
Thank you for your vote in the Presidential Pulse Poll, and your continued hard work helping to elect Democrats.
Sincerely,
Governor Bill Richardson
Note: Positions from Presidential candidates have been posted as they have been submitted by the candidates organizations to me. I have not vetted the information, nor have I individually searched for their positions. As a member of the voting public, I believe that that is your responsibility. However, as the information is provided to me for posting on this website, I will honor those requests.