Where the candidates stand
Profiles and politics of presidential candidates
BORN: July 6, 1946
HOME: Austin, Texas
EDUCATION:
Yale University (BA 1968)
Harvard University (MBA 1975)
CAREER:
1995-present: Governor of Texas
1989-94: managing general partner,
Texas Rangers baseball team
1975-87: CEO, Bush Exploration Oil & Gas Co.
1968-73: Texas Air National Guard
On the issues ... Social Security:
Divert Social Security payroll taxes into individual,
market-risk accounts.
Medicare: Wants more choice, more private-sector
alternatives; supports prescription drug benefits for
recipients.
Unionism: Became first governor to sign a law permitting
limited collective bargaining between doctors and health
plans with negotiations controlled by the state.
Campaign finance: Ban soft money from corporations and
unions; raise $1,000 limit.
Child care: Additional spending on after-school programs.
Health care: Expand medical savings accounts; strengthen
tax incentives to small businesses that provide
health-care coverage.
Trade: Expand NAFTA; eliminate trade barriers and
tariffs; admit China to World Trade Organization (WTO).
Public services: As governor, attempted to privatize
Medicaid, Food Stamps and benefit-eligibility for
welfare; his policies have greatly diminished ranks of
state public employees; supports school vouchers for
private schools.
Union endorsements: None
BORN: March 31, 1948
HOME: Washington, D.C.
EDUCATION:
Harvard University (BA 1969)
CAREER:
1993-present: Vice President of the United States
1985-92: U.S. Senator representing Tennessee
1977-84: U.S. Congressman representing central Tennessee
1969-76: U.S. Army (Vietnam), newspaper reporter, law school, divinity school, home construction.
On the issues ... Social Security:
Set aside 62 percent of budget surplus to preserve Social
Security and pay down national debt; invest small portion
in stocks.
Medicare: Opposes individual vouchers for Medicare;
supports Medicare prescription drug coverage and plan to
dedicate 15 percent of budget surplus to Medicare.
Unionism: Assisted SEIU organizing; supports right of
workers to organize and bargain collectively.
Campaign finance: Ban soft money and increase taxpayer
campaign financing.
Child care: Extensive additional spending on child care,
subsidies and tax credits for low-income families and
mothers at home.
Health care: Expand coverage for children; let more
people buy federally supported state coverage.
Trade: Supports liberalized trade agreements and
negotiation of more such deals.
Public services: During federal privatization decision,
Gore advocated for input from government workers to
demonstrate how they could improve operations, save money
and preserve the public nature of the work.
Union endorsements: AFL-CIO, SEIU, AFT and USWA.
BORN: August 29, 1936
HOME: Phoenix, Arizona
EDUCATION:
U.S. Naval Academy (BS 1958)
CAREER:
1987-present: U.S. Senator representing Arizona
1983-86: U.S. Congressman from Arizona
1958-80: U.S. Navy, five years as prisoner of war in
Vietnam
On the
issues ... Social Security: Would set aside 62
percent of budget surplus to preserve Social Security;
opposes plan to invest a portion in stocks.
Medicare: Opposes Medicare reforms that limit or
eliminate health services.
Unionism: Believes in the right to choose to join or not
join a union.
Campaign finance: Ban soft money, stop matching funds,
increase disclosure; would restrict political spending by
unions and corporations.
Child care: Make it more affordable by lowering taxes.
Health care: Expand medical savings accounts; let workers
deduct insurance premiums for long-term care not
subsidized by employers.
Trade: Supports NAFTA; would seek more free-trade
agreements and admit China to WTO.
Public services: Says political leaders and top
government officials must be more accountable for
services they manage; believes contracting out is
sometimes best use of taxpayer funds.
Union endorsements: None
BORN: July 28, 1948
HOME: Montclair, New Jersey
EDUCATION:
Princeton University (BA 1965) Oxford University (MA 1967)
CAREER:
1997-present: speaker, writer, visiting professor
1979-96: U.S. Senator representing New Jersey
1967-77: Professional basketball player, New York Knicks
On the issues ... Social Security: Says current system is more reliable and less risky because it is based on guaranteed benefits.
Medicare: Opposes individual vouchers for Medicare; supports Medicare prescription drug coverage.
Unionism: Promises to speak out on behalf of a worker's right to choose a union and against employers who fire or harass workers during organizing; only candidate who belongs to union (NBA Players' Association); supports labor-law reform.
Campaign finance: Ban soft money to national parties; increase taxpayer campaign financing.
Child care: Expand by $1 billion to $4.3 billion a year; provide child-care subsidies.
Health care: Ensure near-universal access to affordable health coverage; supports SEIU legislation to protect whistleblowers and prevent needle injuries.
Trade: Supports NAFTA, world trade agreement and WTO.
Public services: While skeptical of privatization, will not rule it out.
Union endorsements: None