Political Party: Alma Mater:

Democratic Obama Occidental College, Columbia University (BA), Harvard Law School (JD) Repeal Bush tax cuts for households earning more than $250,000. Lower taxes on manufacturing industry. Stimulus spending and tax cuts to grow the economy (short term). Cut spending and raise taxes on wealthy to reduce deficit (long term). Signed the 2010 healthcare overhaul(renovate) bill. Calls for patient protections like allowing coverage for pre-existing conditions, not letting insurers cancel policies when patients get sick, and requiring individuals to buy health insurance or pay a fine.

Republican Romeny Stanford University, Brigham Young University (BA), Harvard University (MBA, JD) Make Bush tax cuts permanent. Lower corporate tax rate across the board to 25%. Cut taxes and regulations to encourage business. Cut "nonsecurity discretionary [government] spending" by 5% to reduce deficit. Created similar legislation in Mass. but believes it's not appropriate for all of USA and wants to repeal. Proposes encouraging individuals to purchase their own health insurance rather than via employers, and allowing insurance across state lines. Would make English the official language of the US and "turn off the magnets like tuition breaks or other breaks that draw people into this country illegally"

Position on the Economy:

Position on Healthcare:

Position on Immigration:

Supports path to legalization for illegal immigrants that includes learning English & paying fines; toughen penalties for hiring illegal immigrants; voted for fence along Mexican border. Issued exec order to not deport certain undocumented immigrants Opposed invasion from the beginning; opposed troop increase; ended military operations in Iraq(on previously negotiated Bush timeline). Made no effort to keep promise to exit in 2009. Troops moved to Afghanistan and Iranian border. Engage in direct diplomacy; tighten economic sanctions with international cooperation; militaryoption not off the table. Failed to deliver on 2008 campaign promise to meet with the Iranian president without preconditions. Supports a mandatory cap-and-trade system to reduce carbon emissions. Delayed decision on northern leg of Keystone XL pipeline due to environmental concerns. (The Keystone Pipeline System is a pipeline system to transport synthetic crude oil and diluted bitumen ("dilbit") from the northeastern Alberta, Canada to multiple destinations in the United States.) Publicly opposed but debate on Congressional floor revealed that his Administration asked for language excluding American citizens be removed.

Position on Iraq:

Romney says that keeping the U.S. in Iraq is the best option for minimizing casualties and maintaining a democratic government in Iraq.

Position on Iran:

Military option not off the table.

Position on Global Warming and Environment:

Opposes cap and trade legislation. Supports Keystone XL pipeline. Exporting carbon emissions to China hurts US and planet. (Aug 2007), Humans contribute to world getting warmer. (Nov 2011), $20 billion package for energy research & new car technology

Position on Indefinite detention:

Would have signed NDAA as is. (National Defense Authorization Act: The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is a United States federal law specifying the budget and expenditures of the United States Department of Defense. Each year's act also includes other provisions.) Consult with lawyers on legality but believes President has the right to do what he believes makes the country safer.

Position on Military Intervention:

Publicly opposed wars and intervention but has recently admitted to expanding Afghan conflict into Pakistan. Says Congressional approval not required if UN gives approval.

Position on Gay rights:

Supports same-sex marriage; pushed Congress to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell, allowing gays to serve openly in the military

Opposes same-sex marriage; supports legal unions; supports Don't Ask, Don't Tell but favors gays serving openly in the military(Govwatch 1994), supported ENDA to ban anti-gay employer discrimination Opposes Roe v. Wade; believes states should be allowed to ban abortions., 1994: Supported abortion rights but personally opposed, No punishment for women who have partial birth abortions, change of heart in 2005 when preparing to run for President Willard Mitt Romney Businessman, politician, author Detroit, Michigan Tagg (b. 1970), Matt (b. 1971), Josh (b. 1975), Ben (b. 1978), Craig (b. 1981) Ann Romney (m. 1969present) http://www.mittromney.com Christian (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints a.k.a. Mormon) Belmont, Massachusetts Paul Ryan March 12, 1947 No Apology: The Case for American Greatness; and Turnaround: Crisis, Leadership, and the Olympic Games

Position on Abortion:

Supports Roe v. Wade; criticized Supreme Court decision that upheld ban on partial-birth abortions. (Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973), is a landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court on the issue of abortion.)

Full name: Profession: Place of Birth: Children:

Barack Hussein Obama Lawyer, politician, author Honolulu, Hawaii Malia Ann (b July 4, 1998) and Natasha (known as Sasha) (b June 10, 2001) Michelle Obama http://www.barackobama.com Christian (United Church of Christ)

Spouse(s): Website: Religion:

Residence: Running mate: Date of Birth: Books Authored:

Washington, D.C. Joseph "Joe" Biden August 4,1961 Dreams from My Father: A story of Race and Inheritance; and The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts of Reclaiming the American Dream.

Differences in Economic Policy

Tax Policy
Highlights of Mitt Romney's tax plan include: Individual taxes Maintain current marginal tax rates; make the Bush tax cuts permanent (Romney's website is inconsistent on this issue as of Apr 13, 2012. The summary indicates he is proposing a 20% across-the-board cuts in marginal tax rates while the policy PDF file summary indicates he wants to maintain marginal tax rates at current levels.) Eliminate estate (inheritance) tax Eliminate taxes on interest, dividends, and capital gains for individuals with incomes below $200,000 Repeal the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) Corporate taxes Cut the corporate tax rate to 25% Make the R&D tax credit permanent

Repeal the corporate Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) Move to a territorial tax system where US companies will not have to pay U.S. taxes on income earned overseas even when repatriated. In order to pay for these tax cuts, Romney has proposed eliminating certain tax deductions, such as mortgage interest deduction for second homes, state income tax deduction and state property tax deduction. Romney has also said he would look to the Department of Education and the Department of Housing and Urban Development for budget cuts.[1] Highlights of Barack Obama's tax policy include: Individual taxes Let Bush-era tax cuts expire for households where income is more than $250,000 A "Buffett rule" where individuals with incomes more than $1 million are required to pay a certain minimum tax rate (30%) regardless of the source of their income Corporate taxes Tax credits for manufacturing firms "Eliminate tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas"

Stimulus Spending and Bailouts

As President, Barack Obama supported the bailouts for banks and other financial services firms like AIG, as well as the auto bailouts for GM and Chrysler. Romney opposed the auto bailouts and had proposed that the companies should have been allowed to file for bankruptcy. Obama also passed a stimulus bill that included tax cuts as well as government spending, including programs like the "cash for clunkers" program. Romney opposes stimulus spending by the government because it adds to the deficit. Instead, he favors cutting taxes on individuals and businesses to stimulate growth.

Regulation
Obama believes the 2008 financial crisis was a result of excessive deregulation of the banking industry and that government regulation is needed for when markets fail[2]. But he has called for a review of regulations to eliminate ones that "don't make sense". Romney favors deregulation to foster a more business-friendly environment.[3]

Trade

Romney Nov 2011 Trade with China only if they follow international rules Obama Jan 2011 Double our exports by 2014; starting with South Korea Romney Mar 2010 Trade is good for the nation, but not good for everybody Obama July 2008 NAFTA protects corporate profits; should protect labor Romney Nov 2011 Let foreclosures happen; let the market reboot Obama July 2008 Prosecute mortgager fraud; require full mortgage disclosure Romney March 2010 Add individual retirement accounts as option Obama Sept 2007 Privatization puts retirement at whim of stock market

Mortgage Modification and Housing Policy

Social Security

Healthcare Policy
See also:Obamacare vs Romneycare Healthcare is a contentious issue in the 2012 election because of the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. Obamacare). President Obama signed the bill into law and is a strong supporter of universal healthcarecoverage. Several provisions of the plan, including the controversial mandate requiring individuals to buy health insurance, were modeled after the bill passed by Romney in Massachusetts when he was governor. However, Romney has said the bill is wrong at the federal level. Romney has promised to repeal the bill via an executive order if he gets elected president. Trying to differentiate between the Massachusetts law he signed and the federal law, Romney said:[4] I would repeal Obamacare, if I were ever in a position to do so. My experience has taught me that states are where healthcare programs for the uninsured should be crafted, just as the Constitution provides. Obamacare is bad law, bad policy, and it is bad for America's families.

Medicare
Obama favors a government-run Medicare program (like it is right now); Romney has embraced Paul Ryan's plan of overhauling Medicare and converting it into a voucher-based system that requires seniors to buy private health insurance with government subsidies. Ryan's plan leaves Medicare as-is for those over 55 and overhauls the system for those younger than 55.

Medicaid
Romney supports greater state control of the Medicaid program. The New York Times has argued that while Obama wants to greatly expand the number of people covered by Medicaid, Romney wants to greatly reduce the reach of the program. The president envisions adding as many as 17 million people to the rolls by allowing everyone with incomes up to 133 percent of the poverty level to enroll, including many childless adults. Mr. Romney and Mr. Ryan would take Medicaid in the opposite direction. They would push for the repeal of the health care law and replace the current Medicaid program with block grants, giving each state a lump sum and letting them decide eligibility and benefits. (Currently, the federal government sets minimum requirements, like covering all children under the poverty level, which some states surpass. It also provides unlimited matching funds.) The grants would grow at the rate of inflation, with adjustments for population growth. As chairman of the House Budget Committee, Mr. Ryan has proposed cutting federal spending on Medicaid by $810 billion over 10 years, largely from repealing the health care law. Mr. Obamas expansion plan, by contrast, would cost an additional $642 billion over the same period, according to the most recent estimate from the Congressional Budget Office.
Quotes

Romney Dec 2011 No FEDERAL individual mandate; but state mandate ok Obama Jan 2011 Repealing healthcare reform would cost $250B Romney Oct 2011 ObamaCare waivers on Day One; repeal bill on Day Two Obama July 2008 If we started from scratch, one-payer system would be best

Social Issues
Gay Rights
Marriage equality In the 2008 election, Obama's stand was that he supported civil unions and according gay couples all the legal rights that married couples had. However, he did not support same-sex marriage. In May 2012, he revised his stand and said that he supports the right of gay couples to get married. Mitt Romney holds a more conservative position on the issue. He wants to enact federal legislation outlawing gay marriage. Don't Ask, Don't Tell President Obama repealed the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy that prevented gays from serving openly in the military. Romney was not in favor of the repeal.

Abortion
Obama supports Roe v. Wade while Romney has called for the landmark Supreme Court decision to be overturned. When contesting in Massachusetts elections (both for Governor in 2002 and for the U.S. Senate seat in 1994), Romney's position was different. He had said that while he was personally opposed to abortion on moral grounds, he agreed with the Supreme Court decision. He has said he had a change of heart in 2005. Quotes

Romney Mar 2007 Would welcome overturning Roe v. Wade

Obama May 2004 Protect a womans right to choose Romney Jan 2012 Stem-cell cloning breaches an ethical boundary Obama Aug 2007 Stem cells hold promise to cure 70 major diseases

Immigration
Under President Obama's term, the Department of Homeland Security has carried out more deportations than the Bush administration. However, in June 2012, President Obama announced a shift in immigration policy via an executive order. The new policy would stop deportations of undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children (under 16), have finished high school, have no criminal record and are under 30 years of age.[5] The policy is similar to the DREAM Act but does not offer amnesty or a path to citizenship. It merely gives young immigrants a two-year work visa. While voters approved of Obama's decision 2-to-1[6], Romney criticized it saying it was not a long-term solution because it was not a legislation but a Presidential executive order that could be overturned.[7] Romney's stated policy during the Republican primaries was to allow undocument immigrants to "self-deport" by making it impossible for them to find work.

Romney Jan 2012 Enforce employment laws; illegal immigrants will self-deport Obama Jan 2008 Immigrants are scapegoats for high unemployment rates Romney Sept 2011 Turn off the magnet that attracts immigrants Obama Jan 2012 Let foreign students stay after graduating college Romney Oct 1994 Help women through glass ceiling by requiring annual reporting Obama Aug 2008 Keep the promise of equal pay for an equal days work

Women's Rights

Education Policy
From the Washington Post reporting on the issues: Obama has approved waivers to states for some of the most onerous requirements of the No Child Left Behindlaw. The Obama administration's Race to the Top competition has rewarded winning states with billions of dollars for pursuing education policies Obama supports. Won approval from Congress for a $10,000 college tax credit over four years and increases in Pell grants and other financial aid. Mitt Romney supported the federal accountability standards of the No Child Left Behind law. He has said the student testing, charter-school incentives and teacher evaluation standards of Obamas Race to the Top competition make sense although the federal government should have less control of education. Says increases in federal student aid encourage tuition to go up, too. Wants to see private lenders return to the federal student loan program.
Quotes

Romney April 2012: Mr. Romney said he would either consolidate the education department with another agency or make it "a heck of a lot smaller." "I'm not going to get rid of it entirely," he said. Obama Jan 2012 Make community colleges into community career centers Romney Nov 2008 My positions won't make me the hero of the NRA Obama Feb 2008 Respect 2nd Amendment, but local gun bans ok Romney Jan 2012 Al Qaeda members are enemy combatants with no rights Obama Oct 2007 The politics of fear undermines basic civil liberties

Gun Control

Civil Liberties and Homeland Security

Differences in Foreign Policy

In an interview with NPR's All Things Considered, Susan Glasser, editor-in-chief of Foreign Policy magazine said that policy specifics from the two candidates were not dramatically different. She added that: There is, at heart, an assertion across all of Mitt Romney's critiques of Barack Obama in the course of this campaign on foreign policy that comes down to America can be a shaper of

events and not merely a passive reactor. He equates shaping events with proving or disproving American decline. In an article for the Washington Post, Jackson Diehl outlined several foreign policy differences between the two candidates.

Russia
Obama wants to strike a new deal with Vladimir Putin to significantly cut the U.S. and Russian nuclear stockpiles. In what he thought was a private aside, Obama told then-President Dmitry Medvedev that after my election, I have more flexibility on that, referring to compromises with Russia on U.S. and NATO plans for missile defense. In contrast, Romney strongly opposed Obamas New Start treaty with Russia, which made a small reduction in nuclear warheads, and has promised to boost spending on missile defense.

Afghanistan
Both candidates support NATOs plan to withdraw combat forces from Afghanistan by the end of 2014. While some analysts say this means Obama and Romney's views are similar, Diehl has conjectured that Obama is more likely to reduce combat troops there in 2013 while Romney is more likely to follow the advice of U.S. generals who will advocate that combat troops not be cut. A notable highlight of Obama's strategy against Taliban and Al-Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan is the use of drones. Although his administration claims the attacks are carefully targeted at major terrorists, they frequently kill civilians.[8]

Syria
President Obama is opposed to arming the rebel forces in Syria and has repeatedly rejected proposals that the United States help establish safe zones for civilians. On the other hand Romney has voiced support for arming the Syrian opposition.

Iran
Romney and Obama have both said that Iran must not get a nuclear weapon. Diehl has suggested that Obama probably would use force only if Iran actually tried to build a bomb, while a Romney attack could be triggered if Iran were merely close to acquiring all the means for a weapon which it is.

Israel-Palestine Conflict
Obama supports a two-state solution with statehood for Palestine. Romney has not indicated that Palestinian statehood is among his top priorities. He has also expressed pessimism about there ever being peace in the region, calling the possibility "unthinkable". [9]

Position on Iraq

Romney Dec 2006 Withdrawal from Iraq would be a mistake Obama Jan 2012 For first time in 9 years, no Americans are fighting in Iraq

Global Popularity
When Barack Obama was sworn in as President in 2009, he was immensely popular abroad. American popularity had waned during the Bush presidency but with Obama's election attitudes had begun to change. Expecting a major shift in foreign policy, the Nobel Peace Prize committee even chose Obama as the winner of the prize in 2009. However, his popularity abroad has decreased significantly since then.[10] Mitt Romney made some blunders on his foreign tour just ahead of the London Olympics when he made remarks about the under-preparedness of the city for the Olympics. This did not go over very well in the U.K. His fared better during his visit to Israel, whose Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has had a tenuous relationship with Obama.

Energy Policy
The Obama administration has supported clean energy projects, some of which have failed like Solandra. He has postponed the final decision on the Keystone XL extension, the northern leg of the Keystone pipeline, until an environmental review is completed.[11] In the aftermath of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, the Obama administration forced BP to create a

$20 billion spill response fund, announced a moratorium on announced a moratorium on permits for new offshore oil wells and ended the policy of granting environmental waivers to oil companies. However, these announcements did not prevent new permits from being issued.[12][13] Read more aboutObama's energy policy. Mitt Romney announced his energy policy in August 2012 and proposed giving states the power to determine whether drilling and mining should occur on federal lands within their borders. Romneys policy also calls for opening more offshore drilling options, including off the coast of Virginia and the Carolinas.[14] He is in favor of the Keystone XL pipeline. Read more about Mitt Romney's energy policy.

Impact
A recent Congressional Budget Office report suggested that opening nearly all federal lands to drilling would yield just $7 billion in government revenue over the next decadea vast difference from "trillions of dollars" estimated by the Romney campaign. Asked about the disparity, Oren Cass, Romney's domestic policy director, said the campaign was including revenues from both onshore and offshore drilling on federal lands and suggested the CBO had produced lower numbers by not including lease payments, royalties and taxes certain to be earned in coming "years and decades."[15]

Oil companies
Romney has been criticized for favoring large oil and gas companies in his policies after they donated to his campaign.

Environmental Policy

Romney Jan 2008 States should be able to have their own emissions standards Obama Aug 2007 Protect the Great Lakes & our National Parks and Forests Romney Oct 2011 Replace "green jobs" program with American competitiveness Obama April 2008 Genesis teaches stewardship of earth: sacrifice for future

Debates
All Presidential debates begin at 9:00pm Eastern time (6pm Pacific).

First Debate
The first presidential debate was held on October 3, 2012 at the University of Denver and was moderated by Jim Lehrer. Most analysts and viewers were of the opinion that Romney won the debate.[16][17][18] An analysis of the claims made during the debate is available on factcheck.org. Here's the full debate video: