With an election year upon us, it is important for collegiettes to be up to date on potential presidential candidates, and their stances on issues that will directly affect us.
Â
Democrats:
Hillary Clinton: Clinton is the Democratic frontrunner and former Secretary of State under the Obama Administration. She has recently been under scrutiny for a personal email account she used while Secretary of State.
- Right to Choose: Yes
- Supreme Court Ruling on Gay Marriage: Yes
- Education: Proposes that student loans already held by people should be refinanced and that college itself be more affordable.
Joe Biden: Current Vice President who has recently decided not to run.
Bernie Sanders: Sanders is the independent Vermont Senator who has gained a lot of support recently from young voters. He is a self-described socialist who wants to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour.
- Right to Choose: Yes
- Education: Believes all public colleges and universities should be tuition free and has sponsored bills to drastically reduce interest rates on student loan debt.
- Gun Control: Represents a state that has virtually no gun control, but has still voted to ban certain types of semi-automatic weapons.
Â
Republicans:
Jeb Bush: Bush is the brother of former President George W. Bush. He has made a name for himself as the former governor of Florida, holding a very moderate stance on some issues (such as immigration and education), but very a conservative one on other issues (such as the economy and abortion).
- Education: Believes we need to improve degrees being completed in four years, lower cost, and establish more accountability for higher education.
- Right to Choose: Pro-Life, and believes Planned Parenthood should be defunded.
- Gun Control: Strong supporter of the Second Amendment, but believes we need to focus on violent criminals and persons with mental illnesses.
Donald Trump: Trump is a real-estate developer who continues to be the Republican frontrunner in the polls.
- Gun Control: Believes the Second Amendment to our Constitution is clear and the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be threatened.
- Right to Choose: Recently declared himself pro-life after years of being pro-choice.
- Education: Disagrees with the Common Core state curriculum standards and believes the Department of Education needs to be cut “way, way down.”
Ben Carson: Carson is the former head of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins. He has no prior experience in the realm of politics.
- Right to Choose: Pro-life, holding that human life begins at conception.
- Education: Thinks the education system should be run by involved parents and engaged teachers as opposed to federal bureaucrats.
- Gun Control: Believes the right of law-abiding citizens to own firearms is fundamental to our liberty.
Carly Fiorina: Fiorina is the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard.
- Right to Choose: Pro-life, because she believes every human life has potential, but also acknowledges that if a woman is facing unplanned pregnancy, she deserves empathy and support.
- Education: Believes we need to focus on accountability and developing great teachers to inspire students.
- Same-sex Marriage: Thinks the debate about gay marriage is really a debate about how the government deals with benefits and whether those benefits should be bestowed equally. Acknowledges that religious people view marriage as a religious institution and believes their rights must be protected as well.
Sources:
- http://www.cbsnews.com/media/where-the-2016-candidates-stand-on-gun-control/4/
- https://www.bencarson.com/issues
- https://www.donaldjtrump.com/
- https://www.hillaryclinton.com/
- https://jeb2016.com/?lang=en
- https://berniesanders.com/issues/
- https://carlyforpresident.com/
Â