With election season in full swing, the constant information and news of presidential candidates can oftentimes be overwhelming. You do not have to be discouraged by unclear or copious amounts of facts, plans, and positions. Instead, take it one by one- you have time to make your decision!
- Bernie Sanders
-
Bernie Sanders’s platform for the 2020 Democratic primary in potentially the general election is as follows. Sanders has been a long-standing supporter of Medicare for All. He favors taxing the rich more heavily and giving tax breaks to the middle and working classes. Sanders supports a $15 per hour minimum wage. He openly supports the Green New Deal in combating climate change. He plans to establish a tuition-free four-year college and end student loan debt. He plans to legalize marijuana nationwide. He supports an assault weapons ban, universal background checks, and a federal licensing program for gun owners in order to combat gun violence. Sanders also believes police and law enforcement reform is necessary in ending police brutality, specifically in communities of color.
- Elizabeth Warren
-
Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders have similar platforms. Warren also plans to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour, cancel student loan debt, and establish a tuition-free four-year college. Warren advocates for the middle and lower classes by proposing a two-cent tax on every dollar millionaires make after the $50 millionth. Warren believes in the Green New Deal, assault weapons ban with universal background checks and a federal licensing program, land legalization of marijuana nationwide as well. Though Warren and Sanders are very similar and share many of the same ideologies, the main difference in their platforms is their view on capitalism. Warren believes that the capitalist system in the U.S. needs to be reformed, whereas Sanders believes any society under capitalism cannot be equal.
- Joe Biden
-
Joe Biden’s views and opinions range on the more moderate side in comparison to Warren and Bernie. Instead of Medicare for All Biden has endorsed the Affordable Care Act, meaning he wants to make healthcare more affordable for those who want it and allow those who like their private insurance plan to keep it. Biden has openly said that he agrees with the framework of the Green New Deal but he is making his own climate change plan called a Clean Energy Revolution, which is extremely similar to the Green New Deal. Biden wants to provide tuition-free two-year college. As for his gun policy, Biden wants universal background checks and an assault weapons ban but does not stand for a federal licensing program for everyone who owns a gun. Biden supports the decriminalization of marijuana, but he does not think it should be completely legal on the federal level. Biden believes in a $15 per hour minimum wage and higher taxes for the rich, but not to the extent of Sanders’s and Warren’s wealth tax.
- Pete Buttigieg
-
Pete Buttigieg supports universal background checks, a federal licensing program, and a voluntary buy-back program of assault weapons. He believes the minimum wage should be $15 per hour. Buttigieg opposes Medicare for All, but wants to expand healthcare coverage. He also wants to legalize marijuana and increase taxes on the wealthy. Instead of tuition-free college, Buttigieg plans to make college debt-free. As for climate change, Buttigieg believes it is a real and pressing issue that must be addressed but his role for federal investing is much more modest than Warren and Sanders.
- Kamala Harris
-
Kamala Harris supports a $15 per hour minimum wage and the legalization of marijuana. She supports making college debt-free with financial aid programs. Harris believes in an assault weapons ban and universal background checks. She opposes Medicare for All but does want to expand healthcare coverage. Harris endorses the Green New Deal and plans to actively combat climate change. Overall, Harris’s policies tend to align on the more moderate side with Buttigieg and Biden. While clearly a liberal candidate, Harris takes a more moderate approach to issues such as Medicare for All.
The information I provided is only a synopsis of each candidate. Be sure to do more research and vote in the upcoming elections!