PEP, October 2008: Obama vs. McCain: the issues matter

By DIANE S. WILLIAMS

Working families in America face tough choices in a tough economy: medicine or rent, fuel or food, a third job or join the Reserves.

But the choice of who to vote for Nov. 4 is easy — except for the handful who have a problem seeing beyond skin color to vote for the needs of their families and their jobs.

Bush backer John McCain supports the Republican policies that have put working people deeper in debt, pushed the economy to the edge of meltdown, lengthened unemployment lines, quadrupled gas prices since 2000, and sent brave men and women to die in a war based on lies.

Distancing himself from President Bush, after supporting him 95 percent of the time, McCain calls himself a “maverick” and talks of change — but voters will have to decide whether any changes he proposes would be for the good.

McCain says the economy is fine — we just need to drill for more oil and make Bush’s tax cuts for the rich permanent. He voted against workers’ right to join a union and against equal pay for women.

McCain’s speeches are filled with lies and character attacks against Sen. Barack Obama, and his campaign manager Rick Davis says, “This election is not about issues.”

But issues do matter. Ask any union member whose job has been shipped overseas or contracted out. Ask a Wal-Mart employee who has to go on welfare to get health benefits. Ask the 600,000 workers whose jobs have disappeared since January.

Obama focuses on the issues: fixing the economy, protecting Social Security, making health careaffordable, stopping foreclosures and ending the war. He backs the Employee Free Choice Act, which gives workers the real freedom to unionize.

Obama’s campaign for change has become a mass movement for hundreds of thousands nationwide who have registered to vote for the first time. He has enthusiastic support from DC 37, AFSCME and the entire labor movement.

At this critical juncture, with the economy facing its gravest danger since the Great Depression, Barack Obama challenges citizens to join his fight for progressive change: “America, we cannot turn back,” he said. “Not with so much work to be done.”

Study the election issues below, and decide whether Barack Obama or John McCain would be a better president for you and your family.

Issues	Barack Obama	John McCain
Economy and Taxes	Obama will improve economic conditions for working people and the middle class and reverse the current economic chaos and collapse. He would protect public service jobs by investing $10 billion in emergency relief to state and local government as part of his $75 billion economic stimulus plan. Obama would cut income taxes by $1,000 for working families. He also pledges no tax increases for families making less than $250,000. He would end tax breaks for companies that send jobs overseas.	Although unemployment is at a five-year high and states and cities face huge budget gaps, McCain says the economy is “strong” and offers no stimulus plan. His tax plan does little for 100 million middle-class households but gives the oil industry a $4 billion tax cut. McCain wants to continue — forever — the Bush tax cuts that he once said were too tilted to the wealthy. He repeatedly voted to continue tax incentives for companies that move operations overseas but opposed job training programs to help displaced workers.
Protecting Social Security	Obama fought the Bush plan to privatize Social Security and calls it “a safety net the American people can count on today, tomorrow and forever.” He opposes cutting benefits or raising the retirement age. He will ask those making over $250,000 to contribute a bit more to Social Security to keep it sound.	McCain wants to privatize Social Security. He campaigned for Bush’s plan to replace guaranteed Social Security benefits with private investment accounts whose returns would depend on the risky ups and downs of the stock market. McCain is considering COLA cuts and raising the retirement age.
Affordable Health Care	Obama will guarantee high-quality, affordable health care coverage for every American. Under his plan, Americans can keep the coverage they have or take advantage of expanded choices, such as a new public health insurance plan similar to the one given to federal employees and members of Congress.	Under McCain’s plan, health insurance benefits would be considered income and taxed for the first time, raising taxes on working families by $3.6 trillion. The health care tax credit he offers would cover less than half the cost of an average health care plan. He would do almost nothing to reduce the number of the uninsured.
Women and Families	Obama calls equal pay for equal work “fundamental to the American ideal” and co-sponsored the Federal Fair Pay Restoration Act and legislation to re-authorize the Violence Against Women Act. He believes we must expand the child and dependent care tax credit and “protect a woman’s right to choose.”	McCain opposed legislation to help women achieve pay equity and brags about his anti-choice record. He voted against more effective remedies for victims of sex discrimination in pay and repeatedly voted against increased funding for child care and funding to combat domestic violence.
Iraq and Veterans	Obama opposed the war and the occupation of Iraq from the beginning. He believes we must be as careful getting out of Iraq as we were careless getting in, and plans for a responsible and phased withdrawal of our troops in consultation with the Iraqi government. He believes we must come through on our solemn obligation to veterans and supports full funding for their health care and education.	McCain has been an outspoken war supporter. At a town hall meeting in January, McCain said the U.S. military could stay in Iraq for “a hundred years” and that “would be fine with me.” He said that when U.S. forces come home is “not too important.” In spite of his distinguished military career, McCain has repeatedly opposed improving veterans’ health and education benefits.
Energy Policy	With gas and oil prices still far above normal, Obama would provide immediate energy rebates this fall — $500 per worker and $1,000 per family for 95 percent of American families — financed by a windfall profits tax on the oil companies. Obama will invest $150 billion over 10 years in renewable energy, creating 5 million new green jobs.	In his 26 years in Washington, McCain has done nothing to protect workers and consumers from high energy prices. McCain has received $2 million for his campaign from the oil and gas industry and — no surprise — has repeatedly voted against eliminating billions in tax breaks for the energy companies and investing in renewable sources of energy. His plan to suspend the gas tax would save you only pennies at the pump.

* For more information on where they stand on issues important to DC37 members,
go to http://www.aflcio.org/issues/politics/obama.cfm.