Where Bush and Kerry stand on top issues

Highlights of the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates’ positions on the major issues:

Abortion

Do you support abortion rights?

President Bush: Only in cases of rape or incest or when a woman’s life is endangered.

Democrat John Kerry: Yes.

Budget

Bush: Claims that record annual deficits caused by war, terrorism and tax cuts can be reduced by half in five years, but has not fully explained how.

Kerry: Would cut the deficit by at least half in his first term, in part through repeal of Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthy. But has not fully explained how he would achieve that goal in light of major health, education and military spending.

Death penalty

Bush: Supports.

Kerry: Opposes capital punishment “other than in cases of real international and domestic terrorism.”

Economy-taxes

Bush: Passed $1.7 trillion in tax cuts and economic stimuli. Favors $3,000 accounts to help the unemployed with job-search expenses. Would make temporary tax cuts permanent. Seeks more free trade deals, and would ease business regulations.

Kerry: Would repeal tax cuts for the richest Americans and spend more on highways, school construction, pollution cleanup and energy projects to create 3 million jobs in 500 days.

Education

Bush: Tightened standards for teachers, schools and student achievement. Favors vouchers to help some poor students attend private schools.

Kerry: Has proposed a $3.2 billion plan for high school students that would pay for four-year public college tuition. Backed tougher school standards, but says emphasis on test scores should be reduced and additional factors considered in measuring progress. Opposes vouchers.

Environment-energy

Bush record: Withdrew from the Kyoto treaty on global warming. Reversed a pledge to regulate industrial emissions of carbon dioxide. Accelerated cleanup of old industrial sites. Proposes a national cap on mercury emissions and reductions in nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide pollution.

Kerry: No drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Would require higher vehicle mileage standards and use $20 billion from petroleum royalties for cleaner energy. Aims to be independent of Middle East oil in 10 years. Would re-engage in the development of an international climate change strategy, but has offered no explicit endorsement of the Kyoto treaty.

Farming

Bush: Signed a nearly 80 percent expansion of farm subsidies in 2002 despite previous misgivings that the extra money would cause overproduction and depress prices.

Kerry: Supports a ban on meatpacker ownership of livestock. Supported the 2002 bill that boosted farm subsidies.

Gay rights

Bush: Proposes a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. Has continued “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy for gays in military.

Kerry: Opposes gay marriage, as well as a constitutional amendment against it. Supports gay civil unions.

Guns

Bush: Favors granting gun makers immunity from civil lawsuits. Backed congressional maneuvers allowing the ban on assault weapons to expire, while saying he supports the ban and requiring background checks at gun shows.

Kerry: Supports the ban on assault weapons and requiring background checks at gun shows. Opposes granting immunity to gun makers.

Health care

Bush: The number of Americans without health insurance has risen in his presidency to nearly 45 million from nearly 40 million. Won passage of a prescription drug benefit for older Americans that subsidizes the costs for low-income patients and encourages private insurance companies to offer coverage for older people who opt out of traditional Medicare. Instituted new tax-free medical savings accounts.

Kerry: Supports subsidies for children, the unemployed and small companies to help extend coverage to some 27 million uninsured and to restrain premiums. Proposes that the government help pay for extraordinary medical costs for insurers and employers who keep worker premiums down.

Immigration

Bush: Would grant temporary legal status to millions of illegal workers, as well as people outside the United States who line up jobs in America, and expand the existing guest worker program. Opposes giving illegal immigrants automatic citizenship.

Kerry: People who have been in the United States for at least five years, paid taxes and “stayed out of trouble” would be able to become American citizens immediately.

Iraq war

Bush: Oversaw a swift military victory followed by a violent aftermath, with more than 1,000 U.S. military deaths. Won passage of $87 billion for continued military operations and aid in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Kerry: Supported going to war but now says he did so based on faulty U.S. intelligence. Opposed the $87 billion package. Aims to begin troop withdrawal in six months and complete it in four years, and persuade allies to commit more forces.

Retirement-Social Security

Bush: Would give younger workers the option of putting part of their payroll tax into personal retirement accounts in return for smaller Social Security benefits.

Kerry: Opposes partial privatization of Social Security. Would require companies switching to cheaper lump-sum pension plans to offer retiring workers the choice of staying with a traditional company pension plan.

Stem cell research

Bush: Limited federal research money to embryonic stem-cell lines already in existence in August 2001. Placed no controls on private embryonic stem-cell research.

Kerry: Would reverse Bush’s restrictions and put money into research using new stem-cell lines, with unspecified ethical standards.

Trade

Bush: Supports more free-trade deals.

Kerry: Supported the North American Free Trade Agreement and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, and elevated trade status with China, but would place all trade deals under a 120-day review. Wants labor and environmental standards included in any deals. Would require companies to give notice before sending jobs overseas and offer new tax credits for manufacturers that expand their U.S. workforces.

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