VoteMatch Responses (Click here for VoteMatch quiz)
VoteMatch Question & Answer (Click on question for explanation and background)	Based on these stances: (Click on topic for excerpt & citation)
Strongly Favors topic 1: Abortion is a woman's unrestricted right (+5 points on Social scale)	Protect a woman’s right to choose: Strongly Favors topic 1 Supports Roe v. Wade: Strongly Favors topic 1 Pass the Stem Cell Research Bill: Favors topic 1 Extend presumption of good faith to abortion protesters: Favors topic 1 Trust women to make own decisions on partial-birth abortion: Strongly Favors topic 1 Stem cells hold promise to cure 70 major diseases: Favors topic 1 Voted against banning partial birth abortion: Favors topic 1 Expand access to contraception; reduce unintended pregnancy: Favors topic 1 Rated 100% by NARAL on pro-choice votes in 2005, 2006 & 2007: Strongly Favors topic 1 We can find common ground between pro-choice and pro-life: Opposes topic 1 Blocked IL law: Born Alive Infant Protection Act: Strongly Favors topic 1 Rated 0% by the NRLC, indicating a pro-choice stance: Strongly Favors topic 1 Sponsored bill providing contraceptives for low-income women: Favors topic 1 Ensure access to and funding for contraception: Favors topic 1
Strongly Favors topic 2: Legally require hiring women & minorities (-5 points on Economic scale)	Supports affirmative action in colleges and government: Strongly Favors topic 2 Racial equality good for America as a whole: Favors topic 2 Better enforce women’s pay equity via Equal Pay Act: Strongly Favors topic 2 Include class-based affirmative action with race-based: Favors topic 2 Fight job discrimination to give women equal footing at jobs: Strongly Favors topic 2 Opposes CA Prop. 8, one-man-one-woman marriage: Strongly Favors topic 2 Keep the promise of equal pay for an equal day’s work: Strongly Favors topic 2 Past discrimination affects future generations: Strongly Favors topic 2 I benefited from affirmative action in my academic career: Strongly Favors topic 2 Discrimination ultimately makes US less safe: Strongly Favors topic 2 Recruited FBI hiring with 38% non-white new agents: Strongly Favors topic 2 OpEd: Trump inauguration marked by white, male sameness: Favors topic 2 Supports Fair Pay Act: equal pay for equal work: Strongly Favors topic 2 Signed Ledbetter Fair Pay Law in first month of presidency: Strongly Favors topic 2 America’s race and class problems are intertwined: Favors topic 2 Get minorities into home ownership & global marketplace: Favors topic 2 Ending racial profiling is part of fight for justice: Favors topic 2 Sponsored bill for a Rosa Parks commemorative postage stamp: Favors topic 2 Rated 100% by the NAACP, indicating a pro-affirmative-action stance: Strongly Favors topic 2 Recognize Juneteenth as historical end of slavery: Strongly Favors topic 2 Re-introduce the Equal Rights Amendment: Strongly Favors topic 2 Reinforce anti-discrimination and equal-pay requirements: Favors topic 2 Afghan law tolerating marital rape is abhorrent: Strongly Favors topic 2
Favors topic 3: Comfortable with same-sex marriage (+2 points on Social scale)	Include sexual orientation in anti-discrimination laws: Favors topic 3 Marriage not a human right; non-discrimination is: Favors topic 3 Opposes gay marriage; supports civil union & gay equality: Favors topic 3 We need strong civil unions, not just weak civil unions: Favors topic 3 Gay marriage is less important that equal gay rights: Opposes topic 3 Decisions about marriage should be left to the states: Opposes topic 3 Homosexuality no more immoral than heterosexuality: Favors topic 3 Gays should not face discrimination but should not marry: Opposes topic 3 Same-sex couples should be allowed to marry: Strongly Favors topic 3 Same-sex couples should be allowed to marry: Strongly Favors topic 3 It's right to condemn the persecution of LGBT people: Favors topic 3 Increase funding for AIDS treatment & prevention: Favors topic 3 Rated 89% by the HRC, indicating a pro-gay-rights stance: Strongly Favors topic 3 Provide benefits to domestic partners of Federal employees: Strongly Favors topic 3
Favors topic 4: Keep God in the public sphere (-3 points on Social scale)	Listening to evangelicals bridges major political fault line: Favors topic 4 Haiti earthquake: Americans unite in times of trouble: Favors topic 4 Religious concerns ok, if translated into universal values: Opposes topic 4 Reach out to faith community;faith has role in public square: Favors topic 4 Black churches minister to social needs out of necessity: Favors topic 4 Engages people of faith on all aspects of his public service: Favors topic 4 Cut poverty in half in 10 years, with faith-based help: Strongly Favors topic 4
Strongly Favors topic 5: Expand ObamaCare (-5 points on Economic scale)	Ensure access to basic care: Favors topic 5 Will expand health coverage & allow meds to be re-imported: Favors topic 5 Believes health care is a right, not a privilege for the few: Favors topic 5 Crises happen in our lives and healthcare is necessary: Strongly Favors topic 5 National insurance pool & catastrophic insurance: Strongly Favors topic 5 The market alone can’t solve our health-care woes: Favors topic 5 Increase competition in the insurance and drug markets: Opposes topic 5 National Health Insurance Exchange for private coverage: Opposes topic 5 Added 20,000 children to Illinois healthcare: Strongly Favors topic 5 Health care is a right: something’s fundamentally wrong now: Strongly Favors topic 5 If we started from scratch, one-payer system would be best: Strongly Favors topic 5 Repealing healthcare reform would cost $250B: Favors topic 5 They called ObamaCare "Armageddon", but no asteroids fell: Strongly Favors topic 5 ObamaCare didn't crush jobs nor explode deficits: Favors topic 5 18 millions people have gained health insurance: Strongly Favors topic 5 Set up permanent epidemic monitoring/command group: Strongly Favors topic 5 More funding for Rx benefits, community health, CHIPs: Favors topic 5 Preserve access to Medicaid & SCHIP during economic downturn: Strongly Favors topic 5
Strongly Opposes topic 6: Privatize Social Security (-5 points on Economic scale)	$2000 tax credit for Working Families Savings Accounts: Opposes topic 6 Stock market risk is ok, but not for Social Security: Strongly Opposes topic 6 No privatization; but consider earning cap over $97,500: Strongly Opposes topic 6 Stop any efforts to privatize Social Security: Strongly Opposes topic 6 Privatization puts retirement at whim of stock market: Strongly Opposes topic 6 Stop any efforts to privatize Social Security: Strongly Opposes topic 6 What do we do with the losers of privatizing?: Strongly Opposes topic 6 MyRA: new savings bond for retirement: Favors topic 6
Favors topic 7: Vouchers for school choice (+2 points on Economic scale)	Supports charter schools and private investment in schools: Favors topic 7 Guarantee affordable life-long, top-notch education: Opposes topic 7 Supports charter schools; it’s important to experiment: Favors topic 7 I doubled charter schools in Illinois; but no vouchers: Favors topic 7 Vouchers don’t solve the problems of our schools: Opposes topic 7 Race to the Top: reward innovation in public schools: Favors topic 7 Increase school choice & accountability within NCLB: Favors topic 7 Opposes D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program: Strongly Opposes topic 7 $4.3B to induce states to expand charter schools: Favors topic 7
Strongly Opposes topic 8: Fight EPA regulatory over-reach (+5 points on Social scale)	Conserve, develop alternative fuels, increase efficiencies: Strongly Opposes topic 8 Promote green technologies and fuel efficiency standards: Strongly Opposes topic 8 Scored 60% on Humane Society Scorecard on animal protection: Strongly Opposes topic 8 Genesis teaches stewardship of earth: sacrifice for future: Strongly Opposes topic 8 WOTUS 2015: expansive definition of protected waterways: Strongly Opposes topic 8 Strengthen prohibitions against animal fighting: Strongly Opposes topic 8
Opposes topic 9: Stricter punishment reduces crime (+2 points on Social scale)	Supports alternative sentencing and rehabilitation: Strongly Opposes topic 9 Battles legislatively against the death penalty: Strongly Opposes topic 9 Some heinous crimes justify the ultimate punishment: Favors topic 9 Videotape all capital punishment interrogations: Opposes topic 9 Pushed Illinois bill to videotape all capital interrogations: Opposes topic 9 No extra penalty for gang association: Opposes topic 9 Reduce recidivism by providing ex-offender supports: Opposes topic 9 Passed 150 laws to toughen penalties for violent crime: Favors topic 9 Death penalty should be enforced fairly and with caution: Favors topic 9 Death penalty should not discriminate by gang membership: Opposes topic 9 Crime rate and incarceration rate have come down together: Opposes topic 9 Reduce punishments for some federal offenses: Opposes topic 9 Criminal justice reform starts with voting: Opposes topic 9 Increase funding for "COPS ON THE BEAT" program: Opposes topic 9 Reduce recidivism by giving offenders a Second Chance: Strongly Opposes topic 9
Strongly Opposes topic 10: Absolute right to gun ownership (-5 points on Economic scale)	Ban semi-automatics, and more possession restrictions: Strongly Opposes topic 10 Keep guns out of inner cities--but also problem of morality: Strongly Opposes topic 10 2000: cosponsored bill to limit purchases to 1 gun per month: Strongly Opposes topic 10 Provide some common-sense enforcement on gun licensing: Opposes topic 10 Respect 2nd Amendment, but local gun bans ok: Opposes topic 10 Concealed carry OK for retired police officers: Favors topic 10 Bush erred in failing to renew assault weapons ban: Opposes topic 10
Strongly Favors topic 11: Higher taxes on the wealthy (-5 points on Economic scale)	Should economy benefit the few, or everyone?: Favors topic 11 Lower corporate tax rate; pay for it by closing loopholes: Opposes topic 11 Now business can write off the full cost of new investments: Opposes topic 11 Close loopholes that let top 1% avoid paying taxes: Strongly Favors topic 11 Tax cuts for the rich do not create jobs: Favors topic 11 Bush tax cuts help corporations but not middle class: Strongly Favors topic 11 Trillion dollar giveaway: the Paris Hilton Tax Break: Strongly Favors topic 11 Tax cut for 95% of all working families, not corporations: Strongly Favors topic 11 Maintain the inheritance tax on wealthy: Strongly Favors topic 11 Trickle-down economics has failed: Strongly Favors topic 11 We need a tax code where everybody pays their fair share: Strongly Favors topic 11 No tax breaks for millionaires; GOP always wants tax cuts: Strongly Favors topic 11 Rated 100% by the CTJ, indicating support of progressive taxation: Strongly Favors topic 11
Favors topic 12: Pathway to citizenship for illegal aliens (+2 points on Social scale)	Extend welfare and Medicaid to immigrants: Favors topic 12 Give immigrants who are here a rigorous path to citizenship: Favors topic 12 Pathway to citizenship, but people have to earn it: Favors topic 12 Let’s be a nation of laws AND a nation of immigrants: Strongly Favors topic 12 Reform must include more border security, and border wall: Opposes topic 12 Support granting driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants: Favors topic 12 Illegals shouldn’t work; but should have path to citizenship: Strongly Favors topic 12 Immigrants are scapegoats for high unemployment rates: Strongly Favors topic 12 Support the DREAM Act for the children of illegal immigrants: Strongly Favors topic 12 Deporting 12 million people is ridiculous and impractical: Strongly Favors topic 12 Crack down on employers who hire illegal immigrants: Opposes topic 12 Stop expelling talented undocumented workers: Strongly Favors topic 12 Send 1,200 National Guard troops to southern border: Strongly Opposes topic 12 Sent unmanned aircraft drones to monitor Mexican border: Opposes topic 12 Still supports comprehensive reform and the DREAM Act: Favors topic 12 DACA recipients make America's shared ideals: Strongly Favors topic 12 Comprehensive immigration reform without amnesty: Strongly Favors topic 12 Rated 8% by USBC, indicating an open-border stance: Strongly Favors topic 12 Provide funding for social services for noncitizens: Favors topic 12
Favors topic 13: Support & expand free trade (+2 points on Economic scale)	Fair trade should have tangible benefits for US: Strongly Opposes topic 13 Amend NAFTA to add labor agreements: Opposes topic 13 People don’t want cheaper T-shirts if it costs their job: Opposes topic 13 Stand firm against CAFTA for labor & environmental standards: Strongly Opposes topic 13 NAFTA protects corporate profits; should protect labor: Opposes topic 13 Double our exports by 2014; starting with South Korea: Strongly Favors topic 13 Double US exports via deals with Panama, Colombia, & S.Korea: Strongly Favors topic 13 Trade agreements mean we sell "Made in America" to millions: Strongly Favors topic 13 Negotiate a Transatlantic and a Trans-Pacific Partnership: Strongly Favors topic 13 Export more goods stamped "Made in the USA": Favors topic 13 21st century businesses need to sell more overseas: Favors topic 13 TPP cuts 18,000 taxes on products made in America: Strongly Favors topic 13 TPP facilitates US control over Asian market: Strongly Favors topic 13 Tax incentives to create jobs at home instead of offshore: Opposes topic 13
Opposes topic 14: Support American Exceptionalism (-3 points on Economic scale)	Meet with enemy leaders; it’s a disgrace that we have not: Strongly Opposes topic 14 No “strategic ambiguity” on foreign policy issues: Favors topic 14 In Berlin: proud citizen of US; fellow citizen of the world: Opposes topic 14 Cooperation among nations is not a choice; it’s the only way: Strongly Opposes topic 14 The UN has succeeded in avoiding a Third World War: Strongly Opposes topic 14 Iran is more isolated and will face growing consequences: Opposes topic 14 2005: The Plan: build credibility with travel abroad: Opposes topic 14 Engage with Iran; but combat Al Qaeda in Pakistan: Favors topic 14 The Cold War is over; lift 50-year embargo on Cuba: Strongly Opposes topic 14 World order in flux but US still dominates: Strongly Favors topic 14 Lead eradication of malaria and HIV, like we did with Ebola: Strongly Opposes topic 14 Human rights and national security are complementary: Favors topic 14 Secure all world's nuclear materials by international treaty: Strongly Favors topic 14 Equality is an American value that motivates us: Favors topic 14 Key to Iranian sanctions was world's involvement: Strongly Opposes topic 14 Restore habeas corpus for detainees in the War on Terror: Opposes topic 14
Opposes topic 15: Expand the military (+2 points on Social scale)	Give our soldiers the best equipment and training available: Favors topic 15 Grow size of military to maintain rotation schedules: Favors topic 15 Don't give military money that they're not asking for: Strongly Opposes topic 15 We spend more on military than next 8 nations combined: Strongly Opposes topic 15 We will not be outlasted by extremists: Strongly Favors topic 15 Sponsored bill for Iraq budget to be part of defense budget: Opposes topic 15 Improve mental health care benefits for returning veterans: Favors topic 15 Rated Vetoed separate war funding as gimmick against sequestration: Strongly Opposes topic 15 Rated Let NSF decide research grants, not Congress: Opposes topic 15
Strongly Favors topic 16: Make voter registration easier (+5 points on Social scale)	Citizens United is a victory for Wall Street & Big Business: Strongly Opposes topic 16 First bill ever passed was campaign finance reform: Strongly Favors topic 16 Lobbyist influence comes from access, not money: Favors topic 16 People know his “bundlers” because he pushed disclosure law: Favors topic 16 No “bundled” money from federal-registered lobbyists: Favors topic 16 Public campaign financing with free television & radio time: Strongly Favors topic 16 Reduced cost TV ads for candidates; $85M presidential limit: Strongly Favors topic 16 No lobbyist money; no PAC money; fund campaigns instead: Strongly Favors topic 16 Ended corporate jet travel subsidized by lobbyists: Favors topic 16 Right to vote is sacred & is being denied to too many: Strongly Favors topic 16 We've got to make it easier to vote, not harder: Strongly Favors topic 16 Prohibit 'voter caging' which intimidates minority voting: Favors topic 16
Favors topic 17: Avoid foreign entanglements (+2 points on Social scale)	US policy should promote democracy and human rights: Favors topic 17 2011: tough on Bahrain oppression; 2013: sectarian tensions: Strongly Opposes topic 17 Provided only non-lethal aid to Ukraine against Russia: Favors topic 17 War in Iraq is “dumb” but troops still need equipment: Strongly Favors topic 17 We are playing to Osama’s plan for winning a war from a cave: Strongly Favors topic 17 $2.7 billion each week of Iraq spending is unsustainable: Favors topic 17 Evil does exist in the world; sometimes war is justified: Favors topic 17 Iraq: 100,000 troops have left; let's finish the job: Favors topic 17 We've taken the fight to al Qaeda in Afghanistan, until July: Opposes topic 17 End our longest war: out of Afghanistan in 2014: Favors topic 17 I will veto any new sanctions against Iran: Strongly Favors topic 17 Authorize the use of force against ISIL: Opposes topic 17 Support Ukraine and sanction Russia but no military action: Favors topic 17 OpEd: Withdrew from Iraq for political reasons: Favors topic 17
Favors topic 18: Prioritize green energy (-3 points on Economic scale)	Invest in alternative energy sources: Favors topic 18 Increase CAFE to 40 mpg: Strongly Favors topic 18 Free America from its dependence on foreign oil: Strongly Favors topic 18 Renewable Fuels Standard: require ethanol in fuel supply: Strongly Favors topic 18 Sponsored legislations that improve energy efficiency: Favors topic 18 3-way win: economy, environment, & stop funding terror: Strongly Favors topic 18 Aggressively address accelerating climate change: Strongly Favors topic 18 Cap-and-trade is more specific on reducing greenhouse gases: Strongly Favors topic 18 Reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2050: Strongly Favors topic 18 GovWatch: $150B for electric car batteries & new technology: Strongly Favors topic 18 GovWatch: Supports nuclear power if it’s clean & safe: Opposes topic 18 More Alaska oil & gas leases, plus new gas pipeline: Strongly Opposes topic 18 Include clean coal in clean energy future: Opposes topic 18 More incentives for clean energy, including nuclear: Opposes topic 18 Big promoter of clean coal technology & nukes: Strongly Opposes topic 18 Subsidize clean energy by canceling oil subsidies: Favors topic 18 All-of-the-above energy; enough natural gas or 100 years: Opposes topic 18 Don't cede wind, or solar, or battery industry to foreigners: Strongly Favors topic 18 Doubled use of renewable energy; doubled car fuel efficiency: Favors topic 18 Develop 100-year natural gas supply; it's beneath our feet: Opposes topic 18 First-ever carbon pollution limits for new oil & coal plants: Strongly Favors topic 18 All-of-the-above approach to reduce foreign dependence : Opposes topic 18 Lowest oil imports and highest oil production in 16 years: Opposes topic 18 Invest in clean energy because China & Germany will: Strongly Favors topic 18 Natural gas is a "bridge fuel"; then go solar: Opposes topic 18 Debate is settled: climate change is a fact: Strongly Favors topic 18 14 warmest years on record occurred in last 15 years: Favors topic 18 China has agreed with US; rest of world will now follow: Favors topic 18 Make technology work for us on climate change: Favors topic 18 7 years of investment in solar & wind nationwide: Strongly Favors topic 18 Clean energy for climate change & creating new business: Strongly Favors topic 18 America will join China in Paris Climate Agreement: Strongly Favors topic 18 Wind energy jobs are not imaginary jobs: Strongly Favors topic 18 Sponsored bill for tax credit for providing 85% ethanol gas: Favors topic 18 Rated 100% by the CAF, indicating support for energy independence: Favors topic 18 Sponsored bill raising CAFE by a 4% per year until 2018: Strongly Favors topic 18 Sign on to UN Framework Convention on Climate Change: Strongly Favors topic 18 Designate sensitive ANWR area as protected wilderness: Favors topic 18 Set goal of 25% renewable energy by 2025: Strongly Favors topic 18 Let states define stricter-than-federal emission standards: Strongly Favors topic 18
Opposes topic 19: Marijuana is a gateway drug (+2 points on Social scale)	Admitted marijuana use in high school & college: Favors topic 19 Smokes cigarettes now; smoked some pot in high school: Favors topic 19 Deal with street-level drug dealing as minimum-wage affair: Opposes topic 19 2001: questions harsh penalties for drug dealing: Opposes topic 19 Not first candidate to use drugs, but first honest about it: Opposes topic 19 Fight to rid our communities of meth: Favors topic 19 Expand drug courts; help prisoners with substance abuse: Strongly Opposes topic 19 Look at needle exchange; and expand treatment: Strongly Opposes topic 19 We share cross-border drug problem with Mexico: Favors topic 19 End harsher sentencing for crack vs. powder cocaine: Opposes topic 19 Require chemical resellers to certify against meth use: Favors topic 19
Favors topic 20: Stimulus better than market-led recovery (-3 points on Economic scale)	Bush’s economic policies are not working: Favors topic 20 Supports federal programs to protect rural economy: Strongly Favors topic 20 Return to PayGo: compensate for all new spending: Opposes topic 20 Save $150 billion in tax cuts for people who don’t need them: Favors topic 20 Recovery Act averted a second Great Depression: Strongly Favors topic 20 Spending freeze now would be destimulative; later is better: Strongly Favors topic 20 Some earmarks are defensible, if done in full light of day: Strongly Favors topic 20 Close tax loopholes for US companies relocating abroad: Favors topic 20 Help families with more paid leave & higher minimum wage: Favors topic 20 US economy is strong: 900,000 new jobs in the past 6 years: Strongly Favors topic 20 Reduce Bush tax cuts to pay for health care & other programs: Favors topic 20 Restore progressive tax; close loopholes; relief to seniors: Favors topic 20 Specific tax relief for families making $75,000 or less now: Strongly Opposes topic 20 I’m not bashful about it: wealthy will pay more taxes: Favors topic 20 Last thing we need now is a permanent tax cut: Favors topic 20 I will raise CEO taxes, no doubt about it: Favors topic 20 No $300 billion on tax cuts for those who don’t need them: Favors topic 20 My plan cuts taxes for most small businesses & 95% of people: Strongly Opposes topic 20 We cut taxes 25 times, for 95% of Americans: Strongly Opposes topic 20 No across-the-board tax cuts for the wealthy: Favors topic 20 Tax cuts for wealthy got us into the current deficit: Favors topic 20 Buffett rule: millionaires pay minimum of 30% in taxes: Favors topic 20 I've cut taxes for middle-class families & small businesses: Strongly Opposes topic 20 Bring back the Clinton tax rate for income above $250,000: Favors topic 20 Put Americans to work on 21st-century transportation system: Favors topic 20

Barack Obama is a Hard-Core Liberal
(Click for details)

Click here for VoteMatch quiz.