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)
Opposes topic 1: Abortion is a woman's unrestricted right (-3 points on Social scale)	1984 Mexico City Policy: no abortion funding abroad: Strongly Opposes topic 1 Instituted global gag order on family planning: Opposes topic 1 Opposed abortion, on fundamentalist grounds: Opposes topic 1 Allowed abortion as CA Gov.; didn’t push pro-life as Pres.: Favors topic 1 An unborn child is a living human being: Strongly Opposes topic 1 Abortion on demand must be outlawed: Opposes topic 1 Abortion on demand does emotional harm: Strongly Opposes topic 1 As CA governor, reluctantly signed Therapeutic Abortion bill: Favors topic 1
Favors topic 2: Legally require hiring women & minorities (-3 points on Economic scale)	1981: Focused exclusively on women as Supreme Court nominees: Favors topic 2 Supported Bob Jones Univ.’s miscegeny policy, inadvertently: Neutral on topic 2 Promised to appoint a female Justice; O’Connor was the first: Favors topic 2 Opposed Voting Rights Act of 1965 as “humiliating to South”: Opposes topic 2
Strongly Opposes topic 3: Comfortable with same-sex marriage (-5 points on Social scale)	Slow to fight AIDS; focused on prevention: Opposes topic 3 Viewed AIDS biblically, like sins of sex & abortion: Strongly Opposes topic 3 Gay teachers should not advocate their lifestyle to students: Strongly Opposes topic 3
Strongly Favors topic 4: Keep God in the public sphere (-5 points on Social scale)	Supported mandatory prayer in the public schools: Strongly Favors topic 4 Supported school prayer but didn’t push it: Favors topic 4 Cut back AFDC & other targeted poverty programs: Favors topic 4 Championed “workfare” as California Governor: Favors topic 4 Supports constitutional amendment to allow prayer in schools: Strongly Favors topic 4 Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant: Favors topic 4
Strongly Opposes topic 5: Expand ObamaCare (+5 points on Economic scale)	No federalized takeover; no socialized medicine: Strongly Opposes topic 5 Despite accusations, didn’t much cut Medicare: Opposes topic 5 Waste & fraud permeate every area of Medicare & Medicaid: Strongly Opposes topic 5
No opinion on topic 6: Privatize Social Security (0 points on Economic scale)	1983: Ironclad commitment to Social Security: Strongly Opposes topic 6 Wanted to privatize retirement, but never had opportunity: Strongly Favors topic 6 Social security system was based on a false premise: Strongly Opposes topic 6 Portion of Social Security funds could be invested: Strongly Favors topic 6
Strongly Favors topic 7: Vouchers for school choice (+5 points on Economic scale)	Espoused school vouchers as part of educational reform: Strongly Favors topic 7 Tuition tax credits: avoid double payment for private school: Favors topic 7 Establish education savings accounts as college incentive: Favors topic 7 Targeted Dept. of Education to be abolished, but failed: Favors topic 7
Favors topic 8: Fight EPA regulatory over-reach (-3 points on Social scale)	Overcame objections from Cabinet to pass Montreal protocol: Strongly Opposes topic 8 Nuts to ask Americans to wear sweaters & bike to work: Favors topic 8 Dismissed acid rain proposals as burdensome to industry: Strongly Favors topic 8 CA established CWA and OSHA, but over Reagan's objections: Strongly Favors topic 8
Strongly Favors topic 9: Stricter punishment reduces crime (-5 points on Social scale)	Death penalty saves lives: Strongly Favors topic 9 Focus on murder victims while considering capital punishment: Strongly Favors topic 9 Oversaw one execution as CA Gov., supported death penalty: Favors topic 9 Approved three new prisons and 6% growth in law enforcement: Favors topic 9 Reform habeas corpus; more compassion for victims: Strongly Favors topic 9
No opinion on topic 10: Absolute right to gun ownership (0 points on Economic scale)	Carried a pistol as president on his ranch & to the USSR: Favors topic 10 I'm an NRA member & I support the Brady Bill: Opposes topic 10
Strongly Opposes topic 11: Higher taxes on the wealthy (+5 points on Economic scale)	As CA governor, made tax system more progressive: Strongly Favors topic 11 OpEd: Cut capital gains to end worse recession than 2008's: Strongly Opposes topic 11 After 1981 tax cut came 1982 TEFRA tax increase: Favors topic 11 Reaganomics: generate growth by stimulating the supply side: Strongly Opposes topic 11 25% tax cut early, then overhaul tax system & reduce rates: Strongly Opposes topic 11 Serious on tax simplification; mocked as “secret tax plan”: Strongly Opposes topic 11 Tax reform's goal: replace incomprehensible system: Opposes topic 11 1986 Tax Reform: reduce top rate from 50% to 28%: Strongly Opposes topic 11 Reduce corporate tax rates & keep incentives for capital: Strongly Opposes topic 11 Success should not be penalized by high taxes: Strongly Opposes topic 11
Strongly Favors topic 12: Pathway to citizenship for illegal aliens (+5 points on Social scale)	1980: Illegal aliens attend public schools like citizens do: Strongly Favors topic 12 1980: Work permits instead of a Mexico border fence: Strongly Favors topic 12 1986 reform legalized 3 million undocumented immigrants: Strongly Favors topic 12 1986: One-time amnesty for illegal aliens: Strongly Favors topic 12 Allow free movement of people from Mexico & Canada: Favors topic 12
Strongly Favors topic 13: Support & expand free trade (+5 points on Economic scale)	1985: Vetoed import tariffs on textile goods: Strongly Favors topic 13 1985: imposed import quotas on Japanese cars: Opposes topic 13 U.S. economy does not need master planners, just freedom: Favors topic 13 1985: Articulated goal of Western Hemisphere free trade: Strongly Favors topic 13 Proposed concept behind NAFTA in 1979: Strongly Favors topic 13 Protectionism is destructionism: free, open, & fair trade: Strongly Favors topic 13
No opinion on topic 14: Support American Exceptionalism (0 points on Economic scale)	(No votes on which to base response)
Strongly Favors topic 15: Expand the military (-5 points on Social scale)	1985: $68B in spending cuts; but SDI funding doubled: Strongly Favors topic 15 Defense is not a budget issue; do B-1, MX, Trident & Stealth: Strongly Favors topic 15 America has never gotten in a war because we were too strong: Strongly Favors topic 15 Build morale & increase fire power to combat Communism: Strongly Favors topic 15 To preserve the peace, we had to become strong again: Strongly Favors topic 15 SDI: intercept and destroy ballistic missiles: Favors topic 15
No opinion on topic 16: Make voter registration easier (0 points on Social scale)	(No votes on which to base response)
Opposes topic 17: Avoid foreign entanglements (-3 points on Social scale)	Strong support for Saddam Hussein throughout 1980s: Opposes topic 17 Supported Saddam in Iraq against Iran: Opposes topic 17 Called USSR “Evil Empire,” but signed an anti-nuke deal: Opposes topic 17 Ignored ICJ ruling against mining Nicaraguan harbors: Opposes topic 17
Opposes topic 18: Prioritize green energy (+2 points on Economic scale)	Decontrolled oil prices, but didn’t fill oil reserves: Neutral on topic 18 Western enviro ethic: pro-development, common-sense: Favors topic 18 Lower regulations on coal; explore for oil offshore in OCS: Strongly Opposes topic 18
Strongly Favors topic 19: Marijuana is a gateway drug (-5 points on Social scale)	Fought drugs beyond “Just Say No”: Strongly Favors topic 19 Drug use falling: our students are just saying no to drugs: Strongly Favors topic 19
Strongly Opposes topic 20: Stimulus better than market-led recovery (+5 points on Economic scale)	Require the Federal Government to live within its means: Strongly Opposes topic 20 Hold taxes & spending down to maintain economic growth: Strongly Opposes topic 20 Federal spending freeze: limited to rate of inflation: Strongly Opposes topic 20 End "stagflation" with cuts to taxes and spending: Strongly Opposes topic 20 Reduce deficit by growth, lower interest, & spending control: Strongly Opposes topic 20

Ronald Reagan is a Hard-Core Conservative
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