As a service for the approaching end of the 2008 election cycle, here’s a summary of our analysis of both Obama and McCain on the issues over the course of the past few months. Links to the full articles are provided if you want more information on the topic.

Image Credit: Diver Daisy

Economic Policy

“The bottom line, if you’ll pardon the pun, is that neither candidate has a good solution to our current economic problems because, frankly, there is no good solution to our current economic problems. The economy doesn’t work because of the President’s policies so much as it does in spite of the President’s policies. While this makes it more difficult to demonstrate which candidate would make the better president, on the bright side it also makes economic issues much less relevant to the decision-making process. Or, at least, it should–in reality, though, that isn’t quite the case.”

Full Article: “Obama v. McCain: Economic Policy”

Space Policy

“In 1961, John Kennedy promised to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade. It was a daring plan, and one that led to one of humankind’s greatest achievements when the Apollo mission landed on the moon in 1969.

That deep devotion to the space program is lacking in both candidates. Sadly but understandably, other issues are going to take precedence. Both men support the space program, but with the panoply of other problems facing the nation, neither one is likely to do anything radical to move us deeper into space. It seems likely that whoever is elected will fund the Constellation program to replace the shuttles, finish the International Space Station, and NASA will continue to send probes, satellites and telescopes into space on a tight budget.

So for those of us waiting for that first time-share condo to become available on Mars, it looks like we’re going to have to wait a little bit longer.”

Full Article: “Obama v. McCain: Space Policy”

Values Issues

“On social issues, both Obama and McCain have similar views on both gay marriage and separation of church and state issues. While the two candidates have the most striking differences on abortion, the fact of the matter is that neither candidate can or will do much to change the status quo on this issue. So as far as social issues go, the candidates are pretty much a wash. These issues shouldn’t be much of a priority when you’re out there voting.”

Full Article: “Obama v. McCain: Values Issues”

Civil Liberties

“It seems pretty clear from the available evidence that the civil liberties candidate is Obama. While McCain is not a bad candidate in most ways, he represents the status quo in a number of areas that are desperate for improvement, particularly with the criminal justice system. As a constitutional law scholar and a civil rights lawyer, it only makes sense that he would take a harder line in support of civil rights and civil liberties than even mainstream democratic candidates. And on these issues, even people who normally decry Obama’s lack of experience can’t really argue with a constitutional law professor who has written legislation that actually helped to rein in police brutality.”

Full Article: “Obama v. McCain: Civil Liberties”

Energy Issues

“Both McCain and Obama have similar energy policies, and both are likely to have a much better record than President Bush. However, although I generally prefer the McCain program of tax credits over Obama’s direct government meddling, McCain’s record on energy policy makes it difficult to judge how hard he would actually push for energy policies. Additionally, his primary program of ‘Drill Baby Drill’ just isn’t an idea that is practical for the time being. Given this, I have to give the edge to Obama, even though neither has an ideal policy.”

Full Article: “Obama v. McCain: Energy Policy”

Health Care

“The Obama plan is far from perfect; to my knowledge, no one has yet devised a perfect way to deliver health care. It increases regulation and bureaucracy, and it will result in increased costs and a potential additional burden on the taxpayers. However, it avoids some of the pitfalls of socialized medicine by allowing consumers to choose between insurance through their employer, private insurance under the Insurance Exchange, private insurance outside the Exchange, and insurance through the federal system.

McCain’s plan, on the other hand, would hurt the people who need help the most. Just like his tax plan, it favors the wealthy over the middle class.”

Full Article: “Obama v. McCain: Health Care Policy”

Taxes and Budget Issues

“So there you have it. Both candidates, like genies from inside a magic economic lamp, will simultaneously cut taxes, promote economic growth, balance the budget, and eliminate federal waste. Even in good economic times, it is difficult to tell who has the better economic plan given the lavish promises that both sides make. One thing to recommend Obama’s plan is that his tax cuts fall to the middle class, where the majority of Americans reside, while McCain’s go to the rich, which doesn’t include me or anyone I know.

Of course, the giant stopper in the magic lamp is the current state of the economy. It is doubtful that either candidate will be able to implement anything close to their original plans.”

Full Article: “Obama v. McCain: Fiscal Policy”

Foreign Policy

“While McCain and Obama do share similarities on some foreign policy issues, the fact is that their methods and approaches in many cases are radically different. In most areas, such as our policy towards Russia, nuclear proliferation, and Europe, Obama is the better candidate. On China, though, both candidates are basically in agreement with the status quo. And on free trade issues, McCain is the superior candidate. Overall, though, Obama has the superior foreign policy approach–he’s more diplomatic, thoughtful, and popular (yes, that’s a factor in diplomacy) than McCain, and he simply has better policies than McCain on most significant foreign policy issues.”

Full Article: “Obama v. McCain: Foreign Policy”

Experience

“After examining the lives and careers of what appear to be the “consensus pick” for the five best Presidents, it is clear that Barack Obama is not “too inexperienced” to become President. Like these five, Obama has legal training, has served in the state legislature, and has had a successful private sector career. True, he did not marry a wealthy woman, but looking solely at his career it looks as though he shares more experience in common with the most successful Presidents than does his rival, John McCain. Accordingly, this begs the question: who’s the real inexperienced candidate in this election?”

Full article: “What Kind of Experience Makes a Good President?”

Does It Matter Who We Vote For?

“If I were to design an ideal government, there is no way that I would grant it as much power as it has. There is also no way that I would ever give one person as much power as the President of the United States has. But we don’t live in my ideal world. (Which is too bad–the movies rock there.) We live in the world as it exists, which makes the role of the President staggeringly powerful and important. Too powerful, in fact, to merely wave ones arms and say ‘a pox on both their houses!’ You may not like either candidate, which is fine. Who likes politicians, anyway? But to paraphrase Robert Heinlein, the choice between ‘bad’ and ‘worse’ is frequently far, far more important than the choice between ‘good’ and ‘bad.’ And we gotta make the choice–the Presidency is simply too powerful a position to ignore.”

Full Article: “Obama v. McCain: Does It Matter?”