Voters' Guide for 2008 Elections

2008 PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY CANDIDATE STATEMENTS

ABOUT THIS VOTERS' GUIDE

This Voters' Guide is published by the League of Women Voters Education Fund. The League has a long tradition of publishing the verbatim responses of candidates to questions important to voters.
The League offers this Voters' Guide to assist citizens in their decision making process as they prepare for participation in the presidential primary season. The League of Women Voters does not support or oppose any candidate or political party.

GROUND RULES

1. All qualified presidential candidates were invited to provide biographical information and responses to five issue specific questions. Candidates were qualified if they met the following criteria: 1) the candidate must have made a public announcement of her/his intention to run for her/his Party's nomination for President; and 2) the candidate must have met the Presidential Election Campaign Fund Act's minimum contribution threshold requirements for qualifying for matching funds, based on the most recent data publicly available on the FEC Web site as of October 5, 2007.
2. Responses were limited to 50 words and truncated after the 50th word.
3. If a candidate did not respond by the deadline, "No Response Received" is printed.

CANDIDATE STATEMENTS

DEMOCRATS
Joseph R. Biden Jr
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Chris Dodd
John Edwards
Barack Obama
Bill Richardson

REPUBLICANS
Rudy Giuliani
John McCain
Ron Paul
Mitt Romney
Tom Tancredo
Fred Thompson

ABOUT THE OFFICE OF PRESIDENT

Salary: $400,000 per year
Term: Four years. Limit of two terms.
How Elected: Every four years political parties nominate candidates to run for President of the United States in a General Election that is held on the first Tuesday in November of years divisible by the number four. Although all parties use conventions to nominate their candidates, in most states the Democratic and Republican parties also run state-wide caucuses or primary elections. The results of the primary influence how the delegates to their respective party's convention will cast ballots for candidates for President. The degree to which convention delegates are bound by the results of the primary elections or caucuses varies from state to state.
Duties: The President is the head of state of the United States of America and is the Chief Executive Officer and Commander in Chief of all military forces. The powers of the President are described in the Constitution and federal law. Subject to Senate approval, the President appoints the members of the Cabinet, ambassadors to other nations and the United Nations, Supreme Court Justices and federal judges.
The President, along with the Cabinet and its agencies, is responsible for carrying out and enforcing the laws of the United States. The President may also recommend legislation to the United States Congress.

THE QUESTIONS

FOSSIL FUELS: What should be done, if anything, at the federal level to reduce our use of and dependence on fossil fuels?
IRAQ AND THE MIDDLE EAST: What should be our short term and long term goals in Iraq and the Middle East?
HEALTH COVERAGE: What should the federal government do, if anything, to ensure that every American has health coverage?
CAMPAIGN SPENDING LIMITS: Please explain why you do or do not support setting spending limits for political campaigns and providing a set amount of public funding for all candidates who agree to take no private contributions.
IMMIGRATION: What should the federal government do about immigration?

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Copyright 2008 by League of Women Voters Education Fund