Where the Candidates Stand on Five Key Issues
This chart highlights where presidential candidates stand on five key issues:
Taxes
| Clinton | Sanders | Trump |
|---|---|---|
| A series of targeted tax credits for the middle class. Raise capital gains taxes. | Raise income tax rates for those making over $250,000. Tax capital gains the same as dividends from work. | Fewer tax brackets with lower tax rates. |
Climate Change
| Clinton | Sanders | Trump |
|---|---|---|
| Create more good-paying jobs: by investing infrastructure and clean energy, by making it possible once again to invest in science and research, and taking the opportunity posed by climate change to grow our economy. | Tax carbon emissions and eliminate tax breaks for fossil fuel companies. Opposed to the Keystone XL pipeline and Arctic drilling. | "I am not a believer in climate change." |
Gun Control
| Clinton | Sanders | Trump |
|---|---|---|
| Ban several types of assault weapons. Repeal protections for gun makers. Create a comprehensive background check system and close loopholes. | Ban assault weapons. Repeal law protecting some gun manufacturers. No federal handgun waiting period. | Limit restrictions on guns. Ban some assault weapons and extend the waiting period for purchase. Pledged to veto any new gun control measure. |
Healthcare
| Clinton | Sanders | Trump |
|---|---|---|
"Affordable health care is a basic human right." Would build on the Affordable Care Act to reduce premiums and expand coverage. | "First, health care must be recognized as a right, not a privilege. Second, we must create a national healthcare system that provides quality healthcare for all in the most cost-effective way." | "Obamacare is a catastrophe that must be repealed and replaced." In "The America We Deserve" Trump wrote that he supported universal healthcare and a system that would mirror Canada's government-run healthcare service. |
Immigration
| Clinton | Sanders | Trump |
|---|---|---|
| Supports comprehensive immigration reform; would continue programs to waive deportation. Give undocumented residents a path to legal status. | Offer path to citizenship. Waive some deportations now. | Build a wall on our southern border; deport undocumented immigrants. Ban Muslims from entering the country. |
If trying to figure it all out gives you a headache, take a break with The Onion’s take on the candidates’ positions.
Sources:
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/
www.pbs.org/newshour/tag/what-the-candidates-believe
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/us/elections/
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/donald-trump-believe-candidate-stands-10-issues/
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/bernie-sanders-believe-candidate-stands-10-issues/
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/us/elections/immigration.html
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/hillary-clinton-believe-candidate-stands-10-issues/
