President Forever 2008 + Primaries: Policy Planks

[ElectionsGuy]

Going completely off definitions of the other thread:

Abortion: Left
Balanced Budget: Right
Business Tax: Far-Right
Education: Right
Energy: Right
Environment: Right
Gun Control: Right
Health Care: Far-Right
Homeland Security: Left
Immigration: Center-Right
Iran: Center
Iraq: Center-Left
Outsourcing: Right
Personal Tax:Right
Same-Sex Marriage: Far-Left
Social Security: Right
Unions: Center
War on Terror: Far-Left

Abortion: Left
Balanced Budget: Far-right
Business Tax: Far-right
Education: Right
Energy: Right
Environment: Center-right
Gun Control: Right
Health Care: Far-right
Homeland Security: Far-left
Immigration: Center-left
Iran: Left, I guess
Iraq: Left
Outsourcing: Right
Personal Tax: Right
Same-Sex Marriage: Far-left
Social Security: Right
Unions: Right
War on Terror: Far-left

So... left on foreign policy, and slightly right on tax and business issues.

[Goldwater]

Abortion: Center-Left (Protect responsible choice. Ban partial-birth abortions except in the case of life of the mother.)
Balanced Budget: Center-Right (We need to curb spending in order to balance the budget. Respect taxpayers' dollars.)
Business Tax: Right (Moderate decrease in business taxation.)
Education: Right (Support school vouchers and charter schools. Reduce federal government's role in education.)
Energy: Center (Renewable and non-renewable energy must be equally researched.)
Environment: Center-Right (The environment is important. Find market based solutions to environmental problems.)
Gun Control: Center-Right (We should be wary of gun control. The Second Amendment protects the right to bear arms.)
Health Care: Right (Very limited role for government in health care. Tax credits for personal Health Savings Accounts.)
Homeland Security: Center-Right (Homeland security is a priority, balance between natural disaster relief and anti-terrorism. Missile Defense is inappropriate.)
Immigration: Center-Left (Legal immigration is great. Support guest-worker program for illegals and amnesty.)
Iran: Center-Right (We should prepare to attack Iran but be sure that we have the proper intelligence.)
Iraq: Center-Right (We have successfully liberated Iraq. We must train security forces in Iraq and maintain our presence there.)
Outsourcing: Center-Right (Outsourcing is not a problem, it is part of a globalized world and helps America.)
Personal Tax: Right (Taxes should be flatter and lower. Across-the-board tax cuts.)
Same-Sex Marriage: Center-Left (Same-sex marriage, even if not in name.)
Social Security: Right (Gradually scale down federal involvement and implement privatization of social security over time.)
Unions: Center-Right (Unions are undermining our economy by blackmailing companies to overpay their workers.)
War on Terror: Center-Right (We should not hesitate to use military force against terrorism.)

Abortion: Center-Left (Protect responsible choice. Ban partial-birth abortions except in the case of life of the mother.)
Balanced Budget: Center-Right (We need to curb spending in order to balance the budget. Respect taxpayers' dollars.)
Business Tax: Right (Moderate decrease in business taxation.)
Education: Right (Support school vouchers and charter schools. Reduce federal government's role in education.)
Energy: Center (Renewable and non-renewable energy must be equally researched.)
Environment: Center-Right (The environment is important. Find market based solutions to environmental problems.)
Gun Control: Center-Right Right (Gun ownership is constitutionally protected. Protect sportsmen's rights and the Second Amendment.)
Health Care: Right (Very limited role for government in health care. Tax credits for personal Health Savings Accounts.)
Homeland Security: Center* Center-Right (Homeland security is an important priority. Focus on fighting terrorism but also provide disaster relief funding.)
Immigration: Center-Left (Legal immigration is great. Support guest-worker program for illegals and amnesty.)
Iran: Center-Right (We should prepare to attack Iran but be sure that we have the proper intelligence.)
Iraq: Center-Right (We have successfully liberated Iraq. We must train security forces in Iraq and maintain our presence there.)
Outsourcing: Center-Right (Outsourcing is not a problem, it is part of a globalized world and helps America.)
Personal Tax: Right (Taxes should be flatter and lower. Across-the-board tax cuts.)
Same-Sex Marriage: Center-Left Left (Same-sex marriage is a constitutional right.)
Social Security: Right (Gradually scale down federal involvement and implement privatization of social security over time.)
Unions: Center-Right (Unions are undermining our economy by blackmailing companies to overpay their workers.)
War on Terror: Center-Right (We should not hesitate to use military force against terrorism.)

So it appears not much has changed over the past year.

*(On Homeland Security my previous post says Center-Right but actually has the Center text, so I'm counting that one as a change.)

[Illuminati Blood Drinker]

Gun Control: Right

What's it like living in your fantasy land where the "GUN RYTES" movement doesn't march in lockstep with fascists, survivalists, dipsh[inks]s who idolize George Zimmerman because he got away with shooting a black kid, and lots of other horrendously evil groups?

[DC Al Fine]

Let's try this again

Abortion: Right
Balanced Budget: Centre-Right
Business Taxation: Far-Right
Education: Right
Energy: Centre-Left
Environment: Centre-Left
Gun Control: Centre-Left
Healthcare: Centre-Left
Homeland Security: Left
Immigration: Centre-Right
Iran: Left
Iraq: Centre-Left
Outsourcing: Left
Personal Tax: Centre-Left
Same Sex Marriage: Right
Social Security: Centre-Right
Unions: Centre-Right
War on Terror: Far-Left

1 Far Left, 4 Left, 5 Centre-Left, 0 Centre, 4 Centre-Right, 3 Right, 1 Far-Right

Gee, according to this I'm slightly to the left of centre

[Fed. Pac. Chairman Devin]

Abortion: Center
Balanced Budget: Right.
Business Tax: Center right
Education: Right
Energy:  Center
Environment: Center
Gun Control: Right
Health Care: Center -Right
Homeland Security: Center
Immigration: Center
Iran: Center
Iraq: Center
Outsourcing: Center-Right
Personal Tax: Far Right ( low flat tax like the Baltic states)
Same-Sex Marriage:Left
Social Security: Right
Unions: Center
War on Terror: Center

[Fed. Pac. Chairman Devin]

Gun Control: Right

What's it like living in your fantasy land where the "GUN RYTES" movement doesn't march in lockstep with fascists, survivalists, dipsh[inks]s who idolize George Zimmerman because he got away with shooting a black kid, and lots of other horrendously evil groups?

Last time I checked Fascists are anti-gun.

[TNF]

Gun Control: Right

What's it like living in your fantasy land where the "GUN RYTES" movement doesn't march in lockstep with fascists, survivalists, dipsh[inks]s who idolize George Zimmerman because he got away with shooting a black kid, and lots of other horrendously evil groups?

There are plenty of folks on the actual left that support gun ownership. I support gun ownership because (1) I do not believe that I should not be armed for self-defense when the exact types of people you mention (fascists, racists, etc.) are armed; If the far-right is going to arm itself and use those arms against the far-left (which would be a given in any revolutionary crisis or situation), then I'm going to arm myself and defend myself against them, and I would hope that my comrades on the far-left would do the same.

(2) I really, really don't trust a state that spies on me, organizations that I associate with, and causes that I support with a monopoly on force. I don't trust that government with a monopoly on force, I don't trust it's courts, it's police, or it's army, and if they attempt to liquidate me or others on the left (which they have in the past, be it during the 'Black Scare' against anarchists in the 1880s, the First Red Scare of 1920s, the Second Red Scare of the late 1940s, or the campaign against the Black Panthers in the late 1960s), I'd like to think that there's at least some possibility of resistance to such undemocratic attacks upon personal liberties.

(3) I am a revolutionary socialist, and do not think that, ultimately, socialism will be enacted in a democratic or peaceful fashion. Given that, I think it's a good idea for revolutionary socialists to be armed and prepared for any potential crisis that gives us the opportunity to participate in a revolutionary remaking of society at-large.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Abortion: Center-Left
Budget: Far-Left
Business Tax: Far-Left
Education: Left
Energy: Left
Environment: Left
Gun Control: Center-Right
Homeland Security: Left
Immigration: Left
Iran: Left
Iraq: Left
Outsourcing: Far-Left
Personal Tax: Left
Same-sex Marriage: Far-Left
Social Security: Far-Left
Unions: Far-Left
War on Terror: Left

[Illuminati Blood Drinker]

There are plenty of folks on the actual left that support gun ownership. I support gun ownership because (1) I do not believe that I should not be armed for self-defense when the exact types of people you mention (fascists, racists, etc.) are armed; If the far-right is going to arm itself and use those arms against the far-left (which would be a given in any revolutionary crisis or situation), then I'm going to arm myself and defend myself against them, and I would hope that my comrades on the far-left would do the same.

Individual pro-gun fanatics don't have any balls. These people constantly post of FreeRepublic and the like about CWII and RAHOWA, but every single time one of them actually acts upon that propaganda, they retreat inward and start screaming about Obama false flags and crisis actors or whatever. Mass leftist revolt is their greatest nightmare; if that ever happens, all they'll do is cower under their bedcovers, occasionally posting upon Freep about how they totally shot 50 commies.

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This is laughable for the exact same reason right-wing lunacy about guns being the final defense against liberal tyranny is. You are trying to rise up against the most powerful armed forces on the planet. They have tanks, planes, drones, EVERYTHING. Pea-shooters and old rifles will not save you here. You are going to lose.
 

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Yes, but in the meantime, Trayvon Martin, the Sandy Hook kids, and countless other victims are still very much dead, and the inevitability of the glorious socialist revolution (which we swear is going to happen any day now, really) isn't much comfort when the families of the aforementioned victims know it's still very much possible for more atrocities in the same vein to be committed.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

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This is laughable for the exact same reason right-wing lunacy about guns being the final defense against liberal tyranny is. You are trying to rise up against the most powerful armed forces on the planet. They have tanks, planes, drones, EVERYTHING. Pea-shooters and old rifles will not save you here. You are going to lose.

As we know, no insurgency against a superior force has ever succeeded. Vietnam isn't a real place.

[Illuminati Blood Drinker]

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This is laughable for the exact same reason right-wing lunacy about guns being the final defense against liberal tyranny is. You are trying to rise up against the most powerful armed forces on the planet. They have tanks, planes, drones, EVERYTHING. Pea-shooters and old rifles will not save you here. You are going to lose.

As we know, no insurgency against a superior force has ever succeeded. Vietnam isn't a real place.

Yes, but then those guys were willing to march 50 miles a day and subsist on mostly rice, which I doubt you latte socialists are jumping at the bit to do.

[TNF]

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Yeah, except that's never been the case historically. I could point out a ton of examples: the Freikorps in Germany, the Klan during the Civil Rights revolution, armed scabs and company thugs during the 1930s in the US, etc. The far-right will certainly be deputized and used to terrorize and destroy leftist groups if the opportunity presents itself. There's far more proof for what I am asserting than what you are asserting here.

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Except that, time and time again, unorganized, guerrilla and militia forces have pushed back and defeated superior military forces. What happened in Vietnam? What about the American Revolution? Without armed slaves in the South, the Union would have had a much harder time of destroying slavery and defeating the Confederacy there, too.

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George Zimmerman (a white supremacist) killed Trayvon Martin, not a gun. The Sandy Hook kids were murdered by a mentally ill young man. As the recent mass stabbings show, these kind of events are going to happen, whether guns are involved or not, so long as a large segment of your population suffers from neuroses. The answer to mass shootings is not gun control, it's not more cops, it's more health care. It's ending the barriers on accessing mental healthcare by establishing universal, not-for-profit, free-at-the-point-of-use, single-payer health insurance. As awful and oft-repeated as it is, it really is true that guns don't kill people; people do. And in the case of the United States, disturbed and/or racist (as in the case of Zimmerman) people do.

[TNF]

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This is laughable for the exact same reason right-wing lunacy about guns being the final defense against liberal tyranny is. You are trying to rise up against the most powerful armed forces on the planet. They have tanks, planes, drones, EVERYTHING. Pea-shooters and old rifles will not save you here. You are going to lose.

As we know, no insurgency against a superior force has ever succeeded. Vietnam isn't a real place.

Yes, but then those guys were willing to march 50 miles a day and subsist on mostly rice, which I doubt you latte socialists are jumping at the bit to do.

Latte socialist? That's an awfully big term to throw around at someone you don't actually know. The one who sounds like a 'latte socialist' here is the one apologizing for the present state of affairs and actively going after those of us who actually think that revolutionary socialism is possible and desirable. The fact that I work in fast food and have previously been active in union politics doesn't really back your claim up so much as it shows your ignorance of who it is you are arguing with. I've been out in the streets, I've done actual political work on working class issues; if that's what you deem "latte socialism", then so be it.

[Maxwell]

Abortion - Left
Balanced Budget - Center Right
Business Tax - Right
Education - Right
Energy - Center Right
Environment - Center Right
Gun Control - Right
Health Care - Right
Homeland Security - Center Left
Immigration - Center Left
Iran - Center Left
Iraq - Left
Outsourcing - Center Right
Personal Taxes - Right
Same Sex Marriage - Left
Social Security - Center Right
Unions - Right
War on Terror - Center Left

3 Left's, 4 Center Left's, 5 Center Right's, 6 Right's

[morgieb]

Abortion: Centre-Left
Balanced Budget: Centre-Left
Business Tax: Centre-Left
Education: Left
Energy: Centre-Left
Environment: Left
Gun Control: Centre-Left
Health Care: Far-Left
Homeland Security: Centre-Left
Immigration: Centre-Left
Iran: Centre-Left
Outsourcing: Centre-Right
Personal Tax: Left
Same-Sex Marriage: Far-Left (though realistically what's the difference between Far-Left and Left?)
Social Security: Centre-Left
Unions: Far-Left
War on Terror: Left

3 Far-Left
4 Left
9 Centre-Left
1 Centre-Right

[Arturo Belano]

Abortion: Left
Balanced Budget: Center
Business Tax: Far-Left
Education: Left
Energy: Left
Environment: Left
Gun Control: Center-Right
Health Care: Far-Left
Homeland Security: Left
Immigration: Left
Iran: Center-Left
Outsourcing: Far-Left
Personal Taxes: Left
Same Sex Marriage: Far-Left
Social Security: Far-Left
Unions: Far-Left
War on Terror: Left

Far-Left: 7
Left: 8
Center: 1
Center-Right: 1

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

Abortion: Left
Balanced Budget: Far-Left
Business Tax: Far-Left
Energy: Left
Environment: Left
Gun Control: Left
Health Care: Far-Left
Homeland Security: Left
Immigration: Left
Iran: Center-Left
Iraq: Left
Outsourcing: Far-Left
Personal Tax: Left
Same-Sex Marriage: Far-Left
Social Security: Far-Left
Unions: Left
War on Terror: Left

6 Far-Left, 10 Left, 1 Center-Left

[Brewer]

Abortion: Center-Left
Affirmative Action: Center
Balanced Budget: Center-Left
Business Tax: Center
Campaign Finance Reform: Center-Left
Ecology: Center-Left
Education: Center-Left
Free Trade: Left
Gun Control: Center-Left
Same-Sex Marriage: Left
Immigration: Center
Military Funding: Center-Left
Military Intervention: Center-Left
Personal Tax: Center
Public Health Care: Left
Renewable Energy: Center
Social Security: Center-Left
Terrorism: Center

[politicallefty]

I did this last about a year ago, so there won't a lot of changes.

Abortion: Left
Balanced Budget: Centre
Business Tax: Centre-Left
Education: Left
Energy: Centre-Left
Environment: Left
Gun Control: Centre-Left
Health Care: Far-Left
Homeland Security: Centre-Left
Immigration: Centre-Left
Iran: Centre-Left
Iraq: Left
Outsourcing: Centre-Left
Personal Tax: Left
Same-Sex Marriage: Far-Left
Social Security: Centre
Unions: Centre-Left
War on Terror: Centre-Left

2 Far-Left
5 Left
9 Centre-Left
2 Centre
0 Centre-Right
0 Right
0 Far-Right

I'm borderline when it comes to outsourcing. I'm okay with fair trade among similar economies. However, moving jobs overseas in order to get cheap labour is something that should be discouraged. I also wouldn't describe myself as a protectionist. American labour should be strongly supported, but I don't support protectionism as a policy.

I also shifted my position on the environment from centre-left to left. My view on business taxation has also moved, from left to centre-left. I do support a small increase across the board, but I think the primary focus should be on removing loopholes and ensuring that all businesses pay their fair share. I want a policy that incentives growth and innovation at the same time that huge corporations like Wal-Mart are disincentived to support only wealth at the top.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

Can't believe I haven't done this yet:

Abortion: Right
Balanced Budget: Center
Business Tax: Right
Education: Center-Right
Energy: Center
Environment: Center-Right
Gun Control: Center-Right
Healthcare: Center
Homeland Security: Center-Right
Immigration: Center-Right
Iran: Center
Iraq: Center
Outsourcing: Center-Left
Personal Tax: Right
Same-Sex Marriage: Center
Social Security: Center-Left
Unions: Center
War on Terror: Center-Left

Center-Left: 3
Center: 7
Center-Right: 5
Right: 3

[Mopsus]

Abortion: Center-Left - Protect responsible choice. Ban partial-birth abortions except in the case of life of the mother.
Balanced Budget: Center - Balance lowering the deficit with other priorities. No long-term deficits.
Business Tax: Far-Right - Significantly decrease business taxation.
Education: Center-Left - Support our public school system. Private school vouchers drain resources from public schools. Increase funding.
Energy: Center-Left - Invest in clean energy and end oil company subsidies. Cut oil use significantly by 2025.
Environment: Center-Left - We need to leave a healthy environment for our children. Work to reduce emissions and harmful toxins. Modified Kyoto.
Gun Control: Center-Left - The right to bear arms, but only responsibly! Ban assault rifles, require registration/background checks.
Health Care: Left - Completely public health care system and include prescription drugs under Medicare. Require health insurance for every child person.
Homeland Security: Center-Left - We must defend ourselves only if attacked. Increase some security, funding for natural disasters. Oppose PATRIOT Act.
Immigration: Center-Left - Legal immigration is great. Support guest-worker program for illegals and amnesty.
Iran: Center-Left - Diplomacy and economic sanctions should make Iran see things our way.
Iraq: Center-Left - We have done our job in Iraq. Begin pulling out troops gradually. Set a timeline for full withdrawal.
Outsourcing: Center-Right - Outsourcing is not a problem, it is part of a globalized world and helps America.
Personal Tax: Left - Increase income tax for the rich. Reduce slightly for those in lower income bracket.
Same-Sex Marriage: Left - Same-sex marriage is a constitutional right.
Social Security: Center - Keep Social Security as it is.
Unions: Left - Labor unions are a worker's best protection against exploitation.
War on Terrorism: Center-Left -  Focus on better foreign policy and cut off terrorist funding, use military force if we must.

Far-Left = 0
Left = 4
Center-Left = 10
Center = 2
Center-Right = 1
Right = 0
Far-Right = 1

[Maxwell]

I'll update where I am now.

Abortion - Left
Balanced Budget - Center Left
Business Tax - Right
Education - Center
Energy - Center Left
Environment - Center Left
Gun Control - Center Left
Health Care - Left
Homeland Security - Center
Immigration - Center Left
Iran - Center Left
Iraq - Center (Let's say this applies to ISIS now)
Outsourcing - Center Left
Personal Taxes - Left
Same Sex Marriage - Left
Social Security - Center (oddly the center left position is more right wing)
Unions - Center Left
War on Terror - Center Left

1 Right, 4 Center, 8 Center Left,  6 Left

[bagelman]

assuming I've traveled back to 2008

Abortion: Center-Right
Budget: Center-Right
Business Tax: Not informed enough to make a judgement. Might have a Center-Left attitude after the crash
Education:Center-Right
Energy: Left
Environment: Left
Gun Control: Center
Health Care: Center
Homeland Security: Center
Immigration: Center
Iran: Center-Left
Iraq: Center (the far right position is hilarious) (also with magical hindsight I would shift Center-Right because ISIS)
Outsourcing: Left
Personal Tax: Center-Left
Gay Marriage: Left
Social Security: Center (a bit confused about this one)
Unions: Center-Left
War on Terror: Center-Right

0 FR, 0 R, 4 CR, 6 C, 3 CL, 4 L, 0 FL, 1 completely undecided

Idea:

1 FR is worth -4 points

1 R is worth -2 points

1 CR is worth -1 point

1 CL is worth 1 point

1 L is worth 2 points

1 FL is worth 4 points

with this I would have a score of 7, with 18 being center-left on everything and -18 center-right.

Thus I would be a Democrat-leaning indie.

[Intell]

Abortion

Center-Right: Some restrictions on abortion. Allow abortions in cases of rape, incest, or life of the mother. Ban partial birth abortions.

Balanced Budget

Center: Balance lowering the deficit with other priorities. No long-term deficits.

Business Tax

Center-Right: Reduce taxes for small businesses.

Education

Center: Support public school system but allow room for vouchers.

Energy

Center-Right: Reduce dependence on foreign sources of oil. Some research on alternate energy sources.

Environment

Center: Balance environmental policies with sound economic policies.

Gun Control

Center-Left: The right to bear arms, but only responsibly! Ban assault rifles, require registration/background checks.

Health Care

Far-Left: We need a completely public health care system! Publicly funded, universal health care insurance. Health care is a right!

Homeland Security

Center-Right: Homeland security is an important priority. Focus on fighting terrorism but also provide disaster relief funding.

Immigration

Center-Right: Illegal immigration is a serious problem. Tighter border security. Reform immigration laws.

Iran

Center-Left: Diplomacy and economic sanctions should make Iran see things our way.

Iraq

Right: Complete the mission! Reconstruct/rebuild Iraq. Hunt for terrorists and insurgents.

Outsourcing

Far-Left: Protect the American labor market. Punish companies that send jobs overseas.

Personal Tax

Center-Right: Reduce income tax for the lower and middle class.

Same-Sex Marriage

Far-Left: Same-sex marriage is a fundamental human right.

Social Security

Far-Left: No to any private investment, dramatically increase funding.

Unions

Center-Left: Labor Unions provide job security and allow workers to collectively better themselves and be paid a fair wage.

War on Terror

Center-Right: We should not hesitate to use military force against terrorism.

[bagelman]

Here's a blast from the past, a estimation of what my beliefs were like in 2008:

Abortion: Center-Left
Balanced Budget: Left
Business Tax: Left
Education: Center-Left
Energy: Left
Environment: Left
Gun Control: Far-Left
Health Care: Far-Left
Homeland Security: Far-Left
Immigration: Far-Left
Iran: Left
Iraq: Left
Outsourcing: Far-Left
Personal Tax: Left
Same-Sex Marriage: Far-Left (or Far-Right if I was feeling sarcastic, masochistic, or just wanted to troll)
Social Security: Left
Unions: Far-Left
War on Terror: Far-Left

0 FR, 0 R, 0 CR, 0 C, 2 CL, 8 L, 8 FL

Score: 51 (44 points higher than present estimate)