The Democratic Divide

Barack Obama's Plan on Health Care

Quality, Affordable and Portable Coverage for All
Obama's Plan to Cover Uninsured Americans: Obama will make available a new national health plan to all Americans, including the self-employed and small businesses, to buy affordable health coverage that is similar to the plan available to members of Congress. The Obama plan will have the following features:
Guaranteed eligibility. No American will be turned away from any insurance plan because of illness or pre-existing conditions.
Comprehensive benefits. The benefit package will be similar to that offered through Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP), the plan members of Congress have. The plan will cover all essential medical services, including preventive, maternity and mental health care.
Affordable premiums, co-pays and deductibles.
Subsidies. Individuals and families who do not qualify for Medicaid or SCHIP but still need financial assistance will receive an income-related federal subsidy to buy into the new public plan or purchase a private health care plan.
Simplified paperwork and reined in health costs.
Easy enrollment. The new public plan will be simple to enroll in and provide ready access to coverage.
Portability and choice. Participants in the new public plan and the National Health Insurance Exchange (see below) will be able to move from job to job without changing or jeopardizing their health care coverage.
Quality and efficiency. Participating insurance companies in the new public program will be required to report data to ensure that standards for quality, health information technology and administration are being met.

READ THE EXTENSIVE COMPRENSIVE PLAN AT:
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/healthcare/

OBAMA Has a PLAN for Seniors and Social Security:

READ IT: http://www.barackobama.com/issues/socialsecurity/

Barack Obama's Record
Social Security and Pensions: In the midst of the 2005 debate over Social Security privatization, Obama gave a major speech at the National Press Club forcefully arguing against privatization. He also repeatedly voted against Republican amendments that aimed to privatize Social Security or cut benefits. Obama has also voted to force companies to properly fund their pension plans so taxpayers don't end up footing the bill.
Medicare: Obama has supported a number efforts to strengthen Medicare, including voting for legislation to allow Medicare to negotiate for cheaper prescription drug prices and to extend the enrollment period for low-income beneficiaries.
Protecting Seniors: After reports that lobbyists, but not the American people, received information about the most unsafe nursing homes in the country, Barack Obama demanded the Department of Health and Human Services release that information to the public. Following Obama's letter, the names of the four Iowa care facilities cited for unsafe care were released to the public. Obama's efforts follow his successful efforts in Illinois to make nursing home information public and strengthen elder abuse laws.

Barack Obama's Plan on Immigration

Create Secure Borders
Obama wants to preserve the integrity of our borders. He supports additional personnel, infrastructure and technology on the border and at our ports of entry.

Improve Our Immigration System
Obama believes we must fix the dysfunctional immigration bureaucracy and increase the number of legal immigrants to keep families together and meet the demand for jobs that employers cannot fill.

Remove Incentives to Enter Illegally
Obama will remove incentives to enter the country illegally by cracking down on employers who hire undocumented immigrants.

Bring People Out of the Shadows
Obama supports a system that allows undocumented immigrants who are in good standing to pay a fine, learn English, and go to the back of the line for the opportunity to become citizens.

Work with Mexico
Obama believes we need to do more to promote economic development in Mexico to decrease illegal immigration.

Barack Obama's Record
Crack Down on Employers: Obama championed a proposal to create a system so employers can verify that their employees are legally eligible to work in the U.S.
Fix the Bureaucracy: Obama joined Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) to introduce the Citizenship Promotion Act to ensure that immigration application fees are both reasonable and fair. Obama also introduced legislation that passed the Senate to improve the speed and accuracy of FBI background checks.
Respect Families: Obama introduced amendments to put greater emphasis on keeping immigrant families together.

BARACK OBAMA???S PLAN TO SECURE AMERICA AND RESTORE OUR STANDING
???When I am this party's nominee, my opponent will not be able to say that I voted for the war in Iraq; or that I gave George Bush the benefit of the doubt on Iran; or that I supported Bush-Cheney policies of not talking to leaders that we don't like. And he will not be able to say that I wavered on something as fundamental as whether or not it is ok for America to torture ??? because it is never ok??? I will end the war in Iraq??? I will close Guantanamo. I will restore habeas corpus. I will finish the fight against Al Qaeda. And I will lead the world to combat the common threats of the 21st century: nuclear weapons and terrorism; climate change and poverty; genocide and disease. And I will send once more a message to those yearning faces beyond our shores that says, "You matter to us. Your future is our future. And our moment is now.???

??? Barack Obama, Des Moines, Iowa, November 10, 2007

READ OBAMA'S COMPREHENSIVE PLAN ON FOREIGN POLICY.
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/foreignpolicy/

Barack Obama's Plan on the Economy is very detailed. You can read it here1

http://www.barackobama.com/issues/economy/

Barack Obama's Plan on Disabilities

Obamas comprehensive agenda to empower individuals with disabilities fits in with the campaign?s overarching message of equalizing opportunities for all Americans.

In addition to reclaiming America's global leadership on this issue by becoming a signatory to -- and having the Senate ratify -- the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the plan has four parts, designed to provide lifelong supports and resources to Americans with disabilities. They are as follows:

First, provide Americans with disabilities with the educational opportunities they need to succeed.

Second, end discrimination and promote equal opportunity.

Third, increase the employment rate of workers with disabilities.

And fourth, support independent, community-based living for Americans with disabilities.

Barack Obama's Plan in Civil Rights

Strengthen Civil Rights Enforcement
Obama will reverse the politicization that has occurred in the Bush Administration's Department of Justice. He will put an end to the ideological litmus tests used to fill positions within the Civil Rights Division.

Combat Employment Discrimination
Obama will work to overturn the Supreme Court's recent ruling that curtails racial minorities' and women's ability to challenge pay discrimination. Obama will also pass the Fair Pay Act to ensure that women receive equal pay for equal work.

Expand Hate Crimes Statutes
Obama will strengthen federal hate crimes legislation and reinvigorate enforcement at the Department of Justice's Criminal Section.

End Deceptive Voting Practices
Obama will sign into law his legislation that establishes harsh penalties for those who have engaged in voter fraud and provides voters who have been misinformed with accurate and full information so they can vote.

End Racial Profiling
Obama will ban racial profiling by federal law enforcement agencies and provide federal incentives to state and local police departments to prohibit the practice.

Reduce Crime Recidivism by Providing Ex-Offender Support
Obama will provide job training, substance abuse and mental health counseling to ex-offenders, so that they are successfully re-integrated into society. Obama will also create a prison-to-work incentive program to improve ex-offender employment and job retention rates.

Eliminate Sentencing Disparities
Obama believes the disparity between sentencing crack and powder-based cocaine is wrong and should be completely eliminated.

Expand Use of Drug Courts
Obama will give first-time, non-violent offenders a chance to serve their sentence, where appropriate, in the type of drug rehabilitation programs that have proven to work better than a prison term in changing bad behavior.

Barack Obama's Record
Record of Advocacy: Obama has worked to promote civil rights and fairness in the criminal justice system throughout his career. As a community organizer, Obama helped 150,000 African Americans register to vote. As a civil rights lawyer, Obama litigated employment discrimination, housing discrimination, and voting rights cases. As a State Senator, Obama passed one of the country's first racial profiling law and helped reform a broken death penalty system. And in the U.S. Senate, Obama has been a leading advocate for protecting the right to vote, helping to reauthorize the Voting Rights Act and leading the opposition against discriminatory barriers to voting.

Hillary better management based upon? Having a big lead and blowing it - so a comeback is a solid victory?
being a US Senator 3 more years than Obama vast more experience? Jeesh!

OBAMA'S EXPERIENCE:

It has been the rich and varied experiences of Barack Obama's life - growing up in different places with people who had differing ideas - that have animated his political journey. Amid the partisanship and bickering of today's public debate, he still believes in the ability to unite people around a politics of purpose - a politics that puts solving the challenges of everyday Americans ahead of partisan calculation and political gain.

In the Illinois State Senate, this meant working with both Democrats and Republicans to help working families get ahead by creating programs like the state Earned Income Tax Credit, which in three years provided over $100 million in tax cuts to families across the state. He also pushed through an expansion of early childhood education, and after a number of inmates on death row were found innocent, Senator Obama worked with law enforcement officials to require the videotaping of interrogations and confessions in all capital cases.

In the U.S. Senate, he has focused on tackling the challenges of a globalized, 21st century world with fresh thinking and a politics that no longer settles for the lowest common denominator. His first law was passed with Republican Tom Coburn, a measure to rebuild trust in government by allowing every American to go online and see how and where every dime of their tax dollars is spent. He has also been the lead voice in championing ethics reform that would root out Jack Abramoff-style corruption in Congress.

As a member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, Senator Obama has fought to help Illinois veterans get the disability pay they were promised, while working to prepare the VA for the return of the thousands of veterans who will need care after Iraq and Afghanistan. Recognizing the terrorist threat posed by weapons of mass destruction, he traveled to Russia with Republican Dick Lugar to begin a new generation of non-proliferation efforts designed to find and secure deadly weapons around the world. And knowing the threat we face to our economy and our security from America's addiction to oil, he's working to bring auto companies, unions, farmers, businesses and politicians of both parties together to promote the greater use of alternative fuels and higher fuel standards in our cars.

Whether it's the poverty exposed by Katrina, the genocide in Darfur, or the role of faith in our politics, Barack Obama continues to speak out on the issues that will define America in the 21st century. But above all his accomplishments and experiences, he is most proud and grateful for his family. His wife, Michelle, and his two daughters, Malia, 9, and Sasha, 6, live on Chicago's South Side where they attend Trinity United Church of Christ.

Hillary Clinton does NOT have the most experience to be President and the Media has erroneously excepted her self-proclamation that she is as such. 8 years as First Lady is not justifyable experience. Hillary Clinton is just barely in her SECOND term as a United States Senator. She has served in no other elected offices in the Unites States Government. Barack Obama has served 4 years in the United States Senate and 11 years in the Illinois States Legislature... and if my math is correct, Obama has nearly twice the time in legislative offices. Why is he experience in the State Legislative Body not as relevant has her experience as Wife to a President who disgraced the Office? I am baffled. To boot, Obama graduated at the Top of his class at Havard Law School. By-passed a 6-digit figure salary to teach Constitutional Law at the #2 Law School in the Nation. The country would have been better served if many of the so-called "experienced" Politicians would have taken Barack's class at UIC. Obama knows how to bring people together. He proved that by taking a challenge on the South Side of Chicago, leading an economically challenged community, directly helping layed-off steel workers and addressing crime in the trenches. Obama understands how hard it is for real people. Tell me the last time Hillary dealt with a real person, which wasnt staged for a photo op... I would love to see Hillary on the South Side in the Ghettos dealing with real people and real problems. OBAMA is a leader... Hillary is a Manager. Obama should be the President and Hillary should be the Vice President. That's the ticket Americans are Hungry for... and that's what the Democratic Party needs to deliver to America.

I am thrilled with the enthusiasm that Barack Obama has generated throughout the country by increasing everyone's awareness and interest in the campaign. This is the same type of enthusiasm he may be able to generate if he wins the nomination, and isn't it about time. Let's face it, all the candidates make the same promises, "I will end the war", "I will cut taxes", "I have a plan for a better economy", but when we get down to it, none of things seem to happen, and mainly because of the thing that Obama is campaigning against and for. Currently the lobbyists and big business control the decision making in Washington, Obama is against that (Hillary is in their pockets and vice versa), and Obama is for involving the American people so maybe we can get some influence with our government, (Hillary is all about HIllary, no matter the rhetoric).
One quick comment on a post below, who is worried that Obama's inexperience could be dangerous, would it be better to have a president who is going to break down and cry when things get a little difficult, ala HIllary in New Hampshire.

I am a political independent and i am watching with interest the primaries of both parties. For all the plurality in the republican party i think deep down the rank and file know that in a national election the only truly viable candidates are Mitt Romney, John Mcain and possibly Rudy Guilliani. Mark Huckabee is simply a smarter incarnation of George Bush who is cleverly using religion for political gain (and BTW i am a born again evangelical..i know this sort when i see them). Of these three candidates John Mcain despite his many recent gaffes has the greatest appeal across party lines..he is the one republican candidate who will draw many independent votes (including mine depending on the democratic nominee) as well moderate democrats.Just as in the 2004 election the democratci party is at a cross road..despite all the advantages they have now as they did then they are in serious danger of bungling this election. To nominate Hillay Clinton as their candidate is the kiss of death... i personally will never vote for her and the same goes for the vast majority of independents and a substantive number of self described democrats (several of whom i know personally). She and Bill Clinton (whose presidency i BTW largely respect) are the most divisive and polarising force in american politics other than the present president. Her nomination will not only split the democratic party it will galvanize the republican party which is presently in a George W Bush indiuced stupor. It is sad that of all the competent candidates that entered the democratic race only Obama and Edwards are left with the "establishment" of the party clearly behind Hillary. Unless the republians are dumb enough to nominate Huckabee which i am certain will not happen, any of their other front runners will decimate Hillary in a national election..they will enter the election fired up while the democrats will still be trying to patch up the deep divide the Hillarys candidacy will have generated. Ms Eleanor Clift's piece only begins to scratch the surface as to how desperate this couple is to return to the white house..so desperate it seems that they will do and say virtually anything..I am not worried about our nation..i know the general American populace is far more astute than to elect Hillary.- the problem is does the democratic party realize this?

DEFINITELY SENATOR HILLARY CLINTON CAN UNITE THE DEMOCRATS! SHE IS THE ELECTABLE CANDIDATE AND POSSESSES THE QUALITIES OF PROVEN PEACE BUILDING AND LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE TO BE THE TRUE MECHANISMS FOR REALISTIC CHANGE IN AMERICA!!!!

So Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb are to bring the Dems together again ??? kind of like a communal Humpty Dumpty?

Neither of these two dimwits have ANY executive experience ??? has either ever run a Lemonade Stand? How about a company of 5 folks? Any of them ever have military experience? Just what makes Tweedle Dee and Dumb so special in the Dems eyes?

So being the wife of an impeached president and a guy with 3 years in Washington is all the Dems need to lead our country?

I guess that???s the definition of ???Change??? the American voters thirst for.

Give me a break???

I believe that "The Clinton Machine" will eventually prevail, because they play dirty politics and Obama want be able to count punch in fear of upsetting the white majority who he desparately needs to when the nomination. But African Americans can play hold the wild card to at least get Obama in the second seat and then gain the experience needed and run in 2016. By then white america will be use to a black man being in charge. That's a hard thing to say being A-A, but that's the reality in America. Go Obama!!!