Select2008 Blog - Comparing and tracking the 2008 presidential candidates

The top economic questions on Select2008 these last few days reflect voters key concerns with the current economy, from home ownership and government bail out of foreclosures, free trade and NAFTA, and tax reform, as well as key proposals from Clinton, Obama, and McCain.

Select2008 has improved the reporting on each questions, with charts helping you track the popularity of an issue week after week. We encourage you to visit these question pages.

Mortgage issues

- Establish a $1 billion fund to assist State programs that help at-risk borrowers avoid foreclosures

- The Federal government has to do more to help reduce home foreclosures

Free trade

- Withdraw from NAFTA

Tax reform

- Eliminate income taxes for 10 million low income taxpayers

- Roll back the Bush tax cuts

- Raise the tax rate on dividend and capital gains to fund tax benefits for the working class

- Lower the tax rates on interests, dividends and capital gains to zero

Retirement age and Federal minimum wage

- Extend the retirement age

- Raise the Federal minimum wage every year

Popularity: 49% [?]

Free trade and globalization are bubbling up to the top of the 2008 Election issues. Citizens confront Democratic and Republican candidates alike on the side-effects of free trade, from job losses to the environment to recent safety issues. As a result, the current pending agreements with Columbia, Panama, Peru, and South Korea crystallize candidates’ support for or opposition to free trade.

The House of Representatives has just ratified the Peru Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and the Senate will have to vote on ratification in the coming months. The Peru FTA is unlike any other. The Democratic leadership managed to insert in it environmental and labor protection clauses, thereby making it more ‘palatable’ to the Democratic electorate.

Nonetheless, the Peru FTA splits candidates across party lines.

On the Democratic side, Barack Obama (D) and Hillary Clinton(D) are supporting it, because the FTA contains environmental and labor provisions. Bill Richardson (D) has called himself a “free trader”. On the other hand, Joe Biden (D), Christopher Dodd (D) and John Edwards (D) have come out against the Peru FTA with strong words. Mike Gravel (D) is not only against the pending FTAs, but advocates withdrawing from the North American Free Trade Area (NAFTA). Dennis Kucinich (D) has just voted against the Peru FTA.

On the Republican side, Rudy Giuliani (R), John McCain (R), Mitt Romney (R) are all in strong favor of Peru FTA. Fred Thompson (R) also supports free trade. Mike Huckabee (R) strikes a dissonant note coming out in favor of ‘fair trade’ rather than ‘free trade’. Based on the House of Representatives’ vote roll, Tom Tancredo (R) has supported ratifying the Peru FTA and Ron Paul (R) opposed it. Duncan Hunter (R) was absent.

We have just added a question on the Peru FTA. You can now cast your vote and compare your position on this issue with candidates and friends.

Popularity: 49% [?]