Obama versus Romney: A Political Comparison

Obama versus Romney: A Political Comparison

Introduction

The purpose of this essay is to present a critical comparison of the politics of President Barack Obama (2004-Present) and his rival in the 2012 Presidential U.S. elections, Mitt Romney. In most cases, the political positions of both presidential candidates align with general liberal and conservative politics and ideologies in American politics. To compare the politics of Obama and Romney, this essay will compare their differing views and positions on the economy, healthcare, immigration, foreign policy, global warming and the environment, military intervention, and social and ethical issues such as gay marriage and abortion. Overall, the shadow of Democrat and Republican ideologies governs both candidates' views in all spheres.

Discussion

Economy

The U.S. government acts as a business on an international scale with numerous expenses domestically and internationally, as well as debts. Many of these expenses are the infrastructure and services that the U.S. government provides to its citizens. Where some services are free goods, others have to be paid for. To handle these enormous costs the government needs an effective taxation system to generate revenue. (La Bella, 2010). Taxation is a sensitive tool - partly because the burden of taxation cuts into the real income that people earn. This means that the net earnings of U.S. citizens will substantially reduce in an arbitrary or unfair taxation system. Typically, Democrats favor tax cuts whereas Republicans maintain a strict stance on the taxation policy.

Obama's stance on taxation furthers rescinding Bush tax cuts for those households which earn more than $250,000. He also believes that lower taxes on the manufacturing industry will stimulate substantial economic growth. His short term plans for the U.S. economy include stimulating spending and tax cuts to achieve short-term economic growth. His long term plans for the U.S. economy are reducing government expenditure and introducing a progressive taxation system to reduce the budget deficit. Romney, on the other hand, calls for making Bush tax cuts stable, with lower taxes for businesses in the corporate board to twenty-five percent. He also believes that reduction of non-security discretionary government expenditure by five per cent can considerably decrease the budget deficit.

Healthcare

In 2010, President Barack Obama signed the healthcare bill and called for policies protecting patients such as medical bill coverage for pre-existing conditions, prohibiting insurers from cancelling insurance policies when the buyer of the insurance contracts a disease, and having healthcare insurance a prerequisite obtainable as a buyable commodity. Romney created similar legislation in Mass, however, he argued that it is not feasible for all of the U.S. citizens as it will place an undue burden on the U.S. economy. He thus, encourages individuals to purchase health insurance on their own rather than through corporate finance and employers, allowing insurance across state lines.

Immigration

For several decades, the U.S. immigration policy remained as the central national agenda because of its nature and impact. The United States, perhaps, is the only nation that accommodates immigrants from 170 other nations of the ...