Early voting has already begun in my state. I can’t find anyone who doesn’t know a thing or two about the Republican candidate. The Democratic candidate is the current Vice-President, so we know a lot about her, too.
As PeeWee Herman says, “Everyone has a big but in there life…”
So here’s my but,
But we’re not just voting for President. We’re voting for Senators and Representatives, too. For the most part, the candidates have signed on to a party because they believe the country can benefit from a particular way of governing.
I’ve done these comparisons before. This year it was easier because both platforms were simpler. I’m happy that both parties want to address the same things (for the most part.) We can at least agree on the problems!
Side note: This year the Democratic Platform included a list of President Biden’s accomplishments. I knew some of his accomplishments. Whoa! He got a lot done. I feel like I need a nap, just reading them.
|
Subject |
Republican Party Platform (with Chapter references) |
Democrats Party Platform (with Chapter references) |
Biden Accomplished |
|
Address Inflation |
Chapter 1: Terminate the Green New Deal Slash Government spending Cut regulations Stop Illegal Immigration Bring peace through Strength |
Chapter 2: No tax increase for anyone earning less than $400,000/year 25% income tax rate for billionaires Close loopholes and tax shelters for billionaires Prosecute tax cheats |
Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill resulted in 57,000 projects: rebuilding roads, replacing lead pipes, clean power capacity, affordable, high-speed internet CHIPS & Science Act: restored role in producing computer chips Inflation Reduction Act: biggest investment ever in renewable energy, electric vehicles, and other green technologies |
|
Secure the Border |
Chapter 2: Secure the border Enforce immigration laws Deport illegal aliens and those who break the law Extreme vetting to prevent jihadists Stop Sanctuary cities Put American Workers first by prioritizing Merit Based and end Chain immigration |
Chapter 7: Push for more personnel on all levels Reform the asylum system Emergency temporary border shutdown Fight human trafficking. Cutting-edge fentanyl detection tools. The US Citizenship Act: Improve legal immigration pathways Provide a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, farm workers, care workers, and other long-term undocumented people. |
Los Angeles Declaration for Migration and Protection: an agreement with 20 countries to increase enforcement, expand legal pathways to citizenship, and stabilize and integrate migrants. Interagency Task Force for the Reunification of Families: reunited nearly 800 children with parents in the US. Negotiated a bipartisan immigration deal that reformed the current process (did not pass due to Trump’s urging) Increased the number of border patrol to over 24,000 Joint Task Force Alpha: law enforcement to fight human smuggling Executive order to fight fentanyl smuggling Expanded temporary protection status |
|
Build the Economy |
Chapter 3: Cut Regulations Make Trump Tax Cuts Permanent and end tax on tips Reliable, low-cost energy of oil and natural gas Champion innovation (cryptocurrency, AI, and outer space manufacturing) |
Chapter 1 & 2: Billionaires will pay at least 25% income tax Modernize the IRS to address tax fraud Close unfair tax loopholes |
800,000 manufacturing jobs 880,000 construction jobs “Buy America” procurement rules The American Rescue Plan supported 4300 state and local workforce development programs Investing in America agenda expanded job training between high schools, community colleges, unions, and employers. |
|
Bring back the American Dream |
Chapter 4: Reduce mortgage rates by opening federal land to building, tax incentives, and regulation cuts Make higher education more affordable by creating alternatives to 4-year colleges Make healthcare affordable by promoting choice and completion, expanding Affordable Healthcare and prescription drug options, protect Medicare Lower everyday costs by lowering energy costs and reducing regulations |
Chapter 1 & 3: Give farmers the right to repair their own equipment Continue to enforce labor and safety laws. Keep the USPS $10,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers Medicaid expansion and Children’s Health Insurance Program Expand healthcare workforce Crackdown on surprise medical billing Capped childcare at 7% for low income. Expand the Child Tax Credit Improve pay for care-workers Require 12 weeks paid family leave for family health care needs $10,000 mortgage relief tax credit Build or renovate 2 million homes |
Paycheck Protection Act provided support to 100,000 restaurants and 220,000 childcare centers. $12 billion in Community Development Finance Institutions Initiated the Minority Business Development Agency (thanks to the Infrastructure Act) Creating new sources of income for farmers (Inflation Reduction Act) Modernized SNAP benefits Made permanent child summer nutrition programs. The American Rescue Plan drove poverty to a new low, expanded Child tax credit, and tripled the Earned Income Tax Credit Military Parental Leave Program: Expanded leave to 12 weeks |
|
Protect Workers |
Chapter 5: Rebalancing trade with Tariffs Secure Independence from China and stop China from buying American real estate Save the American auto industry by reversing regulations, reversing eV mandates, and preventing Chinese imports Bring home Critical Supply Chains Buy American and hire American |
Chapter 1: Pass the Right to Organize Act to give everyone the right to organize for better pay, benefits, and working conditions Pass the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act guaranteeing public sector bargaining rights Increase minimum wage to $15/hour and make millions of workers eligible for overtime pay. |
|
|
Protect Seniors |
Chapter 6: Protect Social Security Strengthen Medicare Support active & healthy living by increasing focus on chronic disease prevention Protect care at home by supporting tax credits and reducing red tape. Protect economic foundation |
Chapter 3: Cap out-of-pocket drug cost at $2000 Protect Medicare, Social Security, Medicaid (fight privatization) Make Medicare solvent |
Gave Medicare the ability to negotiate drug prices. Made hearing aids available over the counter. |
|
Educa-tion |
Chapter 7: Support principals & teachers by ending tenure & adopting merit pay, and allowing various publicly supported models Universal school choice and support homeschooling Safe, secure, and drug-free schools by overhauling standards for discipline Restore parental rights Support reading, history, science, and math, not CRT & Gender indoctrination Promote a love of country with authentic civics education Freedom to pray and read the Bible in school Return education to the states |
Chapter 3: Free Universal preschool for 4-year-olds Fully fund IDEA to prioritize students with disabilities Prioritize STEM fields Provide a pathway for students to become bilingual. Make trade schools and community colleges free Expand Pell Grants Make teaching a sustainable/affordable profession |
|
|
Common Sense Government |
Chapter 8: Empowering American families: sanctity of marriage, blessings of children, & roles of families Rebuild cities and restore law & order by common sense policing, protecting police from lawsuits, and compassionately addressing homelessness Take care of our veterans by ending benefits for illegal immigrants and giving them to veterans and by protecting whistleblowers Make Washington DC safe & beautiful by restoring law & order and by maintaining our monuments Make colleges and universities sane and affordable by firing accreditors, diving down tuition costs, restoring due process protections, and pursuing civil rights cases against discriminatory schools. Combat antisemitism by revoking visas of people who support terrorism and jihadism. Overcome the crisis of liberal arts education Restore American beauty by building and restoring symbols Honor American history by celebrating our heroes. |
Not addressed |
|
|
Protect Democracy & Protect Freedom |
Chapter 9: Stop woke and weaponized government Dismantle censorship & protect free speech Defend religious liberty by creating a task force on Fighting Anti-Christian Bias Protect and Defend a vote of the people, from within the states, on the issue of Life (oppose late-term abortion, support prenatal care, birth control, and IVF) End gender insanity by keeping men out of women’s sports, ban taxpayer funding for sex change surgeries, and stop schools from promoting gender transition. Ensure election integrity by including voter ID, paper ballots, proof of citizenship, and same-day voting. Protect Americans in territorites by welcoming those citizens to greater participation in the political process |
Chapter 6: Select judges that will protect fundamental rights Restore protections of the Voting Rights Act Require full disclosure of “dark money” political contributions Strengthen laws that prohibit lobbying by foreign entities Make Roe the law of the land Repeal the Hyde Amendment Strengthen access to birth control and IVF Pass the Paycheck Fairness Act Address the maternal health crisis Pass the Equality Act to codify protections for LGBTQ+ families Ban “conversion therapy” Enforce the Olmstead Act which prohibits disability discrimination Promote Nation-to-Nation partnerships with Tribal Nations. Appoint an independent media professional to head the US Agency for Global Media Protect the First Amendment Fund the National Endowment for the Arts Support statehood for Washington DC |
Appointed two Supreme Court Justices Appointed nearly 200 Federal Judges Expanded reproductive healthcare for armed forces and veterans FDA approved the first OTC birth control Created the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline Launched White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research By executive order, extended federal nondiscrimination to include LGBTQ+ Signed the Respect for Marriage Act Launched LGBTQ+ Community Safety Partnership Developed the US National Strategy to Counter Islamophobia and Related Forms of Bias and Discrimination An executive order made art accessible to underserved communities |
|
Return to Peace |
Chapter 10: The national interest: promote Foreign Policy centered on American interests Modernize the military by higher pay to the military, fire woke Democrats, and an Iron Dome Missile Defense Shield Strengthen alliances by assuring our allies pay their fair share Strengthen economic, military, and diplomatic capabilities Defend American borders by finishing the 100-mile wall and using the military to crack down on cartels Revive our industrial base by making equipment and parts critical to security in the USA Protect critical infrastructure from malicious cyber actors. |
Chapter 9: Continue to support Ukraine Deepen economic engagement, champion human rights, in Indo-Pacific Manage the relationship with the PRC Outcompete China Oppose unilateral steps in Gaza/Israel conflict Oppose Israeli settlement expansion Support critical assistance to Palestinians Work to get Africa a seat at the US Security Council reforms Support United States Strategy and National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security Prioritize ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women Invest in the military upgrading to next-generation weapon systems, cutting-edge training, deterrence capabilities |
Supported Ukraine objectives Strengthened NATO Recognized the Armenian genocide Led the US-EU Energy Council to counter Russia’s effect Increased tariffs on Chinese goods: aluminum, steel, semiconductors, EVs, batteries, critical minerals, solar cells, etc. Tightened restrictions on AI chip export Pushed China to curb fentanyl smuggling Organized Operation Prosperity Guardian, 20 nations committed to defending international shipping |
|
Climate Change |
Not addressed |
Chapter 4: Incentivize investment in transmission upgrades and new lines and in the grid-component manufacturing Speed up the environmental review permitting process Launch Advanced Research Projects Agency for Climate Invest in new sources of income for farmers Electrify the nation’s fleets of school buses, transit buses, federal vehicles Eliminate unfair gas and oil subsidies Plant millions of trees Tax credits to use clean energy in manufacturing Disaster Resilience Tax Credit to help low-and middle-income people prepare for natural disasters Fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund Drive global innovation Participate in dept-for-nature swaps |
300,000 Clean Energy jobs Inflation Reduction Act created tax incentives and rebates to make homes more efficient Toughened efficiency standards on new appliances and cars Launched American Climate Corps Pay farmers to adopt climate-smart practices With tax credits, quadrupled purchase of EV Increased royalties for drilling oil Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests $21billion in tackling legacy pollution Greenhouse Reduction Fund ensures communities have access to capital to slash harmful climate pollution National Heat Standard to protect workers from extreme heat Rejoined the Paris Climate Agreement |
|
Gun Violence |
Not addressed |
Chapter 5: Establish a universal background check. Ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines Require safe storage for guns Pass a national “red flag” law End the gun industry’s immunity from liability Increase funding for ATF and FBI Fund gun violence research by CDC Create a Violent Crime Reduction and Prevention Fund to resources to fight crime. Expunge records of marijuana use-only crimes Fund a new Accelerating Justice System Reform gran program End state-level private prisons and detention centers We will guarantee medical care to prisoners and support rehabilitation Strengthen VAWA (Violence Against Women Act) |
Bipartisan Safer Communities Act White House Office of Gun Safety Prevention New law enforcement with the department of Justice to crack down on gun trafficking American Rescue Plan earmarked $15 billion for gun safety including more and better-trained police officers Safer America Plan invested $37 billion to support law enforcement and crime prevention. Pardoned simple possession & use of marijuana and shortened sentences on non-violent drug offenses Pardoned 2,000 gay, lesbian, and bisexual veterans convicted of being themselves Launched the National Plan to End Gender-Based Violence An executive order that transferred sexual assault decision-making authority to independent military prosecutors |
|
Unity Agenda |
Not addressed |
Chapter 8: Permanent funding for Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics Reform Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act Invest in AI Institute Ban voice Impersonations Provide research funds for NCI, FDA, CDC, VA, HIS, ARPA-H Implement the Military Justice Improvement and Increasing Prevention Act Continue implementation of the PACT Act Expand Memorial Benefits |
State Opioid Response Launched 988, National Suicide & Crisis Hotline Executive order to protect sensitive person data from commercial data brokers, identity thieves, and foreign intelligence actors Executive order directing federal agencies to establish high standards for AI Launched Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health to supercharge high-impact research Executive order to make it easier for military spouses to have careers in government |
Did you find any surprises? Let me know what you think in the comments below.
Now it’s time we all took a little catnap.
