Political Bio of the Week

This week focuses on the former 2004 Vice Presidential candidate John Edwards who again is attempting to gain the Democratic Presidential Nomination.

EDWARDS, John, a Senator from North Carolina; born in Seneca, South Carolina on June 10, 1953; attended public schools in Robbins, North Carolina; B.A. North Carolina State University 1974; J.D., University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 1977; textile mill worker; attorney and partner with Edwards & Kirby, Raleigh, N.C.; elected as a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in 1998 and served from January 3, 1999, to January 3, 2005; was not a candidate for reelection to the Senate, but was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination for president in 2004; was an unsuccessful candidate for Vice President on the Democratic ticket with John F. Kerry in 2004.

Favors:

Abortion

Women's Right to Choose

Affirmative Action

Increased subsidies on women-owned non-profit business

More funding and stricter sentencing for hate crimes

Expanding hate crimes to include sexual orientation

School prayer for memorial services

Providing health insurance for every child and vulnerable adult in America

Prescription drug coverage under medicare

Funding for small class sizes instead of tudors

Funding for student testing instead of tudors

Death Penalty

Right to bear arms

Background checks at gun shows

Tax cuts to help the middle class

Shift tax burden from taxing work to taxing wealth

Revising capital gains tax

Roll back Bush tax cuts and address real priorities

Hardworking immigrants can gain American citizenship

Permanent normal trade relations with China

Free trade relations w/ the Andean nations

Military pay raise of 4.8%

Deploying National Missle Defense ASAP

Banning campaign donations from unions & corporations

Banning soft money contributions and restricting issue ads

Re-orienting aid to open societies, giving more to non-governmental bodies and cutting assistance uninterested in democracy and upholding human rights

Working w/ other nations in war on terror

Enlarging NATO to include Eastern Europe

Replace coal & oil with alternative fuels

Increase the Earned Income Tax Credit

Opposes:

Privatizing social security

School voucher program

Mandatory minimums for non-violent crimes

More penalties on gun and drug violations

Phasing out the estate tax ("death tax")

Eliminating the marriage penalty

$350 billion in tax breaks over 11 years

NAFTA, Chile trade and Singapore trade

Fast-track - not enough for US workers

Expanding trade to the third world

Capping foreign aid at only $12.7 billion

Preserving budget for ANWR oil drilling

Increasing penalties for drug offenses