Beginning in late August 2007, the NAACP Washington Bureau sent questionnaires to candidates for President of the United States from both parties.  It was made clear at the time that the responses received would be reproduced and distributed to the NAACP members and communities so that we could make informed decisions when going to the polls.  Attached are some of the responses to the questionnaire.  Interested members that would like to see a complete list may contact Kathi Harris.

It should be noted that despite repeated calls and requests from the NAACP, Senator McCain’s campaign has steadfastly contended that he has chosen not to respond to candidate questionnaires.  Therefore, we do not have responses from Senator McCain to our questions, but the following are the responses from Senator Obama.

The Federal Budget

If elected President, what would your priorities be when developing a federal budget?

Senator Obama: 

Today, our tax and budget system have become increasingly complex and unfair.  My top priority for reform is bringing back fairness and responsibility to government tax and budget policy.  I will reverse the policies of this Administration which favor the wealthy and well-connected over low and middle income American families.

I will increase federal funding for programs that help working families, including providing universal health care, dramatically improving education opportunities from birth to college, providing a “Making Work Pay” tax credit to 150 million working Americans, fully funding the CDBG program and other programs that increase the availability of affordable housing, increasing funding for transitional jobs and career pathways programs, and expanding eligibility, and increasing the EITC to benefit 12 million Americans.

Discrimination in “Charitable Choice” Proposals

If elected President, would you pursue initiatives that allow federal dollars to be used to support programs

in which individuals are discriminated against based on their religion?

Senator Obama: 

I support government efforts to partner with faith-based organizations.  However, my administration will not pursue initiatives that permit taxpayer dollars to be used to support programs that practice discrimination in hiring.

Health Care

If elected President, what actions, if any, would you take to ensure that all Americans have access to comprehensive, high quality, and affordable quality health care?

Senator Obama: 

I will sign a universal health bill into law by the end of my first term in office.  My plan will ensure that all Americans have health care coverage through their employers, private health plans, the federal government, or the states.

Health Care Disparities

If elected President, what if anything would you do to reduce or eliminate the disparities that currently exist in the health care problems that affect racial and ethnic minorities in the United States?

Senator Obama:

My plan promotes research into combating health care disparities, conducts educational and health outreach to minorities, increases the diversity of healthcare professionals, and improves the delivery of health care to minorities.  Finally, my plan also requires health providers to inform the public about disparities and take steps to reduce those disparities.

Social Security

Do you have a specific plan to reform the current Social Security system?  If so what are the major provisions?

Senator Obama:

·        I will be honest with the American people about the long term solvency of Social Security and the ways we can fix the problem. 

·        I believe that benefits should not be cut and the retirement age should not be raised.

·        I also believe that privatization of Social Security, which I have long opposed, is not a valid option for us to consider because it tears the fabric of Social Security – the idea of mutual responsibility – by subjecting a secure retirement to the whims of the market, and that is not an acceptable way to strengthen this program. 

I believe that the first place to look for ways to strengthen Social Security is the payroll tax system.  Currently the Social Security payroll tax applies to only the first $97,500 a worker makes.  I support increasing the maximum amount of earnings covered by Social Security and I will work with Congress and the American people to choose a payroll tax reform package that will keep Social Security completely solvent for at least the next half century. 

Medicare and Medicaid

Do you have specific plans to reauthorize or reform the current Medicare, Medicaid or S-CHIP programs?  If so, what are the major provisions?

Senator Obama:

My universal health care reform plan will expand eligibility for Medicaid and SCHIP, and my health care quality initiatives will place a greater emphasis on prevention, chronic disease management, and other measures that have been proven to improve patient health outcomes.

Decent and Affordable Housing

I will fully fund the Community Development Block Grant program and create an Affordable Housing Trust Fund to build thousands of new affordable housing units each year.  I will also make buying a home more affordable by creating a new mortgage interest tax credit, which will predominantly benefit families making under $50,000 per year.

Minimum Wage

If elected President, what steps would you take to ensure that the federal minimum wage was consistently a fair living wage throughout our nation?

Senator Obama:

As president, I will work to make sure Washington represents the national interest instead of the special interests.  We must increase the minimum wage to

$9.50 an hour and tie future increases in the minimum wage to inflation so that it grows along with the costs American workers face. 

And we need to make the minimum wage a living wage that helps American families not just survive, but succeed.

Homelessness in America

If elected President, what steps would you take to eliminate homelessness in the United States?

Senator Obama:

·        First, I will work to increase the availability of affordable of housing in the U.S. by creating an Affordable Housing Trust Fund, reversing the Bush cuts to the CDBG program and ensuring that public housing operates by a one-by-one replacement rule. 

·        Second, I will work to engage more chronically unemployed Americans into the workforce by investing $1 billion over 5 years into transitional jobs and career pathways programs. 

·        Third, I will increase and expand eligibility for Earned Income Tax Credit benefits so that more working Americans, including childless working Americans, have access to more economic supports.

·        Fourth, I will also expand resources for ex-offender job training and support services, as well as substance abuse programs to help more disengaged Americans rebuild their lives.

Predatory Lending

If elected President, what would you do to address the problems of predatory lending?

Senator Obama: 

·        I have proposed a robust agenda to cut down on predatory lending, and ensure that communities have access to affordable lending products. 

·        I have also called to put an end to the most unscrupulous payday lending and credit card practices, which disproportionately affect urban minorities. 

·        I will extend the 36% interest cap on payday loans that applies to U.S. service members to all Americans. 

·        I will sign into law a Credit Card Bill of Rights that bans the most egregious credit card activities.

And I will work with my Secretary of Treasury and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to

·        encourage banks, credit unions, and CDFIs to provide affordable short term and small dollar loans – and to drive the sharks out of business.

·        Finally, I will fight to ensure that more Americans are empowered in the fight against predatory lending by supporting initiatives to improve financial literacy and financial planning.

Making College More Affordable

If elected President, please describe initiatives that you would promote to make college more affordable.

Senator Obama: 

·        The very first bill I introduced in the U.S. Senate sought to increase the maximum Pell Grant award to $5100. 

·        I will create a new American opportunity Tax Credit to help American families who are struggling to send their children to college.  This fully refundable $4000 tax credit will be provided to students before they have to pay their tuition bills. 

·        I will also simplify the financial aid application process by eliminating the current student aid form altogether.

·        I will also seek to free up money for student aid by reforming the federal student loan program.

Federal Funding for Public Education

If elected President, please describe some of the initiatives your Administration would undertake to increase funding for public education.

Senator Obama:  I believe that the overall goal of the NCLB is the right one – ensuring that all children can meet high standards – but the law has significant flaws that need to be addressed, including the lack of necessary resources to fully implement the plan.  That’s why I have introduced a bill to increase federal public education spending by about $18 billion per year to ensure that all of America’s children – no matter where they are located – have meaningful access to a high quality public education.

Educational Equity

If elected President, what would you do to ensure that all American children have equal access to a high quality public education?

Senator Obama: 

·        The first part of my plan focuses on providing quality, affordable early childhood education to every American child.

·        The second part of my education plan is to recruit, support, and reward teachers and principals to ensure that every school in America is filled with outstanding educators. 

·        The third part of my plan is to work with our nation’s governors and educators to create and use assessments that can improve achievement in school districts all across America by including the kinds of research, scientific investigation, and problem solving that our children will need to compete in a 21^st century knowledge economy.

School Vouchers

If elected President, what if any steps would you take regarding publicly funded vouchers to allow students to attend private school?

Senator Obama: 

We need to invest in our public schools and strengthen them, not drain their fiscal support. And for this reason I do not support vouchers.

Police Abuse, Brutality, and Accountability

If elected President, what if anything, would you do to address the issue of police misconduct?

Senator Obama:  I will direct my Attorney General to have the Justice Department work closely with state and local law enforcement to ensure the effective implementation of standards for use of force.

Mandatory Minimum Sentences

If elected President, would you work to increase or decrease the number of offenses which trigger a mandatory minimum sentence?

Senator Obama:  There are at least 171 mandatory minimum provisions in federal criminal statutes.  I will immediately review these sentences to see where we can be smarter on crime and reduce the ineffective warehousing of non-violent drug offenders.

Gun Safety Legislation

If elected President, what if anything, would you do to stem gun violence in our country?

Senator Obama: 

·        As president, my first act on this issue will be the restoration of full funding for COPS. 

·        I also support reasonable, common-sense measures to limit the occurrence of gun violence that has taken the lives of too many Americans, and that has particularly ravaged black communities. 

·        I also want to make sure the background check system works well so that mentally deranged people, criminals, and others who should not have firearms are prevented from purchasing them.

The Death Penalty

If elected President, how would you work to ensure that as long as we have a death penalty that, at the very least, the color of one’s skin or a person’s financial status are not determining factors when deciding who should receive the death penalty?

Senator Obama: 

I believe there are a few crimes so heinous that they warrant the ultimate penalty.  But the question is whether that sentence can be implemented in a fair and just way.  I drafted and passed a law requiring videotaping of interrogations and confessions in capital cases to ensure that prosecutions are fair. 

As president, I will encourage the states to adopt similar reforms.  I also support efforts to ensure that capital defendants receive quality counsel.  I will direct my Justice Department to undertake a comprehensive study of the administration of the federal death penalty and to make recommendations on how to address the problems that have been identified with the system, including racial bias.  

Election Reform

If elected President, which initiatives would you pursue to ensure that every eligible American is allowed to cast a free and unfettered vote, and to be assured that their vote was counted?

Senator Obama:  As President, I will sign into law my Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act – a bill that cracks down on insidious misinformation campaigns designed to keep voters – usually racial minorities, the poor, the elderly, and the disabled from exercising their right to vote.

Fair and Impartial Federal Judgeships

If elected President, what criteria would you use in determining who to nominate for positions in the federal judiciary?

Senator Obama:  I have a track record of opposing nominees on the basis of their record on civil rights issues – a record born out of my own experiences as a civil rights lawyer and constitutional law professor.  I opposed the confirmation of Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court in large part because of their records on civil rights and civil liberties.  More recently, I led the opposition in the Senate to the nomination of Judge Leslie Southwick to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. 

As president, I will select federal judges who are highly qualified and who have a clear record of public service.  And I will select men and women who I think bring a certain empathy to the task of judging – the ability to see themselves in other people’s lives.  This is not an insignificant consideration.

Public Financing of House/Senate Campaigns

If elected President, what would you do to promote public financing of campaigns?

Senator Obama:

I support public financing of campaigns combined with free television and radio time as a way to reduce the influence of moneyed special interests.

Fighting Global Disease and Extreme Poverty

If elected President, what steps would you take to address global disease and extreme poverty throughout the world?

Senator Obama:

·        I will double our annual investments in foreign assistance to $50 billion by 2012 and ensure that these new resources are invested wisely with strong accountability measures and directed towards strategic goals.

·        I will work to meet the UN Millennium Development Goals and will target new U.S. assistance to help the world’s weakest states to build healthy and educated communities, reduce poverty, develop markets, and generate wealth.

·        I will also increase U.S. commitments to fighting the global HIV/AIDS pandemic, as well as malaria and tuberculosis.  The first priority should be to reauthorize the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief when it expires in 2008, but also to rewrite much of the bill to allow best practices – not ideology – to drive funding for HIV/AIDS programs.