The Issues!

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Welcome to my first segment, titled "The Issues". A brief introduction to this segment: Issues are what make or break a candidate when it comes to the majority of the voting population, which is generally considered to be citizens over 50 years of age. For many voters, issues have no bearing, and their vote is decided based on their own declared political party or their perception of the candidate (i.e.: looks, leadership characteristics, how well they are spoken, etc.). However, statistics show that the most informed voting population decides their vote based on the issues. So, without further adieu, the most important political issues surrounding the 2008 election.



The War in Iraq: The War in Iraq refers to the United States military presence in the country of Iraq. This was the essential issue that decided the 2004 election: John Kerry was widely viewed as not having a strong strategy in dealing with Iraq despite his claims, and George Bush's platform was heavily invested in the American people allowing President Bush to "Finish the job" he started in 2003. Based on frequent Gallup Polls, this issue has shown to be the most important to voters from the 2004 election all the way through to the current day, although this issue has declined in importance since January 1st. This issue is very important to voters because of the importance placed on the issue by the Bush Administration, the media, and the public itself. The continued military presence in Iraq means a decreased morale towards the war on the home-front, the earmarking of many billions of US tax dollars towards the war, and a decreased importance on the initial focus of the War on Terrorism, Afghanistan. In general, it can be said that all of the Democratic Presidential candidates favor a rapid pulling out of major military presence in Iraq, while the Republican Candidates favor a slower, more calculated pulling out of Iraq while securing the region first.

The Economy: The economy refers to the state of the stock market, the status of the American dollar, inflation rates and tax rates in the United States. In the 2008 election, the problem of widespread foreclosures is emerging to be one of the most important aspects of the economy. In the 1992 Presidential race, this issue was the most important to voters. This issue is very important to voters because Americans are known for their love of the dollar, and the status of capitalism in America itself is very important to voters. The declining state of the economy means that voters will focus more on this issue as President Bush leaves office, and the state of the economy will therefore help or hinder the Republican candidate for the Presidency.

Health care: Health care refers to the debate for socialized health care, the constant debate over the efficiency of Medicare, and concerns over health care for senior citizens and the poor. This debate tends to be more important to Democratic candidates who are often grilled for their stance on health care (stances that often include socialized health care to some degree). This increased importance for Democratic candidates is also indicative of a typical voter bloc of Democrats: the poor. As Medicare comes under more fire for its supposed inefficiency and corruption, this issue will become more important to the race in general and will make its way into more debates.

Illegal Immigration: Rapidly becoming the most important issue facing candidates in the 2008 election, the issue of illegal immigration has become the most talked about topic in the Republican debates and has seen significant attention in Democratic debates as well. The importance of illegal immigration can be directly linked to the declining state of the economy, as fear about illegal immigrants "stealing jobs" becomes a very prevalent argument used by candidates to gain recognition via their hard-lining stance on this issue. Solutions to this issue come from such liberal solutions as granting illegal immigrants driver's licenses to encourage illegals to register for citizenship, to such conservative views as building a literal wall along the American-Mexican border. It is important to note that the liberal solution was originally suggested by the Governor of New York, and is opposed by every significant political candidate. The more conservative solution, however, is gaining influence as the weeks pass.

A very important point that confirms illegal immigration is an important issue is that Hilary Clinton's "aura of inevitability" as the Democratic candidate took its first blow on this issue. In the October Democratic debate, Hilary Clinton's waffling on the topic of illegal immigration caused her numbers in the polls to decline significantly, and recently Barack Obama has overtaken her in several national polls.

Important Minor Issues:
Terrorism: Initially used by Rudy Giuliani to launch his campaign, this issue has taken a back seat to the more important domestic threat to many Americans: illegal immigration. This issue is most important to Republican voters.
Abortion: This issue is not particularly important among Democrats, but anti-abortion factions within the Republican party hold some sway with their endorsement of a candidate.


*Note: All assertions made in this post are supported by this Gallup Poll article*