Barack Obama: Campaign Issues 2008
Updated February 21, 2017 | Factmonster Staff 
Where he stands
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Iraq
- Immediately begin to remove troops.
- Remove one to two combat brigades each month; all combat brigades out within 16 months.
- Engage representatives from all levels of Iraqi society to seek new accord on Iraq's Constitution and governance.
- No permanent bases in Iraq.
Energy/Environment
- Supports a cap-and-trade system to reduce carbon emissions to 80% below 1990 levels by 2050
- Develop domestic incentives that reward forest owners, farmers, and ranchers when they plant trees, restore grasslands, or undertake farming practices that capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
- Invest $150 billion over 10 years to advance the next generation of biofuels and fuel infrastructure, accelerate the commercialization of plug-in hybrids, promote development of commercial-scale renewable energy, invest in low-emissions coal plants, and begin the transition to a new digital electricity grid
- Establish a 25% federal Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) to require that 25% of electricity consumed in the U.S. be derived from clean, sustainable energy sources, like solar, wind and geothermal by 2025
- Require 36 billion gallons of renewable fuels to be included in the fuel supply by 2022 and increase that to at least 60 billion gallons of advanced biofuels like cellulosic ethanol by 2030
Immigration
- Supports additional personnel, infrastructure, and technology on the border and at our ports of entry
- Increase the number of legal immigrants to keep families together and meet the demand for jobs that employers cannot fill
- Crack down on employers who hire undocumented immigrants
- Supports a system that allows undocumented immigrants who are in good standing to pay a fine, learn English, and go to the back of the line for the opportunity to become citizens
Health care
- Guaranteed eligibility.
- Portability and choice.
- National Health Insurance Exchange.
- Employers who do not offer or make meaningful contributions to cost of quality coverage are required to contribute percentage of payroll to pay for national plan.
- Mandatory child coverage.
- Expand eligibility for Medicaid and State Children’s Health Insurance Program.
Taxes
- Lower income limit for Child Tax Credit.
- Eliminate income tax for seniors earning less than $50,000 a year.
- Reverse Bush tax cuts for wealthy.
- Simplify filing process.
- Universal mortgage interest credit.
- Tax credit up to $500 per person, or $1,000 per working family.
- No capital gains tax for start-up companies.
Education
- Increase funding for Head Start.
- Zero to Five plan.
- Support innovative schools.
- Recruit and reward teachers.
- Modify certification and teacher preparation process.
- Tax credit toward college.
- Streamline financial aid process.
- More from Campaign 2008
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