VoteMatch Responses (Click here for VoteMatch quiz)
VoteMatch Question & Answer (Click on question for explanation and background)	Based on these stances: (Click on topic for excerpt & citation)
Strongly Favors topic 1: Abortion is a woman's right (+5 points on Social scale)	Firmly believes family planning decisions should be private: Strongly Favors topic 1 Deeply committed to protecting a woman’s right to choose: Strongly Favors topic 1 Expand federal support for Stem Cell research: Favors topic 1 Opposes Alito on grounds of woman’s right to choose: Favors topic 1 Ensure access to and funding for contraception: Favors topic 1 Focus on preventing pregnancy, plus emergency contraception: Favors topic 1 NO on prohibiting minors crossing state lines for abortion: Strongly Favors topic 1 NO on defining unborn child as eligible for SCHIP: Favors topic 1 YES on expanding research to more embryonic stem cell lines: Favors topic 1 NO on barring HHS grants to organizations that perform abortions: Favors topic 1 NO on restricting UN funding for population control policies: Favors topic 1
Strongly Favors topic 2: Require hiring more women & minorities (-5 points on Economic scale)	Worked entire career for civil rights: Favors topic 2 I support gay marriage: Strongly Favors topic 2 Re-introduce the Equal Rights Amendment: Strongly Favors topic 2 Ban discriminatory compensation; allow 2 years to sue: Favors topic 2
Strongly Favors topic 3: Same-sex domestic partnership benefits (+5 points on Social scale)	Regulation of marriage has always been a state issue: Strongly Favors topic 3 Don’t use Constitution to divide gay people from others: Strongly Favors topic 3 Fight a constitutional ban on gay marriage: Strongly Favors topic 3 Repeal the ban on gays serving openly in the military: Strongly Favors topic 3 Provide benefits to domestic partners of Federal employees: Strongly Favors topic 3
No opinion on topic 4: Teacher-led prayer in public schools (0 points on Social scale)	(No votes on which to base response)
Opposes topic 8: Death Penalty (+2 points on Social scale)	Rules out death penalty for juveniles: Strongly Opposes topic 8 Federal death penalty ok; but not at state level: Favors topic 8
Opposes topic 9: Mandatory Three Strikes sentencing laws (+2 points on Social scale)	Firm believer in prison re-entry programs upon release: Strongly Opposes topic 9 Strengthened penalties for armed criminals: Favors topic 9 Reduce recidivism by giving offenders a Second Chance: Strongly Opposes topic 9 YES on reinstating $1.15 billion funding for the COPS Program: Opposes topic 9
Strongly Opposes topic 10: Absolute right to gun ownership (-5 points on Economic scale)	Common-sense solutions to fight gun crime: Opposes topic 10 Fight to keep guns off our streets: Strongly Opposes topic 10 NO on prohibiting foreign & UN aid that restricts US gun ownership: Opposes topic 10 NO on allowing firearms in checked baggage on Amtrak trains: Opposes topic 10
Strongly Favors topic 5: More federal funding for health coverage (-5 points on Economic scale)	Provide all families with insurance: Strongly Favors topic 5 Scrap Medicare Rx plan, and negotiate for drug prices: Favors topic 5 Preserve access to Medicaid & SCHIP during economic downturn: Strongly Favors topic 5 Disclose payments from manufacturers to physicians: Favors topic 5 Expand the National Health Service Corps: Strongly Favors topic 5 Expand health services for women veterans: Favors topic 5 NO on allowing tribal Indians to opt out of federal healthcare: Strongly Favors topic 5 NO on means-testing to determine Medicare Part D premium: Favors topic 5 YES on requiring negotiated Rx prices for Medicare part D: Favors topic 5 YES on adding 2 to 4 million children to SCHIP eligibility: Favors topic 5 YES on overriding veto on expansion of Medicare: Favors topic 5 YES on expanding the Children's Health Insurance Program: Favors topic 5 YES on regulating tobacco as a drug: Favors topic 5
Strongly Opposes topic 6: Privatize Social Security (-5 points on Economic scale)	Don’t put Soc. Sec. benefits at risk: Strongly Opposes topic 6 Pro-privatization crowd wants to cut benefits: Strongly Opposes topic 6 Lift limit on withholding from $90,000 to $120,000: Opposes topic 6 NO on establishing reserve funds & pre-funding for Social Security: Opposes topic 6
Strongly Opposes topic 7: Parents choose schools via vouchers (-5 points on Economic scale)	NCLB’s teaching-to-the-test hurts children’s learning: Opposes topic 7 Vouchers are a poor use of scarce federal dollars: Strongly Opposes topic 7 Fully fund No Child Left Behind: Opposes topic 7
Strongly Favors topic 18: Replace coal & oil with alternatives (-5 points on Economic scale)	Replace oil lobby with entirely new energy strategy: Strongly Favors topic 18 Push for tougher CAFE standards: Strongly Favors topic 18 New technologies for environmentally-friendly energy: Strongly Favors topic 18 Designate sensitive ANWR area as protected wilderness: Favors topic 18 Let states define stricter-than-federal emission standards: Strongly Favors topic 18 YES on factoring global warming into federal project planning: Favors topic 18 YES on removing oil & gas exploration subsidies: Strongly Favors topic 18 YES on addressing CO2 emissions without considering India & China: Favors topic 18 YES on tax incentives for energy production and conservation: Strongly Favors topic 18 NO on requiring full Senate debate and vote on cap-and-trade: Favors topic 18 NO on protecting middle-income taxpayers from a national energy tax: Favors topic 18 YES on $2 billion more for Cash for Clunkers program: Favors topic 18
Strongly Opposes topic 19: Drug use is immoral: enforce laws against it (+5 points on Social scale)	Supports drug treatment and alternative drug courts: Strongly Opposes topic 19
No opinion on topic 20: Allow churches to provide welfare services (0 points on Economic scale)	(No votes on which to base response)
Strongly Favors topic 11: Make taxes more progressive (-5 points on Economic scale)	We owe $1 trillion to China to fund Bush tax cuts: Favors topic 11 Bush tax cuts are improvident & unfair--repeal them: Strongly Favors topic 11 $300 tax rebate a bad deal if it means $150,000 future debt: Favors topic 11 Roll back the tax reductions to America’s wealthiest: Strongly Favors topic 11 NO on raising the Death Tax exemption to $5M from $1M: Strongly Favors topic 11 YES on increasing tax rate for people earning over $1 million: Strongly Favors topic 11 NO on allowing AMT reduction without budget offset: Favors topic 11 NO on raising estate tax exemption to $5 million: Strongly Favors topic 11 NO on repealing the Alternative Minimum Tax: Strongly Favors topic 11
Strongly Favors topic 12: Illegal immigrants earn citizenship (+5 points on Social scale)	Path to citizenship after illegal aliens have paid dues: Strongly Favors topic 12 Immigrants should be able to realize dream of citizenship: Strongly Favors topic 12 YES on continuing federal funds for declared "sanctuary cities": Strongly Favors topic 12 YES on eliminating the "Y" nonimmigrant guestworker program: Neutral topic 12 NO on declaring English as the official language of the US government: Strongly Favors topic 12 YES on comprehensive immigration reform: Strongly Favors topic 12
Strongly Opposes topic 13: Support & expand free trade (-5 points on Economic scale)	Opposes NAFTA and CAFTA; supports fair trade: Strongly Opposes topic 13 NO on promoting free trade with Peru: Opposes topic 13
Opposes topic 15: Expand the armed forces (+2 points on Social scale)	Our presence in Iraq worsens situation in Israel: Opposes topic 15 Extend reserve retirement pay parity back to 9/11: Favors topic 15 YES on limiting soldiers' deployment to 12 months: Opposes topic 15
Strongly Favors topic 16: Stricter limits on political campaign funds (-5 points on Economic scale)	Total ban on gifts from lobbyists: Strongly Favors topic 16 Stricter rules for lobbyists and ethics: Favors topic 16 Prohibit 'voter caging' which intimidates minority voting: Favors topic 16
Strongly Favors topic 14: The Patriot Act harms civil liberties (+5 points on Social scale)	No legitimate reason to bypass the FISA courts: Strongly Favors topic 14 Protect our rights AND protect our country: Strongly Favors topic 14 Restore habeas corpus for detainees in the War on Terror: Favors topic 14 YES on requiring FISA court warrant to monitor US-to-foreign calls: Strongly Favors topic 14 NO on removing need for FISA warrant for wiretapping abroad: Strongly Favors topic 14
Strongly Favors topic 17: US out of Iraq (+5 points on Social scale)	Announce irrevocable schedule to withdraw from Iraq: Strongly Favors topic 17 Iraq war was premature and a mistake: Strongly Favors topic 17 Responsibly extricate ourselves from Iraq: Strongly Favors topic 17 Require Congress' approval before military action in Iran: Favors topic 17 Sanctions on Iran to end nuclear program: Opposes topic 17 YES on redeploying US troops out of Iraq by March 2008: Strongly Favors topic 17 YES on redeploying non-essential US troops out of Iraq in 9 months: Favors topic 17