2012 Presidential Candidate Positions on 75 Issues - 2012 Presidential Election

Last updated on: 11/5/2015 1:56:56 PM PST

2012 Presidential Candidate Positions on 75 Issues

A Side by Side Comparison

#	Topic	ProCon.org's Questions	Responses
Positions are categorized as Pro (Yes), Con (No), Not Clearly Pro or Con (NC), or None Found (?). Candidates who have changed positions are listed as Now their most recent position. Click on the position to read the candidate's sourced statement on that topic. ProCon.org will continue to update this chart until the Nov. 6, 2012 election.			O b a m a	R o m n e y	G o o d e	J o h n s o n	S t e i n
			D	R	Cst	Lib	Grn
		A. Total % of Pro and Con responses (out of our 75 posted questions)	77%	71%	75%	76%	61%
		B. Total % of Not Clearly Pro or Con (NC) responses	20%	23%	21%	23%	15%
		C. Total % of None Found (?) responses	3%	7%	4%	1%	24%
		D. Total # of position changes	5	3	0	2	0
1	Abortion	Should abortion remain a legal option in America?	Pro	Now Con	Con	Pro	Pro
2	Abortion	Should parental consent be required for pregnant minors to have abortions?	NC	Pro	Pro	Pro	?
3	Alcohol	Should the minimum legal drinking age be lowered from 21 to a younger age?	Con	?	Con	Pro	?
4	China	Is China an economic or military threat to the US?	NC	Pro	Pro	Con	?
5	Credit Cards	Are credit cards good for America?	NC	NC	NC	NC	NC
			Obama	Romney	Goode	Johnson	Stein
6	Criminal Justice	Should felons be allowed to vote?	Pro	Con	Con	Pro	Pro
7	Criminal Justice	Should nonviolent drug users be jailed?	NC	?	NC	Con	Con
8	Criminal Justice	Should law enforcement be allowed to use racial profiling?	Con	?	Con	Con	Con
9	Cuba	Should the US continue to support the embargo against Cuba?	Now Pro	Pro	Pro	NC	?
10	Death Penalty	Should the death penalty remain a legal option in America?	Pro	Pro	Pro	Now Con	Con
More questions and positions below
Positions are categorized as Pro (Yes), Con (No), Not Clearly Pro or Con (NC), or None Found (?). Candidates who have changed positions are listed as Now their most recent position. Click on the position to read the candidate's sourced statement on that topic. ProCon.org will continue to update this chart until the Nov. 6, 2012 election.			O b a m a	R o m n e y	G o o d e	J o h n s o n	S t e i n
			D	R	Cst	Lib	Grn
		A. Total % of Pro and Con responses (out of our 75 posted questions)	77%	71%	75%	76%	61%
		B. Total % of Not Clearly Pro or Con (NC) responses	20%	23%	21%	23%	15%
		C. Total % of None Found (?) responses	3%	7%	4%	1%	24%
		D. Total # of position changes	5	3	0	2	0
#	Topic	ProCon.org's Questions	Responses
11	Economy	Should the US federal government have bailed out US private financial corporations like AIG, Bank of America, Citigroup, etc.?	Pro	Pro	Con	Con	Con
12	Economy	Should the US federal government have bailed out General Motors and Chrysler?	Pro	Con	Con	Con	Pro
13	Economy	Should Congress have increased the debt limit on Aug. 2, 2011 to prevent default?	Pro	Con	Con	Con	?
14	Economy	Should the government continue to fund Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac?	NC	NC	Con	Con	NC
15	Economy	Should the federal deficit be reduced without raising any taxes?	Con	Pro	NC	Pro	Con
			Obama	Romney	Goode	Johnson	Stein
16	Economy	Should the United States return to the gold standard in which coin and currency are backed by gold?	?	NC	Pro	NC	?
17	Economy	Do most labor unions provide an overall benefit to their workers in the US?	Pro	Con	Con	NC	NC
18	Economy	Has the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) had an overall benefit for the US?	Con	Pro	Con	NC	Con
19	Economy	Should the federal government continue to subsidize big oil companies?	Con	Pro	Con	Con	Con
20	Economy	Is outsourcing jobs to other countries good for America?	Con	Now NC	Con	Con	Con
More questions and positions below
Positions are categorized as Pro (Yes), Con (No), Not Clearly Pro or Con (NC), or None Found (?). Candidates who have changed positions are listed as Now their most recent position. Click on the position to read the candidate's sourced statement on that topic. ProCon.org will continue to update this chart until the Nov. 6, 2012 election.			O b a m a	R o m n e y	G o o d e	J o h n s o n	S t e i n
			D	R	Cst	Lib	Grn
		A. Total % of Pro and Con responses (out of our 75 posted questions)	77%	71%	75%	76%	61%
		B. Total % of Not Clearly Pro or Con (NC) responses	20%	23%	21%	23%	15%
		C. Total % of None Found (?) responses	3%	7%	4%	1%	24%
		D. Total # of position changes	5	3	0	2	0
#	Topic	ProCon.org's Questions	Responses
21	Education	Should sex education in our schools be based on abstinence only?	Con	Pro	Pro	NC	?
22	Education	Should the federal government increase direct financial aid (loans/grants/debt relief) for college students?	Pro	Con	Con	Con	Pro
23	Education	Has the No Child Left Behind Act been effective at improving public education?	Now NC	Pro	Con	Con	Con
24	Education	Should the federal government fund private school voucher programs?	Con	Pro	Pro	Con	Con
25	Education	Is the use of federally mandated standardized tests improving education in America?	NC	Pro	Con	Con	Con
			Obama	Romney	Goode	Johnson	Stein
26	Education	Should K-12 teachers get tenure?	NC	NC	Con	Con	?
27	Election Reform	Was the US Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling, which allows for unlimited political contributions on the grounds of free speech, good for America?	Con	Pro	Con	Pro	Con
28	Election Reform	Should voters be required to show photo identification in order to vote?	Con	Pro	?	Con	Con
29	Energy	Should the federal government subsidize alternative energy development?	Pro	NC	NC	Con	Pro
30	Energy	Should the US authorize the Keystone XL pipeline to import tar sand oil from Canada?	NC	Pro	Pro	Pro	Con
More questions and positions below
Positions are categorized as Pro (Yes), Con (No), Not Clearly Pro or Con (NC), or None Found (?). Candidates who have changed positions are listed as Now their most recent position. Click on the position to read the candidate's sourced statement on that topic. ProCon.org will continue to update this chart until the Nov. 6, 2012 election.			O b a m a	R o m n e y	G o o d e	J o h n s o n	S t e i n
			D	R	Cst	Lib	Grn
		A. Total % of Pro and Con responses (out of our 75 posted questions)	77%	71%	75%	76%	61%
		B. Total % of Not Clearly Pro or Con (NC) responses	20%	23%	21%	23%	15%
		C. Total % of None Found (?) responses	3%	7%	4%	1%	24%
		D. Total # of position changes	5	3	0	2	0
#	Topic	ProCon.org's Questions	Responses
31	Energy	Should the United States build additional nuclear plants?	Pro	Pro	NC	NC	Con
32	Energy	Will increased domestic oil drilling lower gas prices?	Con	Pro	NC	Pro	NC
33	Environment	Should drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) be allowed?	Con	Pro	Pro	Pro	?
34	Environment	Are humans substantially responsible for global climate change?	Pro	NC	NC	Pro	Pro
35	Environment	Should the Clean Air Act be amended to exclude carbon dioxide (CO2) from regulation?	Con	Pro	NC	Pro	?
			Obama	Romney	Goode	Johnson	Stein
36	Euthanasia & Physician-assisted Suicide	Should euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide be legal?	NC	NC	Con	Pro	?
37	GMO Food	Should genetically modified foods have mandatory labeling?	Pro	?	Pro	NC	Pro
38	Gun Control	Should most adults have the right to carry a concealed handgun?	Con	NC	Pro	Pro	NC
39	Gun Control	Are more federal regulations on guns and ammunition needed?	Pro	Con	Con	Con	NC
40	Health Care	Are the March 2010 federal health care reform laws ("Obamacare") good for America?	Pro	Con	Con	Con	Con
More questions and positions below
Positions are categorized as Pro (Yes), Con (No), Not Clearly Pro or Con (NC), or None Found (?). Candidates who have changed positions are listed as Now their most recent position. Click on the position to read the candidate's sourced statement on that topic. ProCon.org will continue to update this chart until the Nov. 6, 2012 election.			O b a m a	R o m n e y	G o o d e	J o h n s o n	S t e i n
			D	R	Cst	Lib	Grn
		A. Total % of Pro and Con responses (out of our 75 posted questions)	77%	71%	75%	76%	61%
		B. Total % of Not Clearly Pro or Con (NC) responses	20%	23%	21%	23%	15%
		C. Total % of None Found (?) responses	3%	7%	4%	1%	24%
		D. Total # of position changes	5	3	0	2	0
#	Topic	ProCon.org's Questions	Responses
41	Health Care	Should there be a federal mandate for individuals to have health insurance?	Now Pro	Con	Con	Con	Con
42	Health Care	Should Medicare be amended to include a voucher system for health care?	Con	Pro	Con	Con	Con
43	Health Care	Should all Americans have a right (be entitled) to basic health care?	Pro	NC	NC	Con	Pro
44	Immigration	Should undocumented immigrants have access to social services such as Medicaid, welfare, or public education?	NC	NC	Con	NC	NC
45	Immigration	Should E-Verify, the federal government's electronic employment verification system, be mandatory for all employers?	Pro	Pro	NC	Pro	?
			Obama	Romney	Goode	Johnson	Stein
46	Immigration	Should state and local law enforcement be empowered to enforce federal immigration laws?	Con	Pro	Pro	Pro	Con
47	Immigration	Should the US continue to build a physical barrier, such as a fence, along the US-Mexico border?	Pro	Pro	Pro	Con	?
48	Immigration	Should the United States use its military troops to help secure the US-Mexico border?	Pro	NC	Pro	Con	Con
49	Immigration	Are undocumented immigrants a net gain to the US economy?	NC	NC	Con	NC	Pro
50	Iran	Should the US use military force if Iran does not dismantle its nuclear program?	Pro	Pro	Pro	NC	Con
More questions and positions below
Positions are categorized as Pro (Yes), Con (No), Not Clearly Pro or Con (NC), or None Found (?). Candidates who have changed positions are listed as Now their most recent position. Click on the position to read the candidate's sourced statement on that topic. ProCon.org will continue to update this chart until the Nov. 6, 2012 election.			O b a m a	R o m n e y	G o o d e	J o h n s o n	S t e i n
			D	R	Cst	Lib	Grn
		A. Total % of Pro and Con responses (out of our 75 posted questions)	77%	71%	75%	76%	61%
		B. Total % of Not Clearly Pro or Con (NC) responses	20%	23%	21%	23%	15%
		C. Total % of None Found (?) responses	3%	7%	4%	1%	24%
		D. Total # of position changes	5	3	0	2	0
#	Topic	ProCon.org's Questions	Responses
51	Iraq War	Has the war in Iraq made America safer?	Now Pro	NC	Con	Con	Con
52	Iraq War	Should the US have attacked Iraq in 2003?	Con	Pro	Con	Con	Con
53	Israeli-Palestinian Conflict	Should there be an independent Palestinian state?	Pro	Now Pro	NC	NC	NC
54	Marriage	Should gay marriage be legal?	Now Pro	Con	Con	Now Pro	Pro
55	Marriage	Should an affair outside of marriage disqualify a candidate for public office?	NC	NC	NC	NC	?
			Obama	Romney	Goode	Johnson	Stein
56	Medical Marijuana	Should the federal government arrest people for using medical marijuana in states where medical marijuana use is legal?	Con	NC	NC	Con	Con
57	Medical Marijuana	Should marijuana be a medical option?	Pro	Con	Con	Pro	Pro
58	Military	Should the United States continue its use of drone strikes?	Pro	Pro	?	Con	Con
59	Military	Should the US military budget be increased?	Con	Pro	Con	Con	Con
60	Military	Is the 2012 NDAA, which authorized arresting and indefinitely detaining suspected terrorists (including US citizens) without charge, good for America?	NC	Pro	Con	Con	Con
More questions and positions below
Positions are categorized as Pro (Yes), Con (No), Not Clearly Pro or Con (NC), or None Found (?). Candidates who have changed positions are listed as Now their most recent position. Click on the position to read the candidate's sourced statement on that topic. ProCon.org will continue to update this chart until the Nov. 6, 2012 election.			O b a m a	R o m n e y	G o o d e	J o h n s o n	S t e i n
			D	R	Cst	Lib	Grn
		A. Total % of Pro and Con responses (out of our 75 posted questions)	77%	71%	75%	76%	61%
		B. Total % of Not Clearly Pro or Con (NC) responses	20%	23%	21%	23%	15%
		C. Total % of None Found (?) responses	3%	7%	4%	1%	24%
		D. Total # of position changes	5	3	0	2	0
#	Topic	ProCon.org's Questions	Responses
61	National Service	Should the US require mandatory national service in the form of a draft or required civil service?	Con	Con	Con	Con	?
62	Occupy Wall Street	Is the Occupy Wall Street movement good for America?	Pro	Con	Con	Pro	Pro
63	Public Broadcasting	Should the federal government continue funding public broadcasting such as PBS and NPR?	Pro	Con	Con	?	Pro
64	Religion	Should creationism and Intelligent Design be taught as science in schools along with evolution?	Con	Con	Pro	NC	?
65	Religion	Should churches (defined as churches, temples, mosques, synagogues, etc.) remain tax-exempt?	?	?	?	Con	NC
			Obama	Romney	Goode	Johnson	Stein
66	Social Security	Should Social Security be privatized?	Con	Con	NC	Pro	Con
67	Stem Cells	Should the federal government fund embryonic stem cell research?	Pro	Con	Con	Con	Pro
68	Syria	Should the United States intervene militarily in Syria?	NC	NC	NC	Con	Con
69	Taxes	Do lower taxes incentivize employers to hire more workers?	Pro	Pro	Pro	Pro	NC
70	Taxes	Should any federal taxes be increased?	Pro	Con	Con	Con	Pro
More questions and positions below
Positions are categorized as Pro (Yes), Con (No), Not Clearly Pro or Con (NC), or None Found (?). Candidates who have changed positions are listed as Now their most recent position. Click on the position to read the candidate's sourced statement on that topic. ProCon.org will continue to update this chart until the Nov. 6, 2012 election.			O b a m a	R o m n e y	G o o d e	J o h n s o n	S t e i n
			D	R	Cst	Lib	Grn
		A. Total % of Pro and Con responses (out of our 75 posted questions)	77%	71%	75%	76%	61%
		B. Total % of Not Clearly Pro or Con (NC) responses	20%	23%	21%	23%	15%
		C. Total % of None Found (?) responses	3%	7%	4%	1%	24%
		D. Total # of position changes	5	3	0	2	0
#	Topic	ProCon.org's Questions	Responses
71	Taxes	Should the wealthiest 1% of Americans be taxed more heavily?	Pro	Con	NC	NC	Pro
72	Tea Party	Is the Tea Party movement good for America?	Con	Pro	Pro	NC	?
73	US Constitution	Should the US Constitution and Bill of Rights be amended or updated in any way?	Pro	Pro	Con	Pro	Pro
74	War on Terror	Should interrogation techniques that some consider torture, such as waterboarding, be a legal option?	Con	Pro	Pro	Con	NC
75	World Trade Center	Is it appropriate to build a Muslim community center (aka “Ground Zero Mosque”) near the World Trade Center site?	Pro	Con	Con	NC	?