2008 Presidential Election: Sam Brownback

Samuel D. Brownback (Brownback family pictured on right)

Biography (taken from Brownback's official bio)

1986-Kansas Secretary of Agriculture
1994-elected to U.S. Congress
1996-elected 32nd U.S. Senator of Kansas to fill in for Sen. Bob Dole
1998-elected to full six year term as U.S. Senator
2004-reelected to a second term as U.S. Senator

Samuel Brownback and his wife, Mary, have five children. Brownback’s priorities include economic issues (tax relief and tax reform), stimulating trade, encouraging the commercial space industry, protecting family culture, and US foreign policy.

Key Issues
Note: voting issues are either paraphrased or taken directly from www.vote-smart.org.

Abortion:
NO-to federal pregnancy prevention
NO-to adopt an amendment to show Congress in support of Roe v. Wade
YES-to prohibit partial birth abortion

Budget/Taxes:
YES-to provide $170 billion in corporate tax breaks
YES-to provide $350 billion to supply tax breaks
YES-to provide tax relief for married couples
NO-to increase funding for Title I grants and reduce debt by closing corporate tax loopholes.
NO-to fully reinstate the pay-as-you-go requirement through 2011.

Defense:
YES-to appropriate $87 billion to fund ongoing military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
YES-to authorize funds for military construction and defense activities
YES-USA Patriot and Terrorism Prevention Reauthorization
NO-to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty

Education:
NO-to increase maximum Federal Pell Grant
NO-to provide additional funding for title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.
YES-No Child Left Behind Act

Healthcare:
YES-to pass a bill that would add prescription drug benefits to Medicare.
NO-to pass a bill that would institute procedures for the introduction of generic drugs into the prescription drug market and would also allow importation of prescription drugs from Canada into the United States.
NO- To provide funding for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program within the Health Resources and Services Administration.

Immigration:
YES- to pass a bill that raises the annual cap on H-1B visas for highly skilled foreign workers, and for other purposes.
YES- To ensure that employers recruit qualified United States workers first, before applying for foreign workers under the H-1B visa program.

[unable to find voting record on Iraq]

Iraq: Brownback seems supportive of the Iraq War and Bush’s stance, and seems to think it is important to show support even if mistakes were made.

Religion: Brownback is Roman Catholic.

Read about another presidential candidate: George Allen.

Coming up! 2008 Presidential Election: Bill Frist