Compare the 2008 Presidential Candidates on the Economic Issues

Obama's economic platform is visionary in that it will create jobs, reduce dependence on foreign oil and help with global warming. It will also provide income tax relief, regulate unfair lending practices and allow families with medical issues to declare bankruptcy, if needed.

See a detailed profile of Barack Obama's economic platform.

McCain's desire to both increase military spending and decrease taxes will increase the budget deficit, which will weaken the economy. Furthermore, his solution to the Social Security shortfall is to cut benefits to match projected payroll tax revenues.

See a detailed profile of John McCain's economic platform.

Obama's selection of Senator Biden for his Vice-Presidential running-mate provides a good balance. Biden is a staunch advocate for a balanced budget and proposes increased regulation for commodities trading, a leading cause of high gas prices.

See a detailed profile on Senator Joe Biden and the economy.

As Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin has demonstrated her position on energy and oil prices, a balanced budget, cutting taxes, and spurring economic growth. However, she has not publicly stated her position on many important national topics, such as the free trade, military spending and any stimulus to the current economic slump. Nevertheless, she provides a good balance to Presidential Candidate John McCain's economic platform on most issues.

See a detailed profile on Sarah Palin and the economy.

Clinton's economic platform, though aggressive, is well-thought out, detailed and grounded in many of the current economic programs. She is the only candidate that has stated a commitment to a balanced budget. Since the budget deficit is a large contributor to the declining dollar, high oil prices and inflation, its elimination is critical to the long-term health of the U.S. economy. For these reasons, Clinton's platform would be most beneficial to the economy.

See a detailed profile of Hillary Clinton's Economic Platform.

Paul's proposals to allow the use of gold and silver currency would have little impact unless his idea is to return the U.S. to the gold standard. This would isolate the economy from global trade. Furthermore, his proposals to leave the WTO and the UN, and to eliminate the Federal Reserve, would further isolate the U.S. from the global economy, thereby crippling the U.S. economy.

See a detailed profile of Ron Paul's economic platform.

Romney's proposals to cut personal and business taxes without replacing the revenue would have increased the budget deficit, weakening the economy.

See a detailed profile of Mitt Romney's economic platform.

Huckabee's FairTax proposal has merit in concept, but needs more analysis and discussion before being safely implemented. His proposal to increase defense spending while cutting taxes would have increased the budget deficit, weakening the economy.

See detailed Profile of the Mike Huckabee Economic Platform.