Compare the 2008 Presidential Candidates on the Economic Issues

Hillary Clinton

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 detailed Profile of the Hillary Clinton Economic Platform.

Barack Obama

Obama's economic platform is visionary, yet does not give enough detail to determine if it is feasible. Without a commitment to a balanced budget, it could be detrimental to the economy.

See detailed Profile of the Barack Obama Economic Platform.

John McCain

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 detailed Profile of the John McCain Economic Platform.

Ron Paul

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 detailed Profile of the Ron Paul Economic Platform.

Mitt Romney (ex-candidate)

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

See detailed Profile of the Mitt Romney Economic Platform.

Mike Huckabee (ex-candidate)

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.