Barack Obama

Barack Obama, the junior democratic senator from Illinois, has changed the views of many people around the world since announcing his candidacy for President of the United States in February 2007. Senator Obama is the best choice in the presidential race for the 2008 presidential campaign. Senator Obama was elected as the U.S. senator in 2005. “Although a newcomer to Washington, he recruited a team of established, high-level advisers devoted to broad themes that exceeded the usual requirements of an incoming first-term senator.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack-Obama). During his early months as a senator, he made numerous trips to Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, on account of his participation as a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In February 2007, Senator Obama announced his candidacy for the 2008 U.S Presidential Election while standing before the Old State Capitol Building in Springfield, Illinois.

Senator Barack Obama’s well-known campaign slogan “Change We Can Believe In” shows that he is ready to change the old ways of how people view politics in previous presidential campaigns. Based on the outcomes of the Kansas, North Dakota, and Minnesota primaries where he triumphed over Senator Clinton, he has already changed the visions of more common past Caucasian presidents. The issues that Senator Obama advocates are healthcare, education and the economy. Healthcare is the prevention, treatment, and management of an illness and the preservation of mental and physical well being. Senator Obama: “Proposes a national health insurance program for individuals who do not have employer-provided healthcare and who do not qualify for other existing federal programs. It would also allow individuals to choose between the new public insurance programs or from among private insurance plans that meet certain coverage standards. It does not mandate individual coverage for all Americans, but requires coverage for all children.” (http://www.cnn.com/Election/2008/candidates/barack.obama.html). On the other hand, Senator Hillary Clinton’s views on healthcare are somewhat similar. Senator Clinton stated that: “She would mandate individual healthcare insurance coverage for all Americans. She would mandate individual health insurance coverage for all Americans. Offer federal subsidies for those who cannot afford it. Allow individuals to choose from among several private plans also offered to members of Congress, as well as a new public insurance plan modeled after Medicare. Only require insurance companies to offer coverage to anyone who applies, and bars insurance companies from charging higher premiums to those with pre-existing conditions.” (http://www.cnn.com/Election/2008/candidates/hillary.clinton.html). By contrast, Senator John McCain’s outlooks are totally the opposite of his fellow running mates. Senator McCain: “Opposes federally mandated universal coverage. He would increase awareness and promote the use of existing children's health insurance programs while expanding community health centers. He supports health care tax dividends for low-income Americans, medical malpractice reform, improving electronic record-keeping, expanding health savings accounts, and encouraging small businesses to band together to negotiate lower rates with health care providers.” (http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/candidates/john.mccain.html). Overall, the two democratic opponents’ views are comparable; however, Senator Clinton’s plan, while it requires Americans to not only be a part of a universal plan, penalizes those citizens who cannot afford to purchase it because of their economic status. Therefore, providing healthcare for everyone as Senator Obama states is the better idea because inclusion and affordability are the primary factors of his proposal. The theme is that everyone in America deserves an equal opportunity to have an access to receive healthcare, and for this reason the United States is known as the land of equal opportunities.

Education is one of the most important issue that affects America’s youth today. “I don't want to send another generation of American children to failing schools. I don't want that future for my daughters. I don't want that future for your sons. I do not want that future for America.” (Senator Barack Obama, Jefferson-Jackson Dinner, Des Moines, Iowa, November 10, 2007). The problem with education today is that six million middle and high students read below their grade level. Almost a third of high school graduates do not go on to college. America has one of the highest high school dropout rates in the world. About 70 percent of high school students graduate with diplomas. As for teachers, 30 percents of new teachers leave within five years after entering the teaching professions. And with the college costs rising as we speak, the average college graduate leaves college almost $19,000 in debt. Senator Obama’s plan to change these tribulations is to “create comprehensive "Zero to Five" plan that will provide critical support to young children and their parents. Unlike other early childhood education plans, Obama's plan would place key emphasis at early care and education for infants, which is essential for children to be ready to enter kindergarten. Obama will create Early Learning Challenge Grants to promote state "Zero to Five" efforts and help states move toward voluntary, universal pre-school.” (http://www.barackobama.com/issues/education/). As for the dropout rate, Senator Obama will “address the dropout crisis by passing his legislation to provide funding to school districts to invest in intervention strategies in middle school - strategies such as personal academic plans, teaching teams, parent involvement, mentoring, intensive reading and math instruction, and extended learning time.” (http://www.barackobama.com/issues/education/). Senator Clinton, by contrast, would vote to end the “No Child Left Behind” program. As for Senator McCain, he would vote to continue the “No Child Left Behind” program, but