2004 Presidential Candidates on Healthcare, Economy, and War

Introduction

The 2004 presidential campaign was met with great controversy and division among the American people. On one side stood an incumbent president who had led the country through one of the most tragic periods in its history. On the other stood his main opponent, who believed that more could be done to secure the country against terrorism and to manage the war in Iraq. This paper also examines the position of Ralph Nader, a third-party candidate. The purpose of this discussion is to explore the views of all three candidates and draw conclusions about how each proposed to serve the country.

The problem of affordable healthcare was one of the central issues of the 2004 election. Many Americans lacked any healthcare coverage, while many others did not have the level of coverage they needed. Additionally, many doctors — especially obstetricians — were leaving the healthcare field because malpractice insurance had become prohibitively expensive. The following sections describe where each candidate stood on healthcare and the shortage of specialized practitioners.

Healthcare

According to the president's official website, his position was that all Americans should have access to affordable healthcare ("Promoting Affordable Health Care for Every American"). The site also claimed that the president was working to solve the problem of rising healthcare costs. His plan proposed to reduce costs for the self-employed, low-income individuals, single-parent families, and employees not covered by their employers ("Promoting Affordable Health Care for Every American"). Specifically, the plan promised to extend Medicaid eligibility, establish tax-free healthcare savings accounts, reduce the costs of prescription drugs, increase the number of healthcare centers in rural areas, and had already established a prescription drug benefits package for seniors ("Promoting Affordable Health Care for Every American").

The party as a whole insisted that it wanted affordable healthcare for all Americans. However, actually passing legislation to reduce premiums and drug costs had proven problematic. The GOP contended that the American healthcare system could be the best in the world if citizens had better access to top-quality care (Healthcare). The Republican National Committee asserted that no American should be without appropriate healthcare — a position the president also held.

According to John Kerry's official website, he likewise wanted every American to have affordable healthcare ("Affordable Healthcare for All"). Kerry proposed to reduce health insurance premiums by as much as $1,000 per year ("Affordable Healthcare for All"). He also proposed tax breaks for certain individuals and businesses, pledged to restructure the Medicare prescription drug plan, and promised to reduce the prices Americans paid for prescription drugs ("Affordable Healthcare for All").

The Democratic National Committee shared the belief that healthcare should be available and affordable to all Americans. The DNC also held that the Bush administration had not been effective in addressing the situation and insisted that excessive healthcare costs must be eliminated ("Another Bush Ripoff: Health Care Costs Skyrocket").

Like the other candidates, Nader wanted all Americans to have healthcare coverage. He went further, however, proposing to replace the current investor-owned healthcare system with a single-payer system (Healthcare for All). Nader argued that the private healthcare system should be removed entirely and cited support from several medical associations, including the American Nurses Association and the Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP), as endorsements of his approach (Healthcare for All).

The condition of the American economy and widespread job losses were central problems confronting the Bush administration. Although economic projections and statistics indicated that the economy was improving, many Americans continued to feel the effects of a slow recovery. Millions had lost jobs, and countless others were underemployed — a situation economists labeled a "jobless recovery."

Economy and Jobs

President Bush emphasized the tax cuts implemented during his administration, arguing that they had aided economic recovery and benefited many Americans (Creating Opportunity for America's Workers). He contended that, if reelected, he would work to strengthen the economy, build a skilled workforce, reduce energy dependency, reduce the size of the federal government, and open new markets for American products worldwide (Creating Opportunity for America's Workers). He also promised to reform the tax code to make it simpler and to launch a 21st-century initiative to train high school and college students in specific occupational skills (Creating Opportunity for America's Workers). Additional pledges included creating seven million new affordable homes over a ten-year period, reforming compensatory time policies, and providing support for small businesses (Creating Opportunity for America's Workers).

The GOP's positions on the economy closely mirrored those of the president. The party asserted that tax breaks for small businesses and entrepreneurs were essential for economic growth. Republicans contended that the economy was already growing and that unemployment rates would soon decline (Economy).

John Kerry argued that one of America's most pressing problems was the absence of sufficient jobs and economic opportunity. He pointed out that Americans were working more hours for less pay. If elected president, he pledged to reduce taxes on the middle class, create higher-paying jobs, keep the government within its budget, and retrain workers in new technologies (A Stronger Economy).

Democrats pointed to what they characterized as poor economic performance under President Bush and argued that his administration's large budget deficits had made matters worse ("The Bush Economic Record..."). They further contended that the tax cuts enacted by the Bush administration had widened the gap between wealthy and lower-income Americans ("The Bush Economic Record..."). Democrats insisted that the deficit must be reduced and that new jobs must be created ("The Bush Economic Record...").

Ralph Nader argued that America must invest in training its workforce and in the country's future. He highlighted high unemployment rates among African Americans and Hispanics and argued that improvements in infrastructure and equitable trade policies would help improve the economy and reduce unemployment ("Creation of More Jobs by Investing in America's Future").