Election 2000: The Candidates and the Issues

Inside these pages is a 2000 Election Chart comparing the positions of candidates Gore and Lieberman, Bush and Cheney, on a wide range of issues, from the economy to health care, military spending and the social safety net. As in previous presidential election years, the chart is a joint publication of NETWORK, a National Catholic Social Justice Lobby, and Church Women United, an ecumenical movement of over 500,000 women representing 27 denominations. Like these groups, CTA avoids endorsing any candidate or party. As the U.S. Bishops say in their election year statement, Faithful Citizenship (Mainpage), “We hope that voters will examine the positions of candidates on the full range of issues, as well as on their personal integrity, philosophy, and performance.”

Who am I as a voter? The chart includes a four-step exercise for finding out. It factors in one’s vision of a just society, political party, influences, and issues. Who therefore is my candidate? The chart helps weigh the same factors about candidates.

Since there are more than 250 candidates running for president, NETWORK/CWU chose to highlight only contenders with at least 8 percent popular support in several polls — one-half the percentage required by the Commission on Presidential Debates for inclusion in the nationally televised fall debates.

Information about other parties and candidates is on the Web:

Green Party: www.greenparty.org

Reform Party: www.reformparty.org

For all candidates and parties: www.politics1.com

Also see Independent Progressive Politics Network: www.ippn.org

And National Public Radio’s Election 2000 feature: www.npr.org

For a humorous look at the election: www.billionairesforBushorGore.com

At the CTA National Conference Nov. 3-5, just before the election, NETWORK staff will present a daylong seminar, “After the Election, Then What?” — and shorter workshops in the same vein.