Barack Obama vs Joe Biden - Difference and Comparison

Barack Obama versus Joe Biden comparison chart
	Barack Obama	Joe Biden

Political Party	Democratic	Democratic
Position on Healthcare	Signed the 2010 healthcare overhaul bill. Calls for patient protections like allowing coverage for pre-existing conditions, not letting insurers cancel policies when patients get sick, and requiring individuals to buy health insurance or pay a fine.	Wants to insure all under age 21, allow families to buy into SCHIP, cover children in families up to 3 times the poverty level ($61,950 for family of 4), create a pool of private plans similar to that for federal workers.
Alma Mater	Occidental College, Columbia University (BA), Harvard Law School (JD)	University of Delaware, Syracuse University
Position on Immigration	Supports path to legalization for illegal immigrants that includes learning English & paying fines; toughen penalties for hiring illegal immigrants; voted for fence along Mexican border. Issued exec order to not deport certain undocumented immigrants	Supports a path to legalization for undocumented immigrants that includes learning English and paying fines. Wants to toughen penalties for employers who hire undocumented immigrants. Would create a guest worker program.
Position on Iraq	Opposed invasion from the beginning; opposed troop increase; ended military operations in Iraq(on previously negotiated Bush timeline). Made no effort to keep promise to exit in 2009. Troops moved to Afghanistan and Iranian border.	Voted for the 2002 resolution authorizing the Iraq war, but now says that was a mistake.Opposed 2007 troop buildup in Iraq, and proposed withdrawing most forces from Iraq by the summer of 2008, while leaving a small force behind.
Position on Abortion	Supports Roe v. Wade; criticized Supreme Court decision that upheld ban on partial-birth abortions.	“Strongly” supports Roe v. Wade, but opposes public funding for abortion. Voted yes to a federal ban on so-called partial-birth abortions. Voted against parental notification for minors who get out-of-state abortions.
Position on Iran	Engage in direct diplomacy; tighten economic sanctions with international cooperation; military option not off the table. Failed to deliver on 2008 campaign promise to meet with the Iranian president without preconditions.	Supported the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act. In 2007, Biden supported direct engagement with Iran “to exploit fissures within the government and between the government and the people.”
Place of Birth	Honolulu, Hawaii	Scranton, Pennsylvania
Date of birth	August 4,1961	November 20, 1942 (age 77)
Children	Malia Ann (b July 4, 1998) and Natasha (known as Sasha) (b June 10, 2001)	Beau Biden, Robert Hunter Biden, Naomi Christina Biden, Ashley Blazer Biden
Spouse(s)	Michelle Obama	Neilia Hunter (deceased), Jill Tracy Jacobs
Religion	Christian (United Church of Christ)	Roman Catholic
Website	http://www.barackobama.com	www.joebiden.com
Books Authored	Dreams from My Father: A story of Race and Inheritance; and The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts of Reclaiming the American Dream.	Promises to Keep: On Life and Politics
Position on the Economy	Repeal Bush tax cuts for households earning more than $250,000. Lower taxes on manufacturing industry. Stimulus spending and tax cuts to grow the economy (short term). Cut spending and raise taxes on wealthy to reduce deficit (long term).	Wants to repeal the Bush tax cuts for top 1 percent of earners, extend middle-class cuts and freeze estate taxes at 2009 levels. Supports overhauling alternative minimum tax for the middle class but has voted against full repeal.
Running mate	Joseph "Joe" Biden	Kamala Harris

Political Party

Democratic

Position on Healthcare

Signed the 2010 healthcare overhaul bill. Calls for patient protections like allowing coverage for pre-existing conditions, not letting insurers cancel policies when patients get sick, and requiring individuals to buy health insurance or pay a fine.

Wants to insure all under age 21, allow families to buy into SCHIP, cover children in families up to 3 times the poverty level ($61,950 for family of 4), create a pool of private plans similar to that for federal workers.

Alma Mater

Occidental College, Columbia University (BA), Harvard Law School (JD)

University of Delaware, Syracuse University

Position on Immigration

Supports path to legalization for illegal immigrants that includes learning English & paying fines; toughen penalties for hiring illegal immigrants; voted for fence along Mexican border. Issued exec order to not deport certain undocumented immigrants

Supports a path to legalization for undocumented immigrants that includes learning English and paying fines. Wants to toughen penalties for employers who hire undocumented immigrants. Would create a guest worker program.

Position on Iraq

Opposed invasion from the beginning; opposed troop increase; ended military operations in Iraq(on previously negotiated Bush timeline). Made no effort to keep promise to exit in 2009. Troops moved to Afghanistan and Iranian border.

Voted for the 2002 resolution authorizing the Iraq war, but now says that was a mistake.Opposed 2007 troop buildup in Iraq, and proposed withdrawing most forces from Iraq by the summer of 2008, while leaving a small force behind.

Position on Abortion

Supports Roe v. Wade; criticized Supreme Court decision that upheld ban on partial-birth abortions.

“Strongly” supports Roe v. Wade, but opposes public funding for abortion. Voted yes to a federal ban on so-called partial-birth abortions. Voted against parental notification for minors who get out-of-state abortions.

Position on Iran

Engage in direct diplomacy; tighten economic sanctions with international cooperation; military option not off the table. Failed to deliver on 2008 campaign promise to meet with the Iranian president without preconditions.

Supported the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act. In 2007, Biden supported direct engagement with Iran “to exploit fissures within the government and between the government and the people.”

Place of Birth

Honolulu, Hawaii

Scranton, Pennsylvania

Date of birth

August 4,1961

November 20, 1942 (age 77)

Children

Malia Ann (b July 4, 1998) and Natasha (known as Sasha) (b June 10, 2001)

Beau Biden, Robert Hunter Biden, Naomi Christina Biden, Ashley Blazer Biden

Spouse(s)

Michelle Obama

Neilia Hunter (deceased), Jill Tracy Jacobs

Religion

Christian (United Church of Christ)

Roman Catholic

Website

http://www.barackobama.com

www.joebiden.com

Books Authored

Dreams from My Father: A story of Race and Inheritance; and The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts of Reclaiming the American Dream.

Promises to Keep: On Life and Politics

Position on the Economy

Repeal Bush tax cuts for households earning more than $250,000. Lower taxes on manufacturing industry. Stimulus spending and tax cuts to grow the economy (short term). Cut spending and raise taxes on wealthy to reduce deficit (long term).

Wants to repeal the Bush tax cuts for top 1 percent of earners, extend middle-class cuts and freeze estate taxes at 2009 levels. Supports overhauling alternative minimum tax for the middle class but has voted against full repeal.

Running mate

Joseph "Joe" Biden

Kamala Harris

Barack Obama vs. Joe Biden

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