Joe Biden - Information and Comparisons
Joe Biden information and comparisons
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| Books Authored: | Promises to Keep: On Life and Politics |
| Serves on committees: | Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary January 4, 1987 – January 3, 1995. Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations |
| Position on Healthcare: | 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. |
| Position on Global Warming: | Wants to create a 5-year, $50 billion project for energy and climate change to finance research into discovering alternative energy sources and developing technologies. Opposes domestic drilling offshore and in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. |
| Position on the Economy: | 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. |
| Position on the death penalty: | Supports death penalty “as a crime-fighting technique.” |
| Current Position: | Vice President of the United States |
| Date of Birth: | November 20, 1942 |
| Age: | 65 |
| Place of Birth: | Scranton, Pennsylvania |
| Religion: | Roman Catholic |
| Alma Mater: | University of Delaware, Syracuse University |
| Political Party: | Democratic |
| Nationality: | American |
| Preceded by: | Dick Cheney |
| Succeeded by: | Incumbent |
| Married to: | Neilia Hunter (deceased), Jill Tracy Jacobs |
| Position on Abortion: | “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 gun control: | Introduced bill to renew ban on assault weapons and to close the so-called gun-show loophole by requiring gun show sales to have background checks. |
| Position on gay marriage: | Opposes same-sex marriage but supports civil unions. Opposes constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. Says he supports the same federal employee benefits for same-sex couples as for married couples. |
| Assumed Office on: | January 20, 2009 |
| Position on Immigration: | Supports a path to legalization for illegal immigrants that includes learning English and paying fines. Wants to toughen penalties for employers who hire illegal immigrants. Would create a guest worker program. |
| Position on Iraq: | Voted for the 2002 resolution authorizing the Iraq war, but now says that was a mistake.Opposed 2007 troop buildup in Iraq, and last September, proposed withdrawing most forces from Iraq by the summer of 2008, while leaving a small force behind. |
| Position on Iran: | Supports direct engagement with Iran “to exploit fissures within the government and between the government and the people.” Called for “hard-headed diplomacy” with “coordinated international sanctions”. |
| Position on social security: | Opposes private savings accounts. Supports lifting the ceiling on Social Security payroll taxes, currently $102,000 a year. |
| Position on judicial nominations: | Would make sure that his nominees for the Supreme Court “shared his values” and understood “that there is a right to privacy in the United States Constitution.” |
| Position on Guantánamo Bay: | Wants to close prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, restore habeas corpus and try detainees in federal courts, not military tribunals. Co-sponsored bill that would release all prisoners who have not been charged (nearly all of them). |
| Position on domestic wiretapping: | Has called the warrantless wiretapping program authorized by President George W. Bush “unconstitutional” and “an illegal expansion of presidential power.” |
| Children: | Beau Biden, Robert Hunter Biden, Naomi Christina Biden, Ashley Blazer Biden |
| Residence: | Number One Observatory Circle (Official); Wilmington, Delaware (Private) |
| Introduction (from Wikipedia): | Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. is the 47th and current Vice President of the United States. He was a United States Senator from Delaware from January 3, 1973 until his resignation on Jan 15, 2009. |