Mike Gravel's Statements on the Issues
Positions are categorized as
Pro, Con, Not Clearly Pro or Con, or None Found. |
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| Abortion: |
"Should abortion remain a legal option in America?" |
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Pro: "Yes. Senator Gravel supports a woman's right to choose."
Email to ProCon.org from Mike Gravel's Press Secretary, Alex Colvin, Nov. 9, 2007
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| Abortion: |
"Should parental consent be required for pregnant minors to have abortions?" |
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None Found: ProCon.org emailed the Gravel campaign on Feb. 22, 2008 with this question. We had not received a reply or found a position as of Feb. 29, 2008.
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| Character: |
"Is competence more important than honesty in a President?" |
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Not Clearly Pro or Con: "Fairness. Freedom. Justice. Morality. Opportunity. Peace. All goals of our Founding Fathers and concepts central to the character of most Americans...
Political leaders must bring two qualities to any public office: political integrity and moral judgment."
"America's Lost Vision," speech at the Democratic National Committee Winter Conference 2007, Feb. 3, 2007
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| China: |
"Is China a threat to the U.S.?" |
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Not Clearly Pro or Con: "[Michele] Norris: And that's where we'd like to start, and I'd like to pose a question to many of you. Given China's size, its muscular manufacturing capabilities, its military buildup, at this point - and also including its large trade deficit - at this point, who has more leverage, China or the U.S.?...
[Mike Gravel:] The tremendous increase in their defense. They're only 10 percent of American defense. They haven't had a tremendous increase. Ten percent of our defense. And I want to take all of them to task. Clearly, none of them are running for China - president of China - because this amount of demagoguery is shameful. Here, the Chinese people have a problem. And when we continue this rhetoric of beggar thy neighbor, where our interests always come first, there should be the interests of human beings, the interests of human beings."
Democratic Presidential Debate, hosted by NPR, Des Moines, IA, Dec. 4, 2007
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| China: |
"Should the U.S. impose economic sanctions on China as an incentive to improve its human rights policies?" |
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None Found: ProCon.org emailed the Gravel campaign on Jan. 21, 2008 with this question. We had not received a reply or found a position as of Jan. 30, 2008.
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| Cuba: |
"Should the U.S. continue to support an embargo against Cuba?" |
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Con: "No. Senator Gravel does not support the Cuban embargo."
Email to ProCon.org from Mike Gravel's Press Secretary, Alex Colvin, Nov. 9, 2007
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| Darfur: |
"Should the U.S. send any American forces, with or without the U.N., to the Darfur region of Sudan to stop the genocide?" |
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Not Clearly Pro or Con: "Question: I'm Gabriel. And I'm Connie, from a refugee camp near Darfur. Before you answer this question, imagine yourself the parent of one of these children. What action do you commit to that will get these children back home to a safe Darfur and not letting it be yet another empty promise?
[Anderson] Cooper: Governor Richardson, what are you going to do? Would you commit American troops?...Senator Gravel?
[Mike] Gravel: The problem goes a little bit deeper than that. It's because we haven't owned up to our responsibilities to a sense of global governance. And so now, you've got a situation with the United States of America, as Joe says, wants to go in, but the African nations don't want us there. What's the message? They're afraid of us. They're flat afraid of us."
CNN/YouTube Democratic Presidential Debate, Charleston, SC, July 23, 2007
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| Death Penalty: |
"Should the death penalty remain a legal option in America?" |
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Con: "No, Senator Gravel is opposed to capital punishment."
Email to ProCon.org from Mike Gravel's Press Secretary, Alex Colvin, Nov. 9, 2007
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| Economy: |
"Is outsourcing jobs to other countries good for America?" |
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Not Clearly Pro or Con: "...[O]utsourcing is not the problem. What is the problem is our trade agreements that we have that benefit the management and, of course, the shareholders, and have neglected on either side of the issue, whether it's in Mexico or in other countries or the United States. That's the problem that must be addressed.
So, no, it's not outsourcing. But I would add to it, it's the way all of these people want to finance health care, on the backs of businesses, that make them uncompetitive in the world. That's part of the problem. And our system of taxation is also part of the problem because it makes us uncompetitive in the world.."
All-American Presidential Forum, hosted by PBS, Howard University, Washington, D.C., June 28, 2007
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| Economy: |
"Should the U.S. include mandatory regulations for labor rights in free trade agreements?" |
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None Found: ProCon.org emailed the Gravel campaign on Dec. 13, 2007 with this question. We had not received a reply or found a position as of Jan. 10, 2008.
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| Economy: |
"Has the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) had an overall benefit for the U.S.?" |
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Con: "The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has been a disaster for the working class of both the U.S. and Mexico and a boon to the international corporate interests. A study by the Economic Policy Institute found that over 1 million U.S. jobs were lost as a result of NAFTA, a third of them manufacturing jobs."
"How Mike Stands on the Issues," Mike Gravel's official candidate website (accessed Mar. 17, 2008)
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| Education: |
"Has the No Child Left Behind Act been effective at improving public education?" |
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Con: "No Child Left Behind is a failure. Our whole system of education is in trouble. All of the stakeholders are all at fault -- a third of our children don't graduate from high school. That is appalling."
"Election '08: Talk with the Candidates" washingtonpost.com, Oct. 16, 2007
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| Education: |
"Is the increasing cost of college and university tuition pricing America's middle class out of higher education?" |
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Pro: "Yes. Major funds now appropriated for the Pentagon should be redirected to pay for higher education."
Email to ProCon.org from Mike Gravel's Press Secretary, Alex Colvin, Oct. 19, 2007
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| Education: |
"Should the federal government fund school voucher programs?" |
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Pro: "...I have no problem with vouchers in education. I think we need competition in education."
Radio interview with Mike Malloy, Nova-M Radio Network, July 11, 2007
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| Election Reform: |
"Should voter verified paper audit trails (VVPAT) be mandatory in elections?" |
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Pro: "Yes, to ensure that no more Presidential elections are stolen."
Email to ProCon.org from Mike Gravel's Press Secretary, Alex Colvin, Oct. 19, 2007
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| Election Reform: |
"Should there be restrictions on campaign contributions?" |
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None Found: ProCon.org emailed the Gravel campaign on Dec. 13, 2007 with this question. We had not received a reply or found a position as of Jan. 10, 2008.
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| Election Reform: |
"Should the election campaigns of candidates for public office be publicly financed?" |
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Pro: "...My colleagues have all said that they
want public financing...and I asked for a pledge from all of them to immediately
obey the law we have on the books to use public financing."
Democratic Presidential Debate, Des Moines, IA, Aug. 19, 2007
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| Energy: |
"Should drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) be allowed?" |
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Con: "No. The Federal Government should be moving away from fossil fuels."
Email to ProCon.org from Mike Gravel's Press Secretary, Alex Colvin, Oct. 19, 2007
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| Energy: |
"Should the U.S. tap into its emergency oil reserves to help bring down the price of gasoline?" |
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Con: "There's nothing I would do as President to lower the price of gasoline right now. We Americans have to grow up. If we want to get off of the dependency on the Middle East we have to own up to the problem. These things cost money. They're controlling our society. And the sooner we stop fighting these wars -- here, stop and think: You only see $3. Just watch those wheels turn. There's another $4 -- which is what we spend to keep American troops around the world to keep the price. So you're paying more than $7 a gallon, you just don't know it."
Democratic Presidential Debate, Manchester, NH, June 3, 2007
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| Environment: |
"Should the U.S. ratify an international environmental agreement (such as the Kyoto Protocol) that mandates reductions in carbon emissions?" |
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Pro: "Yes, and implement a carbon tax."
Email to ProCon.org from Mike Gravel's Press Secretary, Alex Colvin, Nov. 9, 2007
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| Environment: |
"Should the federal government mandate an increase in fuel efficiency standards for automobiles?" |
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Pro: "Now, first off, I would [raise] CAFE [Corporate Average Fuel Economy] standards immediately - say that within three to five years you're going to have the same standard as Europe. End of story"
"How Green Is Your Candidate?" Outside Online (accessed Jan. 10, 2008)
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| Environment: |
"Are humans substantially responsible for global climate change today?" |
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Not Clearly Pro or Con: "Senator Gravel believes that global climate change is a matter of national security and survivability of the planet. As President, he will act swiftly to reduce America's carbon footprint in the world by initiating legislation to tax carbon at the source and cap carbon emissions."
"How Mike Stands on the Issues," Mike Gravel's official candidate website (accessed Mar. 18, 2008)
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| Gun Control: |
"Are more federal regulations on guns and ammunition needed?" |
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Con: "No."
Email to ProCon.org from Mike Gravel's Press Secretary, Alex Colvin, Nov. 9, 2007
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| Health Care: |
"Should all Americans have a right to government or employer subsidized basic health care?" |
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Pro: "Health care is a right, not a privilege. My plan, called the Healthcare Security System, creates a truly universal health care program where an annual certificate is issued to each American to cover his or her basic health care costs."
Email to ProCon.org from Mike Gravel's Press Secretary, Alex Colvin, Oct. 19, 2007
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| Health Care: |
"Should Americans be allowed to purchase their prescription drugs from other countries?" |
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None Found: ProCon.org emailed the Gravel campaign on Dec. 13, 2007 with this question. We had not received a reply or found a position as of Jan. 10, 2008.
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| Immigration: |
"Are illegal immigrants a net gain to the U.S. economy?" |
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Not Clearly Pro or Con: "Right now, Latino immigrants are America's new scapegoats...
Do you think it?s a coincidence that our nation is in such a mess and our leaders are suddenly worried about undocumented workers?...
Like all immigrants, Latinos have made our country stronger. And we need to bring them into the system ? not throw them out and bar the door...
We should no longer tolerate the underground economy that allows employers to avoid social security taxes and abuse their workers."
"Guest Voz: Senator Mike Gravel Declares: 'Latino Immigrants Are America's New Scapegoats,'" latinalista.net (accessed Jan. 30, 2008)
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| Immigration: |
"Should illegal aliens receive any of the rights or benefits that lawful permanent residents enjoy?" |
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None Found: ProCon.org emailed the Gravel campaign on Jan. 21, 2008 with this question. We had not received a reply or found a position as of Jan. 30, 2008.
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| Immigration: |
"Should the U.S. build a physical barrier, such as a fence, along the U.S.-Mexico border?" |
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Con: "Our nation's borders should not be fenced nor should they be militarized. We can beef-up the Border Patrol and the Coast Guard, if need be."
"NH Insider's 10 Questions," NH [New Hampshire] Insider.com, May 21, 2006
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| Iran: |
"Should the U.S. use military force against Iran if Iran does not dismantle its nuclear program?" |
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Con: "No. Iran is not in violation of international law, any airstrike on Iran would be in violation of international law."
Email to ProCon.org from Mike Gravel's Press Secretary, Alex Colvin, Nov. 9, 2007
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| Iraq: |
"Was it a mistake to attack Iraq in 2003?" |
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Pro: "...[T]he war was wrong and was lost the moment we went in. This is a fraudulent war sold to the American people."
Sunday Spotlight, CNN, May 21, 2007
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| Iraq War: |
"Has the war in Iraq made America safer?" |
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Con: "The opposite is true. The world is more dangerous as a result of the War in Iraq. The US military is bogged down in a war costing the taxpayers 2 billion dollars a week. I advocate a full military withdrawal from Iraq."
Email to ProCon.org from Mike Gravel's Press Secretary, Alex Colvin, Oct. 19, 2007
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| Iraq War: |
"Should the U.S. set a timetable for troop withdrawal in Iraq?" |
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Pro: "A complete withdrawal should commence immediately."
Email to ProCon.org from Mike Gravel's Press Secretary, Alex Colvin, Oct. 19, 2007
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| Israel: |
"Should Israel continue to receive the current level of military and economic aid from the U.S.?" |
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None Found: ProCon.org emailed the Gravel campaign on Jan. 21, 2008 with this question. We had not received a reply or found a position as of Jan. 30, 2008.
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| Israel-Palestinian Conflict: |
"Should the U.S. allow Hamas to join future Israeli-Palestinian negotiations?" |
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Not Clearly Pro or Con: "The linchpin to long-term stability in the Middle East is the settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian impasse. The U.S., along with its European and Asian allies, and regional players (to include Turkey, Egypt, Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Jordan under the auspices of the United Nations) must sponsor direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, including Hamas. The negotiations, with the goal of a two-state solution, must be scheduled as soon as possible. Sponsoring nations and organizations would guarantee the demilitarized borders of both parties, would guarantee Israel's right to survive and thrive, and would make a commitment to the Palestinians to raise their economic standards to that of Israel. An accomplishment of this magnitude would go a long way to defusing the radical Islamic confrontation with the West."
"Stepping Back From Imperialism: Redirecting American Foreign Policy," Mike Gravel's official candidate website, Nov. 2, 2006
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| Israeli Palestinian Conflict: |
"Should there be an independent Palestinian state?" |
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Pro: "The linchpin to long-term stability in the Middle East is the settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian impasse. The U.S., along with its European and Asian allies, and regional players (to include Turkey, Egypt, Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Jordan under the auspices of the United Nations) must sponsor direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, including Hamas. The negotiations, with the goal of a two-state solution, must be scheduled as soon as possible."
"Stepping Back from Imperialism: Redirecting American Foreign Policy," Mike Gravel's official candidate website, Nov. 2, 2006
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| Kosovo: |
"Should the U.S. have supported Kosovo’s independence?" |
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None Found: ProCon.org emailed the Gravel campaign on Mar. 11, 2008 with this question. We had not received a reply or found a position as of Mar. 21, 2008.
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| Marriage: |
"Should there be a Constitutional amendment or federal law defining marriage as only between a man and a woman?" |
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Con: "No. I support same-sex marriage."
Email to ProCon.org from Mike Gravel's Press Secretary, Alex Colvin, Oct. 19, 2007
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| Marriage: |
"Should an affair outside of marriage disqualify a candidate for public office?" |
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None Found: ProCon.org emailed the Gravel campaign on Dec. 13, 2007 with this question. We had not received a reply or found a position as of Dec. 27, 2007.
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| Medical Marijuana: |
"Should marijuana be a medical option?" |
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Pro: "Marijuana should be made legal. Addiction is a public health issue, not a criminal issue. As such, it should be treated by health care professionals, not law enforcement."
Email to ProCon.org from Mike Gravel's Press Secretary, Alex Colvin, Oct. 19, 2007
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| Medical Marijuana: |
"Should the federal government stop raids against people for using medical marijuana in states where medical marijuana use is legal?" |
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Pro: Q: "This afternoon the DEA [Drug Enforcement Administration] began extensive raids on medical marijuana facilities in California. Would you put an end to these raids?"
Mike Gravel: "Totally...I would deregulate. I mean, there's nothing wrong with marijuana. It's not nearly as addictive as alcohol, and plus it has some health properties to it. So we deregulate marijuana, let you go buy it in a package store."
"Mike Gravel on Federal Raids for Medical Marijuana," YouTube.com, Sep. 26, 2007
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| National Service: |
"Should the U.S. institute a military draft?" |
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Con: "In 1971, Senator Mike Gravel (D-Alaska), by waging a lone five month filibuster, singlehandedly ended the draft in The United States thereby saving thousands of lives. As a result, aside from those who volunteered, everyone under the age of 54 has been able to stay out of harm's way in the tragic war against Vietnam, the first war against Iraq, the war in Afghanistan, and Bush's current war in Iraq. In addition, the children of everyone under the age of 54 have been able to stay out of harm's way in Iraq and Afghanistan...
In short, Senator Gravel's opposition to the draft is based on his desire to insure that no American man or woman is sent to a distant land to fight unnecessary and ill-advised pre-emptive wars of choice by reckless, ignorant, warmongering leaders."
"Mike Gravel and the Draft," Mike Gravel's official candidate campaign website (accessed Jan. 10, 2008)
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| National Service: |
"Should openly gay people be allowed to serve in the U.S. military?" |
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Pro: "...I'd be careful with the President, former President [Bill Clinton], because I know he wimped out with respect to gays in the military.
I'd only wished that he had been like Harry Truman who stood up to Omar Bradley when he integrated the services, which made possible for Colin Powell to now stare down the President of the United States when the President should have demanded immediate integration."
Democrats' Second 2008 Presidential Debate, hosted by CNN, WMURTV, and The New Hampshire Union Leader, Saint Anselm College, Manchester, NH, June 3, 2007
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| Presidential Power: |
"Should the U.S. President's powers be expanded to include a line item veto?" |
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Pro: "Vaughn [Ververs]: ...Democrats have vowed to weed out corruption in the federal government. A major source of
corruption for both Democrats and Republicans are bribes in spending bills, sometimes referred to as earmarks.
Would you vow, if elected president, to veto all bills containing earmarks?...
[Mike] Gravel: Totally, totally. It's abominable, and the only way you're going to get rid of it is to give the president the line-item veto. Of course, they're not going to give the president a line-item veto..."
Democratic Presidential Debate, Manchester, NH, June 3, 2007
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| Religion: |
"Should federal funds be given to faith-based (religious) organizations and initiatives?" |
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Con: "No."
Email to ProCon.org from Mike Gravel's Press Secretary, Alex Colvin, Oct. 19, 2007
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| Religion: |
"Should a candidate's religion matter to voters?" |
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Not Clearly Pro or Con: "That is entirely up to the voter."
Email to ProCon.org from Mike Gravel's Press Secretary, Alex Colvin, Nov. 9, 2007
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| Social Security: |
"Should Social Security be privatized?" |
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Not Clearly Pro or Con: "Congress needs to stop raiding social security."
Email to ProCon.org from Mike Gravel's Press Secretary, Alex Colvin, Nov. 9, 2007
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| Stem Cells: |
"Should the federal government fund embryonic stem cell research?" |
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Pro: "Yes, for the ethical use for medical research."
Email to ProCon.org from Mike Gravel's Press Secretary, Alex Colvin, Nov. 9, 2007
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| Taxes: |
"Should the Bush tax cuts be made permanent?" |
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Not Clearly Pro or Con: "Do you think it?s [an] accident that all of a sudden we wake up, that the wealthy aren?t paying a fair share? The only way they?re going to pay a fair share is wipe out the income tax -- it is corrupt, it?s corrupting our society...and begin to put in place a tax that everybody will know what everybody?s paying, and that?s a retail sales tax. And you can make it as progressive as you want. Keep in mind, a tax where everybody will know what everybody is paying."
Democratic Presidential Debate, Howard University, Washington, D.C., hosted by PBS, June 28, 2007
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| Turkey: |
"Should Turkey be able to enter Iraq or other countries unilaterally in search of its enemies?" |
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None Found: ProCon.org emailed the Gravel campaign on Mar. 11, 2008 with this question. We had not received a reply or found a position as of Mar. 21, 2008.
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| U.S. Constitution: |
"Should the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights be altered or updated in any way?" |
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Pro: "Yes, we need a Constitutional Amendment empowering Americans to vote directly on the legislation that affects their lives. The National Initiative for Democracy does just that."
Email to ProCon.org from Mike Gravel's Press Secretary, Alex Colvin, Oct. 19, 2007
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| War on Terror: |
"Should interrogation techniques that some consider torture, such as waterboarding, be a legal option?" |
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Con: "The Constitution is very clear that prisoners of war are the responsibility of the Congress. The Bush administration has unlawfully taken that power without Constitutional justification. The Congress has been derelict in its duty to see that enemy combatants are treated humanely within the guidelines of the Geneva Conventions, and has been equally neglectful in its response to the President's unlawful use of torture...
The practice of torture is immoral. It is un-American and it is ineffective. Information acquired as a result of torture techniques in unreliable. It endangers our soldiers in combat by encouraging reciprocity. It inflicts irreversible damage to our nation's image and undermines our credibility among the international community...
It is unconscionable that the Vice President stood before the Congress and lobbied against a proposed ban on C.I.A. torture techniques...
George Bush lied when he told the American people in November 2005, 'we do not torture.' How many times will Congress allow the President to lie to the American people?"
"Gravel Calls for Congress to End Torture," Mike Gravel's official candidate website,
Mar. 1, 2007
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| War on Terror: |
"Should the military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba be closed?" |
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Pro: "I will withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq within 60 days and raze Abu Ghraib prison and Guantanamo. We must tell the world that the United States does not stand for torture. It is unacceptable human behavior."
"Gravel Wraps Up Pittsburgh, New York City Swing," Mike Gravel's official candidate campaign website, Apr. 21, 2007
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