How you compare
Barack Obama shares a 58% similarity with your beliefs on Taxes and Budget
I oppose the use of public funds to prevent failing financial institutions like Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and AIG from going bankrupt
"To the Democrats and Republicans who opposed this plan [$700 billion bailout] yesterday, I say step up to the plate and do what's right for this country. And to all Americans, I say this: If and when I am president of the United States, this rescue plan will not be the end of what we do to strengthen this economy, it will only be the beginning."
Sen. Barack Obama this afternoon urged Treasury and Federal Reserve officials to include four conditions that he and other Democrats are seeking in the proposed $700 billion federal bailout for financial firms – though he stopped short of saying he would vote against the bailout if his terms were not met.
Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain indicated they will not stand in the way of the Bush administration's $700 billion rescue of U.S. financial markets, and each offered his own proposals for making it more palatable to voters: Obama laid out a plan to overhaul federal contracting and save an estimated $40 billion a year, while McCain proposed an oversight board to monitor the bailout.
Democrat Barack Obama said Tuesday any plan to rescue Wall Street from its financial woes must ensure that taxpayers are reimbursed and corporate executives are not further enriched for mismanagement...Obama outlined several principles that he said should be included in the bailout to ensure that troubled financial firms and their executives don't take advantage of taxpayers. "Companies taking financial aid from the government must slash their executives' salaries,"" he said. "Taxpayers must be treated like investors who can share in any Wall Street recovery, perhaps with an ownership stake in the companies that are bailed out, and a new fee on financial services should be created to repay the government aid."
Senators Barack Obama and John McCain put their battleground campaigning temporarily on hold and returned to Washington on Wednesday to vote in favor of the $700 billion financial rescue package, the consequences of which will help frame the remainder of the fall presidential race.
Both presidential candidates intensified their efforts Tuesday to help push the financial bailout plan through Congress, lobbying skeptical lawmakers and warning publicly that a failure to act would cause a widespread economic crisis that would hurt regular people, not just financiers. Senators Barack Obama and John McCain both began the day suggesting a change in the bailout legislation to raise the federal insurance limit on bank deposits to $250,000 from $100,000, a move that had originally been sought by House Republicans, whose overwhelming opposition doomed the bill on Monday. And both men used their campaign appearances Tuesday to press for action in Congress.
I am neutral on an increase in taxes for the wealthiest Americans
"We are told that the market will correct all of our problems. And that there is no problem that cannot be solved by another tax break that the wealthy didn't need, and half the time didn't ask for. We have tried that way for the last six years -- we are ready to try something new."
Q: Do you agree that the rich aren't paying their fair share of taxes? A: There's no doubt that the tax system has been skewed. And the Bush tax cuts--people didn't need them, and they weren't even asking for them, and that's why they need to be less, so that we can pay for universal health care and other initiatives. But I think this goes to a broader question, and that is, are we willing to make the investments in genuine equal opportunity in this country? People aren't looking for charity. We talk about welfare and we talk about poverty, but what people really want is fairness. They want people paying their fair share of taxes. They want that money allocated fairly. One of the distressing things about Katrina was the fact that we have not made systematic investments. And the only way we're going to make it is by making sure that those of us who are fortunate enough to have the money actually make a contribution.
2007 Democratic Primary Debate at Howard University Jun 28, 2007
I support tax cuts for middle-class families
Obama has proposed tax cuts for middle-income families and retirees, a $50-billion economic stimulus package, a higher minimum wage and expanded unemployment benefits, along with help for homeowners facing foreclosure.
"I'll provide struggling homeowners relief by offering a tax credit to low- and middle-income Americans that would cover ten percent of their mortgage interest payment every year."
Proposed $80 billion in tax cuts for middle class alone.