Where They Stand ...

It is early 2020, and we are embarking on an exciting new phase of our journey, a phase in which the "consent of the governed" has been deemed to have outlived its usefulness, one in which the country is run by he who is a self-appointed king in all but name. And Democrats are, true to form, doing everything in their power to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

Granted, they aren't doing this alone. They are receiving a lot of help -- from Russian bots, from the Republican Party (which is investing in the same sort of disinformation campaigns the Russians employed in 2016), from trump himself. But most of the heavy lifting involved in losing what has to be the most winnable election in decades is being done by Democrats -- the candidates themselves as well as their campaigns and their supporters.

Of course, all this disinformation is useless if people are informed, right? I mean, one of the bedrock principles on which this nation was founded was that of an informed electorate. Unfortunately, thanks to social media, voter apathy, and deliberate propaganda campaigns, we are dealing with a woefully misinformed electorate (for example, trump supporters who are perfectly fine with the Affordable Care Act, but they don't want none o' that Kenyan commie Obamacare bullshit).

This election is shaping up to be the ugliest, meanest, most vile, most vicious election ever. Bet your bottom dollar that trump will be going after the nominee in all his fetid, adolescent glory, hurling insults that would not be out of place in a sixth grade cafeteria, and manufacturing crackpot conspiracy theories about how Mayor Pete is actually Caligula and he's trying to abduct Jared Kushner as a sex slave, or something.

Unfortunately, because of the impeachment debacle, trump now feels invincible. It is not outside of the realm of possibility that, should he lose the election, he will simply declare martial law, declare the election to be invalid, and install himself as the Provisional Military Governor "just until we get things straightened out" (or the Earth crashes into the Sun, whichever comes first). The only way we can do this is to not just win the election,but annihilate him in the election. We need to make the Nixon-McGovern election of 1972 look like a squeaker. He has to lose so big, so obviously, that there is absolutely no political cover for any of his cronies in Congress to support him.

Speaking of political cover, another thing we need to do is to create avenues for Republican lawmakers to quietly oppose trump without suffering too much political blowback. My gut feeling is that there are at least twenty or more Senators and close to a hundred Representatives who would like nothing more than for trump to go away, but who are in districts/states that tilt heavily toward trump. If we can make it safe for them to come out and play with us, we can get the kind of numbers we need and thoroughly undercut his support.

Finally, we need a platform. I realize this is usually revealed at the convention, but in past election cycles details would start to leak several months before the convention (which, in a staggering coincidence that surprises almost nobody, is right about now). What we are seeing this time around, however, is kind of a free-for-all -- sort of a progressive cage match where the winner is apparently selected based on who was the loudest. And it has to be more than "we're gonna get rid of trump."

By all means, that is important. Crucial for our survival as a nation, actually. But one political maxim that has rung true throughout our history is this:

People don't like to vote against things.

They want to vote for something, something positive, something that can be viewed as progressive (in the literal dictionary sense of "making progress toward a goal").

This election is not just about unseating a wannabe dictator. Thanks to trump's constant assault on common decency and our senses, we have all become inured to his bloviation, desensitized to his outrages. Things that would be scandalous in the extreme four years ago are just "meh" now. What we need -- from all of the candidates, and you can tell 'em I said so -- is a unified message, and it has to be more than "hey, I ain't trump."

It is also about restoring America's place in the world, and restoring some semblance of dignity to our political discourse. With this in mind, candidates need to hit on the following points:
I will not lie to you. There may be times when I have to withhold information for purposes of national security or political necessity, but I will not mislead you. This includes propagating baseless conspiracy theories.
Opponents are people, too. In our current political climate it is not enough to disagree with someone; that person has to be absolutely destroyed. I will always respect my opponents, their views, and their right to hold these views. To quote Evelyn Beatrice Hall, writing under the pseudonym S. G. Tallentyre, "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."
My White House will be run professionally. People will be selected for appointed positions based on their abilities and experience, not their loyalty.
My administration will operate under a principle of complete transparency. I have nothing to hide.

Below is a table of the candidates and their positions on various issues. A few notes ...

• If a square in the below table is blank, it means that the candidate has not been asked this question. If a question were to be refused by a candidate, this would be so noted.
• I have attempted to group these in a way that makes some kind of sense. Questions are organized into higher-level areas of interest.
• I used this Wikipedia page as my jumping-off point. Data were collected from this page as well as various news articles, position papers published by the candidates, public statements, etc.
• This article is by no means intended to promote or denigrate any specific candidate (my preferences are specified elsewhere). It is merely a repository of information that I hope you find useful.

So, with that being said, here is some accurate information about the current crop of Democratic candidates.

I gotta lie down.
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Issue	Joe Biden	Michael Bloomberg	Pete Buttigieg	Tulsi Gabbard	Amy Klobuchar	Bernie Sanders	Tom Steyer	Elizabeth Warren
Education
Tuition-free public college	Community college for all		Public college for lower and middle income families.	Community college for all; four-year college for families making less than $125K.	Community college for all.	Community college for all; four-year college for families making less than $125K.	Community college for all.	Public college for all.
Student loan debt relief	No		No	No	Borrowers should be able to refinance student loans through the federal government and receive a lower interest rate.	Federal student loan interest rates should be lower, and the federal government should not make a profit on student loans.		Cancel $50K for those making $100K or less; "substantial debt cancellation" for families making between $100K and $250K; debt cancellation not treated as income.
Universal child care	Free for all		Free for low-income families.		Free for low-income families.	Free for all.	Free for all.	Free for low-income families.
Universal pre-k	Yes		Yes	Yes		Yes	Yes	Yes
Increased funding for primary/secondary education	Yes	Yes	Yes			Yes
Environmental Issues
Green New Deal	Pushes the decarbonization deadline out two decades from 2030 to 2050.	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Carbon tax		Yes	Yes		Maybe	Yes	Yes	Yes
Paris agreement	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Ban fracking		No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Ban offshore drilling	Will pursue an international ban of offshore drilling in the Arctic.	No		Yes		Yes	Yes	Yes
Declare climate change a national emergency				Yes	Yes	Yes		Yes
Gun Control
Universal background checks	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Ban assault weapons	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Gun buyback	Voluntary	Voluntary	Voluntary		Voluntary	Voluntary	Voluntary	Voluntary
Require gun license	No	Yes	Yes			Assault weapons only.	Yes	Yes
Health Care
Single-payer	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Public option	Yes	Yes	Yes		Yes
Eliminate private health insurance	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes
Import Rx drugs from Canada		Maybe	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes		Yes
Immigration and Border Security
trump border wall	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
trump travel ban	No		No	No	No	No		No
Support DACA	Yes		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes		Yes
Allow more visa workers	Yes		Yes			Yes		Yes
Demilitarize US-Mexico border			Yes			Yes
Invest in ports of entry					Yes	Yes
Abolish ICE	No		No	No	No	Yes		No
Decriminalize illegal immigration	No		Yes			Yes		Yes
Technology
Reinstate net neutrality	Unclear		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes		Yes
CASE Act				Yes	No	No		No
Economics
Raise the estate tax exemption or eliminate the estate tax	Yes		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes		Yes
Postal banking to allow the "unbanked" to participate in the economy						Yes		Yes
Slavery reparations	Supports a commission that determines what form reparations could take		Supports H.R. 40, the Congressional Reparations Study Bill that is introduced in every Congress since 1989.	Yes	Supports H.R. 40, the Congressional Reparations Study Bill that is introduced in every Congress since 1989.	Supports H.R. 40, the Congressional Reparations Study Bill that is introduced in every Congress since 1989.	Yes	Yes
Wealth tax		No	Yes			Yes	Yes	Yes
Break up largest banks				Yes		Yes		Yes
Labor and Welfare Issues
Minimum wage	$15	$15	$15	$15	$15	$15	$15	$15
Universal Basic Income	No		Partial	Yes		No		Maybe
Paid family leave	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes		Yes
Paid sick leave	Yes	Yes		Yes	Yes	Yes		Yes
Limit right-to-work laws	Yes		Yes		Yes	Yes		Yes
Job guarantee -- create full employment and price stability by having the state promise to hire unemployed workers as an employer of last resort (ELR).				No		Yes		Partial
Foreign Policy
Rejoin Iran nuclear deal	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes		Yes
Recognize Juan Guaidó as interim president of Venezuela	Yes		Yes	No		No
Israel-Palestine two-state solution	Yes		Yes	Yes		Yes
Aid to Israel	No	No				Yes
Tariffs against China	Unclear		Yes	No	Yes	Yes		Yes
Meet with Kim Jong-un	Partial (only with preconditions)		Partial (only with preconditions)	Yes	Partial (only with preconditions)	Yes		Partial (only with preconditions)
Resume diplomatic relations with Assad	Unclear		No	Yes		Open	No	No
Defense
Withdraw troops from Afghanistan	End of 1st term		1st year	1st year	End of 1st term	End of 1st term		End of 1st term
Intervention in Syria	Yes		Yes	No	Yes	No		Unclear
Military intervention in Venezuela			No	No		No		No
Intervention in Yemen	No		No	No	No	No		No
Drone strikes	Yes			Limited		Limited
Decrease military budget	No		No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Electoral and Institutional Reform
Abolish Electoral College	Unclear		Yes	Open (supports electoral college reform)	Open	Yes		Yes
Abolish the filibuster			Open	Open	Open	Open	Yes	Yes
Adoption of ranked voting			Yes			Yes		Open
Ban voter ID laws	Yes		Yes		Yes
DC statehood	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes		Yes
Puerto Rico statehood	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Open		Open
Restore voting rights to released felons			Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Expand/reform Supreme Court			Yes			Impose term limits for Supreme Court justices, opposed to expanding the number of justices		Yes
Make Election Day a federal holiday			Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes		Yes
Lower voting age to 16						Open
Campaign Finance
No corporate PAC donations	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Overturn Citizens United	Yes		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Publicly funded elections	Yes		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes		Yes
Democracy vouchers1				Yes
We The People amendment2				Yes		Yes
Abortion
Support the right to an abortion	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Contraceptive mandate (contraceptive costs covered by health insurance)				Yes	Yes	Yes		Yes
Fund Planned Parenthood	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes		Yes
Retain Hyde Amendment	No		No	No	No	No		No
Criminal Justice
Legalize and regulate all illicit drugs	No	No	Endorses simply decriminalizing possession of all drugs	Yes	No	No	No	No
End capital punishment	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Legalize marijuana	Supports decriminalization at federal level, rescheduling marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule II, and allowing "states to continue to make their own choices regarding legalization."	Partial	Yes	Yes	Supports legalization at the federal level, but believes states should decide at the state level.	Yes	Yes	Yes
Expunging records of cannabis convictions	Yes		Yes	Yes		Yes		Yes
End cash bail	Yes	Wants to reduce or eliminate cash bail for non-violent offenders	Yes	Yes	Partial	Yes	Yes	Yes
End private prisons	Yes		Yes	Yes		Yes		Yes
End mandatory minimums for nonviolent drug offenses	Yes		Yes	Yes	Partial	Yes		Partial
Job placement for released offenders	Yes
Decriminalize sex work				Yes	No	Open		Open
LGBT Issues
Equality Act3	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes		Yes
Same-sex marriage	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes		Yes
Transgender military service	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes		Yes
Candidate Solidarity
Pledge to support eventual nominee	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

¹Each registered voter receives a number of vouchers for a specific amount, which they were eligible to give to any eligible candidates standing for election. To be eligible, candidates must have:

• Already raised between $1,500 and $6,000 from a minimum number of donors.
• Agreed to campaign finance restrictions, including accepting no more than a predetermined amount of non-voucher funds from any individual contributor.
• Agreed to cap campaign spending to a determined limit.

²The We The People Amendment is a joint resolution to amend the United States Constitution to abolish the doctrines of corporate personhood and of money equaling political speech.

³The Equality Act is a bill passed by the House that would amend the Civil Rights Act to "prohibit discrimination on the basis of the sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition of an individual, as well as because of sex-based stereotypes."