The Divide: Obama, Romney on energy, immigration – Omaha World-Herald

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Much has been made of the gaping gulf in American politics and how wide the chasm between Republicans and Democrats seems. As Election Day nears, passions have been rising — so much that it can be tough to see beyond the shouting to the real policy choices waiting to be made.

Still, some voices have kept insisting that the choices will have to be made. Those voices will get louder after Tuesday, when Congress and the president — without the preoccupation of a campaign — must face a series of recession-risking, tax-and-spending deadlines dubbed “the fiscal cliff.” Then a new Congress, and perhaps a new president, will take over.

Anticipating this refocusing on issues, The World-Herald since June has highlighted some of the most entrenched parts of “The Divide,” at times finding common ground. Here’s a recap.

ENERGY

Barack Obama

Touts “all-of-the-above” energy development, including Arctic oil drilling. Favors shifting subsides from oil to renewables. Tightened rules for auto fuel economy and power plant pollution. Has delayed approving the Keystone XL pipeline.

Those left of center say

New production technologies aside, fossil fuels remain finite, polluting and globe-warming to produce and to burn. U.S. policies should hasten a shift to renewable, cleaner energy sources such as solar, wind and next-generation biofuels. Accelerating that shift now, even if initially costlier, will cushion the inevitable transition from fossil fuels, make America a leader in new industries and pay immediate environmental benefits.

Common ground

Both sides hail recent drops in foreign oil dependence. Both favor environmentally careful development of domestic fossil fuels. No one favors pollution. And polls show most Americans favor reducing greenhouse gases but don’t want the added cost to hurt the economy. Most of all, experts on both sides say, choices would be clearer and less bitterly fought if the U.S. had a long-term energy policy — a road map of priorities.

Those right of center say

Maximize use of America’s own oil, gas and coal. New technologies such as fracking and horizontal drilling have made more of these accessible, and they’re the market-proven energy sources. Drilling should be expanded in the Arctic and offshore, and more of our imported oil should come from close allies such as Canada. With maximum domestic production — plus conservation — the U.S. one day can reach energy independence.

Mitt Romney

Favors cutting regulations and maintaining tax breaks for U.S. fossil fuel production. Opposes subsidizing renewables except for basic research. Accuses Obama of stalling Keystone XL.

IMMIGRATION

Barack Obama
Says “broken” immigration system needs a national consensus for reform. Prioritized deportations and pushed them to record high, but ordered deportations ended for most who entered U.S. illegally as minors. Has increased Border Patrol staff, canceled “virtual” fence as unworkable. Favors voluntary use of E-Verify system, says it’s too error-prone to be mandatory.

Those left of center say
It’s not migrants’ fault that their poor countries sit next to a rich one whose thirst for drugs fuels violence and chokes the economies in their homelands. Therefore it is difficult to blame people for fleeing one place for the other, legally or not. Forcing all to return home is neither feasible nor humane. Moreover, the undocumented in the U.S. provide a net benefit: paying taxes, doing jobs Americans don’t want and supplying more young working families to a society that, without immigration, would be graying too rapidly. Controlling immigration makes sense, but so does finding a humane, one-time-only solution to the problem of the undocumented.

Common ground
Regardless of immigrants’ value to the U.S. historically, no society can expect to cope with unrestricted migration. Therefore control of borders is necessary, although there are differences over how to achieve it. Both sides agree that leaving the problem indefinitely unresolved is corrosive to society and to the rule of law, that it does no one good to have some 4 percent of America’s residents living in legal limbo.

Those right of center say
People here without documentation broke the law by entering the U.S. — something that must not be rewarded or granted amnesty, lest more be encouraged to follow. The undocumented impose social and economic burdens on taxpaying Americans — consuming jobs, public education and medical care — and should return to their homelands. Uncontrolled immigration poses security risks in a post-9/11 world, makes drug trafficking harder to combat, and complicates issues such as energy, the environment, education and debt.

Mitt Romney
Condemned Obama deportation order as stopgap, but hasn’t said what the permanent solution should be. Favors “self-deportation” by blocking illegal immigrants from jobs, government benefits. Favors fencing entire U.S.-Mexico border and making E-Verify mandatory.

THE BUDGET

Barack Obama
Favors letting Bush tax cuts expire for household income above $250,000. Favors tax simplification but hasn’t offered details. On entitlements, touts law ordering Medicare to find $716 billion in savings without cutting benefits. Opposes balanced budget amendment.

Those left of center say
The national debt may be too large. But all serious nonpartisan studies of the problem agree it must be attacked through a combination of tax hikes and spending cuts. Moreover, because income inequality has been worsening since World War II, changes should tilt in favor of the middle and lower classes. That’s tricky, because entitlement programs, the safety net for those classes, are a prime target for spending cuts because of their sheer size. Supply-side arguments are wrong or exaggerated. Better to focus on policies — education, job training, health care and retirement protections — that can shore up nonwealthy families’ ability to spend and drive economic growth. Further to the left, some say government is a tool that society is obligated to use to improve the lives of the poorest.

Common ground
There’s much agreement that the national debt is getting worrisomely big, enlarged each year by budget deficits of more than $1 trillion. No one favors dodging the debt. In other words, default is unthinkable. There’s also wide agreement that too-drastic spending cuts or tax hikes — perhaps like those in the “fiscal cliff” scheduled to arrive Dec. 31 — would throw the country into a new recession. Most also agree that predictability and simplicity would be good things to have in tax policy.

Those right of center say
The federal government is grossly overextended and dangerously in debt. Raising taxes — although it could bring in more revenue and help close the gap — would only tempt policy makers to maintain the bloat instead of reduce it. So government must be forced to shrink by depriving it of funds — a strict diet. Supply-siders say keeping taxes low, even cutting them, will encourage private investors and fuel economic growth, thus bringing in more tax revenue: a virtuous circle. Further to the right, some say reducing government to a pre-1930s size is a moral imperative, that Uncle Sam simply should not have so much reach into everyday life.

Mitt Romney
Favors renewing Bush tax cuts for all. Wants tax simplification to lower rates by eliminating deductions without altering total revenue, but hasn’t detailed a plan. Wants to cap spending at 20 percent of GDP but hasn’t proposed cuts to get there. On entitlements, favors converting Medicare into fixed payments for senior citizens’ health care. Favors balanced budget amendment.

WAR & PEACE

Barack Obama
Ended the Iraq war and is closing down the Afghan war. Gave the order for the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. Vows to keep Iran from acquiring nukes, but says sanctions need more time. Says U.S. should foster democracy as Arab Spring rebellions unfold over years; used U.S. air power in Libya but declines to intervene in Syria.

Those left of center say
Assertiveness too easily becomes hubris, a hair-trigger resort to military options, and a dangerous belief that we should and can control the world. That’s the recipe for bloody quagmire. Swagger and “ugly-Americanism” are more likely to invite attack than any supposed show of weakness. Multilateral, negotiated solutions to disputes, although sometimes harder to achieve, can be more enduring and can set better precedents. “American exceptionalism” can mean we feel uniquely blessed and have a duty to lead by example. But it’s dangerous if it leads to seeing the U.S. as the world’s superhero.

Common ground
Few on either side truly question the other’s love of country or desire for peace. And foreign policy still has a little of a partisanship-stops-at-the-water’s-edge tradition: Americans like to show a united front abroad, especially when troops are in the field. But especially since the Vietnam War, the parties wrangle over when to use military power. Beneath that lies a philosophical divide over human nature and the inevitability of war.

Those right of center say
America, the sole superpower, should be more assertive in world affairs and should remain well-equipped militarily to do so. To show weakness or to apologize invites attack. Likewise, over-reliance on multilateral action leads to dithering and makes the United States captive to others’ hesitancy or ulterior motives. “American exceptionalism” means we are destined to lead, even compel, the rest of the world to embrace political freedoms and free markets — the best long-term recipe for peace.

Mitt Romney
Says U.S. foreign policy should be more assertive, criticizes Obama approach as “apology tour.” Supports withdrawals of troops but says some should have stayed in Iraq and says Afghanistan timing was politically motivated. Has set varying “red lines” for Iran but accuses Obama of estranging Israel. On Arab Spring, criticizes security in Libya, favors sending heavier arms to Syrian rebels.

OTHER ISSUES

ABORTION, BIRTH CONTROL

Romney: Opposes abortion rights. Wants abortion law left to states. Would end government aid to Planned Parenthood.

Obama: Supports abortion rights. Health care law requires employers with health plans to include no-copay contraceptives — except for religious employers. Does not want the exception extended to religious-affiliated employers.

ECONOMY, JOBS

Romney: Calls for lower taxes, less regulation, more trade deals to spur growth. Wants to replace jobless benefits with unemployment savings accounts. Favors repeal of the 2010 Dodd-Frank law toughening financial-industry regulations.

Obama: Backed $800 billion stimulus plan during the recession. Continued the Wall Street and auto industry bailouts begun under predecessor. Favors tax breaks for manufacturing in U.S. or repatriating jobs from abroad.

HEALTH CARE

Romney: Wants repeal of Affordable Care Act, calling it wrong for U.S., though it resembles his Massachusetts plan. Favors leaving most health insurance policy to states. Would expand medical savings accounts.

Obama: Would press forward with health care law, expanding coverage by requiring most Americans to get coverage and limiting insurers’ ability to deny it.

SOCIAL SECURITY

Romney: Opposes any change for people 55 and older. For younger people, he would raise retirement age, restrain benefit increases for wealthier recipients.

Obama: Has not offered comprehensive plan. Proposed using new inflation gauge that would restrain annual cost-of-living increases.

Compiled by World-Herald Staff Writer Roger Buddenberg