Should the US mandate military service or civil service like the Peace Corps? - 2008 Election - ProCon.org

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2008 Election

Last updated on: 6/3/2009 10:05:00 AM PST

Should the US mandate military service or civil service like the Peace Corps?

Candidates' positions are categorized as Pro (Yes), Con (No), Not Clearly Pro or Con, or None Found.

Candidates who have changed their positions are listed as Now their most recent position.

(Candidates are listed in alphabetical order by party; black & white photos indicate candidates who have withdrawn or who no longer meet our criteria.)

Democratic Party

Republican Party

3rd Parties / Independents

Not Clearly
Pro or Con

Con

Obama, Barack

McCain, John

Baldwin, Chuck (Cst)

Barr, Bob (Lib)

Inactive Candidates

Additional Resources

Candidate Summary Chart

Con

Not Clearly
Pro or Con

McKinney, Cynthia (Grn)

Nader, Ralph (Ind)

_____________________________________________

Should the US mandate military service or civil service like the Peace Corps?

Pro (Yes)

Con (No)

Baldwin, Chuck (Cst) - Con

Chuck Baldwin, Founder and Minister of the Crossroad Baptist Church in Pensacola, FL, issued the following statement through his Communications Director, Mary Starrett, in an Aug. 15, 2008 email to ProCon.org:

"Con. Forced servitude is unconstitutional."
Aug. 15, 2008 Chuck Baldwin

Barr, Bob (Lib) - Con

Bob Barr, former US House Representative (R-GA), in a July 9, 2008 press release titled "Bob Barr Criticizes Obama Proposal for Mandatory Service" on his official candidate website, stated:

"...[S]ervice must be an outgrowth of the heart to be life-changing for both parties. It isn't possible to mandate generosity or coerce compassion...
...[I]t certainly isn't Washington's responsibility to dictate to every middle school, high school, and college across America the sort of activities they should require of their students...If local school boards and college presidents believe mandatory service to be a good idea, they can-as many have done-make it a graduation requirement. There's no justification for the federal government to set a national standard...

Everyone agrees that service is a wonderful gift from those with much to those with little. But we should not sacrifice the great value of voluntary service by turning it into a government requirement."
July 9, 2008 Bob Barr

McCain, John (R) - Con

John McCain, US Senator (R-AZ), stated in a YouTube video titled "McCain on Voluntary Service" dated Mar. 27, 2007 (accessed July 11, 2008):

Q: "You mentioned service as well, would that be a part of high schools [inaudible] would you institute [inaudible] students to visit Habitat for Humanity or play a part in that type of thing?"
McCain: "I don't believe in requiring, I believe that motivating is the best way to do it."
Mar. 27, 2007 John McCain

McKinney, Cynthia (Grn) - Con

Cynthia McKinney, former US House Representative (D-GA), issued the following statement through her Press Secretary, John Judge, in a Nov. 1, 2008 email to ProCon.org:

"No, neither should be mandated. Civil service should be properly rewarded and compensated and its benefits should at least match that of military service."
Nov. 1, 2008 Cynthia McKinney

Nader, Ralph (Ind) - Not Clearly Pro or Con

Ralph Nader, attorney, author, and political activist, issued the following statement through his Communications Director and Policy Writer, Loralynne Krobetzky, in an Oct. 20, 2008 email to ProCon.org:

"Civil Service- There is, as well, a critical positive role for the federal government to play, by promoting the vision, curricula, programs and projects for a K-12 civics education for democracy. In an era when children are overwhelmed with marketing images that reduce their attention spans and vocabulary, and orient them to an overweening focus on immediate gratification, low-grade sensuality and conspicuous consumption, an emphasis on civics for democracy promises instead to take students from instruction to learning to knowledge to application, until the highest educational goal is reached -- the sustained onset of educational self-renewal of, by and for the confident, motivated student."
Oct. 20, 2008 Ralph Nader

Obama, Barack (D) - Not Clearly Pro or Con

Barack Obama, US Senator (D-IL), stated at the Jan 15, 2008 Democratic Presidential Debate in Las Vegas, NV:

"I think that the obligation to serve exists for everybody, and that's why I've put forward a national service program that is tied to my tuition credit for students who want to go to college. You get $4000 every year to help you go to college.
In return, you have to engage in some form of national service. Military service has to be an option.

We have to have civilian options as well. Not just the Peace Corps, but one of the things that we need desperately are people who are in our foreign service who are speaking foreign languages can be more effective in a lot of the work that's going to be require that may not be hand-to-hand combat but is going to be just as critical in ensuring our long-term safety and security."
Jan. 15, 2008 Barack Obama

INACTIVE CANDIDATES

(Candidates who have withdrawn or who no longer meet our criteria appear
below in black and white and in alphabetical order by party.)

Democratic Party				Republican Party				3rd Parties / Independents
	Biden, Joe (Withdrew on Jan. 3, 2008)	None Found			Brownback, Sam (Withdrew on Oct. 19, 2007)	None Found			Gravel, Mike (Withdrew on May 27, 2008)	None Found
	Clinton, Hillary (Suspended campaign on June 7, 2008)	None Found			Gilmore, Jim (Withdrew on July 14, 2007)	None Found			Imperato, Daniel (No longer met criteria on Mar. 21, 2008)	None Found
	Dodd, Chris (Withdrew on Jan. 3, 2008)	None Found			Giuliani, Rudy (Withdrew on Jan. 30, 2008)	None Found			Keyes, Alan (No longer met criteria on June 23, 2008)	None Found
	Edwards, John (Withdrew on Jan. 30, 2008)	None Found			Huckabee, Mike (Withdrew on Mar. 4, 2008)	None Found			Kubby, Steve (No longer met criteria on Mar. 21, 2008)	None Found
	Kucinich, Dennis (Withdrew on Jan. 25, 2008)	None Found			Hunter, Duncan (Withdrew on Jan. 19, 2008)	None Found			McEnulty, Frank (No longer met criteria on Mar. 21, 2008)	None Found
	Richardson, Bill (Withdrew on Jan. 10, 2008)	None Found			Paul, Ron (Withdrew on June 12, 2008)	None Found			Smith, Christine (No longer met criteria on Mar. 21, 2008)	None Found
	Vilsack, Tom (Withdrew on, Feb. 23, 2007)	None Found			Romney, Mitt (Withdrew on Feb. 7, 2008)	None Found
					Tancredo, Tom (Withdrew on Dec. 20, 2007)	None Found
					Thompson, Fred (Withdrew on Jan. 22, 2008)	None Found
					Thompson, Tommy (Withdrew on Aug. 12, 2007)	None Found

Pro (Yes)

Con (No)

Biden, Joe (D) - None Found

Withdrew on Jan. 3, 2008; no position found as of that date.

Brownback, Sam (R) - None Found

Withdrew on Oct. 19, 2007; no position found as of that date.

Clinton, Hillary (D) - None Found

Suspended campaign on June 7, 2008; no position found as of that date.

Dodd, Chris (D) - None Found

Withdrew on Jan. 3, 2008; no position found as of that date.

Edwards, John (D) - None Found

Withdrew on Jan. 30, 2008; no position found as of that date.

Gilmore, Jim (R) - None Found

Withdrew on Aug. 14, 2007; no position found as of that date.

Giuliani, Rudy (R) - None Found

Withdrew on Jan. 30, 2008; no position found as of that date.

Gravel, Mike (Lib) - None Found

Withdrew on May 27, 2008; no position found as of that date.

Huckabee, Mike (R) - None Found

Withdrew on Mar. 4, 2008; no position found as of that date.

Hunter, Duncan (R) - None Found

Withdrew on Jan. 19, 2008; no position found as of that date.

Imperato, Daniel (Ind) - None Found

No longer met ProCon.org's criteria as of Mar. 21, 2008; no position found as of that date.

Keyes, Alan (Ind) - None Found

No longer met ProCon.org's criteria as of June 23, 2008; no position found as of that date.

Kubby, Steve (Lib) - None Found

No longer met ProCon.org's criteria as of Mar. 21, 2008; no position found as of that date.

Kucinich, Dennis (D) - None Found

Withdrew on Jan. 25, 2008; no position found as of that date.

McEnulty, Frank (Ind) - None Found

No longer met ProCon.org's criteria as of Mar. 21, 2008; no position found as of that date.

Paul, Ron (R) - None Found

Withdrew on June 12, 2008; no position found as of that date.

Richardson, Bill (D) - None Found

Withdrew on Jan. 10, 2008; no position found as of that date.

Romney, Mitt (R) - None Found

Withdrew on Feb. 7, 2008; no position found as of that date.

Smith, Christine (Lib) - None Found

No longer met ProCon.org's criteria as of Mar. 21, 2008; no position found as of that date.

Tancredo, Tom (R) - None Found

Withdrew on Dec. 20, 2007; no position found as of that date

Thompson, Fred (R) - None Found

Withdrew on Jan. 22, 2008; no position found as of that date.

Thompson, Tommy (R) - None Found

Withdrew on Sep. 12, 2007; no position found as of that date

Vilsack, Tom (D) - None Found

Withdrew on Feb. 23, 2007; no position found as of that date.

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