The first of three presidential debates will take place today at the University of Colorado in Denver and focus on domestic policy. Here's a list of the best pieces we've published about each candidate's domestic-policy agenda.
Economy
(AP Photo/David Goldman)
Obama
- Obama's Squandered Economy, Rich Yeselson
- Is Obama Too Calm Before the Storm?, Tim Fernholz
- Barack Obama's Theory of Power, Robert Kuttner
Romney
- Mitt Romney, Servant of the Right, Jamelle Bouie
- Why "Knowing How the Economy Works" Is Not Enough, Paul Waldman
Health Care
(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
In this March 23, 2010 file photo, President Barack Obama signs the Affordable Care Act in the East Room of the White House in Washington. When you vote in November 2012, you'll be voting for more than a president; you'll be casting a ballot for and against a checklist of policies that touch your life and shape the country you live in. It can be hard to see through the process that the election is a contest of actual ideas, but it is always so. A candidate's words connect to deeds in office.
Obama
- The Ten Dumbest Arguments Against Health-Care Reform, Paul Waldman
- The Medicare Bind, Paul Starr
- The Next Health-Reform Campaign, Paul Starr
- What Does the ACA Do for You?, Paul Waldman
Romney
- Five Things to Know about Paul Ryan's Plan, Jamelle Bouie
- Romney's New Health-Care Problem, Paul Waldman
- Romney's Health-Care Dilemma Returns, Paul Waldman
Education
(AP Photo/The Commercial Appeal, Mike Brown)
A student in Alton Elementary fourth grade teacher Angela Gaia's math class gives a thumbs up after correctly converting an improper fraction to a mixed number Monday January 9, 2012, in Memphis, Tennessee. Gaia has spent her entire 23-year career with Memphis City School's at Alton. Tennessee is meeting most of its goals for implementing educational reforms tied to a $500,000 federal Race to the Top award, according to a report released Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Education.
Obama
- Class Struggle, Kay Steiger
- Schools of Doom, Abby Rapoport
- On Borrowed Time, Monica Potts
- The Divide Over Education, Linda Perlstein
Romney
- Battle of the Romney Plans, Richard Rothstein and Mark Santow
Immigration
(AP Photo/Denis Poroy)
Hermin Ramos of Oaxaca, Mexico, looks over the U.S.-Mexico border fence near Smuggler's Gulch in San Diego, April 27, 2006. Though these fences are criticized for shifting would-be border-crossers to more dangerous and remote spots, they do make it harder for illegal immigrants to reach urban areas where they can slip into a car and head for the nation's interior. Now, Congress is considering putting many more such barriers along the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border, which already has 83 miles of fences.
Obama
- Obama Is an Immigration Hawk, Adam Serwer
- Why Immigration Reform Is Going Nowhere, Gabriel Arana
Romney
- Romney Dodges on Immigration, Again, Jamelle Bouie
- Romney Faces a Tough Choice on Immigration, Jamelle Bouie
- Mitt Romney Pretends Congress Doesn't Exist, Paul Waldman
Social Issues
(Sipa via AP Images)
Obama
- An Evolution Too Little, Too Late?, Bob Moser
- The Forgotten Promise of Obama's Race Speech, Latoya Peterson
- Racism Plays a Big Part in our Politics. Period., Jamelle Bouie
Romney
- Staring into the Void of Mitt Romney, Steve Erickson
- How Gay Marriage Might Hurt Romney, Jamelle Bouie
- Apparently, You Can't be Gay and Work for Romney, Jamelle Bouie
- Romney's Race-Based Initiative, Patrick Caldwell
- Abortion: The New Wedge Issue, Daniel Townsend
- The Radicalism of Akin and Romney, Jamelle Bouie
