The War in Iraq, the environment, the economy, and health care are all controversial issues the candidates in the 2008 presidential election are addressing. Thousands have died in Iraq, the economy is steadily declining, and the number of people without health care in this country is staggering. While these are major problems the country faces, these numbers pale in comparison to those affected and infected by the AIDS virus.
After looking at the top two Democratic and top two Republican candidates I was shocked to find out that only the two Democratic candidates have made a substantial effort in the fight against AIDS. Senator Hillary Clinton and Senator Barack Obama are the only two to mention AIDS as one of their issues on their campaign websites. Both Clinton and Obama should be praised for their efforts in the fight against AIDS.
In 2006, Clinton moved to provide better funding for the Ryan White Care Act, which helps lower class families pay for medical care. She also recognized that young people (who are one of the most at risk groups to becoming infected) need to get access to scientific information about HIV and the prevention of AIDS. This would also include educating those people already infected so they can learn how to prevent infecting others. Clinton also stresses the need for testing and lessening the stigma young people have associated with getting tested.
In a statement made at the U.N. Meeting on AIDS, Clinton mentioned her concerns about the global spread of AIDS and the lack of AIDS education. According to the U.N. children in low to middle income countries have little to no knowledge about how to prevent the spread of HIV. She also expressed her concerns on the lack of medical care in these countries, especially dealing with pregnant women who would benefit from treatments that could limit mother-to child transmission.
At the June 2007 debate at Howard University, Clinton expressed her outrage with the White House’s response to the increase in HIV cases in Black Americans, saying. “If HIV/AIDS were the leading cause of death of White women between the ages of 25-34, there would be an outraged outcry in this country.”
Senator Obama has also taken many steps in the fight against AIDS. He has traveled to Kenya to take a public HIV test to encourage testing and to help clear up any negative stereotypes that might linger about testing. He has also pushed for better prevention methods in the global fight against AIDS, which include condom distribution and the introduction of the Microbiade Development Act, which will be used to produce and develop products to help women battle HIV and AIDS.
At the Howard University debate in June, Obama pushed for greater AIDS education for young people saying, “We don’t talk about it in the schools. Sometimes we don’t talk about it in the churches.”
John McCain really surprised me by his lack of knowledge about anything dealing with AIDS. In March 2007, when asked by a reporter what he thought about using taxpayer money to distribute condoms in Africa to help fight HIV, McCain responded by saying he didn’t know the subject well. He also added that he relied on the advice of Senator Tom Coburn, a physician and Republican from Oklahoma. He then went on to say, “I haven’t thought about it. Before I give you an answer, let me think about it. Let me think about it a little bit, because I never got a question about it before. I don’t know if I would use the taxpayer’s money for it.”
In late 2007, Mike Huckabee refused to retract statements he made in 1992 about quarantining AIDS patients to prevent the spread of the disease. He also said “It is the first time in the history of civilization in which the carriers of a genuine plague have not been isolated from the general population, and in which this deadly disease for which there is no cure is being treated as a civil rights issue instead of the true health crises it represents.” Apparently Governor Huckabee failed to get the message that health officials have been saying for years— casual contact is not a way AIDS could be spread.
After carefully examining the top four candidates in this election I would continue to praise Senators Clinton and Obama for not only their efforts in raising awareness and their ideas for combating this deadly disease both in the United States and globally. As for the two Republican candidates, they seem to act as if AIDS isn’t one of the major crises we face in this world. Their lack of knowledge and in the case of Huckabee, compassion, is alarming. How can you make a decision on an issue if you’re not informed on it? How can you be a successful leader if you rely on someone else’s opinions when making decisions on an issue?
Jamie Gibson '08Wilkes University
Communication Studies
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