If you’re a democratic millennial, there’s a good chance you’re feeling the Bern. And there’s also a good chance that before Bernie came along with his grandpa-esque personality and unbelievably sincere speeches, you didn’t mind Hillary.
Personally, I’m a Bernie supporter, but I realized that I began to support him just because everyone else I knew suddenly became hardcore democratic socialists. So I did the research, and condensed and simplified their stance on each of the issues in 100 words or less (plus a gif!).
Immigration
For the most part, both candidates agree on this issue. They support immigration reform and have advocated for programs such as the DREAM act, which provides a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. Both say they will not deport children that are already here, but Clinton says that new children can be sent back if they don't meet the requirements to be in a program that allows them to stay legally.
Healthcare
This is one of the topics where they differ the most. Hillary wants to keep Obama’s Affordable Care Act, and wants to cap the out of pocket cost to $250. Sanders wants to follow in the footsteps of other developed countries and switch to a single-payer healthcare system.
Clinton and Sanders believe that education should be as accessible as possible, but they have slightly different ideas on how to accomplish this. Both want to eliminate federal government profit on student debt repayment. Clinton wants to make college more affordable by lowering interest rates on current and future loans. Sanders wants to make public colleges completely tuition free by taxing Wall Street speculation.
Foreign Affairs
Clinton’s been claiming she has the upper hand in foreign affairs because of her experience as Secretary of State, but Sanders has pointed to her voting record, which includes her voting for the war in Iraq in 2002, as evidence that she hasn’t made the best decisions. Now, Clinton wants strong U.S. government involvement in ISIS, while Sanders believes that countries in the region should deal with ISIS. Clinton also supports a no-fly zone in Syria, while Sanders opposes it. In Afghanistan, Sanders wants to completely withdraw troops, and Clinton is open to maintaining troops if necessary.
Campaign Financing
Despite Clinton’s campaign raising over $1 billion, mainly from super PAC contributions, she says that she will support a constitutional amendment that will make super PAC’s illegal. Sanders has called her out on her hypocrisy, and claims that his campaign has refused super PAC donations and is funded by the public.
Gun Control
Clinton is a strong gun control supporter, and has a strong voting record to back it up. She has voted against bills that protect gun vendors and manufacturers from legal action taken by customers, and she supports legislation that will allow people to sue gun manufacturers. Sanders also supports gun control, but has a more complex voting record, with votes for and against gun control legislation.
Drugs
Sanders wants to legalize marijuana, and has supported its legalization in his home state of Vermont. He says that the war on drugs has failed, and has only succeeded in raising the prison population and increasing taxes. Clinton, however, wants to shift marijuana from its current status as a Schedule 1 drug, like LSD and heroin, to a Schedule 2 drug. This will allow for medical research and medical marijuana use, but possessing it without medical reasons would still be a crime.
