The Candidates and Service

Next week, Senators McCain and Obama will attend a presidential forum on service as part of the Service Nation Summit in NYC. It will be one of the first public events to include both candidates.

McCain’s military service gives him a natural platform for advocating for service. Obama is a trained lawyer, and hopefully he appreciates the importance of pro bono service and the role of the presidency in the rise of the pro bono ethic in the 1960s under JFK.

Service tends to receive bi-partisan support, but there tend to be a few areas where lines can be drawn within the issue.

Here are some questions that I have seen draw out these differences:

• Should we mandate a year of service for all Americans?
• Should the government be involved in funding the capacity of nonprofits and religious groups to recruit and manage volunteers?
• Should the government fund and run programs like AmeriCorps and the Peace Corps?
•  Is volunteering a “right” of every American that the government must support to maintain our democracy and stay faithful to our Founding Fathers?

How would you respond to these questions? How do you expect the candidates to respond?

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