Antitrust: Obama e McCain

Tópicos comparativos entre os dois candidatos, relativamente à posição face à concorrência:

Perspective on Antitrust: Comparison between McCain and Obama

1. General Attitude:

OBAMA:

“As president, Obama will reinvigorate antitrust enforcement, which is how we ensure that capitalism works for consumers.” (2008)

McCAIN:

“And, I’m a strong supporter of our antitrust laws and I believe they should be vigorously enforced.” (2008)

2. Merger

OBAMA:

“need to step up review of merger activity and take effective action to stop or restructure those mergers that are likely to harm consumer welfare, while quickly clearing those that do not.” (2008)

McCAIN:

“I say to Corporate America: I am worried about these consolidations. These mergers are the biggest in history. I want them watched carefully, and I want them carefully reviewed. I am a free trader, and I am antiregulation. But I do read history, and I know there have been times these consolidations have hurt consumers. That’s just a fact.” (2000)

3. Network Neutrality:

OBAMA:

“Barack Obama strongly supports the principle of network neutrality to preserve the benefits of open competition on the Internet.” (2008)

McCAIN:

“John McCain does not believe in prescriptive regulation like “netneutrality,” but rather he believes that an open marketplace with a variety of consumer choices is the best deterrent against unfair practices.” (2008)

4. DHL ‐ UPS / Deal

OBAMA:

“As a matter of antitrust law, the proposed consolidation of DHL’s domestic airlift operations under a competitor, UPS, raises concern.” (2008)

McCAIN:

“This raises serious concerns that consumers all over America would suffer in terms of costs and quality.” (2008)

5. Concern for Over ‐Deterrence

OBAMA:

“He will take steps to ensure that antitrust law is not used as a tool to interfere with robust competition or undermine efficiency to the detriment of U.S. consumers and businesses.”

McCAIN:

N/A

6. Evaluation of Current Enforcements

OBAMA:

Regrettably, the current administration has what may be the weakest record of antitrust enforcement of any administration in the last half century.”

McCAIN:

N/A