E-War Goes On Tour: My play-by-play of Elizabeth Warren’s town hall

Warren’s CNN Town Hall – March 18, 2019

Jackson, Mississippi

Author’s Note: So, here are some notes from the 1st Elizabeth Warren Town Hall – I took down as much as I could and tried to write the questions that came from the crowd. Hope this is useful.

*the italics is just my own personal thoughts lol

• Reparations –
  • Question from the crowd was regarding – national apology for slavery
  • Putting together a panel of experts to figure out this reparations issue
  • (so, am I – Kaelyn Lewis – gonna get reparations or what? I still kinda want my 40 acres and a mule so I can drop out of school)

• Healthcare
  • Question: Medicare for all – how is it better than simply improving ACA?
  • Bring down price of prescription drugs
  • Figure out how to do it in a way to get 100% coverage for lowest price
  • Support eliminating private health insurance in US like Bernie?
    • Didn’t really answer – she basically said Bernie has his opinion, I have my own
  • There could be a role for private insurance – or maybe a temporary one
  • We need to get together and talk about it

• Controlling influx of migrants?
  • We need to have policies on immigration consistent w/values
  • Talking about family separation
  • The stuff we have in place now does not reflect our values
  • Will not support wall – doesn’t make us safer
  • What can we do?
    • “remember all the tools in the toolbox” (lol girl what)
    • We shouldn’t be cutting our aid
    • Parts of south America are dangerous cuz of gangs and stuff, we know that. So, let’s make more investment in trouble areas and help people stay where they are and make sure those areas are safe

• Socialism? Question: “Conservatives use the socialist label as an attack; will your policies encourage values of self-reliance?”
  • Believes in markets, but markets w/rules
  • Markets w/o rules – is theft
  • The big folks/corporations don’t want rules
  • (she has said “by golly” 4 times and its freakin funny lol she’s so white. I love her”)
  • We need balance in the marketplace
  • Make it easier to join a union, unions should have more power – unions built the middle class and will rebuild it

• Proposal to build 3 million new housing units
  • Having a decent/safe place to live – should be a basic human right
  • Addresses black-white gap in housing
    • Into the 60’s – the federal gov was subsidizing homes for white families and discriminating against black families – that’s redlining
    • For ppl living in formerly red lined areas – there will be special assistance for 1st time buyers – those affected in the housing crash

[Commercial break – bruh I’ve never typed so fast in my life, she’s really flyin thru this]

• She’s from Oklahoma, so is Carrie Underwood… just saying
• Back when she was young – a minimum wage job could support a family of 3, when her family was struggling financially
  • Now it can’t even support just a mom and a child, they’d be in poverty
  • Wants a gov’t and economy that works for a family, not for corporations

• Plans to reduce/relieve student loan debt for poor and middle class? (I sure as hell hope so)
  • She made a joke about falling in love and getting married “the first time” – my relatable QUEEN
  • She found a community college that cost 50$ a semester – she got to become a teacher (her dream job at the time)
  • Students should be allowed to get an education and not be crushed by debt
  • No actual details about her plan on how to reduce debt

 

• HBCUs? Ensure historically black colleges and universities get more funding and can compete w/other institutions?
  • She believes in and supports them (lol very good)
  • We need to be willing to invest more in our colleges/universities – bring down cost of education
  • Black students more likely to borrow money and borrow more money – have more trouble paying off the debt
    • We need to focus on this

• Response to those who said how she handled the Native-American heritage issue was tone-deaf and offensive? (is getting touchy now ya’ll)
  • I literally have no idea what she just said about this it sounded like a lot but I wasn’t following

• How will you expand voting rights to the formerly incarcerated, ensure online voter registration and no-excuse early voting?
  • Constitutional amendment for to protect every citizen’s voting rights
  • Repeal every voter suppression law (probably the strongest statement she’s made so far)
  • Every vote matters – why she is going to states that are not just blue, battleground, and swing states – other Dems like to play it safe and wont go to places like Mississippi (where she is now)
  • Abolish/Get rid of the Electoral College everywhere (also a VERY strong statement, this got mad applause)
• Supports removing Confederate celebrations from federal land – put them in museums
  • Question: Do you think Mississippi should adopt a new state flag, because it has the Confederate emblem on there?
    • Answer: Yes (she answered so f*cking fast y’all LOLOL)
      • Jake Tapper was like “that was the shortest answer I’ve ever gotten from a politician” lolz)

• Side note – the heavy majority of those asking the questions have been Black women and that’s so dope I am hyped about it

• Revisions in gun control to help ensure fewer killings in Jackson, MS.
  • Right now we’re not doing anything
  • Background checks
  • Ppl on watchlist should NOT be able to get gun
  • Weapons of war don’t belong on streets
  • NO bump stocks
  • We need to fix gun show loophole – this is a national problem
  • Who does gov’t work for? Right now, the wealthy and the well-connected. We are being held hostage by the NRA – we need to change that

• Black people and the judicial system?
  • We need equal justice under the law – we don’t have it now
  • Race does matter, and we need to call it out
  • (ppl clapped immediately after she mentioned Obama lol)
  • Under Obama – Justice Dept worked w/police – starting new training – get on a better path – get right resources – focus on community policing
    • The current admin has reversed all this and made more dangerous
    • she would bring it back to the path Obama was on

• Bruh, literally only black women asking questions – SO DOPE

• How will you ensure the extremely rich pay their fair taxes?
  • Corruption, call it out plain and simple
  • She has the biggest anti-corruption deal since Watergate
  • We need to fight the influence that $$$ has
  • End lobbying as we know it
  • Everyone running for office should make their taxes public
  • We must rewrite the rules – put power back in hands of workers
    • For big 500 companies – employees should sit on the board and help make decisions
  • She has introduced/proposed a bill including the Ultra-Millionaires Tax
    • 50 million $$ and above – charge 2% a year
    • We need a wealth tax – regular ppl are already paying a wealth tax, we call them property taxes (is that a joke, it went over my head)
      • “I just want to include the Rembrandt and the diamonds in the property tax” (that made me laugh)
      • If we start taxing those ultra-rich more (their fair share) – we can have universal childcare, $$ for healthcare, etc

• They finally let another White person talk lol

• Is it really possible to increase regulation on private tech companies w/o stifling innovation?
  • She made a joke about buying 20 coffee makers or something
  • Amazon – 49% of all retail sales online
  • But amazon is collecting info on you after every interaction and transaction
  • “I want people to check out all the coffee makers you wanna check out. But they [Amazon] don’t get to suck all the information just to put other small businesses out of business” (this quote is not direct I missed some words lol)
  • (Basically, I think she thinks companies like amazon are messing up competition w/the markets and retailers and something like that)

• Crumbling infrastructure in America?
  • I missed most of this part
  • The Green New Deal – about building the infrastructure for the 21^st century

• Do you believe Mississippi’s tax on owners of electric and hybrid vehicles is the right approach given climate change?
  • “I know in Washington this is a controversial statement. I believe in science”
  • Climate change is real, and its manmade
  • America is a leader, we are leading in the wrong direction on climate change

• Question: Gas tax has not been raised since ’93, would you support raising it?
  • “I want to see an ultra-millionaire tax.” – use that to subsidize

• Impeachment?
  • Protect Mueller – finish report – when we get it we’ll know what to do
  • Didn’t give as strong of a statement as I expected… lame

• I missed some parts scrolling thru Twitter, my bad homies

• How would you improve issues for black women and death during childbirth…?
  • Funding for National Institutes of Health
  • Do more research
  • Access is an issue but not the only one – we need to learn more

• How would you improve the education system and make it fair for all Americans?
  • We need an equal share of democracy
  • Ask candidates how they got their money/funding
  • Mentions she takes no PAC money or federal lobbyists money
  • Doesn’t need influence from corporations, etc – she comes to town halls and stuff to be with and talk to the people
  • “Our gov’t is not for sale” – the people must be a part of it
• What is the role of faith in your life?
  • She was a 5^th grade Sunday school teacher
  • Raised her children Methodist
  • Matthew 26 – shepherd is dividing the world into the sheep and goats – sheep going to heaven and goats are not – I was hungry and you gave me food, etc (I checked out a little bit she was quoting scripture and I couldn’t keep up lol)
    • What she took from this and her faith?
      • There is value in every human being. And we are called to act. If we see something wrong, we go and do something about it.

• Kaelyn’s quick post-game
  • She really liked talking to people that seemed to be enjoyable for her
  • It got more comfortable and confident as it went on
  • A lot of issues facing the black community came up, understandably so, and she was not scared or shy about answering anything. She totally gets it. She’s not dismissive of these issues at all – she recognizes they exists and wants to face them wow I love her
  • I wished she was stronger – more straightforward on some things – and more detailed on some things – and a LITTLE less long-winded LOL just a bit
  • She’s very good at explaining the economic stuff tho
    • which a lot of people, especially young people and most democrats, tend to check out on cuz its too complicated or hard to understand or they don’t care or they don’t trust the gov’t w/the economy side of things anyways so they don’t listen to any of it
    • this is a strength of hers that is only rivaled by Bernie and sorta kinda Tulsi (who no one really knows very well which means they won’t really give her a chance which… it is what it is lol) and especially AOC (who isn’t running unfortunately)

 

This is America…unfortunately: All 827 Dem Candidates Running for President in 2020

1. Yang, Andrew

• Universal basic income – funded by the gov’t
  • $1k per month
• Medicare for all
  • Issues with the ACA:
  • However, it didn’t address the fundamental issues plaguing our healthcare system:
    • Access to medicine isn’t guaranteed to all citizens
    • The incentives for healthcare providers don’t align with providing quality, efficient care
  • Human Capitalism
    • “The focus of our economy should be to maximize human welfare”
    • “Our current emphasis on corporate profits isn’t working for the vast majority of Americans.”

 

2. Williamson, Marianne

• Gay rights!
• Proposed 100 billion in reparations for slavery – distributed annually
• Child advocacy
  • “The United States is the only country in the world that funds its education system through property taxes, thereby ensuring that children in a poorer neighborhood will get a poorer education. Even where states do their best to compensate for the disparity, the gaps are appalling.”
  • Affordable & Universal Pre-K/preschool
  • Maternity and paternity leave
  • Mental health services for children // Mindfulness training in schools
  • Increased funding for free and reduced lunch
• Climate Change
  • “As President, I would argue, in no uncertain terms, that climate change represents a clear and present danger to our people, to our democracy, and to the world at large.”
  • Appoint an educated environmentalist to head the EPA – instead of fossil fuel executives
  • Re-enter the Paris Climate Accords immediately – agreement to combat climate change
  • Supports the Green New Deal
    • Expand green energy
    • Put a moratorium on new fracking operations
    • Transition away from fossil fuels/domestic use of nuclear energy
  • Crime Prevention
    • Focus on rehabilitation rather than punitive punishment
    • “The 2018Criminal Justice Reform Bill successfully deals with a few of the worst aspects of America’s prison problem, giving federal judges more leeway when sentencing some drug offenders and boosting prisoner rehabilitation efforts; reducing life sentences for some drug offenders with three convictions, or “three strikes,” to 25 years; and incentivizing prisoners to participate in programs designed to reduce the risk of recidivism with the reward being an earlier release to either home confinement or a halfway house.”
  • Free college or technical school tuition for every qualified student
  • Student loan amnesty
  • Immigration
    • Reasonable changes do need to be made to our immigration policies, however, the idea that there is a crisis is unfounded
      • Over the last decade, undocumented immigration has decreased
      • Documented/undocumented are 46% less likely than native-born Americans to commit crime/be incarcerated
    • F*ck that wall
    • DACA is dope – fully supports it
    • “My administration would reduce the record number of detainees currently under extended DHS and ICE control.”
    • “I would expand protections for LGBTQ immigrants and asylum seekers, who experience discrimination here, as well as in their countries of origin”
  • Gun safety:
    • “In actual fact, the argument over gun rights is less about the Second Amendment and more about profit maximization for gun manufacturers. Their lobbying arm, the National Rifle Association, has shrewdly used the Second Amendment as a cover for their greed.”
  • Also, she’s from Houston and she’s Jewish… if that matters to you lol

 

3. Warren, Elizabeth*

• *the only candidate i care about right now, like she’ll literally fight anyone i love how politically aggressive she is because I am also slightly aggressive 
• *I also wrote about her Town Hall, that has more info on it I think is also useful

 

• Supports abolishing the Electoral College
• No corporate PAC money
• Focus on Income inequality
• Helped form the CFPB (Consumer Financial Protections Bureau) w/Obama
• Universal Child Care
• Opposes NAFTA 2.0
• Lobbying
  • “We sill start by ending lobbying as we know it, so everyone who lobbies must register, shining sunlight on their activities, banning foreign governments from hiring Washington lobbyists, and shutting down the ability of lobbyists to move freely in and out of government jobs”
• Ultra-Millionaire Tax
  • For the 75,000 richest families –> produce trillions that can go to universal childcare, student loan debt relief, and down payments on the Green New Deal & Medicare for All
• Pro-Choice/Women’s healthcare
  • access to safe, legal abortion
  • Keep federal funding for family planning clinics like Planned Parenthood

• Gun Control
  • (*https://www.ammoland.com/2019/01/elizabeth-warren-has-a-tin-ear-on-the-second-amendment/#axzz5imDt9Pns) ß read that if you wanna laugh
  • Called for stricter gun control after Vegas shooting – 2017
  • Lawmakers should not be “held hostage” by the NRA
  • We need more extensive background checks
  • “…make the weapons themselves safer and less likely to be capable of shooting many people in a short people of time.”
• Immigration
  • F*ck that wall, DACA & DREAM Act is dope
  • Abolish ICE, replace it w/something else…
  • Against the Trump “Zero Tolerance” policy, we need immigration reform that focuses on real threats
  • Voted against a bill that would stop sanctuary cities from getting economic and community development grants
  • Supports sanctuary cities
• Climate change
  • Supports the Green New Deal, or the “idea” of it (whatever that means)
  • http://scorecard.lcv.org/moc/elizabeth-warren
  • Considers climate change a national emergency (along w/gun violence & student loan debt)
  • “…her Senate record includes no notable acts of leadership on climate change. Her voting recordis strong, but she hasn’t introduced climate legislation or been among the most outspoken on the issue. The one thing she has done, which her supporters eagerly point to, is come out against the Keystone XL pipeline.” (ß this came from “Grist” – they publish online articles specifically about climate & sustainability, so they are very serious about this stuff)
• Healthcare
  • Supports Medicare for All and is a co-sponsor of the bill
  • Also supports other single-payer healthcare proposals
  • Proposed an alternative –> the Consumer Health Insurance Protection Act
    • Limit private insurance company profits
    • Make Obamacare more affordable
    • “create systems to better track complaints against insurers and require insurers that participate in Medicare and Medicaid programs to also offer coverage in areas with limited options on ACA exchanges”
  • Proposed legislation that would help lower the cost of prescription drugs
• Civil Rights issues
  • Equal Pay for Equal Work
    • We need a reliable vote
  • Recognize same sex marriage at the state level
  • Keep LGBTQ health info on federal websites
  • Enforce policies against discrimination based on gender and sexuality
• Issues w/Corporations
  • Trickle-down economics is a lie
  • Corporations should not be treated like they are people
  • We must have regulations to protect financial consumers
  • Focus on rebuilding the middle class instead of giving CEO’s tax breaks
• Crime/Criminal Justice
  • We have an unfair/2-tier justice system
  • There should be stiff punishment for corporate offenders like there are for everyday citizens
• Drug stuff
  • Legalize/decriminalize marijuana – will help reduce opioid death
  • “By outlawing marijuana, the federal government puts communities of color, small businesses, & public health & safety at risk. My new bill with @SenCoryGardner will let states, territories, & tribes decide for themselves how to regulate marijuana – without federal interference.”
  • “No one should go to jail for a joint. But more Americans are arrested for marijuana possession than all violent crimes combined. And black Americans are nearly 4x more likely to be arrested for it than whites. My new bill will help put an end to this two-tiered justice system.”
  • Wants to let states decide
  • Not completely supportive of full legalization(???)
• Education
  • Comprehensive sex ed
  • Preserve school lunch program
• On Israel and Palestine
  • It’s… complicated
  • https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/elizabeth-warren-2020-where-does-progressive-senator-stand-palestine

 

4. Sanders, Bernie

• Democratic socialist
• No corporate PAC money
• Medicare for All
• Pro-choice
• F*ck that wall, DACA is dope
• Economy
  • Introduced legislation calling for the national min wage to be increased to $15
  • Focused on the decline of the middle class and the wealth gap
• Supports the Green New Deal – cosponsored it
• Education
  • Free college tuition for public colleges/universities
  • Lowering student loan interest rates
• Supports comprehensive gun legislation
• Criminal Justice
  • “The U.S. incarcerates far too many people, a disproportionate percentage of them are people of color.”
  • Resources should be put toward education/training/jobs that will reduce crime
  • “Bernie believes police should be demilitarized and held accountable for abusive practices”
  • Capital Punishment — Favors life imprisonment over the death penalty. “Civilized nations should not execute criminals”

 

• “We must create more jobs, raise the minimum wage, and increase access to education and training. We must also expand social safety net programs and guarantee affordable healthcare and nutrition programs so that we enable working families of color to get ahead.”

• Gun Control
  • “Gun control legislation should ultimately fall on individual states, with the exception of instant background checks to prevent firearms from finding their way into the hands of criminals and the mentally ill, and a federal ban on assault weapons.”
• You already know about Bernie I don’t need to go over everything, okay cool.

 

5. Klobuchar, Amy

• Supported legislation to combat the opioid crisis – address the prescription drugs
• Healthcare
  • Hasn’t signed on to Medicare for All
  • Supports universal health care – w/public option – government-run plans
  • Expand Medicaid/Medicare, lower drug prices, allow Medicare to negotiate prices
  • Improve the Affordable Care Act
• Economy
  • Lower student debt by supporting the expansion of the federal Pell Grant
  • Regulate big corporations
  • Invest in green jobs and infrastructure
  • Not committed to the Green New Deal, sees it as “aspirational”

• Immigration
  • We need comprehensive immigration reform
  • Supports reforming NOT abolishing ICE
• Pro-choice
• Co-sponsored Women’s Health Protection Act
• Reauthorized Violence Against Women’s Act
• Gun Control policy
  • Supports a ban on assault weapons & background checks for gun owners
  • Sensible gun control
• Removing Incentives for Outsourcing Act
  • Intended to close loophole allowing US companies to minimize tax liability by moving jobs overseas
  • We should close loopholes designed for the wealthy – make it easier for workers to afford childcare/housing/education
• Rejoin the Paris Climate Accords
• Opposes Trump’s decision to withdraw troops from Syria
• Income
  • Has NOT yet supported raising the federal minimum wage to $15, but has supported raising it
  • Close pay gap for women
• Her questioning of Brett Kavanaugh put her in the spotlight for a while
• On Israel:
  • “She is the only one of seven presidential hopefuls who voted with AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) on an anti-BDS bill”
    • Voted for a law that would consolidate $38 billion in defense assistance for Israel while protecting states that penalize businesses that boycott Israel.

 

6. Inslee, Jay

• Big focus: climate change
  • Wants to create renewable energy jobs
• Pledged not to take money from the fossil fuel industry
• No corporate PAC money
• As governor of Washington state:
  • Raised the minimum wage – $12 min wage
  • Protected net neutrality
  • Passed important voting rights laws
  • Helped get paid sick leave and paid family leave programs
  • Created renewable energy jobs
  • Supported protections for LGBTQ+ people
  • Provided affordable healthcare // passed Reproductive Parity for women // expanded Medicaid
• Gun Control
  • Supports universal background checks
  • Ban on bump stocks
  • Restrict some semiautomatic
• Supports the Green New Deal
• Supports Universal Healthcare
  • Government-funded public option
• Supports the legalization of marijuana
  • Is enacting a program in Washington to pardon some who have been previously convicted of possession
• Opposes the death penalty in its current state
  • “the risk of wrongful convictions was unacceptable”
  • “too many flaws in the system”

 

7. Hickenlooper, John 

• Politically more moderate/centrist (lol good luck boi)
  • Refers to himself as an extreme moderate… whatever that means
  • Social progressive, pro-business… again, whatever that means
• Has supported expanding Medicaid
• Gay rights!
• Supports gun control
  • Universal background checks – helped pass this in Colorado (former Gov. of Colorado)
  • Ban high capacity
  • Raise minimum age to buy certain types of firearms
  • Did not start supporting better gun control legislation until more recently, post-2012
• Healthcare
  • Does not support the Medicare for All proposal
  • BUT is supportive of some other form of universal healthcare
  • Does NOT support eliminating the private sector of health insurance
  • Did expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act
• Climate
  • Joined the US Climate Alliance – to reduce greenhouse gas emissions – a counter to Trump’s piss poor environmental policies
  • But also – has supported fracking (big yikes) & is friendly w/oil and gas companies (bigger yikes)
• Helped Colorado w/recreational marijuana registration
  • Personally opposed to the legalization of marijuana (I don’t get it either)
• Honestly, you aren’t gonna vote for this shmuck so I’m not looking up anything else about him, who cares? No one.

 

8. Harris, Kamala

• Supports “College for All Act” proposed by Bernie Sanders
  • Free tuition at public 4yr colleges
  • Gov’t program would pay for tuition fees at colleges/universities for kids w/incomes of <$125k – by taxing Wall St. firms
• National Pre-K program
  • Expand Head Start
• Gay rights!
  • Refused to defend Cali’s ban on same-sex marriage
• Access to safe/legal abortions
• Healthcare
  • Supports Medicare for All bill proposed by Bernie – universal, government-run healthcare – move to end private health insurance
    • Increasing marginal tax rate for higher incomes, increased estate tax
  • Increase access to mental health care
  • Address/do something about the high maternal mortality rates for black women
  • Reverse parts of the Tax cuts done by the Trump Admin.
    • Create tax breaks for middle/lower class
  • Gun control
    • Ban assault weapons
    • Ban the sale of high-capacity magazines
      • “…those which can fire more than 10 rounds without reloading.”
    • “She also launched a statewide sweep to capture firearms from anyone illegally possessing them.” – as California Attorney General
    • Supports the 2^nd Amendment (idek why I need to put that part) and “common-sense” gun control
    • Supports Universal background checks
  • Immigration
    • DACA is dope, F*ck that wall
    • “Re-examine” ICE – start from scratch (personally I think it should just be abolished, but whatever floats your boat baby)
    • Opponent of the zero tolerance policy – reunite families at the border
  • Climate Change
    • Supports Paris Climate Agreement
    • Voted against repealing regulations on methane emissions, launched an investigation against Exxon Mobile – reports the company lied about the risks of climate change
    • Voting record of climate change: http://scorecard.lcv.org/moc/kamala-harris
  • Israel and Palestine
    • Has spoken at AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) policy conference multiple times (but a lot of Democrats in the House & Senate f*ck around w/AIPAC, so it’s not really out of the norm – not that that’s a good thing but it is what it is)
    • I mean she’s a heavy Israel supporter, whatcha gonna do? I think her stances on Israel are gonna be a deal breaker for most Palestinian-Americans or anyone who favors the Free Palestine movement – so yea
    • Here’s more cuz it’s a lot: https://medium.com/@mikebyrne_16145/kamala-harris-has-an-israel-problem-that-is-a-deal-breaker-for-me-9d31a219bee
• she reps California – you can just guess her stance on marijuana lol

 

9. Gillibrand, Kirsten

• Supports the Green New Deal – cosponsored it
• Healthcare
  • Supports Medicare for All, government-run healthcare – to replace private health insurance
  • Expand the Basic Health Program – a coverage program for low-income citizens
  • Make it affordable/accessible for low income people
• Gun control
  • In the late 2000s representing NY, she was a strong supporter of gun owners and had a 100% voting recording w/the NRA – voted against bills that would’ve curbed the 2^nd Amend
    • “… despite initially joining Congress as a member of Democrats’ conservative Blue Dog coalition who touted her favorable rating  from the National Rifle Association”
  • Currently – firm believer in gun control
    • Ban on assault weapons and high capacity magazines
  • Immigration
    • Get rid of ICE and start over to make something that actually works – (make something else – start from scratch?)
    • “”I believe we need to protect families who need help, and ICE isn’t doing that. It has become a deportation force. We need to separate immigration issues from criminal justice. We need to abolish ICE, start over, and build something that actually works,”
    • Proposed a bill that would require ICE to keep a record of all the people they stop/search – more transparency
  • Pushed for US to withdraw from Afghanistan, argued Obama did not have authority to send troops to Syria/critical of Trump’s airstrikes in Syria
    • Wants the US to stop supporting Saudi Arabia:
      • “Saudi Arabia is using American-made bombs to terrorize Yemeni civilians with airstrikes that have killed thousands of civilians—and millions are without food and access to medical care. The Senate must do everything it can to end this humanitarian crisis.”
    • Israel/Palestine
      • 2017 – “she withdrew her sponsorship of the bipartisan Israel Anti-Boycott Act, citing the criticism of the American Civil Liberties Union that it would infringe upon freedom of speech.”
      • Written by the woman herself: https://forward.com/opinion/379614/senator-kirsten-gillibrand-where-i-stand-on-israel/
    • Legislation w/Marijuana
      • Supported the Marijuana justice act – to remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act – punish states that enforce marijuana laws unfairly against people of color
      • Co-sponsored legislation that would make it easier to conduct research on cannabis and legalize industrial hemp
        • Another bill that would allow US Dept. of Veteran Affairs to study how it can treat conditions like PTSD
      • Supports & created a bill for Universal paid family leave (2013) –
        • Pay workers while they take time off to take care of parent/spouse/child, give birth, get sick
      • Education
        • Wants to help w/lowering student loan debt
        • Co-sponsored a bill that authorized competitive 5-yr grants to local education agencies that serve high-need high schools
        • “introduced the Federal Student Loan Refinancing Act, which would allow student borrowers to refinance their student debt at a lower interest rate, just as business-owners and homeowners are able to do”
        • Can’t really find anything about what she thinks about college for all or free tuition or anything like that so idk
      • Gay rights!
        • Helped repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell

 

10. Gabbard, Tulsi

• Women’s Rights
  • 100% voting record w/Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice America (group that supports/advocates for things like paid family leave, access to birth control, abortion access, etc)
  • Equal Pay – supported Paycheck Fairness Act
  • Supports a woman’s right to choose
• Wall Street Stuff
  • Advocates for Wall St reform – breaking up big banks
  • Banks that are “too big to fail” are no Bueno
    • Having to bail them out it bad for the economy
  • Bring back Glass Steagall Act
    • “protected the public by separating risky investment banking and commercial banking.”
  • Healthcare
    • Should be accessible AND affordable (well yeah, duh fam)
    • Issues w/ACA – high costs and copayments/deductibles – still millions are uninsured
    • People should have access to affordable healthcare thru Medicare or a public option – must insure universal healthcare
      • Allow the gov’t to negotiate w/pharmaceutical companies to lower prices of prescription drugs
    • TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership)
      • Thinks this trade deal sucks
      • “This historically massive trade deal — accounting for 40 percent of global trade — would reduce restrictions on foreign corporations operating within the U.S., limit our ability to protect our environment, and create more incentives for U.S. businesses to outsource investments and jobs overseas to countries with lower labor costs and standards.”
    • “War on Terror”
      • There is so much stuff in this section that I’m having a hard time summarizing so if you really care about this and her foreign policy stance in the middle east here’s the link it’s got a lot of info you’ll want: https://www.votetulsi.com/node/25013
• Renewable Energy? Hell yeah!
  • End subsidies for the nuclear energy industry
  • Provide tax and other incentives for green and high technology business
• Net Neutrality? All about it!
• Supports protecting Medicare & Social Security
  • Protect from privatization
• Gay rights? She’s cool now
  • I know she has a bit of a not so good past when it comes to LGBTQ+ rights and all that cuz she came up in politics pretty conservative. She worked for/supported an anti-gay group that backed conversion therapy back in the 2000s. But has changed a whole lot (you may not care about how much she’s changed, maybe you don’t like inconsistency or you think being on the wrong side at any point is unforgiveable – idk – but she’s been a progressive since joining Congress)
  • Member of the LGBT Equality Caucus
  • Since 2013 – She’s got her name on a lot of bills pushing for LGBT+ rights and marriage equality and anti-bullying and non-discrimination stuff
• Advocate for mandatory labeling of GMO/genetically engineered food
• Gun control
  • Advocate for comprehensive/sensible gun control
  • F-rating from NRA // 100% rating from Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence
  • Ban on military style assault weapons & high capacity magazines
  • Comprehensive background checks
  • Close the gun-show loophole (okay, most of the democrats who are strong on the gun control want to close the loophole I’m just lazy and didn’t type it for everyone my bad homie)
  • Believes this should be a bipartisan issue
• Criminal Justice
  • Working to reduce mandatory minimums for some non-violent offenders
  • Reduce recidivism
  • Reduce economic and societal cost of an over-criminalization

 

 

11. O’Rourke, Robert (Beto)

• Everyone’s favorite somewhat moderate Texas Democrat dad who stands on top of counters a lot
• I also just wanna say he voted to limit the powers of the Consumer Financial Protections Bureau which Elizabeth Warren created during the Obama admin and it protects consumers from getting screwed by the banks and stuff, just saying. Let’s continue…

 

• Immigration
  • Supports the Dream Act/DACA – & path to citizenship for undocumented
  • F*ck the wall
  • Close private immigration detention centers
  • Open to abolishing ICE practices, but NOT really supportive of abolishing ICE as an agency
    • “There has to be accountability for all law enforcement, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement. And we have to have immigration laws – and this is on Congress – that reflect our values and our interests. I don’t think that abolishing any one department is going to solve all of these problems.” (2018)
  • The crime rate in El Paso (where he was a representative) had been falling before any fences went up along the border there (they increased when it was built)
• Gun Control
  • Supports Universal background checks
  • Magazine size limits
  • Restrict some semiautomatic weapons
  • “opposes concealed carry reciprocity, which would make concealed carry permits granted in any state valid nationwide, forcing states with strict licensing requirements to recognize permits from states with looser standards”
• Health care
  • Supports universal healthcare – either in the form of a single-payer system or a “dual system” (private insurance coexists w/government-run program)
  • Seems conflicted about the Medicare for All proposal
    • “In 2017, during his time in the House, he said unequivocally, “A single-payer ‘Medicare for all’ program is the best way to ensure all Americans get the health care they need.” But during his Senate campaign, he carefully avoided those words, calling instead for “universal, guaranteed, high-quality health care for all.””
  • Supports expanding Medicaid under Affordable Care Act (ACA)
• Climate change
  • Focuses on the financial impact of climate change
  • Has spoken positively about Green New Deal (unsure if he fully supports or not) – says it is doable
  • Supports Paris Climate Agreement
• Money from Oil & Gas companies?
  • https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/recips.php?ind=E01++
• He would not sign a pledge to not take money/contributions from coal/oil/gas companies (weird) – “No Fossil Fuel Money” pledge
  • – asks them to reject donations of >$200 from fossil fuel companies/execs/PACs
  • It has been signed by other 2020 candidates: Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Kirsten Gillibrand, Tulsi Gabbard, Jay Inslee
  • https://dailycaller.com/2019/03/20/beto-orourke-fossil-fuel-pledge/
• Criminal justice
  • Focused on racial and economic inequities
  • Talked about his own record and his privilege as a well-off white dude in the CJ system:
    • https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/outlook/article/Beto-ORourke-Texas-criminal-justice-reform-jail-13181472.php
  • Supports closing private/non-profit prisons
  • Decriminalize/Legalize Marijuana
    • erase the records of ppl previously convicted of possessing it
    • Okay, the New York Times article I looked at says he wants decriminalization but Vox does say he was an early supporter of legalization, so that’s that
    • The war on drugs is a “complete failure” – legalizing could weaken cartels, reduce violence
    • https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/3/18/18270889/beto-orourke-marijuana-legalization-president-campaign (it’s a good Vox article so here it is)
  • Eliminate mandatory minimums for nonviolent crimes
  • Reform the bail system – so ppl w/misdemeanors aren’t just incarcerated because they don’t have the money to pay for bail
  • Emphasizes rehabilitation for those released from prison – restore their voting rights

12. Delaney, John

• I literally have no idea who this is, he’s a former congressman from Maryland but his name also sounds boring so who really cares
• Healthcare
  • Has endorsed universal health care,
    • BUT also he was booed at a California Democrats event because he was trying to explain why Bernie’s Medicare for All plan wouldn’t work or something, SO WHAT IS THE TRUTH
  • Wants to keep the option for private insurance, different from Bernie’s plan
• Tax breaks for working families
• NO corporate PAC money (everyone’s doing it!)
• GAY RIGHTS!
• Focus on bipartisanship
• End gerrymandering,
• Take money out of politics by overturning Citizens United (look it up I’m too lazy to explain it LOL but I will if you ask)
• Supports Voting Rights Advancement Act

 

• A Vox article about him started with “Delany probably won’t be president” and that’s all you need to know really so I’m not writing anymore 😊

 

13. Castro, Julian