There are 20-some Democratic presidential candidates right now, and one of them will be our nominee. That means that even some of the more prominent candidates will be saying or doing great things that are slipping through the cracks of traditional media and social media. It means that almost everything the lesser-known candidates are doing will fall through cracks that are more like chasms.
Good stuff from Democrats deserves attention. Add to that the fact that we don’t all like every single one of the candidates, but that when the time comes, we’ll have to set that aside and get behind the nominee as our way to beat Donald Trump and start the long, hard task of fixing our country. And that’s where this round-up comes in. I’ll be looking for the best thing to come from as many candidates as possible each week, be it a policy, a quote, a tweet, an action.
So without further ado …
Bernie Sanders took on oligarchy, economic inequality, and the meaning of freedom, asking:
Are you truly free if you are unable to go to a doctor when you are sick, or face financial bankruptcy when you leave the hospital?
Are you truly free if you cannot afford the prescription drug you need to stay alive?
Are you truly free when you spend half of your limited income on housing, and are forced to borrow money from a payday lender at 200% interest rates.
Are you truly free if you are 70 years old and forced to work because you lack a pension or enough money to retire?
Kamala Harris said she’d use executive action to move Dreamers toward citizenship.
Pete Buttigieg offered a national security vision that included a “repeal and replace” on the 2001 AUMF that still has the U.S. at war; rejoining the Iran nuclear deal; penalizing Israel for annexing parts of the West Bank; rejoining the Paris Climate Accord, because, yes, climate is national security; and investing in renewable energy technologies.
Elizabeth Warren launched a plan to help level the playing field for entrepreneurs of color—and that’s a plan to target the racial wealth gap.
Michael Bennet continued pushing his plan to address child poverty, a plan he joined with Sen. Sherrod Brown and Reps. Rosa DeLauro and Suzan DelBene in bringing to Congress. It would provide a significantly expanded Child Tax Credit that would be distributed monthly so that lower-income families with kids would have a cushion when they need it most.
Julián Castro became the first 2020 candidate to visit Flint, Michigan, saying that he was there “to hear about the progress that still needs to be made in the community, and to let them know that we haven’t forgotten about them―that if I’m president, I’m going to be a president for them and to all Americans.”
Beto O'Rourke released a serious LGBTQ+ Equality plan, proposing legislative actions and pledging to undo some of the Trump administration’s most damaging executive actions.
Joe Biden:
Kirsten Gillibrand:
Cory Booker:
Jay Inslee: