My Questions For January 2020
Tonight is the night people, it’s the last Democratic Primary Debate before the Iowa Caucus. Every Democratic Primary candidate since 1996 who was won Iowa went on to win the nomination, meaning tonight will be huge for the party.
Senator Cory Booker would have been on stage tonight, however he dropped out of the race yesterday. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Andrew Yang, and Mayor Michael Bloomberg all also did not qualify for the debate.
In the sprite of debate I figured I would throw some of the questions I would like to see these people answer. I promise you none of these questions will be asked on stage, but that hardly matters to if they’re important or not.
Senator Warren, who is your campaign appealing to exactly? Anyone to your left will almost certainly pick a farther left candidate — Senator Sanders for instance, while anyone to your right will go with someone more moderate — Senator Klobuchar, Mayor Buttigieg, or Vice President Biden for instance. Who is left to pick you to lead the country?
Senator Warren, what experience do you have appealing to the middle of the country? You talk non-stop about how divided we are as nation, yet you’ve only ran on uniformity. The Senate seat you currently sit at belonged to Ted Kennedy from 1962 until his death in 2010. Before that, his brother John. Your state has not gone for a Republican President since Ronald Reagan’s re-election in 1984. It was also one of the states where third party left-wing candidate Ralph Nader had one of the largest bases of supporters — Al Gore still won the state, however. What Republican has been a serious enough challenger for you to think you could go after a sitting President?
Senator Warren, in your 2003 book The Two Income Trap you praise the idea of school choice and voucher programs. Yet, your campaign website “We should stop the diversion of public dollars from traditional public schools through vouchers.” What caused this change of heart?
Vice President Biden, in 1988, you ran for president and did not win a single primary. The same thing happened when you tried again back in 2008. What caused you to throw your hat in the ring a third time despite the previous two being such failures?
Vice President Biden, in 1986 you sponsored and co-wrote the Anti-Drug Abuse Act. This act caused the large disparities between crack cocaine and powered cocaine many on both sides of the political spectrum see as racist. Do you believe this legislation, in hindsight, was used for racist purposes? For that matter, do you regret the choice to sponsor this legislation in the US Senate?
Vice President Biden, the president you served as the second in command from was easily the most pro-marijuana president in United States history. Considering you have a long history of opposing legalization — even calling it a gateway drug as recently as 2012 (by that point, even Pat Robertson stopped saying that and came out for the legalization of marijuana) — would you continue Obama’s states rights approach or instead restart a federal ban?
Vice President Biden, in 2006 you voted for the Secure Fence Act, basically the boarder wall of its day. In 2007, you came out against sanctuary cities. Even with the more open-immigration views of the moderate Democratic Party, have you changed your stance on either of these issues?
Vice President Biden, from 1976 until 6/5/2019, you were a supporter of the Hyde Amendment. What changed that caused you to reverse this nearly thirty five year old opinion on 6/6/2019?
Lastly, Vice President Biden, do you still want to ban raves?
Senator Bernie Sanders, in 1974 you said “nobody should earn more than a million dollars.” Yet, you have made a million dollars a year ever since the publication of your book Our Revolution in 2016. Currently, you have moved your target to billionaires. What caused you to want to up the maximum you can make by a thousand times what it previously was?
Senator Sanders, you are running as the anti-war candidate. However, you voted for to authorize military forces against Afghanistan in 2001 and supported NATO bombing Yugoslavia in 1999. Around the same time, you were against US intervention against communist governments in countries like North Korea, Cuba, and Nicaragua. Are you anti-war or could voters find an alternative motivation going on?
Senator Sanders, you currently believe in much stronger gun control. Yet, you voted against the Brady Bill back during the Clinton Administration and have even received the endorsement of the NRA in the past. What caused you to have a change of heart?
Senator Sanders, you currently believe in immigration reform and various policies that would clearly open the door. Yet, in 2013 you called various similar proposals a “Koch Brothers proposal,” in reference to the arch-enemy of the left. In 2006, you were the man who killed the Bush administration attempts at Immigration Reform in the United States Senate. The policies you use to endorse caused you to call President Trump xenophobic when he proposed similar policies. What caused you to change your mind?
Senator Klobuchar, you have previously bragged about winning the Congressional District of Michele Bachmann. Bachmann helped found the Tea Party movement. Is that something that a self-described progressive Democrat should be bragging about?
Senator Klobuchar, last February, you voted for legislation that would allow states to refuse to do business with people who boycott Israel. Do states have the right to do this with anyone, enemy or ally alike? If not, why does Israel get special rules?
Senator Klobuchar, do you feel like you are having an impact on the election. Most Americans, even the most involved in politics, had no idea who you were until you ran for President. With this level of obscurity, what caused you to want to run in spite of it? Do you feel your unknown starting point is helping or harming your campaign?
Senator Klobuchar, you talk non-stop about how you want ideas that are pragmatic? What makes an idea pragmatic? Should we sacrifice pragmatism for ideas that, while hard to do, would still help the majority of the American public?
Mayor Buttigieg, you have defended various policies — rather it be pro-choice or increasing the minimum wage — with the Bible. Doesn’t this country have a separation of church and state? Why is that not violated by creating new policies — even progressive ones — that are based on the Christian religion?
Mr. Steyer, you waited until July — after two debates had been done — to officially join the race. Why not wait until 2024 if already almost every campaign has been launched by that point? For that matter, why didn’t you launch your campaign in the winter or spring like every other candidate?
