2019 dem primary debates

[woolfe9998]

I don’t think you’d need to abolish insurance if the gov plan was great. People would just choose it and insurance companies would most likely go bankrupt all by themselves.

This way you can say you support the free market, but it’s nit your fault they can’t compete with the buying power of a government

Yep, that's what I think too. Providing a public option will put the health insurance industry out of business by market forces. Medicare only pays out to providers about 60% of what private carriers pays. That and the absence of the profit component means Medicare can charge a lot less. There are no yearly deductibles with Medicare unlike private insurance so it's like a platinum plan but less expensive than a bronze plan. I don't see why anyone would buy private insurance unless you're a rich executive and you buy a Cadillac plan specially designed for the wealthy.

The problem with saying you're going to ban private health insurance in an election is that public support for the idea goes down by like 25 points in polling. A public option polls very well. Banning private insurance not nearly so well.

 

[Zeze]

Booker and Julian Castro both surprised me. Castro would definitely be a top pick for a cabinet position.

Booker's fake voice trembling/cracking comes across as very fake to me.

Who invited to break his silence, Penn?

 

[Zeze]

The problem with saying you're going to ban private health insurance in an election is that public support for the idea goes down by like 25 points in polling. A public option polls very well. Banning private insurance not nearly so well.

I think having an universal healthcare is not compatible with public option. That's the whole point, it's solely socialized.

 

[Jhhnn]

Welcome to politics. Lots and lots of nothing at all. Empty promises that they won’t fulfill, saying whatever will get your vote and when asked real questions (which very rarely ever happens) they answer with lots of nothing.

We all know you just want to watch the world burn.

 

[UNCjigga]

Ok, show of hands...be honest here...

Who here had never seen Tim Ryan before this debate???

/me raises hand

I totally called Castro coming out strong—did even better than I expected. Really surprised to see Beto struggle tonight. Didn’t really care for Ryan or Inslee, Delaney had a few good points but turned into a loudmouth. Gabbard seemed to be reading off a script—it was weird. Warren, Booker and Klobuchar did pretty good.

 

[zinfamous]

I have to imagine there will be a lot of goverment bureaucratic jobs that will need to be filled.

the current federal government is currently what...80% filled since Trump diarrhead himself into office? Those are some empty seats that need new butts!

 

[zinfamous]

Welcome to politics. Lots and lots of nothing at all. Empty promises that they won’t fulfill, saying whatever will get your vote and when asked real questions (which very rarely ever happens) they answer with lots of nothing.

lol. this dumbfuck voted for Trump.

 

[zinfamous]

Ok, show of hands...be honest here...

Who here had never seen Tim Ryan before this debate???

/me raises hand

I totally called Castro coming out strong—did even better than I expected. Really surprised to see Beto struggle tonight. Didn’t really care for Ryan or Inslee, Delaney had a few good points but turned into a loudmouth. Gabbard seemed to be reading off a script—it was weird. Warren, Booker and Klobuchar did pretty good.

This isn't the kind of thing that Beto does well. He's sort of well, ....Trump. Gets on stage in a small venue and just goes off the cuff into his spiel. He's literate, unlike Trump, and also he's smart, unlike Trump, so there's that. I'm kinda of done with the guy, but there's time yet.

I didn't really watch more than, maybe 4 minutes of the thing tonight. Forgot it was on. ...I'll try to remember to watch tomorrow. I want to see Buttigiegaeg.

 

[sportage]

WoW. I haven't watched, only listened here and there while driving.
But my take is Trump and Fox will have a lot of ammo to use against whomever.
The guns position of some up there is never gonna fly.
They say they want gun control, and most people do, but Trump will twist that into THEY ARE COMING FOR YOUR GUNS.
And.... that will work for Trump.
And for immigration, sounds like open borders is what I hear coming out of most of those up there.
Open borders, or pretty much as close as you can get to.
That will be red meat for Trump and Fox.
At least this was the "B" group. None of them quite ready for prime time, as the saying goes.
Nutz.... I want Trump tp lose, not for democrats to help Trump win.
I don't know... I don't know....
Lets pray Thursday night goes a lot better.

PS. And when I heard Beto start to repeat in Spanish I almost dropped my martini.
And I just had the car cleaned.

 

[hardhat]

I wasn't really impressed by anyone. Warren seemed like she had the most solid platform, but I felt like she was being spoon fed the easy debate opportunities. Notice how she had the first response on two separate issues? She didn't seem combative enough otherwise, which doesn't bode well for her fight against Donald.

I liked Amy and Tulsi's messages, but neither had the kind of force I really wanted. Amy should have been the healthcare candidate with her experience in the health care industry, but her message was very generic. Tulsi just didn't seem like she had the military gusto for defending our country and leading our armed forces better that would have made her stand out as a military candidate.

I truly can't back any candidate that wants to decriminalize crossing the border. It leads to a fundamentally unfair and detrimental situation against US citizens. An illegal immigrant has no reason to pay taxes and most likely is coming to the USA to benefit their family in a foreign country. That can only drain our communities. We need to treat illegal immigrants better, but it is foolish to allow them such latitude. That knocks out Booker and Castro at least.

Ryan didn't offer much in the way of actual policy positions and basically was riding on his ability to secure Ohio in the general election. He really needs to get the ball rolling if he wants to continue competing.

The rest seemed more like vice president candidates than standouts. Overall, I think the Dems are shooting themselves in the foot with their immigration policy and no one stood out as a candidate who could beat trump. Hopefully someone shows up with real charisma tomorrow.

 

[balloonshark]

At least half of those on stage would be a huge improvement over what we currently have. That alone has me looking forward to the election.

 

[Indus]

I wasn't really impressed by anyone. Warren seemed like she had the most solid platform, but I felt like she was being spoon fed the easy debate opportunities. Notice how she had the first response on two separate issues? She didn't seem combative enough otherwise, which doesn't bode well for her fight against Donald.

I liked Amy and Tulsi's messages, but neither had the kind of force I really wanted. Amy should have been the healthcare candidate with her experience in the health care industry, but her message was very generic. Tulsi just didn't seem like she had the military gusto for defending our country and leading our armed forces better that would have made her stand out as a military candidate.

I truly can't back any candidate that wants to decriminalize crossing the border. It leads to a fundamentally unfair and detrimental situation against US citizens. An illegal immigrant has no reason to pay taxes and most likely is coming to the USA to benefit their family in a foreign country. That can only drain our communities. We need to treat illegal immigrants better, but it is foolish to allow them such latitude. That knocks out Booker and Castro at least.

Ryan didn't offer much in the way of actual policy positions and basically was riding on his ability to secure Ohio in the general election. He really needs to get the ball rolling if he wants to continue competing.

The rest seemed more like vice president candidates than standouts. Overall, I think the Dems are shooting themselves in the foot with their immigration policy and no one stood out as a candidate who could beat trump. Hopefully someone shows up with real charisma tomorrow.

Just vote your heart in the primary and blue in nov.

 

[UglyCasanova]

Ok somebody explain this one, how does a trans woman have an abortion? If I turn into a woman have we progressed to where they are inserting a uterus in me too..? I’m all for protecting abortion rights but I don’t get his comment about trans women getting one.

 

[Paratus]

I truly can't back any candidate that wants to decriminalize crossing the border. It leads to a fundamentally unfair and detrimental situation against US citizens. An illegal immigrant has no reason to pay taxes and most likely is coming to the USA to benefit their family in a foreign country. That can only drain our communities. We need to treat illegal immigrants better, but it is foolish to allow them such latitude. That knocks out Booker and Castro at least.

This is going to come as a shock but simply crossing the southern border is not a criminal act. People have a legal right to cross the border, find a border agent and request asylum. This is just as legal as going to an American embassy and obtaining a visa with intent to become a citizen although the processes are wildly different of course.

It’s only illegal if they sneak into the country and stay. Just like it’s illegal to overstay a visa.

Finally studies have shown that the economic benefit to the country of undocumented immigrants coupled with the taxes they cannot avoid is much higher than the services they consume because by and large they can’t access nearly as many services as a citizen can.

There is no need for this border crisis. Hold the immigrants for the time it takes to assess who they are, their immediate plans for where they will be staying and given them a time and place for an immigration/asylum hearing. The studies I remember suggest over 90% will show up. No need to hold them in concentration camps.

It’s not easy but it’s nothing a competent administration couldn’t handle.

 

[hardhat]

This is going to come as a shock but simply crossing the southern border is not a criminal act. People have a legal right to cross the border, find a border agent and request asylum. This is just as legal as going to an American embassy and obtaining a visa with intent to become a citizen although the processes are wildly different of course.

It’s only illegal if they sneak into the country and stay. Just like it’s illegal to overstay a visa.

I guess I should have been more clear. Of course I am not talking about asylum seekers crossing the border. They are seeking legal entry into the country.

Finally studies have shown that the economic benefit to the country of undocumented immigrants coupled with the taxes they cannot avoid is much higher than the services they consume because by and large they can’t access nearly as many services as a citizen can.

These studies can't possibly have been able to quantify all aspects of allowing an illegal immigrant to compete against a US citizen. Having one candidate not paying taxes is a tremendous advantage in any fair competition. This would necessarily depress the wage for the job in the region, only to the benefit of the business owner. Why would we want to promote one organization's benefit by allowing it access to cheap labor? And just because they may not be able to access all services does not mean that communities should have to be disadvantaged by missing potential taxes from a job a citizen could perform. Certainly you aren't arguing that illegal immigrants don't need health care or education or basic utilities or snow plows or police or fire fighters just because they are temporary workers? Those are mostly community goods.

I'm sorry I can't quote you correctly. I can't figure out how the multiquote system is supposed to work.

 

[Bitek]

Ok somebody explain this one, how does a trans woman have an abortion? If I turn into a woman have we progressed to where they are inserting a uterus in me too..? I’m all for protecting abortion rights but I don’t get his comment about trans women getting one.

I was confused too on this.

I'm never sure when they say trans woman, do they mean a man appearing as a woman, or a woman that's being trans, and appears as a man?

Either way, they seem to be a population I'd not guess as having a strong abortion access need.

 

[Bitek]

I'd hate to predict winners of the debate, but I'll judge the losers who need to reconsider wasting any more time on their hapless campaign.

-the bald guy
-Tim Ryan
-Beto
-inslee

Not dead yet:
-deblasio (upgraded from hopeless)
-Amy (too boring and mushy to move either way)
-Castro (thinking about that tx Senate seat aren't you?)
- Tulsi (zombie candidate tho)

Did well
-Warren
-Booker

 

[woolfe9998]

I think having an universal healthcare is not compatible with public option. That's the whole point, it's solely socialized.

You're right. If they still charge for insurance, no matter how much cheaper and better the public insurance may be, some people will still not be able to afford it and so some will remain without coverage. But it's a vast improvement over what we have now.

Even more important was the remainder of my point, that the end result will be the same. A public option will put private insurance out of business. Single payer will follow. If you can pay say $350/month for Medicare which has no yearly deductible or get a "bronze" plan from a private carrier that costs $650 a month and makes you pay the first $7,500 of your medical bills every year, which would you choose? Would anyone in their right mind ever buy the private insurance?

Only about 40% of the public supports full single payer right now because they want options, choices. But when there's only once choice left in the market, taking the next step which is raising taxes to have the state pay for it will be an easy decision. Everyone will already be on Medicare because there won't be anything else.

The public option is just way more politically feasible right now and will ultimately achieve the same result. If the public says they don't want policy x but they do want policy y, and giving them policy y will inevitably result in policy x anyway, it seems an easy choice to me.

 

[woolfe9998]

I'd hate to predict winners of the debate, but I'll judge the losers who need to reconsider wasting any more time on their hapless campaign.

-the bald guy
-Tim Ryan
-Beto
-inslee

Not dead yet:
-deblasio (upgraded from hopeless)
-Amy (too boring and mushy to move either way)
-Castro (thinking about that tx Senate seat aren't you?)
- Tulsi (zombie candidate tho)

Did well
-Warren
-Booker

That assessment is pretty similar to mine. Warren did well, especially early on when they were talking about income inequality. Booker did better than I thought he would based on what I've heard from him the the past. LOL at the "the bald guy" - my wife didn't know who he was and kept asking why we kept having to listen to this "bald guy I've never heard of." So that was her description of Delaney as well.

Castro I would also put on the "did well" list as well. He was pretty strong in parts of the debate, especially on immigration. But otherwise, I think you're spot on.

 

[woolfe9998]

I truly can't back any candidate that wants to decriminalize crossing the border. It leads to a fundamentally unfair and detrimental situation against US citizens. An illegal immigrant has no reason to pay taxes and most likely is coming to the USA to benefit their family in a foreign country. That can only drain our communities. We need to treat illegal immigrants better, but it is foolish to allow them such latitude. That knocks out Booker and Castro at least.

You realize that repealing the law criminalizing the illegal border crossings doesn't actually legalize doing so, right? It's still a civil offense and you can still be deported, even temporarily detained while you await deportation. The problem with the criminal aspect is it's being used by the Trump administration, and probably other GOP administrations of the future, to do all kinds of horrible things to people at the border.

About 40% of illegal immigrants didn't commit this crime of crossing the border illegally anyway. They crossed legally with a visa but overstayed after it expired, which currently isn't a crime. But they can still be deported. I really don't think "de-criminalizing" the border crossing is that radical an idea.

As for them not paying taxes, they aren't paying because they can't legally work! I'm for tight border security (short of Trump's ridiculous wall) but I also think we need to seriously look at legalizing the ones who are already here, like Reagan did in the 80's. Make them legal, and they have to pay taxes.

 

[KMFJD]

http://www.debatedrinking.com/

a little late for last night but drink up for tonights debate

 

[Bitek]

That assessment is pretty similar to mine. Warren did well, especially early on when they were talking about income inequality. Booker did better than I thought he would based on what I've heard from him the the past. LOL at the "the bald guy" - my wife didn't know who he was and kept asking why we kept having to listen to this "bald guy I've never heard of." So that was her description of Delaney as well.

Castro I would also put on the "did well" list as well. He was pretty strong in parts of the debate, especially on immigration. But otherwise, I think you're spot on.

Few things on Castro imo:

-Can't tell if his casually candidacy is for real, or his playing for name recognition to run for the TX Senate seat

-His immigration plan sounds like an open borders policy (at least can be attacked as one) and I think that is too far left for the mood of the country

-My wife thought he looked creepy. Said he did well... But something came off as creepy. :O

I said maybe it's his eyebrows. IDK.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

Ok somebody explain this one, how does a trans woman have an abortion? If I turn into a woman have we progressed to where they are inserting a uterus in me too..? I’m all for protecting abortion rights but I don’t get his comment about trans women getting one.

Were in a world where they literally call them whatever it is they want to be called regardless of what the facts are. It makes sense that it leaks over into irrational and into "Well, if anyone can be a woman - then anyone can be pregnant as well".

It's that silly now. Some of the left have remained sane - and don't make stupid statements like that (such as Buttigieg)... and others fell off the side and into looney toons territory.

 

[soulcougher73]

Ok somebody explain this one, how does a trans woman have an abortion? If I turn into a woman have we progressed to where they are inserting a uterus in me too..? I’m all for protecting abortion rights but I don’t get his comment about trans women getting one.

It is really nothing to get worked up or care about. Maybe someday we will get to that point where they can put a uterus in you. And if we do, you'd be protected. The crap the right loves to latch on when it involves full inclusion. Oh right...the right doesn't like inclusion. My bad.

 

[DrunkenSano]

I'd hate to predict winners of the debate, but I'll judge the losers who need to reconsider wasting any more time on their hapless campaign.

-the bald guy
-Tim Ryan
-Beto
-inslee

Not dead yet:
-deblasio (upgraded from hopeless)
-Amy (too boring and mushy to move either way)
-Castro (thinking about that tx Senate seat aren't you?)
- Tulsi (zombie candidate tho)

Did well
-Warren
-Booker

Assessment is close to what I thought about the debate. Booker, though, seems to be full of shit. He did do well up on the stage but doing a 180 on big pharma smells like complete bullshit. I don't believe for a second that he will go against big pharma. One good thing I saw for the debate was that it was much more progressive than the past. I'm sure that a lot of the candidates who have no chance are just saying what they can to try to get some spotlight but it also shows that this election, the progressive mindset is being taken very seriously by the Democrats. It shows that the ideas that Bernie and Warren are trying to champion for indeed have merit and substance, and other candidates see it as a real path to victory.