This is something I did for a few debates last election. Folks that just wanted a highlight reel of the debate seemed to appreciate it, so I thought I'd do it again and share here. There are many typos as this was done quickly IRL, but I ensured the meaning behind candidates word were preserved. This often meant summarizing many statements into a few words, or leaving them out entirely if they were just fluff.
Dem Primary Debate 1
6/26/19
*I missed first 3 minutes*
Amy Klobuchar: People are having trouble affording college, Trump sucks. My plan is good. We will make community college free. Everyone thats not the 1% should get help beyond community college. There are many paths to success.
Mod: Some Dems want marginal tax rates that are high. What about you?
Beto: We need to come together to make good economy happens. Repeats in Spanish. We need no PACs, no gerrymadnering, auto voter regitration. We each need to havea voice. I would support a fair tax rate. (He dodged question on if he supports 70% marginal tax rate)
Mod: You said we shouldn't be pointing at companies and saying we need to reform them.
Booker: Well I agree that companies need some reform. Big corporate have money, average Americans that work dont. the economy indicators we use to measure ecnomy does not affect my community. We need economy to help eveyrone. We need a good DOJ for this. (dodged question on his earlier comment about not naming names)
Mod: Warren are you picking winners and losers?
Warren: Bic coprorations are hurting our economy in some ways, limiting innovation. We need courage in washington to take on the corporations. Theyve been using super PACS to buy every decision made in washington. I want to return to a country of the will of the people. That starts with naming the names of monopolists.
Mod: wage reform?
Castro: I know what its like to struggle, I grew up poor. Moms get paid less thats bad. Women get paid less for being women. We should pass equal rights act, women deserve equal pay. If we want to be the best nation, we need to pay women what they deserve.
Mod: What about you, wage reform?
Gabbard: I served in the army after 9/11. In the midle east. I have congressional experience. I know security important. Too much bad management has caused us to waste taxpayer money in midle east quagmires. as president I will make good jobs.
Mod: Your city has huge gap between rich and poor. Income equality thoughts?
Blasio: In my city we got paid sick days, more benefits, things like that to happen. This is a debate for heart of the party. We are supposed to be the workers party. We are suppsoed to support 70% marginal tax rate, we are supposed to go after companies.there's plenty of money in maerica its just in the wrong hands. Dems need to be progessive.
Mod: wage reform you garee?
Delaney: We got to fix wages and public education. I am a businessman i created thousands of jobs. The Obama adminsitraiton gave me an award for creating jobs. We need to raise minimum wage in short term, and also be long term competitive.
Mod: Income equality?
Inslee: Hey, we need unions to be able to increase wages. I marched with unions. I will put people to work in the past present and future. Trump is stupid. We can use clean energy to create many many jobs, and we're doing it in my state today. We will lead the world and invent the future.
Mod: Can you make jobs come back to Ohio? Trump said so, but didnt.
Ryan: Trump made us lose ton of job. General Motors treated us very badly after we bailed them out with taxes. Its been going on for years. The bottom 60% haven't seen a wage increae in many years. I wasnt strong manufactuirng laws.
Mod: Are industrial jobs coming back?
Warren: Giant corporations have one loyalty: profit. They will always follow that. I advise start with a real need. We need green tech. We can be the ones to provide green energy, be leaders in this. We need to let any company use the research we do. But they HAVE to be manufactued in the US, then sold to rest of world. We should be the leaders and owners. We can make mllions of jobs with this.
Mod: who would abolish private health inurance in favor of public plan?
Amy Klob: Im down for incremental change because this bill would kick half of americans off their healthcare in 4 years. Trump has made drug prices skyrocket. Pharma companies are bad. Beer anology. We should bring in less expensive drugs from other countries.
Mod: warren signed on for meicare for all. Is that your plan?
Warren: Yes. Im with bernie for meicare for all. I spent my career studying this stuff. the business of a insurance company has goals that aren't aligned to benefit american citizens. medicare for all solves that problem. many politcians say this is impossible. what theyre really sayin is that they wont fight for it. healthcare is basic human right. i will fight for it.
Mod: Beto what do you think?
Beto: Personal story about a young man without healthcare, who will die becuse he didnt see a doctor. Getting to good healthcare fast is an important goal. healthcare has to make sure abortions are posible. The beto plan says if you cant afford medical insurance, you get medicare.
Mod: would you replace private insurance?
Beto No I wouldnt.
Inslee: Private inurance doesnt work though.
*much arguing*
John: lets keep whats working and fix whats broken. I grew up poor. I like my dad he's a good guy.
Mod: Gabbard?
Gabbard: every sick person should be able to acces care. Medicare for all is how we do that. Employers will like it becuse private insurance costs them a ton of mony. If you look at other countries, they all have some role of private insurance. Lets take best of those ideas, but make sure no american gets sick and cant get care.
Mod: Booker?
Booker: People without good healthare do not do well in education, or in work. Healthcare is not just a human right but an american right. I have urgency on this. Too may people profiteering off the sufering of americans. We can do this better, I will fight to make this better.
Warren: Insurance companies last year took 23 billion in profit. That doesnt count executive pay, lobying, etc. We have a big indsutry that wants our healthcare industry to stay the way it is. Its time to make families to come first.
Inslee: abortion should be avialble and im the only one here who passed a law about it.
Amy K: Hi 3 women here fought for aboriton rights thanks. My idea for healthcare is that you use medicare or medicaid without insurance companies and its the way we move to unviersal healthcare.
Mod: Would your healthcare plan cover abortion?
Castro: Yes i would. That's reproductive justice. The trans community is important too. I would cover the right to choose. This is under assault in southern states. I would appoint judges that would know the importance of Roe v Wade.
Warren: Every woman should have full access to reproductive services. We cant expect the courts to protect us. States have undermined Roe v Wde, right upto the edge. Roe v Wade needs to be federal law.
Mod: Opioid crisis how bout that? Should pharma companies be held criminally liable?
Booker: Yes, because they are part of the problem and are liable. We have tried to arrest our way out of adiction.
Beto: We have a huge prison population. Many for nonviolent drug crimes. Many opioid deaths. Big pharma needs to be brought to justice, or crisis will continue. We will help the treatments too.
Mod: immigration after the break!
break
Mod: immigration is so so so bad, they have died. castro what woul you do?
Castro: I amfirst candiate to put forward comprehsneive immigrant plan. We should be pissed. I would sign an excutive order to get rid of Trump's bad policy. Then in first 100 days I would put undocumned immigrants on path to citizenship.
Booker: speaks spanish. repeats in english. on day 1 we end the ICE polices and stop human rights violations. Then I will reisntrate DACA and pathways to citizenship.
Then I will make sure we address the issues that make immigrants come in the first place. We need to really solve this problem without violating our morals.
castro: If somebody comes across boder, we shouldn't treat it as a big violation. They use big violtion to justify seperating children from their families.
Booker: ICE is doing this every day and creatin fear.
Inslee: immigrants didnt take your job, corps sold your job. If we cant change this debate we wont get all these reforms.
Mod: What would youdo Day 1?
Beto: Spanish. Repeats in English. We would follow our own asylum laws and implement a program. Well ivnest in central american work to avoid the problms cause.
Castro: the reason they are seperating the family is becuse of this bill. Beto is not. If you want to change the system, repeal that section.
Beto: In Congress I introduced legislation to make the border better. Very big and comprehsnive.
*much arguing*
Castro: Some folks arent seeking asylum. You said you didnt want to repeal section 5 becuase of human trafficking. Other sections fully cover humn traficking though.
Inslee: We need to make a difference.
Mod: Should it just be a civil offense to cross the border?
Amy Klobuchar: immigrants do not diminsh america. We need provisions to go after traffickers. The economic imperative here is that we NEED more immigrants in order to run our infrastructure. My proposal is to look at an old bill an make it better. Will bring debt down by 100 billions of dollars.
Ryan: there are terrorists in guantanamo that get better healthcare than kids at border. Trump is bad and divides. Kids are in filthy conditions.
Mod: What bout families already here?
Booker: I have been to awful immigration prisons. Our countryhas criminalized addiction, immigration, mental illness. Trump is bein bad. We should make investments in northern triangles to stop the reason peopl are coming here in such numbers.
Mods: ay what you do?
Inslee: No reason for detention of these kids. We should do what we do in my state. We prevent cops from working with ICE. I am first governor to do things like this. Trump threatened to send me refugees. I would welcome them.
Mod: Tankers allegedly attacked, drone shot down in Iran. Who would sign onto 2015 Iran nucelar deal again?
Booker: It was a mitake to pull out. We are in more dangerous situation.
Amy Kobla: The deal was imperfect, but a good deal at that moment. Trump is bad he lied. Iran is developing nukes now. He's made us less safe. I would get that agreement back. I would not give leverage to China and Russia. Trump is one tweet away from war.
Gabbard: We are at brink of war. I served in war. My friends died. War with Iran would be way worse than our past war with Iraq. Every American needs to want no more war. We need to get back to that deal. I would respond with force if they attacked our troops though.
Mod: Break!
Mods: Warren what do you think bout school shootings and guns? We...mic issues. Blep blorp. Does the federal government hav a role in enfrocing gun control.
*hilarious mic issues*
Mod: Break! Our mics broke!
*break*
Mod: Um lets get going. Does the federal government hav a role in enfrocing gun control.
Warren: I've had 100 town halls and children asking to be safe is the hardest quetion I get. Gun violence is a national health emergency and we need to treat it like that. We should do bakground checks, we should do assault weapons bans, but we need to do the research as to how we best fix this. A gun collector is not a threat. Guns sold and turned over quickly is a problem. We cant treat this like a blanket problem, wether its popular or not.
Mod: You hve a federal buyback program.
Booker: I hear gunshots in my neighborhood. My neighbor was just killed by assault weapon last year. I am tired of "thoughts and prayers". In my faith, faith without works is dead. This isn't policy for me, this is personal.
Mod: Will school shootings get worse over our lives?
Castro: I'm a dad of a daughter. We dont have to accept this will get worse. In 2021 we will have a full democratic gvernment to get this done.
Ryan: We need to treat trauma in school. Because mental health counseling will stop shootings.
Mod: Beto, what about "dems will take my guns!" republicans.
Mod: I've met school shooting victims. We should end assault rifles sales. they are for the battlefied.
Mod: Amy Klob?
Amy Klob: Im from a pro hunting fishing state. I met shooting victims. Kids are leading the charge. Gay marriage is good.
Mod: Mcconnel is proud of stopping Merrick Garland from being appointed. Do you believe GOP would confirm your nominees?
Booker: If you need a license to drive a car, you need a license to buy a gun. Supreme Court? We will get to 50 votes in the senate. Most of America likes our policy.
Mod: If you nominate supreme court, what makes you think mcconnell woul approve?
Blasio: We need to have different relationship between police an community. I have a black son. There are too many tragedies.
Mod: Warren, do you have a plan for Mitch?
Warren: I have a plan for mitch mcconnell. Democracy means the will of the people matters. Our Congress only works for the rich not the people. Short of a democratic majority to oust mitch, we would fight and fight.
Delaney: I belive a bipartisan solution. Big solutions happen when majority of americans believe in it. If we become the party of geting things done, we'll get the votes.
Booker: I am a black man in a black community. People told me I could not do criminal justice reform. But I did. part of it passed today in congress.
Mod: You are huge on climate change.
Inslee: We are the last generation that can stop climate change. In my state I put people to work on green energy. I am the only candidate that says this is the #1 issue.
Beto: You need to bring everyone in as part of the solution. Trump's trade war has been bad for communites. I would get rid of our fossil fuel reliance and put farmers in the drivers seat.
Castro: I went to Puerto Rico. I have a track record of getting things done. I would sign executive order to get us back on Paris climate accord.
Mod: Thoughts on taxing carbon?
Ryan: We are not connecting to the working class people. This needs to be a working class party.
Delaney: Carbon taxing works you just have to do it right. Have a dividend go back to the American people.
Mod: So you apologized to gays cause you didn't like gays at first.
Gabbard: I serve on the equality caucus. I grew up conservative but then learned. People are facing discrimination in their workplace and thats bad.
Booker: Trans murder rates and especially black trans murder rates are so bad. We need to fix that.
Mods: What have you done to win the hispanic/black vote?
Amy Klob: I have worked to increase economic opportunities.
Mod: You are only Latino democrat.
Castro: Police capture shooters alive but have killed innocent black and hispanic kids.
Deluxe Mod Lester Holt: Does the USA have a responsibility to intervene even when atrocities dont affect our core interests?
Beto: Yes. But should be undertaken with allies. Trump has been bad. He has told Putin to hack us again. I would work with our allies.
Blasio: My dad was a vet and lost his leg then killed himself. We should not have war happen without congressional approval.
Mod: Taliban said they killed 2 americans today. why isnt this war in afghan over?
Ryan: I've sat on the armed services committee for many years. We need to stay engaged in these things. Trump is not engaged.
Gabbard: I'm a soldier and Ryans answer was not okay. We need to bring the troops home.
Mod: Greatest geopolitical threat to usa?
(Variety of responses I did not record quickly. Economially, china. Otherwise nukes, Trump, Iran, climate change.)
Mod: Mueller says president may have done crimes. as president what would you do?
Beto: George Washington was a good guy. We can't set a precedent of Trump's crimes because that means some people are above the law. We need to start impeachment now to save this democracy.
Delaney: No one is above the law. I support Pelosi's decisions on not moving to impreach because she knows a lot. This is not the #1 issue. The big issue is economy.
Mod: Break!
*break*
Mod: Closing statements!
Delaney: We need to find the America that was lost. We're better than this. We did this with real solutions not impossible promises. I will do the job.
Blasio: This is the fight for heart of our party. It matters that we choose someone who puts working people first.
Inslee: I have grandkids. I made them promises to protect them from climate change. The next president needs to make climate change a top priority and I'm the only one who is.
Ryan: We need to come together. I'm from indsutrial America. We have homeless. We can do better.
Gabbard: Our nation is by and for the rich and powerful. As president we will provide healthcare and clean air/water. Good jobs too. Justice for all.
Castro: Spanish. Repeats in English. If Im President I will work hard so you get good education, job opportunities. We'll say adios to Trump.
Amy Klob: I listen to people and thats how I get things done. I've passed over 100 bills. I can beat Trump. I've won in every race I've been in. I'm not the establishment, I dont come from money. I will govern for you.
Booker: People were racist to my parents. I got into politics to fight injustice. We will call America to a sense of purpose. This debate is a referendum to beat Trump, and to be our best selves.
Beto: I have a daughter. We need a movement, like we had in these past historical movements. This is our moment, join us.
Warren: I was born humble background. I wanted to be a teacher but couldn't until a little bit of government assistance made it posible for me to achieve my dreams and be here tonight. I will fight for your ability to do so too.
Mod: Thanks for coming now go away we have 10 more of you tomorow.
Dem Primary Debate 1
6/26/19
*I missed first 3 minutes*
Amy Klobuchar: People are having trouble affording college, Trump sucks. My plan is good. We will make community college free. Everyone thats not the 1% should get help beyond community college. There are many paths to success.
Mod: Some Dems want marginal tax rates that are high. What about you?
Beto: We need to come together to make good economy happens. Repeats in Spanish. We need no PACs, no gerrymadnering, auto voter regitration. We each need to havea voice. I would support a fair tax rate. (He dodged question on if he supports 70% marginal tax rate)
Mod: You said we shouldn't be pointing at companies and saying we need to reform them.
Booker: Well I agree that companies need some reform. Big corporate have money, average Americans that work dont. the economy indicators we use to measure ecnomy does not affect my community. We need economy to help eveyrone. We need a good DOJ for this. (dodged question on his earlier comment about not naming names)
Mod: Warren are you picking winners and losers?
Warren: Bic coprorations are hurting our economy in some ways, limiting innovation. We need courage in washington to take on the corporations. Theyve been using super PACS to buy every decision made in washington. I want to return to a country of the will of the people. That starts with naming the names of monopolists.
Mod: wage reform?
Castro: I know what its like to struggle, I grew up poor. Moms get paid less thats bad. Women get paid less for being women. We should pass equal rights act, women deserve equal pay. If we want to be the best nation, we need to pay women what they deserve.
Mod: What about you, wage reform?
Gabbard: I served in the army after 9/11. In the midle east. I have congressional experience. I know security important. Too much bad management has caused us to waste taxpayer money in midle east quagmires. as president I will make good jobs.
Mod: Your city has huge gap between rich and poor. Income equality thoughts?
Blasio: In my city we got paid sick days, more benefits, things like that to happen. This is a debate for heart of the party. We are supposed to be the workers party. We are suppsoed to support 70% marginal tax rate, we are supposed to go after companies.there's plenty of money in maerica its just in the wrong hands. Dems need to be progessive.
Mod: wage reform you garee?
Delaney: We got to fix wages and public education. I am a businessman i created thousands of jobs. The Obama adminsitraiton gave me an award for creating jobs. We need to raise minimum wage in short term, and also be long term competitive.
Mod: Income equality?
Inslee: Hey, we need unions to be able to increase wages. I marched with unions. I will put people to work in the past present and future. Trump is stupid. We can use clean energy to create many many jobs, and we're doing it in my state today. We will lead the world and invent the future.
Mod: Can you make jobs come back to Ohio? Trump said so, but didnt.
Ryan: Trump made us lose ton of job. General Motors treated us very badly after we bailed them out with taxes. Its been going on for years. The bottom 60% haven't seen a wage increae in many years. I wasnt strong manufactuirng laws.
Mod: Are industrial jobs coming back?
Warren: Giant corporations have one loyalty: profit. They will always follow that. I advise start with a real need. We need green tech. We can be the ones to provide green energy, be leaders in this. We need to let any company use the research we do. But they HAVE to be manufactued in the US, then sold to rest of world. We should be the leaders and owners. We can make mllions of jobs with this.
Mod: who would abolish private health inurance in favor of public plan?
Amy Klob: Im down for incremental change because this bill would kick half of americans off their healthcare in 4 years. Trump has made drug prices skyrocket. Pharma companies are bad. Beer anology. We should bring in less expensive drugs from other countries.
Mod: warren signed on for meicare for all. Is that your plan?
Warren: Yes. Im with bernie for meicare for all. I spent my career studying this stuff. the business of a insurance company has goals that aren't aligned to benefit american citizens. medicare for all solves that problem. many politcians say this is impossible. what theyre really sayin is that they wont fight for it. healthcare is basic human right. i will fight for it.
Mod: Beto what do you think?
Beto: Personal story about a young man without healthcare, who will die becuse he didnt see a doctor. Getting to good healthcare fast is an important goal. healthcare has to make sure abortions are posible. The beto plan says if you cant afford medical insurance, you get medicare.
Mod: would you replace private insurance?
Beto No I wouldnt.
Inslee: Private inurance doesnt work though.
*much arguing*
John: lets keep whats working and fix whats broken. I grew up poor. I like my dad he's a good guy.
Mod: Gabbard?
Gabbard: every sick person should be able to acces care. Medicare for all is how we do that. Employers will like it becuse private insurance costs them a ton of mony. If you look at other countries, they all have some role of private insurance. Lets take best of those ideas, but make sure no american gets sick and cant get care.
Mod: Booker?
Booker: People without good healthare do not do well in education, or in work. Healthcare is not just a human right but an american right. I have urgency on this. Too may people profiteering off the sufering of americans. We can do this better, I will fight to make this better.
Warren: Insurance companies last year took 23 billion in profit. That doesnt count executive pay, lobying, etc. We have a big indsutry that wants our healthcare industry to stay the way it is. Its time to make families to come first.
Inslee: abortion should be avialble and im the only one here who passed a law about it.
Amy K: Hi 3 women here fought for aboriton rights thanks. My idea for healthcare is that you use medicare or medicaid without insurance companies and its the way we move to unviersal healthcare.
Mod: Would your healthcare plan cover abortion?
Castro: Yes i would. That's reproductive justice. The trans community is important too. I would cover the right to choose. This is under assault in southern states. I would appoint judges that would know the importance of Roe v Wade.
Warren: Every woman should have full access to reproductive services. We cant expect the courts to protect us. States have undermined Roe v Wde, right upto the edge. Roe v Wade needs to be federal law.
Mod: Opioid crisis how bout that? Should pharma companies be held criminally liable?
Booker: Yes, because they are part of the problem and are liable. We have tried to arrest our way out of adiction.
Beto: We have a huge prison population. Many for nonviolent drug crimes. Many opioid deaths. Big pharma needs to be brought to justice, or crisis will continue. We will help the treatments too.
Mod: immigration after the break!
break
Mod: immigration is so so so bad, they have died. castro what woul you do?
Castro: I amfirst candiate to put forward comprehsneive immigrant plan. We should be pissed. I would sign an excutive order to get rid of Trump's bad policy. Then in first 100 days I would put undocumned immigrants on path to citizenship.
Booker: speaks spanish. repeats in english. on day 1 we end the ICE polices and stop human rights violations. Then I will reisntrate DACA and pathways to citizenship.
Then I will make sure we address the issues that make immigrants come in the first place. We need to really solve this problem without violating our morals.
castro: If somebody comes across boder, we shouldn't treat it as a big violation. They use big violtion to justify seperating children from their families.
Booker: ICE is doing this every day and creatin fear.
Inslee: immigrants didnt take your job, corps sold your job. If we cant change this debate we wont get all these reforms.
Mod: What would youdo Day 1?
Beto: Spanish. Repeats in English. We would follow our own asylum laws and implement a program. Well ivnest in central american work to avoid the problms cause.
Castro: the reason they are seperating the family is becuse of this bill. Beto is not. If you want to change the system, repeal that section.
Beto: In Congress I introduced legislation to make the border better. Very big and comprehsnive.
*much arguing*
Castro: Some folks arent seeking asylum. You said you didnt want to repeal section 5 becuase of human trafficking. Other sections fully cover humn traficking though.
Inslee: We need to make a difference.
Mod: Should it just be a civil offense to cross the border?
Amy Klobuchar: immigrants do not diminsh america. We need provisions to go after traffickers. The economic imperative here is that we NEED more immigrants in order to run our infrastructure. My proposal is to look at an old bill an make it better. Will bring debt down by 100 billions of dollars.
Ryan: there are terrorists in guantanamo that get better healthcare than kids at border. Trump is bad and divides. Kids are in filthy conditions.
Mod: What bout families already here?
Booker: I have been to awful immigration prisons. Our countryhas criminalized addiction, immigration, mental illness. Trump is bein bad. We should make investments in northern triangles to stop the reason peopl are coming here in such numbers.
Mods: ay what you do?
Inslee: No reason for detention of these kids. We should do what we do in my state. We prevent cops from working with ICE. I am first governor to do things like this. Trump threatened to send me refugees. I would welcome them.
Mod: Tankers allegedly attacked, drone shot down in Iran. Who would sign onto 2015 Iran nucelar deal again?
Booker: It was a mitake to pull out. We are in more dangerous situation.
Amy Kobla: The deal was imperfect, but a good deal at that moment. Trump is bad he lied. Iran is developing nukes now. He's made us less safe. I would get that agreement back. I would not give leverage to China and Russia. Trump is one tweet away from war.
Gabbard: We are at brink of war. I served in war. My friends died. War with Iran would be way worse than our past war with Iraq. Every American needs to want no more war. We need to get back to that deal. I would respond with force if they attacked our troops though.
Mod: Break!
Mods: Warren what do you think bout school shootings and guns? We...mic issues. Blep blorp. Does the federal government hav a role in enfrocing gun control.
*hilarious mic issues*
Mod: Break! Our mics broke!
*break*
Mod: Um lets get going. Does the federal government hav a role in enfrocing gun control.
Warren: I've had 100 town halls and children asking to be safe is the hardest quetion I get. Gun violence is a national health emergency and we need to treat it like that. We should do bakground checks, we should do assault weapons bans, but we need to do the research as to how we best fix this. A gun collector is not a threat. Guns sold and turned over quickly is a problem. We cant treat this like a blanket problem, wether its popular or not.
Mod: You hve a federal buyback program.
Booker: I hear gunshots in my neighborhood. My neighbor was just killed by assault weapon last year. I am tired of "thoughts and prayers". In my faith, faith without works is dead. This isn't policy for me, this is personal.
Mod: Will school shootings get worse over our lives?
Castro: I'm a dad of a daughter. We dont have to accept this will get worse. In 2021 we will have a full democratic gvernment to get this done.
Ryan: We need to treat trauma in school. Because mental health counseling will stop shootings.
Mod: Beto, what about "dems will take my guns!" republicans.
Mod: I've met school shooting victims. We should end assault rifles sales. they are for the battlefied.
Mod: Amy Klob?
Amy Klob: Im from a pro hunting fishing state. I met shooting victims. Kids are leading the charge. Gay marriage is good.
Mod: Mcconnel is proud of stopping Merrick Garland from being appointed. Do you believe GOP would confirm your nominees?
Booker: If you need a license to drive a car, you need a license to buy a gun. Supreme Court? We will get to 50 votes in the senate. Most of America likes our policy.
Mod: If you nominate supreme court, what makes you think mcconnell woul approve?
Blasio: We need to have different relationship between police an community. I have a black son. There are too many tragedies.
Mod: Warren, do you have a plan for Mitch?
Warren: I have a plan for mitch mcconnell. Democracy means the will of the people matters. Our Congress only works for the rich not the people. Short of a democratic majority to oust mitch, we would fight and fight.
Delaney: I belive a bipartisan solution. Big solutions happen when majority of americans believe in it. If we become the party of geting things done, we'll get the votes.
Booker: I am a black man in a black community. People told me I could not do criminal justice reform. But I did. part of it passed today in congress.
Mod: You are huge on climate change.
Inslee: We are the last generation that can stop climate change. In my state I put people to work on green energy. I am the only candidate that says this is the #1 issue.
Beto: You need to bring everyone in as part of the solution. Trump's trade war has been bad for communites. I would get rid of our fossil fuel reliance and put farmers in the drivers seat.
Castro: I went to Puerto Rico. I have a track record of getting things done. I would sign executive order to get us back on Paris climate accord.
Mod: Thoughts on taxing carbon?
Ryan: We are not connecting to the working class people. This needs to be a working class party.
Delaney: Carbon taxing works you just have to do it right. Have a dividend go back to the American people.
Mod: So you apologized to gays cause you didn't like gays at first.
Gabbard: I serve on the equality caucus. I grew up conservative but then learned. People are facing discrimination in their workplace and thats bad.
Booker: Trans murder rates and especially black trans murder rates are so bad. We need to fix that.
Mods: What have you done to win the hispanic/black vote?
Amy Klob: I have worked to increase economic opportunities.
Mod: You are only Latino democrat.
Castro: Police capture shooters alive but have killed innocent black and hispanic kids.
Deluxe Mod Lester Holt: Does the USA have a responsibility to intervene even when atrocities dont affect our core interests?
Beto: Yes. But should be undertaken with allies. Trump has been bad. He has told Putin to hack us again. I would work with our allies.
Blasio: My dad was a vet and lost his leg then killed himself. We should not have war happen without congressional approval.
Mod: Taliban said they killed 2 americans today. why isnt this war in afghan over?
Ryan: I've sat on the armed services committee for many years. We need to stay engaged in these things. Trump is not engaged.
Gabbard: I'm a soldier and Ryans answer was not okay. We need to bring the troops home.
Mod: Greatest geopolitical threat to usa?
(Variety of responses I did not record quickly. Economially, china. Otherwise nukes, Trump, Iran, climate change.)
Mod: Mueller says president may have done crimes. as president what would you do?
Beto: George Washington was a good guy. We can't set a precedent of Trump's crimes because that means some people are above the law. We need to start impeachment now to save this democracy.
Delaney: No one is above the law. I support Pelosi's decisions on not moving to impreach because she knows a lot. This is not the #1 issue. The big issue is economy.
Mod: Break!
*break*
Mod: Closing statements!
Delaney: We need to find the America that was lost. We're better than this. We did this with real solutions not impossible promises. I will do the job.
Blasio: This is the fight for heart of our party. It matters that we choose someone who puts working people first.
Inslee: I have grandkids. I made them promises to protect them from climate change. The next president needs to make climate change a top priority and I'm the only one who is.
Ryan: We need to come together. I'm from indsutrial America. We have homeless. We can do better.
Gabbard: Our nation is by and for the rich and powerful. As president we will provide healthcare and clean air/water. Good jobs too. Justice for all.
Castro: Spanish. Repeats in English. If Im President I will work hard so you get good education, job opportunities. We'll say adios to Trump.
Amy Klob: I listen to people and thats how I get things done. I've passed over 100 bills. I can beat Trump. I've won in every race I've been in. I'm not the establishment, I dont come from money. I will govern for you.
Booker: People were racist to my parents. I got into politics to fight injustice. We will call America to a sense of purpose. This debate is a referendum to beat Trump, and to be our best selves.
Beto: I have a daughter. We need a movement, like we had in these past historical movements. This is our moment, join us.
Warren: I was born humble background. I wanted to be a teacher but couldn't until a little bit of government assistance made it posible for me to achieve my dreams and be here tonight. I will fight for your ability to do so too.
Mod: Thanks for coming now go away we have 10 more of you tomorow.
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