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US Presidental Debate

Biggest Takeaways From The Final Trump-Biden Debate 

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The second and final debate between President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden took place Thursday night in what experts are calling a “more normal” debate when compared to the original showdown between the two candidates. 

Trump entered the debate and maintained a relatively calm presence, under the advice of his administration who pleaded with the president to cool down this round. The basis of his arguments remained the same as the previous debate: he downplayed the coronavirus pandemic and took no personal responsibility for America’s failings in handling it, threw personal attacks at Biden, and lacked an overall sense of substance in his answers. For example when asked about a health care agenda for his second term, Trump avoided the question and yet again made it through the night without mentioning a plan.

Additionally, the first question Trump was asked regarded how he would lead during the next stage of the coronavirus pandemic, to which the president reflected on the “success” he’s already had within the past year. The centerpiece of Trump’s arguments focused on the mentality that “it could be worse,” despite the fact that more than 220,000 Americans have now died. 

“It will go away and as I say, we’re rounding the turn, we’re rounding the corner. It’s going away.”

Trump made the above claim while avoiding discussing the multiple surges in cases occurring all across the nation currently. He did optimistically claim that a vaccine would be arriving “within weeks,” despite having no real evidence that that’s true. In a later portion of the debate he backtracked and mentioned that there was no “guarantee” one would be ready but he’s hopeful one will be ready by the end of the year. 

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Biden then offered a much darker, more realistic, painting of America’s handling of this virus, claiming we’re heading toward a very “dark winter” due to the action’s of Trump. Biden accused Trump of denying responsibility for Covid’s spreading in the US and downplaying the virus for months despite the piles of evidence being presented to him. 

“Anyone who’s responsible for that many deaths [over 200,000] should not remain as President of the United States of America.”

When discussing how he would handle the virus, Biden was able to list out some more specifics in terms of a concrete plan of action. He said he would establish a national standard for the reopening of schools and businesses and stimulus payments to get the nation as a whole back on track. He also projected that a vaccine wouldn’t realistically be available in America until at least the middle of next year, which is more on par with what public health experts are claiming, so instead he knows the biggest concern will be minimizing the spread. 

Trump, however, already has 50 million votes cast for him, and as he nears the same position he was in four years ago when he was going up against Hilary Clinton, he’s decided to resort to the same tactics he used back then to hopefully secure him another win. He tried to paint Biden to be a typical politician, like he did with Clinton, and pointed out that he’s been in office for nearly 50 years and America still has the same issues it did 50 years ago, like systemic racism. Trump continued to try to place every systemic issue America has experienced within the past five decades on Biden, which only gave Biden an opening to discuss all the successes that occurred under the Obama administration. 

Trump then continued to attack Biden and brought up the allegations made against his son Hunter and his involvement with the Ukraine, to which Biden just turned it back around and mentioned that “the guy who got in trouble in Ukraine was this guy,” pointing to Trump, “trying to bribe the Ukrainian government to say something negative about me, which they would not do.” Remember, it was Trump’s actions in the Ukraine that led to his impeachment. 

Biden then fully flipped the attack on Trump by going down the list of all his failings, specifically in terms of his administration’s economic, health care, and immigration policies. This was the moment in the debate that viewers really saw the difference between their two candidates. One answered every policy related question with a series of detailed proposals that explained how each would impact the average American household while the other kept the statements short, general and in high praise of the current administration. 

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Biden continued to assert his position byt slamming Trump for trying to have the Supreme Court undo the Affordable Care Act and all of its protections for those with pre-existing medical conditions; a pool of people that Biden mentioned will soon include those who suffered from Covid-19. Trump has long promised a new health care plan that would protect all Americans regardless of their current health status, but hasn’t even mentioned the specifics of a new plan once within the past four years. 

Biden, on the other hand, detailed his already existing proposal that would allow Americans to buy into a public health insurance program, he called the proposal “Bidencare.” He also asserted that minimum wage should be nationally raised to $15 an hour while Trump said the matter was up to the states. 

Then, more importantly, the issue of immigration was brought up, to which Biden immediately mentioned the 545 children that were separated from their parents at the border this week, to which Trump responded that they were being “very well taken care of,” despite the fact that some haven’t seen their families in months, which made Biden very upset. 

“They got separated from their parents, and it makes us a laughingstock and violates every notion of who we are as a nation.”

The issue of race and systemic racism was then raised, to which Trump claimed he’s done more for African Americans than any previous president since Abraham Lincoln, claiming to be the “least racist person in the room.” Biden then cast Trump and his entire administration as one that has consistently sought out to divide the country racially. 

“Abraham Lincoln here is one of the most racist presidents we’ve had in modern history. This guy has a dog whistle as big as a fog horn.” The night then ended with Biden claiming he would transition the country away from the oil industry because of how much it pollutes the earth. As of right now the race is stagnant, so the most important thing to remember is to get out and vote!! 

For all questions/information regarding voting in the upcoming presidential election, click here.

Election Pin

Biggest Takeaways From The Kamala Harris-Mike Pence Vice Presidential Debate

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The vice presidential debate took place this Wednesday night in Utah, in what commentators are referring to as ‘last week’s debate, on decaf.’

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2020 Presidental Election

Tonight’s Democratic Debate Last Before Voting Begins in Ohio

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In what may very well make for one of the most contentious nights of the primary process thus far, six of the country’s top Democrats will share a stage in Des Moines tonight, each debating to convince the American voter that they are the most qualified candidate to beat Donald Trump in November. The debate comes amid multiple, highly consequential stories surrounding the Trump administration; not only is Nancy Pelosi planning to hold a vote to send impeachment managers and the articles of impeachment to the Senate tomorrow, but the president recently made perhaps the most significant foreign policy decision of his presidency by ordering the death of the Iranian general Qasem Suleimani, taking Iran and the United States to the brink of war. 

And as if that weren’t enough, the debate follows accusations that Sanders told Warren in a 2018 meeting that a woman can’t win the presidency, a claim that Sanders vehemently denies as he accused Warren’s staff of lying and contradicted Warren’s retelling of events. Questions about the details of this meeting and the stark divide between the two candidates’ claims on the subject will likely emerge tonight among questions on a bevy of other topics.

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As the primary process has continued, the field of Democrats who qualify for the debate stage has narrowed to just six, including two women and no one of color. Andrew Yang, the only non-white candidate who qualified for the last debate, did not meet the requirements for this one, resulting in a field totally lacking in racial diversity, much to the chagrin of progressive members of the party. Questions concerning racial justice are likely to arise tonight, and while Democrats onstage will surely lament the lack of candidates of color among them, their comments about race are likely to be considered with scrutiny among non-white voters, many of whom are disappointed about the lack of diversity remaining among the front-runners.

Given the questions about the potential for conflict in the Middle East and the country’s desire to avoid war with Iran, Sanders and Biden are likely to butt heads over their differing votes in 2002 about the invasion of Iraq; Biden voted for the attack while Sanders, famously, voted against it. The decision to invade Iraq was based on the false claim that there existed weapons of mass destruction in the region; none were found, and the Iraq war is now largely considered to have been a mistake. Biden has previously defended his decision to vote in favor of the Iraq War, arguing that it was the best decision to make given the information that was available at the time. Sanders has accused the former vice president of having poor judgment in his decision on Iraq before and will likely do so again, and Biden will likely attempt to justify his choice rather than admit a mistake and apologize for it, in keeping with his prior comments on the matter.

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At this relatively-early point in the primary, Biden remains the clear leader, with Sanders gaining momentum thanks to strong poll numbers in Ohio and a massive fundraising haul of $34.5 million last quarter. While Biden consistently polls better than any other candidate, Sanders has perhaps the most loyal and energized coalition of voters, many of whom contributed small-dollar donations to the campaign, allowing for more ad buys, staff, and local organization. Biden’s performances in recent debates have been given mixed reviews, and although he’s consistently been placed center-stage as the unambiguous front-runner, he has failed to make himself the center of attention in past debates, with that honor going to contenders like Senator Kamala Harris and Pete Buttigieg. 

Given the presence of billionaire Tom Steyer on the debate stage, who has gained popularity by investing his massive personal fortune into his presidential campaign, the question of campaign finance reform is likely to be introduced. The two progressive candidates have made a point of demonstrating that they are not beholden to wealthy donors by refusing to accept their contributions. Sanders has spoken consistently of the importance of not taking money from large corporations, instead relying on small individual contributions, a strategy that has proven financially successful for him, and Warren has called out Buttigieg for meeting with wealthy donors in “wine caves,” a comment that led the former South Bend mayor to accuse her of hypocrisy. Given the fact that former candidate Senator Harris has cited a lack of funds in her decision to drop out of the race, Steyer is likely to be looked at with extra scrutiny tonight as he may be called on to justify the financial aspect of his campaign.

Impeachment 2

Vote on Presidential Impeachment Articles Getting Closer

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The upcoming vote on impeachment articles against President Donald Trump are getting nearer with the house committee debating which formal charges are expected to be voted on by the full House.

With two articles of impeachment due to be approved by the House Judiciary Committee, it is expected that the Democratic-controlled House will make Republican Trump the third president to be impeached in American history.

Trump, who has been charged with obstruction of Congress and abuse of power, would have to be tried at the Senate, where the chamber – which is Republican led – will be less like to declare him guilty meaning Trump will be able to remain in charge.

And it appears that in an attempt to ‘punish’ the Democrats, the Republicans are ensuring the House Judiciary Committee proceedings have been elongated with amendments being brought forward that could potentially weaken the articles of impeachment, although they knew there would be minimum chances of them being adopted.

And with the continuing debate over five amendments, the Democratic majority finally voted against them. These amendments made the proceedings last far longer than were necessary and while some lawmakers had to reiterate several points continuously, a few of their colleagues were spotted to have fallen asleep.

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At the twelfth hour of debates, Tom McClintock, a frustrated Republican Representative, was heard to complain that he had ‘not heard a new point or an original thought from either side in the last three hours’, saying:

‘If I could just offer a modest suggestion: if no one has anything new to add, that they resist the temptation to inflict what we’ve already heard over and over again.’

Several other Republicans on the panel also complained saying the Democrats were continuing to ‘overplay’ their hand as they frantically tried to cancel out the results from the presidential election in 2016.

The Republicans also claimed that their rights had been ignored in the enquiry and demanded yet another hearing, however this was denied through the panel’s Democratic majority’s vote. The Republicans also wanted to strike the first charge of abuse of power, however a party-line vote ensures that the committee had to reject it.

Republican U.S. Representative Debbie Lesko commented that ‘rules have just been thrown out the window in this process. It continues to amaze me how corrupt, how unfair this process has been from the start’.

One of the main points of focus is the accusation from the Democrats that President Trump attempted to force Ukraine into investigating his political rival Joe Biden and obstructing Congress when they attempted to investigate the issue, making this an abuse of his power. Former Vice President Biden is the Democrats’ leading nomination to challenge Trump in 2020.

However Republicans claimed ‘abuse of power’ had become the go to phrase for any Democratic complaints about the president, saying there actually were not any crimes alleged in the impeachment articles.

Matt Gaetz, Republican Representative, stated that ‘this notion of abuse of power is the lowest of low-energy impeachment theories’, while many Democrats criticized the Republicans for their continued loyalty to the accused man.

Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal commented:

‘Forget about President Trump. Will any one of my colleagues on the other side say that it is an abuse of power to condition aid on official acts? Is any one of my colleagues willing to say that it is ever ok for a president of the United States of America to invite foreign interference in our elections?’

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Trump has refuted all claims against him and slated the inquiry as a ‘hoax’ tweeting ‘No crime!’ on Twitter.

The main focus of the impeachment inquiry resides on a 25 July telephone call between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and U.S. President Donald Trump. In the call it is alleged that Zelenskiy was asked to look into both Biden and son Hunter.

Both current and former employees of the Trump administration have been briefed that they are not allowed to produce any documentation nor testify which in turn has led to some employees – including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo – to disregard House subpoenas.

These are the acts that the Democrats claims are Trump’s attempts to obstruct Congress.

Trump does seem to be keeping informed of what is happening – he has been known to send some delegates in to watch the proceedings – and has been tweeting responses to arguments the Democrats have made, in real time.

Referring to the telephone call in July with Ukraine, Trump declared the Democrats were falsifying his talks, stating the whole process was a ‘phony hearing’.

Speaking to reporters, Nancy Pelosi – House Speaker – announced that once approved the full House would take up the articles of impeachment. With Representative Hakeem Jeffries, the House Democratic chairman stating ‘the articles of impeachment will pass’.

It is expected that the charges will be taken to a Senate trial within the month.

Debate

Moderates Take On Elizabeth Warren at Fourth Democratic Debate

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While most polls still show Joe Biden as the current frontrunner for the Democratic nomination, Elizabeth Warren has been gaining momentum, and trend lines show that she’s likely to maintain a lead over the former Vice President in the following months. As such, many of the candidates in last night’s Democratic primary debate took the opportunity to attack Warren for her more progressive proposals, competing amongst one another to position themselves as a sensible and moderate alternative to the two leading progressives in the race, Warren and Sanders, as well as the leading moderate, Joe Biden. While this tactic among many members of the historically crowded debate stage was to be expected, it nonetheless poses a challenge for Warren, who must struggle to maintain her narrow lead amidst concerns about the electability of such a radically progressive candidate in the general election.

Perhaps the most notable takeaway from Warren’s performance last night was her steadfast refusal to answer a question about whether or not the middle class would see an increase in taxes to pay for her Medicare-for-all plan. Despite being asked the question multiple times by moderator Anderson Cooper, and thereafter by fellow contenders Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar, Warren evaded a direct answer, instead insisting that her policies would not raise “costs” for the middle class and that she would not sign a bill that would make healthcare more expensive for working families. 

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Her failure to directly answer this question was made even more jarring by the fact that Bernie Sanders, who reiterated his famous quip that he “wrote the damn bill,” readily acknowledged that while premiums and deductibles would be eliminated under his plan, bringing down costs overall, taxes on the middle class would be increased to pay for it. Warren’s evasiveness on this issue, while strategic, stands in stark contrast to her normally thorough and detailed descriptions of her policy plans for which she has become well-known. Rivals Buttigieg, Klobuchar, and Biden wasted no time in calling Warren out, commenting that this politician-like evasiveness was exactly what voters hated about Washington and opining that her Medicare-for-All plan is not convincing if she can’t explain how to pay for it.

Despite heated disagreements among the dozens candidates displayed during the three-hour debate, the competitors were in near-unanimous agreement on a number of issues. The moderators, forgoing opening statements due to time constraints, opened the debate by asking each candidate for their views on impeachment. All twelve Democrats on-stage voiced their support for impeaching Donald Trump, with Elizabeth Warren pointing out that she supported impeachment in the immediate aftermath of the release of the Mueller Report for its description of numerous instances of obstruction of justice. 

Notably, none of the candidates took the opportunity to attack Joe Biden for his son’s business dealings in Ukraine, instead focusing on the impropriety of a sitting president asking a foreign power for election assistance. Most, if not all of the candidates described Trump in damning terms, describing him as some variant of “the most corrupt president ever.” Joe Biden responded to a question about whether it was appropriate for his son to conduct business overseas while he was the Vice President by asserting that neither he nor his son ever did anything wrong and claiming that his son’s statement on the matter speaks for itself. Though many of the candidates have voiced their support for Biden in this matter in other venues since news broke of the whistleblower’s complaint, none did so last night, instead choosing not to address the topic.

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Last night’s debate was not only the first debate since the beginning of formal impeachment proceedings, but also the first since Bernie Sanders’ heart attack, for which he received emergency surgery and which amplified concerns about the impact of his age on his ability to effectively carry out the duties of the president. Sanders preempted a question about his health by saying he was feeling great, and last night the Vermont senator appeared as vigorous and energetic as ever. Whereas in previous debates, candidates like Julian Castro attacked their older competitors for age-related concerns, this line of attack was not on display last night. Joe Biden, facing questions about his age, promised he would release his medical records before the first votes would be cast. Notably, the three most popular candidates — Warren, Sanders, and Biden — are all in their 70’s, as is Donald Trump, whose unhealthy lifestyle Cory Booker criticised last night.

Overall, last night’s historically crowded three-hour debate offered few surprises, but instead reflected the realities of a hotly contested primary to choose who should run against a uniquely vicious and corrupt incumbent president. Buttigieg pointed out that, due to the extent of Trump’s corruption, the next President would have the unenviable and tremendous task of healing a historically divided populace, as well as rebuilding damaged governmental institutions and relationships with allies around the world. The enormity of this task, as well as the urgency of selecting a candidate with the widespread appeal necessary to defeat Trump, is surely on Democratic voters’ minds. 

Questions Voters Want Answered At The Third Democratic Debate

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The Ten Democratic presidential candidates are preparing to take the stage in Texas Thursday night for what’s looking to be one of the most informative debates we’ve experienced so far during the race to the 2020 election. For the first time Joe Biden will be standing with his two greatest competitors, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, along with the seven other candidates who are trailing shortly behind them. 

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