By Mary Gravitt, Iowa City
Pete Buttigieg: His move to the center reminds me of Bill Clinton’s. Kim Phillips-Fein (Invisible Hands) declares “as president, Bill Clinton accomplished much of what Reagan could not: the dismantling of welfare, the deregulation of Wall Street, the expansion of free trade. Labor experienced no grand revival under the Democratic president; economic inequality continued to widen. Even Barry Goldwater (whose stubborn support for abortion and gay rights in the 1990s put him increasingly on the outskirts of his own party) could express approval of Clinton. As he wrote to the Republican Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, ‘He’s a Democrat, but I do admire him, I think he’s doing a good job.'”
Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders: Stop making unnecessary enemies of the insurance industry. Insurance companies’ expertise is needed to manage Medicare, even Medicare For All.
Bernie Sanders: Explain that Democratic Socialism and Stalinism are not the same political system. What we have in Washington now resembles Stalinism with all its acting positions, allowing Trump to act like a tyrant instead of a democratically elected president.
Kamala Harris: There’s nothing wrong with a rich man — Steyer, Bloomberg — running for president. FDR gave us the New Deal.
Cory Booker: Booing an evil force is not booing the office of the president. Like Trump says, Americans have a right to exercise their free speech.
Tom Steyer: Term limits are passé — strengthen Congress. Read Omorsa’s Unhinged if you want the Black vote.
Joe Biden: Trump’s nemesis.
Democratic big tent: There’s room for all points of view.
