Seventh 2020 Democratic Party Presidential Debate
Held on January 14, 2020,
at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.
with Biden, Buttigieg, Klobachar , Sanders and Warren
COMARISON OF COMMENTS OF CANDIDATES ON ISSUES
over 300 comments on about 30 issues are compared.
click on to go to the exact point in the debate.
Introduction: Topics as well as Place names and Personal names in the transcript are highlighted and shown in the context of the statements in which they appear. Click on the preceding every statement to go to the pertinent paragraph of the transcript in a pop-up window.
on Afghanistan : But if you look further over the last 20 years, including in the war in Afghanistan, we know from the Washington Post that, in fact, there was no strategy. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Afghanistan : We need to use our diplomatic tools.Now, look, I understand, there are people on this stage, when it comes to Afghanistan, for example, who talk about 5 more years, 10 more years. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Afghanistan : You know, on the Senate Armed Services Committee, we have one general after another in Afghanistan who comes in and says, you know, we've just turned the corner and now it's all going to be different. (Jan 14, 2020)
on black : But the real issue is who can bring the whole party together, represents all elements of the party, African-American, brown, black, women, men, gay, straight. (Jan 14, 2020)
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on black : But, in fact, if you talk about the Poor People's Campaign, you have to realize that for the youngest kids, they are getting an education that's relative to the taxes in their neighborhoods. We need to redistribute money so every kid has a chance, so we're not legislating inequality for the next generation, and so we actually invest in every single kid, specifically poor kids, specifically black kids, specifically brown kids. (Jan 14, 2020)
on black : I would declare a state of emergency on day one on climate.(APPLAUSE)I would do it from the standpoint of environmental justice and make sure we go to the black and brown communities where you can't breathe the air or drink the water that comes out of the tap safely. (Jan 14, 2020)
on black : I have a two cent wealth tax so that we can cover childcare for all of our children, and provide universal pre-K for every 3-year-old and 4-year-old in America, and stop exploiting the people who do this valuable work, largely black and brown women. (Jan 14, 2020)
on black : climate change that particularly hits black and brown communities; people who are being crushed by student loan debt; (Jan 14, 2020)
on black : how transwomen, particularly transwomen of color, are at risk; black infant mortality; (Jan 14, 2020)
on budget : That's doubling the entire federal budget per year. (Jan 14, 2020)
on China : I would be putting pressure on China to put pressure on Korea, to cease and desist from their nuclear power, make -- their efforts to deal with nuclear weapons. (Jan 14, 2020)
on China : I would move forward as we did before -- and you reported it extensively, Wolf -- about moving forward the whole notion of defense against nuclear weapons, that we would -- and when China said to me, when Xi Jinping said to me, that's a threat to us, I said, we're going to move and protect our interests unless you get involved and protect it. (Jan 14, 2020)
on China : I would reignite the relationship between Japan and South Korea, and I would put enormous pressure, enormous pressure on China, because that's also in their interests for them to put pressure on North Korea to cease and desist. (Jan 14, 2020)
on China : So we better figure out how we begin to write the rules of the road, not China. (Jan 14, 2020)
on China : We've got to bring the other 25 percent of our allies along with us to set the rules of the road so China cannot continue to abuse their power by stealing our intellectual property and doing all the other things, using their corporate state system to our significant disadvantage. (Jan 14, 2020)
on China : The heart and soul of our disastrous trade agreements -- and I'm the guy who voted against NAFTA and against permanent normal trade relations with China -- is that we have forced American workers to compete against people in Mexico, in China, elsewhere, who earn starvation wages, $1 or $2 an hour. (Jan 14, 2020)
on China : The heart and soul of our disastrous trade agreements -- and I'm the guy who voted against NAFTA and against permanent normal trade relations with China -- is that we have forced American workers to compete against people in Mexico, in China, elsewhere, who earn starvation wages, $1 or $2 an hour. (Jan 14, 2020)
on China : And that is NAFTA, PNTR with China, other trade agreements were written for one reason alone. (Jan 14, 2020)
on China : And the end result of those two, just PNTR with China, Joe, and NAFTA, cost us some 4 million jobs, as part of the race to the bottom. (Jan 14, 2020)
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on China : We need some corporate responsibility here and we need to protect good-paying jobs in America, not see them go to China, Mexico, Vietnam, and all these other countries. (Jan 14, 2020)
on climate : But at the same time, there's a gigantic climate issue in Australia, which also requires the same kind of value-driven coalition-building that we actually should be using in the Middle East. (Jan 14, 2020)
on climate : I'm the only person on this stage who says climate is my number one priority. (Jan 14, 2020)
on climate : I cannot allow this country to go down the path of climate destruction. (Jan 14, 2020)
on climate : In fact, these trade deals have been exactly what Sen. Sanders and Warren have been saying, which is that they've been designed to grow the American GDP for the corporations of America, not for the working people of America, and not to protect the climate. (Jan 14, 2020)
on climate : I would not sign this deal, because if climate is your number one priority, you can't sign a deal, even if it's marginally better for working people until climate is also taken into consideration. (Jan 14, 2020)
on climate : I would not sign this deal, because if climate is your number one priority, you can't sign a deal, even if it's marginally better for working people until climate is also taken into consideration. (Jan 14, 2020)
on climate : We cannot put climate on the backseat all the time and say we're going to sign this one more deal, we're going to do one more thing without putting climate first. (Jan 14, 2020)
on climate : We cannot put climate on the backseat all the time and say we're going to sign this one more deal, we're going to do one more thing without putting climate first. (Jan 14, 2020)
on climate : But this is why climate is my number one priority. And I'm still shocked that I'm the only person on this stage who will say this. (Jan 14, 2020)
on climate : I would declare a state of emergency on day one on climate.(APPLAUSE)I would do it from the standpoint of environmental justice and make sure we go to the black and brown communities where you can't breathe the air or drink the water that comes out of the tap safely. (Jan 14, 2020)
on climate : And for 12 years I have been fighting the climate crisis. (Jan 14, 2020)
on climate : I have a history of over a decade of leading the climate fight successfully. (Jan 14, 2020)
on climate : I'll bring in the farmers. Farmers can be part of the climate solution. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Clinton : Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by 3 million votes. (Jan 14, 2020)
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on Clinton : Of -- Hillary Clinton got 3 million votes, more votes than Trump. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Constitution : And those 8.5 million people have called their congresspeople, have emailed their congresspeople, and have actually dragged Washington, D.C., to see that in fact this is a question of right and wrong and not of political expediency.So if you ask me whether standing up for what's right in America, standing up for the American people and our safety, standing up for the Constitution, whether doing that and trying to bring the truth in front of the American people in televised hearings so we can decide what the truth is for ourselves, if you think that that isn't worth it, then you don't share the idea that I do about what America is about. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Constitution : That is what the Constitution provides and that is what as commander-in-chief I will do. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Constitution : Look, some things are more important than politics. I took an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States of America. (Jan 14, 2020)
on defense : I would move forward as we did before -- and you reported it extensively, Wolf -- about moving forward the whole notion of defense against nuclear weapons, that we would -- and when China said to me, when Xi Jinping said to me, that's a threat to us, I said, we're going to move and protect our interests unless you get involved and protect it. (Jan 14, 2020)
on defense : My brother said, "I don't get this. I have to pay my taxes. Somebody has to keep the roads paved and the schools open and pay for our defense. (Jan 14, 2020)
on economy : If we don't set the rules of the road by going out to our partners, instead of poking our eye -- excuse me, poking our finger in the eye of all of our friends and allies, we make up 25 percent of the world's economy. (Jan 14, 2020)
on economy : I have support across the board, and I'm not worried about taking on Donald Trump at all. And with regard to the economy, I can hardly wait to have that debate with him. (Jan 14, 2020)
on economy : This is the moment when we have got to have the courage to take on the 1 percent, take on the greed and corruption of the corporate elite, and create an economy and create a government that works for all of us, not just the 1 percent. Thank you. (Jan 14, 2020)
on economy : I absolutely am. Look, we invested in every part of the economy. And over 10 years ago I realized that there was something going on that had to do with fossil fuels, that we had to change. (Jan 14, 2020)
on economy : But whoever is going to beat Mr. Trump is going to have to beat him on the economy. And I have the experience and the expertise to show that he's a fake there and a fraud. (Jan 14, 2020)
on economy : He's already told Americans last month in Florida, "You don't like me and I don't like you, but you're all going to vote for me because the Democrats are going to destroy the economy in 15 minutes if they get in control. (Jan 14, 2020)
on economy : I can beat Trump on the economy. We're going to have to beat him on the economy. And I look forward to taking him down in the fall on the debate stage. (Jan 14, 2020)
on economy : I can beat Trump on the economy. We're going to have to beat him on the economy. And I look forward to taking him down in the fall on the debate stage. (Jan 14, 2020)
on economy : Look, we know how Donald Trump is going to run for president. He's going to run on the economy. (Jan 14, 2020)
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on economy : Trump on the debate stage and take him down on the economy. (Jan 14, 2020)
on economy : And it's an investment in our teachers and in our economy. (Jan 14, 2020)
on economy : We need to be willing to put a wealth tax in place, to ask those giant corporations that are not paying to pay, because that's how we build an economy and, for those who want to talk about it, bring down the national debt.You do universal childcare and you've got a lot of mamas who can go to work, a lot of mamas who can finish their education. (Jan 14, 2020)
on education : We have spent trillions of dollars on that endless war, money which should go into health care and education and infrastructure in this country. (Jan 14, 2020)
on education : And I proposed a wealth tax almost a year-and-a-half ago to start to address it and to raise some of the money that we need.But I want to go beyond this and go back to this question about education, because we're talking a lot about college. (Jan 14, 2020)
on education : But, in fact, if you talk about the Poor People's Campaign, you have to realize that for the youngest kids, they are getting an education that's relative to the taxes in their neighborhoods. We need to redistribute money so every kid has a chance, so we're not legislating inequality for the next generation, and so we actually invest in every single kid, specifically poor kids, specifically black kids, specifically brown kids. (Jan 14, 2020)
on education : We need to be willing to put a wealth tax in place, to ask those giant corporations that are not paying to pay, because that's how we build an economy and, for those who want to talk about it, bring down the national debt.You do universal childcare and you've got a lot of mamas who can go to work, a lot of mamas who can finish their education. (Jan 14, 2020)
on environment : And that strategy has been to have government trade negotiators, a small number, and then surround them with giant multi-national corporation lobbyists and corporate executives, who whisper in the ears of our negotiators and then get deals cut that are great for the giant multi-national corporations, not good for America, not good for American workers, not good for the environment. (Jan 14, 2020)
on families : No, our plan wouldn't bankrupt the country. And, in fact, it would much improve the well-being of working-class families and the middle class. (Jan 14, 2020)
on families : I have worked out a plan where we can do that without raising taxes on middle-class families by one thin dime. (Jan 14, 2020)
on families : Let's get some relief to those families. And I will defend the Affordable Care Act. (Jan 14, 2020)
on families : We can get help to families.But we have to be willing to work together. We can let people experience what health care is like when it's you and your doctor, your mental health professional, your nurse practitioner, with no insurance company standing in the middle. (Jan 14, 2020)
on families : I will lower the price of EpiPens, of HIV-AIDS drugs. That's going to bring a lot of relief to a lot of families immediately. (Jan 14, 2020)
on family : And I was making $42,000 a year.I commuted every single solitary day to Wilmington, Delaware, over 500 miles a day -- excuse me, 250 miles a day, because I could not afford but for my family childcare. (Jan 14, 2020)
on family : Sen. Warren is right in saying we need to bring the stakeholders to the table, that -- it is the family farmers here in Iowa and in Vermont and around the country. (Jan 14, 2020)
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on family : So the average family in America that today makes $60,000 would pay $1,200 a year, compared to that family paying $12,000 a year. (Jan 14, 2020)
on family : So the average family in America that today makes $60,000 would pay $1,200 a year, compared to that family paying $12,000 a year. (Jan 14, 2020)
on family : Look, the numbers that the mayor is offering just don't add up. The average family in America last year paid $12,000 in some combination of deductibles and co-pays and uncovered expenses and fees. (Jan 14, 2020)
on farmers : And one of the ways to do it is with farmers here in Iowa, by making them the first group in the world to get to net zero emissions by paying them for planting and absorbing carbon in their fields right -- there's more to say, but I know my time is... (Jan 14, 2020)
on farmers : Sen. Warren is right in saying we need to bring the stakeholders to the table, that -- it is the family farmers here in Iowa and in Vermont and around the country. (Jan 14, 2020)
on farmers : The drought here in Iowa is going to make it harder for farmers to produce the food that we need. (Jan 14, 2020)
on farmers : But we have farmers here in Iowa who are hurting. (Jan 14, 2020)
on farmers : It will give some relief to our farmers. (Jan 14, 2020)
on farmers : We need a policy that actually helps our workers, our farmers. (Jan 14, 2020)
on farmers : I'll bring in the farmers. farmers can be part of the climate solution. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Farmers : I'll bring in the Farmers. Farmers can be part of the climate solution. (Jan 14, 2020)
on farmers : farmers who are barely holding on; people struggling with mental illness. (Jan 14, 2020)
on gun : how gun violence and active shooter drills worry every mother in this country; how children are living in poverty and seeing their life chances shrink; (Jan 14, 2020)
on health : And by the way, there's mental health parity that I call for in the Obamacare expanded with the Biden option. (Jan 14, 2020)
on health : We can get help to families.But we have to be willing to work together. We can let people experience what health care is like when it's you and your doctor, your mental health professional, your nurse practitioner, with no insurance company standing in the middle. (Jan 14, 2020)
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on health care : We have spent trillions of dollars on that endless war, money which should go into health care and education and infrastructure in this country. (Jan 14, 2020)
on health care : Eighty-seven million people have no health care or are uninsured or underinsured. (Jan 14, 2020)
on health care : Medicare For All will end the absurdity of the United States paying by far the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs and health care in general, while we have 87 million uninsured -- uninsured and underinsured, and while 30,000 people die each year. (Jan 14, 2020)
on health care : Well, what I will tell you is Medicare For All, which will guarantee comprehensive health care to every man, woman and child, will cost substantially less than the status quo. (Jan 14, 2020)
on health care : We save money, comprehensive health care, because we take on the greed and the profiteering and the administrative nightmare that currently exists in our dysfunctional system. (Jan 14, 2020)
on health care : Look, we have talked about health care for all -- in this country -- for over 100 years. (Jan 14, 2020)
on health care : Now is the time to take on the greed and corruption of the health care industry, of the drug companies, and finally provide health care to all through a Medicare For All single-payer program. (Jan 14, 2020)
on health care : Now is the time to take on the greed and corruption of the health care industry, of the drug companies, and finally provide health care to all through a Medicare For All single-payer program. (Jan 14, 2020)
on health care : We're spending twice as much per capita on health care as do the people of any other country. (Jan 14, 2020)
on health care : Well, first of all, what Joe forgets to say is, when you leave the current system as it is, what you are talking about are workers paying on average 20 percent of their incomes for health care. (Jan 14, 2020)
on health care : health care is a human right. (Jan 14, 2020)
on health care : Every other major country on Earth is guaranteeing health care for all. The time is long overdue for us to do the same. (Jan 14, 2020)
on health care : What we will do through a Medicare for all single-payer program is substantially lower the cost of health care for employers and workers, because we end the $100 billion a year that the health care industry makes and the $500 billion a year we spend in administrative -- the administrative nightmare of dealing with thousands of separate insurance plans. (Jan 14, 2020)
on health care : What we will do through a Medicare for all single-payer program is substantially lower the cost of health care for employers and workers, because we end the $100 billion a year that the health care industry makes and the $500 billion a year we spend in administrative -- the administrative nightmare of dealing with thousands of separate insurance plans. (Jan 14, 2020)
on health care : And if we want to do what every other major country on Earth does and guarantee people health care is a human right, not a privilege, you know what we have to do? (Jan 14, 2020)
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on health care : But here is the issue. Tom Steyer made the point a moment ago. We are now spending twice as much per person on health care as do the people of any other country. (Jan 14, 2020)
on health care : We are finally going to have to stand up to the health care industry... (Jan 14, 2020)
on health care : We build in to our Medicare for all program a transition fund of many, many billions of dollars that will provide for up to five years income and health care and job training for those people. (Jan 14, 2020)
on health care : How does it happen that in this great country we are the only major nation not to guarantee health care to all? (Jan 14, 2020)
on health care : My Democratic Socialism says health care is a human right. (Jan 14, 2020)
on health care : Everybody on this stage believes that affordable health care is a right for every single American. (Jan 14, 2020)
on health care : Everybody on this stage knows that Americans are paying twice as much for health care as any other advanced country in the world. (Jan 14, 2020)
on health care : I've got a plan to expand health care, but let's keep in mind, when we come to a general election, we Democrats may argue among each other about the best way to do health care, but we're going to be up against a Republican incumbent who has cut health care for millions of people and is still trying to do that. (Jan 14, 2020)
on health care : I've got a plan to expand health care, but let's keep in mind, when we come to a general election, we Democrats may argue among each other about the best way to do health care, but we're going to be up against a Republican incumbent who has cut health care for millions of people and is still trying to do that. (Jan 14, 2020)
on health care : I've got a plan to expand health care, but let's keep in mind, when we come to a general election, we Democrats may argue among each other about the best way to do health care, but we're going to be up against a Republican incumbent who has cut health care for millions of people and is still trying to do that. (Jan 14, 2020)
on health care : And we can go after the corporate tax cheats. And when we do that, we have enough money to provide health care for all our people. (Jan 14, 2020)
on health care : We all talk about plans, health care plans that we have, and these plans are paid for. (Jan 14, 2020)
on health care : Yes, we build on the Affordable Care Act, but where we end up is we offer health care to all of our people. And we can offer it at no cost or low cost to all of them. (Jan 14, 2020)
on health care : We can get help to families.But we have to be willing to work together. We can let people experience what health care is like when it's you and your doctor, your mental health professional, your nurse practitioner, with no insurance company standing in the middle. (Jan 14, 2020)
on home : And from that point on, I've voted to � I moved to bring those troops home. (Jan 14, 2020)
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on home : I was asked to bring 156,000 troops home from that war, which I did. (Jan 14, 2020)
on home : It's time to get our combat troops home. (Jan 14, 2020)
on illness : farmers who are barely holding on; people struggling with mental illness. (Jan 14, 2020)
on immigration : How does it happen that we have a childcare system which is dysfunctional, a criminal justice system which is broken and racist, an immigration system that needs reform? (Jan 14, 2020)
on Iran : I was part of that deal to get the nuclear agreement with Iran, bringing together the rest of the world, including some of the folks who aren't friendly to us. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Iran : The next president has to be able to pull those folks back together, re-establish our alliances, and insist that Iran go back into the agreement, which I believe with the pressure applied as we put on before we can get done. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Iran : We're in a situation where our allies in Europe are making a comparison between the United States and Iran, saying both ought to stand down, making a moral equivalence. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Iran : It does not give authority to go into Iran. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Iran : As you know, the nuclear deal with Iran was worked on with a number of our allies. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Iran : We have got to undo what Trump did, bring that coalition together, and make sure that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Iran : Iran is under great pressure economically. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Iran : And when you are talking about Iran, let's face it. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Iran : So every single discussion we've had about Iran has had to do with military power and America versus Iran, whereas, in fact, what worked with President Obama was an alliance of our allies and us putting economic pressure on them for them to give up their military tactic. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Iran : So every single discussion we've had about Iran has had to do with military power and America versus Iran, whereas, in fact, what worked with President Obama was an alliance of our allies and us putting economic pressure on them for them to give up their military tactic. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Iranian : There was no movement on the part of the Iranian government to get closer to a nuclear weapon. (Jan 14, 2020)
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on Iraq : But what I understood right away, in terms of the war in Iraq, the difference here is that the war in Iraq turned out to be the worst foreign policy blunder in the modern history of this country. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Iraq : But what I understood right away, in terms of the war in Iraq, the difference here is that the war in Iraq turned out to be the worst foreign policy blunder in the modern history of this country. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Iraq : And right now, what I fear very much is we have a president who is lying again and could drag us into a war that is even worse than the war in Iraq. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Iraq : But what we have to face as a nation is that the two great foreign policy disasters of our lifetimes were the war in Vietnam and the war in Iraq. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Japan : I would reignite the relationship between Japan and South Korea, and I would put enormous pressure, enormous pressure on China, because that's also in their interests for them to put pressure on North Korea to cease and desist. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Korea : I would be putting pressure on China to put pressure on Korea, to cease and desist from their nuclear power, make -- their efforts to deal with nuclear weapons. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Korea : I would reignite the relationship between Japan and South Korea, and I would put enormous pressure, enormous pressure on China, because that's also in their interests for them to put pressure on North Korea to cease and desist. (Jan 14, 2020)
on labor : There will be no trade agreements signed in my administration without environmentalists and labor at the table. (Jan 14, 2020)
on labor : You've got to meet labor standards. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Medicare : There's a way to do that. The way to do that is to take Obamacare, reinstate -- rebuild it, provide a public option, allow Medicare for those folks who want it, and in fact make sure that we, in the process, reduce the cost of -- of drug prices, reduce the cost of being able to buy into the -- subsidize it further, and make it everybody � available to everyone. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Medicare : You can do it without that. You can do it without Medicare For All. You can get the same place. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Medicare : The proposal I lay out does, in fact, limit drug cost. It sets up -- it allows all the drug companies -- excuse me, it allows you to -- Medicare to negotiate with drug companies for the price. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Medicare : If they don't like it, or the employer gets rid of it, they can buy into a Medicare plan in the Biden plan. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Medicare : Medicare For All will end the absurdity of the United States paying by far the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs and health care in general, while we have 87 million uninsured -- uninsured and underinsured, and while 30,000 people die each year. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Medicare : Under Medicare For All, one of the provisions we have to pay for it is a 4 percent tax on income, exempting the first $29,000. (Jan 14, 2020)
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on Medicare : Well, what I will tell you is Medicare For All, which will guarantee comprehensive health care to every man, woman and child, will cost substantially less than the status quo. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Medicare : Now is the time to take on the greed and corruption of the health care industry, of the drug companies, and finally provide health care to all through a Medicare For All single-payer program. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Medicare : Let us be clear what Medicare for all does. It ends all premiums. It ends all copayments. It ends the absurdity of deductibles. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Medicare : What we will do through a Medicare for all single-payer program is substantially lower the cost of health care for employers and workers, because we end the $100 billion a year that the health care industry makes and the $500 billion a year we spend in administrative -- the administrative nightmare of dealing with thousands of separate insurance plans. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Medicare : We build in to our Medicare for all program a transition fund of many, many billions of dollars that will provide for up to five years income and health care and job training for those people. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Middle East : I would leave troops in the Middle East in terms of patrolling the Gulf, where we have -- where we are now, small numbers of troops, and I think it's a mistake to pull out the small number of troops that are there now to deal with ISIS. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Middle East : But at the same time, there's a gigantic climate issue in Australia, which also requires the same kind of value-driven coalition-building that we actually should be using in the Middle East. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Middle East : But what we can see in the Middle East and what this conversation shows is that there is no real strategy that we're trying to accomplish in what we're doing in the Middle East. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Middle East : But what we can see in the Middle East and what this conversation shows is that there is no real strategy that we're trying to accomplish in what we're doing in the Middle East. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Middle East : So we really have to ask ourselves in the Middle East, what are we trying to accomplish? I agree with Vice President Biden. (Jan 14, 2020)
on military : No, there was the authorization for the use of military force that was passed by the United States Congress, House, and Senate, and signed by the president. (Jan 14, 2020)
on military : I would take military action to protect the lives and safety of American citizens. (Jan 14, 2020)
on military : So every single discussion we've had about Iran has had to do with military power and America versus Iran, whereas, in fact, what worked with President Obama was an alliance of our allies and us putting economic pressure on them for them to give up their military tactic. (Jan 14, 2020)
on military : So every single discussion we've had about Iran has had to do with military power and America versus Iran, whereas, in fact, what worked with President Obama was an alliance of our allies and us putting economic pressure on them for them to give up their military tactic. (Jan 14, 2020)
on military : But we should stop asking our military to solve problems that cannot be solved militarily. (Jan 14, 2020)
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on military : Our military is the finest military on Earth and they will take any sacrifice we ask them to take. (Jan 14, 2020)
on military : Our military is the finest military on Earth and they will take any sacrifice we ask them to take. (Jan 14, 2020)
on military : But we need an authorization for the use of military force before we take this nation into combat. (Jan 14, 2020)
on military : No one on the ground, none of our military can describe what the conditions are for getting out. (Jan 14, 2020)
on military : They let contracts to build buildings. They let contracts to build military weapons. Let's let the contracts out. (Jan 14, 2020)
on North Korea : I would reignite the relationship between Japan and South Korea, and I would put enormous pressure, enormous pressure on China, because that's also in their interests for them to put pressure on North Korea to cease and desist. (Jan 14, 2020)
on North Korea : No. It's very clear that if we're going to do something with North Korea, we're going to have to do it in concert with our allies, that meeting with him without preconditions is not going anywhere, that the staff can meet to try and see how far we can get. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Obama : So every single discussion we've had about Iran has had to do with military power and America versus Iran, whereas, in fact, what worked with President Obama was an alliance of our allies and us putting economic pressure on them for them to give up their military tactic. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Obamacare : There's a way to do that. The way to do that is to take Obamacare, reinstate -- rebuild it, provide a public option, allow Medicare for those folks who want it, and in fact make sure that we, in the process, reduce the cost of -- of drug prices, reduce the cost of being able to buy into the -- subsidize it further, and make it everybody � available to everyone. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Obamacare : And by the way, there's mental health parity that I call for in the Obamacare expanded with the Biden option. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Obamacare : I would argue that the biggest breakthrough in recent time was us being able to do in our administration what five -- five Democratic presidents couldn't get done, and that is pass Obamacare. (Jan 14, 2020)
on paycheck : Half of our people are living paycheck to paycheck. (Jan 14, 2020)
on paycheck : Half of our people are living paycheck to paycheck. (Jan 14, 2020)
on paycheck : It's been a good debate, but we haven't asked the major question. The major question is, how does it happen in the richest country in the history of the world that half of our people are living paycheck to paycheck, trying to get by on $9, $10 bucks an hour? (Jan 14, 2020)
on paycheck : It's been a good debate, but we haven't asked the major question. The major question is, how does it happen in the richest country in the history of the world that half of our people are living paycheck to paycheck, trying to get by on $9, $10 bucks an hour? (Jan 14, 2020)
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on poverty : how gun violence and active shooter drills worry every mother in this country; how children are living in poverty and seeing their life chances shrink; (Jan 14, 2020)
on Russia : Not even helping Ukraine defend against Russia. (Jan 14, 2020)
on security : They're being killed. They now have a situation where if they -- the vast majority believe their children will never reach the stage that they've -- they've reached in economic security. (Jan 14, 2020)
on tax : And a 4 percent tax on income over $24,000 doesn't even come close to paying for between $30 trillion, and some estimates as high as $40 trillion over 10 years. (Jan 14, 2020)
on tax : Secondly, I think we should have an $8,000 tax credit which would put 7 million women back to work that could afford to go to work and still care for their children as an $8,000 tax credit. (Jan 14, 2020)
on tax : Secondly, I think we should have an $8,000 tax credit which would put 7 million women back to work that could afford to go to work and still care for their children as an $8,000 tax credit. (Jan 14, 2020)
on tax : Under Medicare For All, one of the provisions we have to pay for it is a 4 percent tax on income, exempting the first $29,000. (Jan 14, 2020)
on tax : Donald Trump as a businessman received $800 million in tax breaks and subsidies to build luxury housing. (Jan 14, 2020)
on tax : Donald Trump is corrupt. He is a pathological liar and he is a fraud.Now, when Trump talks about socialism, what he talks about is giving hundreds of billions of dollars in tax breaks and subsidies to the fossil fuel industry. (Jan 14, 2020)
on tax : And we've given tax cuts to the richest Americans and the biggest corporations for decades. (Jan 14, 2020)
on tax : Sen. Warren is right. This is cruelty for money. In order to break this, we're going to have to break the corporate stranglehold and solve both the tax and the negotiating problem. That's why I'm for term limits. We need to redo Washington, D.C., and... (Jan 14, 2020)
on tax : And I proposed a wealth tax almost a year-and-a-half ago to start to address it and to raise some of the money that we need.But I want to go beyond this and go back to this question about education, because we're talking a lot about college. (Jan 14, 2020)
on tax : No. And let me say this. I was one of the people who talked about a wealth tax almost a year-and-a-half ago. (Jan 14, 2020)
on tax : And we can go after the corporate tax cheats. And when we do that, we have enough money to provide health care for all our people. (Jan 14, 2020)
on tax : I have a two cent wealth tax so that we can cover childcare for all of our children, and provide universal pre-K for every 3-year-old and 4-year-old in America, and stop exploiting the people who do this valuable work, largely black and brown women. (Jan 14, 2020)
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on tax : And that means that the lowliest millionaire that I would tax under this wealth tax would be paying about $19 million in the first year in taxes. (Jan 14, 2020)
on tax : And that means that the lowliest millionaire that I would tax under this wealth tax would be paying about $19 million in the first year in taxes. (Jan 14, 2020)
on tax : So, look, the way I think we need to do this is we need a wealth tax in America. (Jan 14, 2020)
on tax : We need to be willing to put a wealth tax in place, to ask those giant corporations that are not paying to pay, because that's how we build an economy and, for those who want to talk about it, bring down the national debt.You do universal childcare and you've got a lot of mamas who can go to work, a lot of mamas who can finish their education. (Jan 14, 2020)
on tax : And, sure, there are a lot of things we disagree on, and we can take to our corners and do the Democratic/Republican talking points, but the truth is there's a whole lot we agree on.You know, my brother is just furious over Chevron and Eli Lilly and Amazon, that are giant corporations making billions of dollars in tax -- make billions of dollars in profits and pay nothing in taxes. (Jan 14, 2020)
on taxes : But, in fact, if you talk about the Poor People's Campaign, you have to realize that for the youngest kids, they are getting an education that's relative to the taxes in their neighborhoods. We need to redistribute money so every kid has a chance, so we're not legislating inequality for the next generation, and so we actually invest in every single kid, specifically poor kids, specifically black kids, specifically brown kids. (Jan 14, 2020)
on taxes : I have worked out a plan where we can do that without raising taxes on middle-class families by one thin dime. (Jan 14, 2020)
on taxes : We can ask those at the very top, the top 1 percent, to pay a little more. Those giant corporations like Chevron and Amazon who paid nothing in taxes, we can have them pay. (Jan 14, 2020)
on taxes : And that means that the lowliest millionaire that I would tax under this wealth tax would be paying about $19 million in the first year in taxes. (Jan 14, 2020)
on taxes : And, sure, there are a lot of things we disagree on, and we can take to our corners and do the Democratic/Republican talking points, but the truth is there's a whole lot we agree on.You know, my brother is just furious over Chevron and Eli Lilly and Amazon, that are giant corporations making billions of dollars in tax -- make billions of dollars in profits and pay nothing in taxes. (Jan 14, 2020)
on taxes : My brother said, "I don't get this. I have to pay my taxes. Somebody has to keep the roads paved and the schools open and pay for our defense. (Jan 14, 2020)
on trade : And by the way, the idea -- I don't know that there's any trade agreement that the senator would ever think made any sense, but the problem is that 95 percent of the customers are out there. (Jan 14, 2020)
on trade : And there will be no trade agreement until we invest more in American workers. (Jan 14, 2020)
on trade : There will be no trade agreements signed in my administration without environmentalists and labor at the table. (Jan 14, 2020)
on trade : That's one of the things that has been improved with the trade agreement with Mexico. (Jan 14, 2020)
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on trade : And given the fact that climate change is right now the greatest threat facing this planet, I will not vote for a trade agreement that does not incorporate very, very strong principles to significantly lower fossil fuel emissions in the world. (Jan 14, 2020)
on trade : Second of all, every major environmental organization has said no to this new trade agreement because it does not even have the phrase "climate change" in it. (Jan 14, 2020)
on trade : The answer is we could do much better than a Trump-led trade deal. (Jan 14, 2020)
on trade : The heart and soul of our disastrous trade agreements -- and I'm the guy who voted against NAFTA and against permanent normal trade relations with China -- is that we have forced American workers to compete against people in Mexico, in China, elsewhere, who earn starvation wages, $1 or $2 an hour. (Jan 14, 2020)
on trade : The heart and soul of our disastrous trade agreements -- and I'm the guy who voted against NAFTA and against permanent normal trade relations with China -- is that we have forced American workers to compete against people in Mexico, in China, elsewhere, who earn starvation wages, $1 or $2 an hour. (Jan 14, 2020)
on trade : That is the workers. Bottom line here is, I am sick and tired of trade agreements negotiated by the CEOs of large corporations behind doors. (Jan 14, 2020)
on trade : Well, I think that it is not so easy to put together new trade legislation. (Jan 14, 2020)
on trade : And that is NAFTA, PNTR with China, other trade agreements were written for one reason alone. (Jan 14, 2020)
on trade : In fact, these trade deals have been exactly what Sen. Sanders and Warren have been saying, which is that they've been designed to grow the American GDP for the corporations of America, not for the working people of America, and not to protect the climate. (Jan 14, 2020)
on trade : And they are hurting because of Donald Trump's initiated trade wars. We have workers who are hurting because the agreements that have already been cut really don't have enforcement on workers' rights. (Jan 14, 2020)
on trade : I believe we accept that relief, we try to help the people who need help, and we get up the next day and fight for a better trade deal. (Jan 14, 2020)
on trade : I do. I wasn't here. I haven't been in Congress long enough to have voted against NAFTA, but I led the fight against the trade deal with Asia and the trade deal with Europe, because I didn't think it was in the interests of the American people, the American workers, or environmental interests. (Jan 14, 2020)
on trade : I do. I wasn't here. I haven't been in Congress long enough to have voted against NAFTA, but I led the fight against the trade deal with Asia and the trade deal with Europe, because I didn't think it was in the interests of the American people, the American workers, or environmental interests. (Jan 14, 2020)
on trade : This new trade deal is a modest improvement. Sen. Sanders himself has said so. (Jan 14, 2020)
on trade : We need a coherent trade policy. (Jan 14, 2020)
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on trade : We need them at the table, not just to trade policy written for big, international companies. (Jan 14, 2020)
on trade : And that strategy has been to have government trade negotiators, a small number, and then surround them with giant multi-national corporation lobbyists and corporate executives, who whisper in the ears of our negotiators and then get deals cut that are great for the giant multi-national corporations, not good for America, not good for American workers, not good for the environment. (Jan 14, 2020)
on trade : It has been the structure of how these trade deals have been negotiated. (Jan 14, 2020)
on trade : We need a different approach to trade and it starts by calling out the corruption of these giant corporations that have cut our trade deals. (Jan 14, 2020)
on trade : We need a different approach to trade and it starts by calling out the corruption of these giant corporations that have cut our trade deals. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Trump : He went ahead � and it was predictable from the day he pulled out of the agreement, Trump, what exactly would happen. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Trump : Other than that, I like him, and he -- he ...(LAUGHTER) And he got a love letter from Trump right after that. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Trump : I have support across the board, and I'm not worried about taking on Donald Trump at all. And with regard to the economy, I can hardly wait to have that debate with him. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Trump : We have got to undo what Trump did, bring that coalition together, and make sure that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Trump : Well, as a matter of fact, I didn't say it. And I don't want to waste a whole lot of time on this, because this is what Donald Trump and maybe some of the media want. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Trump : And the only way we beat Trump is by a campaign of energy and excitement and a campaign that has, by far, the largest voter turnout in the history of this country. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Trump : But the real question is, how do we beat Trump? (Jan 14, 2020)
on Trump : Of -- Hillary Clinton got 3 million votes, more votes than Trump. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Trump : Donald Trump as a businessman received $800 million in tax breaks and subsidies to build luxury housing. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Trump : Donald Trump is corrupt. He is a pathological liar and he is a fraud.Now, when Trump talks about socialism, what he talks about is giving hundreds of billions of dollars in tax breaks and subsidies to the fossil fuel industry. (Jan 14, 2020)
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on Trump : Donald Trump is corrupt. He is a pathological liar and he is a fraud.Now, when Trump talks about socialism, what he talks about is giving hundreds of billions of dollars in tax breaks and subsidies to the fossil fuel industry. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Trump : Nope, not at all. And that is because the campaign that we are going to run will expose the fraudulency of who Donald Trump is. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Trump : Obviously, Mr. Trump has no strategy. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Trump : But whoever is going to beat Mr. Trump is going to have to beat him on the economy. And I have the experience and the expertise to show that he's a fake there and a fraud. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Trump : I can beat Trump on the economy. We're going to have to beat him on the economy. And I look forward to taking him down in the fall on the debate stage. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Trump : Look, we know how Donald Trump is going to run for president. He's going to run on the economy. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Trump : Trump, basically kicking the American people in the face.I am prepared to take on Mr. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Trump : Trump on the debate stage and take him down on the economy. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Trump : So, can a woman beat Donald Trump? (Jan 14, 2020)
on Trump : Since Donald Trump was elected, women candidates have out-performed men candidates in competitive races. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Trump : So I do think it's the right question, "How do we beat Trump?" (Jan 14, 2020)
on Trump : It is about Donald Trump putting Donald Trump first. Not the American people. Not the interests of the United States of America. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Trump : It is about Donald Trump putting Donald Trump first. Not the American people. Not the interests of the United States of America. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Trump : I will do everything a president can do all by herself on the first day. I will roll back the environmental changes that Donald Trump is putting in place. (Jan 14, 2020)
on Trump : I'm building the grassroots movement, leading the fight. We're going to make this America work for everyone else. That is how we're going to beat Donald Trump. (Jan 14, 2020)
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on wage : We're going to raise the minimum wage to 15 bucks an hour. We're going to make public colleges and universities tuition-free. (Jan 14, 2020)
on wages : The heart and soul of our disastrous trade agreements -- and I'm the guy who voted against NAFTA and against permanent normal trade relations with China -- is that we have forced American workers to compete against people in Mexico, in China, elsewhere, who earn starvation wages, $1 or $2 an hour. (Jan 14, 2020)
on wages : We can raise the wages of every childcare worker and preschool teacher in America. That's an investment in our babies. That's an investment in their mamas and their daddies. (Jan 14, 2020)
on war : It was a mistake to trust that they weren't going to go to war. (Jan 14, 2020)
on war : I was asked to bring 156,000 troops home from that war, which I did. (Jan 14, 2020)
on war : The world, in fact, voted to send inspectors in and they still went to war. (Jan 14, 2020)
on war : They said they were not going to go to war. (Jan 14, 2020)
on war : I ran the first time as a 29-year-old kid against the war in Vietnam on the grounds that the only way to take a nation to war is with the informed consent of the American people. (Jan 14, 2020)
on war : I ran the first time as a 29-year-old kid against the war in Vietnam on the grounds that the only way to take a nation to war is with the informed consent of the American people. (Jan 14, 2020)
on war : But what I understood right away, in terms of the war in Iraq, the difference here is that the war in Iraq turned out to be the worst foreign policy blunder in the modern history of this country. (Jan 14, 2020)
on war : But what I understood right away, in terms of the war in Iraq, the difference here is that the war in Iraq turned out to be the worst foreign policy blunder in the modern history of this country. (Jan 14, 2020)
on war : I did everything I could to prevent that war. (Jan 14, 2020)
on war : We have spent trillions of dollars on that endless war, money which should go into health care and education and infrastructure in this country. (Jan 14, 2020)
on war : And right now, what I fear very much is we have a president who is lying again and could drag us into a war that is even worse than the war in Iraq. (Jan 14, 2020)
on war : And right now, what I fear very much is we have a president who is lying again and could drag us into a war that is even worse than the war in Iraq. (Jan 14, 2020)
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on war : But what we have to face as a nation is that the two great foreign policy disasters of our lifetimes were the war in Vietnam and the war in Iraq. (Jan 14, 2020)
on war : But what we have to face as a nation is that the two great foreign policy disasters of our lifetimes were the war in Vietnam and the war in Iraq. (Jan 14, 2020)
on war : But if you look further over the last 20 years, including in the war in Afghanistan, we know from the Washington Post that, in fact, there was no strategy. (Jan 14, 2020)
on war : Everyone on this stage talks about nobody wants endless war. (Jan 14, 2020)
on wars : Both of those wars were based on lies. (Jan 14, 2020)
on wars : Our job is to rebuild the United Nations, rebuild the State Department, make sure that we have the capability of bringing the world together to resolve international conflict diplomatically and stop the endless wars that we have experienced. (Jan 14, 2020)
on wars : The American people are sick and tired of endless wars which have cost us trillions of dollars. (Jan 14, 2020)
on wars : And they are hurting because of Donald Trump's initiated trade wars. We have workers who are hurting because the agreements that have already been cut really don't have enforcement on workers' rights. (Jan 14, 2020)
on woman : Anybody knows me knows that it's incomprehensible that I would think that a woman cannot be president of the United States. (Jan 14, 2020)
on woman : Go to YouTube today. There's a video of me 30 years ago talking about how a woman could become president of the United States. (Jan 14, 2020)
on woman : How could anybody in a million years not believe that a woman could become president of the United States? (Jan 14, 2020)
on woman : I think what the major issue of the day is -- let's -- does anybody in their right mind think that a woman cannot be elected president? (Jan 14, 2020)
on woman : Of course, a woman can win. (Jan 14, 2020)
on woman : So who believes that a woman can't win? (Jan 14, 2020)
on woman : Well, what I will tell you is Medicare For All, which will guarantee comprehensive health care to every man, woman and child, will cost substantially less than the status quo. (Jan 14, 2020)
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on woman : But, look, this question about whether or not a woman can be president has been raised, and it's time for us to attack it head-on. (Jan 14, 2020)
on woman : So, can a woman beat Donald Trump? (Jan 14, 2020)
on woman : Hope and courage. That is how I will make you proud every day, as your nominee and as the first woman president of the United States of America.(APPLAUSE) (Jan 14, 2020)
on women : But the real issue is who can bring the whole party together, represents all elements of the party, African-American, brown, black, women, men, gay, straight. (Jan 14, 2020)
on women : I agree women can win. And I have went in and campaigned for 27 of them this last -- in 2018, the best group I've ever campaigned for, in terms of competence. (Jan 14, 2020)
on women : Secondly, I think we should have an $8,000 tax credit which would put 7 million women back to work that could afford to go to work and still care for their children as an $8,000 tax credit. (Jan 14, 2020)
on women : If any of the women on this stage or any of the men on this stage win the nomination, I hope that's not the case, I hope it's me. (LAUGHTER) (Jan 14, 2020)
on women : Collectively, they have lost 10 elections. (LAUGHTER)The only people on this stage who have won every single election that they've been in are the women...(APPLAUSE) ... Amy and me. (Jan 14, 2020)
on women : And in 2018, we took back the House; we took back statehouses, because of women candidates and women voters. (Jan 14, 2020)
on women : And in 2018, we took back the House; we took back statehouses, because of women candidates and women voters. (Jan 14, 2020)
on women : Since Donald Trump was elected, women candidates have out-performed men candidates in competitive races. (Jan 14, 2020)
on women : If I hadn't been saved by my Aunt Bee -- I was ready to quit my job. And I think about how many women of my generation just got knocked off the track and never got back on, how many of my daughter's generation get knocked off the track and don't get back on, how many mamas and daddies today are getting knocked off the track and never get back on. (Jan 14, 2020)
on women : I have a two cent wealth tax so that we can cover childcare for all of our children, and provide universal pre-K for every 3-year-old and 4-year-old in America, and stop exploiting the people who do this valuable work, largely black and brown women. (Jan 14, 2020)
on worker : We can raise the wages of every childcare worker and preschool teacher in America. That's an investment in our babies. That's an investment in their mamas and their daddies. (Jan 14, 2020)
on workers : And there will be no trade agreement until we invest more in American workers. (Jan 14, 2020)
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on workers : We should be focusing on equipping American workers to do that. (Jan 14, 2020)
on workers : We should be putting our money and our effort and our time in preparing American workers to compete in the 21st Century on the high-tech side, dealing with all artificial intelligence. (Jan 14, 2020)
on workers : The heart and soul of our disastrous trade agreements -- and I'm the guy who voted against NAFTA and against permanent normal trade relations with China -- is that we have forced American workers to compete against people in Mexico, in China, elsewhere, who earn starvation wages, $1 or $2 an hour. (Jan 14, 2020)
on workers : That is the workers. Bottom line here is, I am sick and tired of trade agreements negotiated by the CEOs of large corporations behind doors. (Jan 14, 2020)
on workers : Well, first of all, what Joe forgets to say is, when you leave the current system as it is, what you are talking about are workers paying on average 20 percent of their incomes for health care. (Jan 14, 2020)
on workers : What we will do through a Medicare for all single-payer program is substantially lower the cost of health care for employers and workers, because we end the $100 billion a year that the health care industry makes and the $500 billion a year we spend in administrative -- the administrative nightmare of dealing with thousands of separate insurance plans. (Jan 14, 2020)
on workers : And they are hurting because of Donald Trump's initiated trade wars. We have workers who are hurting because the agreements that have already been cut really don't have enforcement on workers' rights. (Jan 14, 2020)
on workers : I do. I wasn't here. I haven't been in Congress long enough to have voted against NAFTA, but I led the fight against the trade deal with Asia and the trade deal with Europe, because I didn't think it was in the interests of the American people, the American workers, or environmental interests. (Jan 14, 2020)
on workers : It will give some relief to our workers. (Jan 14, 2020)
on workers : We need a policy that actually helps our workers, our farmers. (Jan 14, 2020)
on workers : And that strategy has been to have government trade negotiators, a small number, and then surround them with giant multi-national corporation lobbyists and corporate executives, who whisper in the ears of our negotiators and then get deals cut that are great for the giant multi-national corporations, not good for America, not good for American workers, not good for the environment. (Jan 14, 2020)
There are 300 entries in the Seventh 2020 Presidential Democratic Debate: Comparison of comments of candidates on issues
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Index to the Seventh 2020 Democratic Debate: Comparison of comments of candidates on issues
About the Interactive Index: The Interactive Index gives the reader a bird's eye view of the content of the page. It includes the most significant words and concepts in the the text. Click on a to go to the pertinent paragraph in the text.
There are 300 entries in the Interactive Index to the Seventh 2020 Democratic Debate: Comparison of comments of candidates on issues
Here with a Loaf of Bread beneath the Bough,
A Flask of Wine, a Book of Verse - and Thou
Beside me singing in the Wilderness -
And Wilderness is Paradise enow.
