Watching the Demo debate, I couldn’t help notice that one of my favorites is missing. Congresswoman Gabbard. I know that the selection of these debaters was done democratically but the fact is that the Congresswoman served in the Armed Forces and put her life on the line for this country. She should, at the minimum, be given one free pass for her heroism. Anyone that serves in a  war, in my opinion, is a hero. That being said, on to the next topic.

TARIFFS

Yang – I would not appeal the tariffs immediately but I would make it a priority. American businesses are being robbed with pirated material and intellectual property theft.

Buttigieg – The President has no strategy. The President scoffed at me and said he would like to see me make a deal with (completely f’ed up his name and erased it), shit, uh, the leader of China, wait, googling it, Xi Jinping. I would like to see him make a deal with Xi Jinping. Lol, get it, because it hasn’t happened yet. The inability of the U.S. to not be able to get it done has dire consequences around the world, everyone takes notice, enemies get bolder and allies get discouraged in our leadership.

Klobuchar – Using the tariffs like a poker chip in one of his failed casinos, holy crap, lol, WHAAAT! That was a prepared statement and I saw other candidates get pissed off and scratching out that prepared remark from their ready remark columns. She beat them to the punch. Creating distress with the farmers and to the manufacturers.

Castro – This a haphazard trade war. The current President is not a leader in human rights and elevates dictators.

Warren – A trade policy has been broken for decades. Big giant corporations are the real enemy, they shape our trade policy according to the slogan a nickel earned is a nickel you ain’t getting (put your own expletive). Trade policies should be set by the small people, the farmers and small business owners. Everyone wants to sell their goods here because we buy, we are the biggest consuming country on goods and that’s the leverage we should use, step up your standards or sell your products elsewhere. Damn right.

Harris – The current administration has a trade policy by tweet from a fragile ego. We need to have trade policies in place because we need to trade with the world. Likens the President to the wizard from the wizard of oz, pull back the curtain and you have a real small guy. Stephanopoulos says he is not taking the bait and moves on to Bernie. Lol, hahahaha, I don’t get it. Is it a reference to something else or, I mean the Senator is only 5’2″. Maybe the old saying of there is no such thing as a small person only small minds, except in this case, or is it a sexual innuendo? Fear monger that turns out to be not so scary? I mean we can assume a whole bunch of stuff, damn it George, why didn’t you take the bait?

Sanders – Puts things into perspective, there is a reason why that in the last 45 years the average american has not seen any increments in pay, it’s because of destructive trade policies. Calls out Joe, respectfully, and says that they disagree when it comes to trade policy. NAFTA was a bad deal and Sanders made a point to say that he led a movement to try and kill the deal. We need to develop a trade policy that represents the common people. Trump feels that trade policy is a tweet at 3 in the morning.

Biden – Either we make the policy or China will. Labor and environmentalists should be invited to sit at the table.We need to set the rules or China will set the rules. We need to partner with the world to stop China’s corrupt policies.

Booker – The America first policy is actually an America isolated policy. Gets approval from the Vice -president, Booker says he is fighting fights on multiple fronts in this trade war, against allies and against China. We need to keep our allies close and find common cause and common purpose to fight the corrupt policies of China. Likes Trudeau’s hair.

AFGHANISTAN/MILITARY

Warren – Afghanistan, right now, isn’t a worthwhile stance. We need to bring our troops home. Diplomacy and economic incentives (both good or bad) should be how we solve our problems and to make the world safer. We can’t bomb our way to what we want.

Buttigieg – I served in Afghanistan under General Dunford, way under General Dunford, (lol), we have to put an end to never ending wars. The best way to not to have an endless war is not to get into them in the first place. Proposes a 3 year sunset on all wars. Congress will have to approve the military action every 3 years. The current President treats military people as props and is letting the current vets down. Thank you for your service. I always thought it should be a requirement for applying to the highest office of the country.

Biden – Commends and thanks Buttigieg for his service. I was opposed to the surge in Afghanistan. The strategy for Afghanistan was to be counter terrorism by flying out of Pakistan. It wasn’t meant to be a regime change. Biden said he was misled in Iraq. It was a bad strategy because we didn’t have the backing of the international community and bad withdrawal plan.

Sanders – Respectfully points out the differences between Biden and himself. Sanders said he was always against the Iraqi invasion because of the devil you know… Commends Buttigieg on his service, rightfully, and that the only way to succeed is to become a global community by forging their common ground in climate change and opposition on terrorism. Feels that there should be a smart approach to fighting what ails the world, not just throwing money at it and bombing foreign countries. An action without a plan solves nothing, it only creates more problems.

Yang – Signed a pledge on ending forever wars. Thanks Pete for his service and then says all you need to lead is common sense and good moral values. We have to know our limitations and know what we can and can’t accomplish.

AMERICA LATINA/LATIN AMERICA

Sanders – Sanders gives a wry smile to the announcer when asked what is the difference between his socialism views and Maduro’s (Venezuela’s leader) socialism. Sanders begins by saying that Maduro is a vicious tyrant and we need international pressure to make sure that Venezuela has free and fair elections. Democratic Socialism and Venezuela’s form of socialism is very different. Sanders believes that Canada and Scandinavia have the right approach to healthcare. Believes that economic prosperity shouldn’t be limited to a handful of people and that prosperity should be spread around like Nutella on bread. Maybe, just maybe, we should have an economy for all of us not just for 1 percent of us.

Castro – Calls Maduro a dictator. Needs to partner up with allies and get free elections in Venezuela and has a TPS plan for Venezuelans. A Marshal plan for Central and south America should be a priority to combat China’s growing influence.

Booker – Booker states that people don’t have to follow his diet and says no and translates it into Spanish, no. A moratorium on factory farms and give more leeway to individual and independent family farming. Makes a point that veterans in this country are not be treating with respect and should be prioritized in the healthcare system, a good healthcare system.

Beto – Climate change is major issue and we can get to net zero greenhouse admissions by 2050. Free ourselves from fossil fuels.

Klobuchar – That climate change is our existential crisis of our time. We will implement all the common sense rules that were reversed by this administration.

Warren – Climate change is biggest threat of our time. We have to use all the tools in our tool box and then borrow our neighbors tools. The big money machine is why things aren’t getting it done.

Harris – Climate change is for my nieces, for our children, it must be fixed. I have taken on the big oil companies, I turned our brown skies blue. Harris is very adamant that she will get it done.

Yang – Climate change is because of greed. You have to overpower the big company money by making the peoples money more important.

EDUCATION

Yang – I’m pro good school. We need to raise teacher’s pay. Lighten up on fundamental tests. We need to emphasize family values and keep families together (Good Luck)

Mayor Pete – We need a Secretary of Education that believes in education. We need to raise teacher’s pay. Told a story of a person that wanted to be a teacher in Japan but just missed the cut, so she went on to her secondary option, she became a doctor. WHAAAATTT!! Obviously the place a great importance on teaching and who can teach. Good story, puts things into perspective.

Warren – I’m the only person that was a public school teacher. We will have Sec. of Education that was a public school teacher. Universal child care and universal pre-school, cancel school debt.

Harris – Teachers are extremely important to success. Raise school teachers wages.

Sanders – We are the wealthiest country in the world yet we have one of the highest child poverty rates. Teaches that are leaving education because they can’t ends meat. Raise Teacher’s wages. Universal pre- K. Make universities and HBCU debt free. Cancel all student debt in this country.

Biden – Let’s just say that Linsey, the debate arbitrator, does not toss softball, she plays for major league baseball, you can’t throw them any harder. Biden responds to the question of a comment he said 40 years ago about not feeling responsible for his father’s actions. Biden said, blah, bloop, bleep, what, huh, answered every question but the one presented. Answered questions from previous debates, was so flustered he answered questions from future debates, just not the one asked. I don’t care if you are Ted Williams (hispanic by the way, ok Boston), Joe DiMaggio or Babe fucking Ruth, that question would strike out anyone. Biden was seriously caught off guard and was transformed. Linsey said WHHAAAATTTT! The answer was, I was young and naive, I’m older and wiser. Nobody comes out of the womb knowing particle physics, it takes time to learn and get the right answer.

Castro – Schools are segregated because our neighborhoods are segregated. Segregation leads to institutionalized racism. Raise teacher’s wages.

Booker – I live in a black and brown neighborhood. We closed poor school and expanded good performing schools. We went from poor poverty schools to high performing schools. Holistic solution, raises wages but combat environmental issues that creates harm in students.

*If I can make a suggestion, we should keep our kids safe in those schools. Not let any willy nilly in the classrooms, from pre-k and K to 12th grade, from Hawaii and California to NJ and Maine. We don’t have build walls around the school but we should train the teachers not to let people enter classrooms and you should be facially scanned when entering, from the Parent to the President, if you are not a teacher or administrator, maybe even them. And on field trips, for fucks sake, count your kids.

RESILIENCE

Starts with a protest, some people just can’t stand resilience.

Inspirational stories that this blog would not do justice to, please watch the debate on youtube, at least this portion.

Didn’t catch any ending statements

Everyone was a winner.