S2 EP 4: Discussing Round 2 of the Democratic Presidential Debates

In this episode, we discuss last week’s second round of the Democratic Presidential Debates. How were they different from the first round? Who did well? Who did poorly? Who has a lot more work to do? Have the tiers moved, and is there anyone new that could actually win the Democratic nomination?

Segment 1: What Issues Were Discussed and Not Discussed? Healthcare, Medicare for All, the Public Option, Private Insurance Immigration, De-Criminalizing the Border, Seeking Asylum vs. Breaking the law Gun Violence/Criminal Justice/Prison Reform/Police Reform/Law and Order/Rehabilitation The Racial Divide in the US/Trump’s Rhetoric Climate Change/Climate Crisis Tariffs, Trade Policy, NAFTA 2.0 Winning Michigan and the Midwest Student Loan Debt Wage Growth, Pay Inequality, Taxes on the Wealthy Foreign Policy, Afghanistan, Iran Nuclear Agreement, North Korea, Policing the World Impeaching Trump, Obstruction of Justice, Mueller Report Segment 2: How Was the Mood Different from the Miami Debates? Bernie, Warren, strong liberal policies being defended Joe Biden referencing his accomplishments with Obama Political strategy and fears of Republican attacks discussed in open Was 3 hours long vs. 2 hours in Miami, more time Segment 3: Who Won the Debates? Night 1 – Warren/Sanders vs. The rest Night 2 – New vs. Obama Segment 4: Who “Lost”? Dave – Courtney – Ryan - Segment 5: Who’s Making the Next Round and What’s Next? As of now, there are eight candidates that are eligible for the next debates in Houston on September 12th and 13th hosted by ABC News. Requirements for September Debates: Polling: Receive 2% support or higher in four different polls between June 28th and August 28th. Polls can be conducted nationally or in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and/or Nevada. Donors: Need support of at least 130,000 unique donors, including 400 unique donors per state in at least 20 states. Current eligible candidates: Joe Biden Cory Booker Pete Buttigieg Kamala Harris Amy Klobuchar Beto O’Rourke Bernie Sanders Elizabeth Warren Close, but not there yet: Andrew Yang – Has donors, 2% on 3 of 4 polls. Julian Castro – Has donors, 2% on 3 of 4 polls. Tulsi Gabbard – Has donors, 2% on 1 of 4 polls. Tom Steyer – No on donors, 2% on 2 of 4 polls John Hickenlooper – No on donors, 2% on 1 of 4 polls All other candidates haven’t reached above 2% in any qualifying polls. If a candidate does not qualify for the September debates, what should they do next? Segment 6: Is There Any Real Daylight Between the Candidates on Policy? Obviously, there were a ton of issues covered over the two nights…What stood out to you? Anything different than the last round of debates? Again, Vox has a good breakdown from the left of who won/lost. Did these debates change your perception of which candidates could defeat President Trump next November? Segment 7: Looking Ahead to the 2020 Election Calendar The Iowa Caucuses will take place on Monday, February 3rd, followed by the New Hampshire Primary on Tuesday the 11th. The Nevada Caucuses take place on Saturday February 22nd, and the South Carolina Primary on Saturday the 29th. Super Tuesday, when Colorado will vote along with a significant portion of the country – including California and Texas – is Tuesday, March 3rd. Segment 8: Wrap Up We have a survey regarding TABOR coming out soon. Gun control likely to lead as a top issue after El Paso, Dayton and Gilroy shootings Thanks for listening, please give us a good rating,