2020 Democratic Primaries - Hot Off the Press Winter 19/20
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2020 Democratic Primaries
Hot Off the Press
Winter 19/20Hot Off the Press Democratic Primaries Contents 1 Candidates 3 1.1 Joe Biden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 1.2 Michael Bloomberg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 1.3 Pete Buttigieg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 1.4 Amy Klobuchar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 1.5 Bernie Sanders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 1.6 Tom Steyer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 1.7 Elizabeth Warren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 1.8 Andrew Yang . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 2 Additional (optional) Reading 12 2.1 Useful Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 2.2 Iowa Debate (January 2020) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 2020-01-29 2 Annika Elstermann
Hot Off the Press Democratic Primaries
1 Candidates
“a pleasant man who, without any
important qualifications, would very
much like to be president”
Walter Lippmann
on Franklin D. Roosevelt
(1932)
The following pages include an overview of the candidates who are currently still running, who
are polling high enough to be relevant contenders, and/or who have otherwise had a notable
presence in the media (thereby excluding Michael Bennet, John Delaney, Tulsi Gabbard, and
Deval Patrick). This is meant to provide some orientation on names, backgrounds, and key
issues for the presentation and discussion. Each page includes links to two campaign ads, all of
which are very short, and which help to get an impression of the messaging and public image
these candidates and their campaigns want to project.
Other information (what are the Primaries, how do debates work, self-fashioning of candidates,
etc.) will be covered in the presentation – in segments, and primarily as we need it to facilitate
the discussion.
2020-01-29 3 Annika ElstermannHot Off the Press Democratic Primaries
1.1 Joe Biden
Basic Info and Background
• * 1942 (77)
• University of Delaware (history and political science), Syracuse University College of Law
• Senator (DE) (1973-2009)
• Vice President to Barack Obama (2009-2017)
• unsuccessful runs for presidential nomination 1988 and 2008
• slogan: “Our best days still lie ahead”
• campaign website: www.joebiden.com
• example campaign ads: “Threat” (electability ad); “Coming Together as a Nation”
Key Issues
• focus on middle-class America
• claims a highly progressive voting record, but holds many moderate/centrist positions
• anti-Trump platform (“We are in a battle for the soul of America”; see also “Soul of
America” campaign ad)
Controversies and Criticism
• allegations of non-consensual physical contact
• self-professed “gaffe machine”; countless small verbal missteps
• Trump-Ukraine-scandal: Hunter Biden, Burisma Holdings, corruption allegations
• accused of relying too much on his reputation from the Obama administration, with lack
of original policies etc. to establish his position (see also “Who He Is” campaign ad –
note that Obama has not endorsed any candidate, including Biden)
• repeatedly claimed opposition against the war in Iraq “from the start” in spite of initially
supporting it
Funding and Support
• total raised in Q3 2019: $15.7 million
• ca. 1/3 from maximum amount ($2,800) donors
• well-connected with key Democratic donors
• 31% of funds from small (< $200) donations
2020-01-29 4 Annika ElstermannHot Off the Press Democratic Primaries
1.2 Michael Bloomberg
Basic Info and Background
• * 1942 (77)
• Johns Hopkins University (electrical engineering), Harvard Business School (MBA)
• billionaire; “Self-Made Job Creator” (mikebloomberg.com)
• Wall Street; financial analytic technology for investment firms
• CEO of Bloomberg LP with interruptions for political office (resigned 2019)
• former mayor of NYC (2002-2013)
• former registered Republican (2001-2007)
• slogan: “Mike will get it done.”
• campaign website: www.mikebloomberg.com
• example campaign ads: “Rebuild America”; “Worked”
Key Issues
• moderate
• finds progressive proposals such as Medicare for All or Green New Deal unrealistic (either
in passing or implementing them)
• strengthen middle class
• “universal access to affordable health care”, retaining private insurance, no single-payer
system
• focus on defeating Trump
Controversies and Criticism
• discriminatory “stop and frisk” police strategy during his time as mayor
• accused of using essentially limitless funds to “buy” election (unprecedented spending
for ads raising costs of ad space for other candidates etc.)
Funding and Support
• entirely self-financed, no outside donations
• plans to skip early primary states to focus on states with more delegates (e.g. California)
• has already spent $217 million on TV and internet ads
2020-01-29 5 Annika ElstermannHot Off the Press Democratic Primaries
1.3 Pete Buttigieg
Basic Info and Background
• * 1982 (38)
• pronounced “boot-edge-edge”
• studied at Harvard (history, literature) and Oxford (philosophy, politics, economics),
Rhodes Scholar
• 2007-2010: consultant at McKinsey
• veteran (deployed to Afghanistan for seven months in 2014)
• would be the first openly gay president
• Mayor of South Bend, Indiana 2012-2020
• slogan: “It’s time for a new generation of American leadership”; “Win the Era”
• campaign website: www.peteforamerica.com
• example campaign ads: “Sun Comes Up”; “Our Shared Duty”
Key Issues
• centrist, very few progressive positions
• supports “democratic capitalism”, hopes for generational change in politics
• medicare “for all who want it” (see also “Your Choice” campaign ad)
Controversies and Criticism
• racial discrimination issues in South Bend police department
• missteps on racial matters, continuous failure to connect to black voters
• ethical concerns over work at McKinsey
• lack of DC experience
Funding and Support
• total raised in Q3 2019: $19.2 million
• 45% of funds from small (< $200) donations
• criticised for “wine cave” fundraisers for wealthy donors
2020-01-29 6 Annika ElstermannHot Off the Press Democratic Primaries 1.4 Amy Klobuchar Basic Info and Background • * 1960 (59) • Yale University (political science), University of Chicago Law School • corporate lawyer, prosecutor • elected Hennepin County Attorney (1999-2007) • US Senator (MN) since 2013 • slogan: “Let’s get to work” • campaign website: www.amyklobuchar.com • example campaign ads: “All of America”; “This Time” Key Issues • pragmatic moderate • incremental rather than sweeping changes • affordable health care; reduce costs of prescription drugs • “defeat Trump”; rollbacks of many Trump policies • curb gun violence and domestic terrorism Controversies and Criticism • allegations of staff mistreatment, lashing out, creating a hostile work environment • moderate stance combined with a low profile makes it hard to stand out Funding and Support • total raised in Q3 2019: $4.8 million • donation network from Senate campaigns • has increased fundraising efforts significantly in recent months • 49% of funds from small (< $200) donations 2020-01-29 7 Annika Elstermann
Hot Off the Press Democratic Primaries
1.5 Bernie Sanders
Basic Info and Background
• * 1941 (78)
• University of Chicago (political science); member of Young People’s Socialist League
• civil rights and antiwar activism in the 1960s/70s
• variety of jobs in New York and rural Vermont in the early 1970s
• Mayor of Burlington, Vermont (1981-1989)
• US Representative (1991-2007)
• US Senator (VT) since 2007
• slogan: “Not Me. Us.”
• campaign website: www.berniesanders.com
• example campaign ads: “Big Us”; “Fights for Us”
Key Issues
• self-proclaimed democratic socialist
• single-payer Medicare for All
• tuition-free public colleges and universities
• cancel student loan debt
• renewable energy
• increase union membership and expand federal protection for workers
• wealth tax
• Wall Street reform
Controversies and Criticism
• breaking the quasi-truce between his and Elizabeth Warren’s campaign with attack
talking points for volunteers
• firm position at the political fringe means a thin track record of teamwork and compromise,
and thus few legislative accomplishments
• political revolution of his rhetoric not necessarily within the scope of the executive branch
Funding and Support
• total raised in Q3 2019: $28 million
• 60% of funds from small (< $200) donations
• strong grassroots infrastructure and online support
2020-01-29 8 Annika ElstermannHot Off the Press Democratic Primaries
1.6 Tom Steyer
Basic Info and Background
• * 1957 (62)
• Yale University (economics and political science), Stanford Graduate School of Business
(MBA)
• hedge fund billionaire
• frequent political donor, liberal activist
• fundraising for Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and others
• slogan: “Actions Speak Louder Than Words”
• campaign website: www.tomsteyer.com
• example campaign ads: “Democracy Agenda”; “Trump is a Fraud”
Key Issues
• structural reform of American democracy (Congressional term limits, voting access, etc.)
• climate change (see also “Together, We Make Change Happen” campaign ad)
• against corporate money in politics (on issues like environmental regulations, opioid
crisis, etc.)
• strongly supports wealth tax
Controversies and Criticism
• using private wealth to fund a political campaign is (ideologically) inherently undemocratic,
particularly when linked with allegations of trying to buy endorsements
• actions (political donations, funding his own campaign) are somewhat at odds with his
anti-corporate-money stance
• parts of his investment profits are from fossil fuels, which clashes with climate change
activist platform
Funding and Support
• total raised in Q3 2019: $49.6 million
• overwhelmingly self-funded campaign (96%)
• of the remaining 4% (ca $2 million): 72% from small (< $200) donations
2020-01-29 9 Annika ElstermannHot Off the Press Democratic Primaries
1.7 Elizabeth Warren
Basic Info and Background
• * 1949 (70)
• University of Houston (speech pathology and audiology), Rutgers Law School at Rutgers
University–Newark.
• lecturer/professor at various law schools & universities; focus on bankruptcy, personal
finance, consumer protection
• former registered Republican (1991-1996)
• worked on establishing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau under Obama
• campaigned for Clinton in 2016
• US Senator (MA) since 2013
• slogan: “Dream Big, Fight Hard”
• campaign website: www.elizabethwarren.com
• example campaign ads: “Elizabeth Warren has a plan for student debt”; “Dream Big,
Fight Hard”
Key Issues
• overall progressive
• Wall Street critic
• tax the wealthy & use that funding for universal childcare, cancel student loan debt,
support Green New Deal and Medicare for All
• comprehensive criminal justice reform
• strengthen workers through “Accountable Capitalism”
• universal free access to college education
Controversies and Criticism
• some authenticity issues in the past (e.g. claims of Native American ancestry)
• concerns that she is too radical for centrists, not radical enough for leftists, especially
Sanders’ supporters (“progressive pragmatist”)
• clash with Bernie Sanders over alleged sexist remarks
Funding and Support
• total raised in Q3 2019: $24.7 million
• 60% of funds from small (< $200) donations
2020-01-29 10 Annika ElstermannHot Off the Press Democratic Primaries
1.8 Andrew Yang
Basic Info and Background
• * 1975 (45)
• parents immigrated from Taiwan
• educated at Brown University and Columbia Law School
• corporate attorney, vice president of a healthcare start-up, CEO of a test-prep company
• 2015: “Presidential Ambassador of Global Entrepreneurship”
• no political experience
• slogan: “Make America Think Harder” (MATH)
• campaign website: www.yang2020.com
• example campaign ads: “Powerful”; “Headlines”
Key Issues
• “Freedom Dividend” (Yang’s central campaign talking point)
– universal basic income (UBI): unconditional payment of $1,000 per month to U.S.
citizens over the age of 18
– technological improvements, automation, etc. lead to job losses; UBI is supposed
to help bridge the gap for displaced workers as working conditions shift.
– “universal basic income is necessary for the continuation of capitalism through
the wave of automation and worker displacement. Markets need consumers to
sell things to. UBI is capitalism with a floor that people cannot fall beneath.”
(yang2020.com)
• Human-centred capitalism
– “We need to move to a new form of capitalism – Human Capitalism – that’s geared
towards maximizing human well-being and fulfillment.” (yang2020.com)
Controversies and Criticism
• lack of political experience
• UBI fails to address underlying structural issues of inequality
Funding and Support
• total raised in Q3 2019: $9.9 million
• 66% of funds from small (< $200) donations
2020-01-29 11 Annika ElstermannHot Off the Press Democratic Primaries
2 Additional (optional) Reading
2.1 Useful Resources
www.270towin.com/2020-election-calendar
2020 election calendar
www.politico.com/2020-election/candidates-views-on-the-issues
Lists a number of issues from different fields (from criminal justice and education
to health care, technology, and trade) and where individual candidates stand on
them. This is nothing to read from start to finish, but interesting to click through.
www.politico.com/2020-election/president/democratic-primary/candidates/fundraising-and-
campaign-finance-tracker; www.npr.org/2019/04/16/711812314/tracking-the-money-race-
behind-the-presidential-campaign
Politico and NPR fundraising & spending overviews for Q3 2019 (Q4 2019 will
not be filed until the end of January), also includes numbers for Q1 and Q2
2.2 Iowa Debate (January 2020)
www.politico.com/news/2020/01/14/2020-democratic-debate-biggest-moments-098962
www.npr.org/2020/01/15/796476044/4-takeaways-from-the-final-democratic-debate-before-
the-iowa-caucuses
Iowa debate recaps
www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7zc_DSnl0w
Washington Post: “The Iowa Democratic debate, in 5 minutes”
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/11/11/everything-you-need-know-about-next-
democratic-debate
Washington Post: Debates overview (with a lot of links to articles about previous
debates)
2020-01-29 12 Annika ElstermannYou can also read
