On Impeachment & Wine Caves: Key Quotes From the December Democratic Debate
What do you think of the 2020 Democratic contenders?
Seven Democratic presidential candidates took the stage in Los Angeles Thursday night, one day after the (D)-controlled House impeached President Donald Trump.
There was the usual debate talk: of healthcare, of taxes, of climate change.
But there were also multiple references to a "wine cave."
Let's pop a bottle of Hall Wine and look at some of the finest quotes of the final Democratic debate of 2019...
Here are the quotes of the night from each of the contenders:
Former Vice President Joe Biden
"The middle class is getting killed. The middle class is getting crushed. The working class has no way up as a consequence of that."
Bonus quote on what would happen if Trump loses in 2020:
“With Trump out of the way, it’s not going to change things in a fundamental way,” Biden said. He added: “I refuse to accept the notion, as some on this stage do, that we can never, never get to a place where we have cooperation again. If that’s the case, then we are dead as a country."
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren
"We made the decision many years ago that rich people in smoke-filled rooms would not pick the next president of the United States. Billionaires in wine caves should not pick the next president of the United States."
- This was a dig at South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who's been taking heat for a fundraiser held in a wine cave in Napa Valley. (P.S. - Buttigieg retorted: “You know, according to Forbes magazine, I’m literally the only person on this stage who is not a millionaire or a billionaire.")
Bonus quote: The moderator noted that, if elected, Warren would be the "oldest president ever inaugurated."
"I'd also be the youngest woman ever inaugurated," Warren responded to applause.
P.S.S. - Here's the wine cave in question:
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders
Debate moderator Amna Nawaz asked Sanders about the "overwhelmingly white" presidential field. It led to one of the more interesting exchanges of the evening:
Sanders: "I'll answer that question but I wanted to get back to the issue of climate change for a moment, because I do believe this is the existential issue."
Nawaz: "Senator, with all respect, this question is about race. Can you answer the question as it was asked?"
Sanders: "Because people of color in fact are going to be the people suffering most if we do not deal with climate change. And by the way, we have an obligation up here, if there are not any of our African-American brothers and sisters up here, to speak about an economy in which African-Americans are exploited, where black women die three times at higher rates than white women, where we have a criminal justice system which is racist and broken, disproportionately made up of African-Americans and Latinos and Native Americans who are in jail."
"We need an economy that focuses on the needs of oppressed, exploited people, and that is the African-American community. "
South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg
“I know you’re supposed to say middle class and not poor in politics, but we have to talk about poverty in this country. The biggest problem in our economy is simple. People are not getting paid enough. That is not the result of some mysterious cosmic force. It’s the result of bad policy.”
Entrepreneur Andrew Yang
“It is both an honor and disappointment to be the lone candidate of color on the stage tonight. I miss Kamala and I miss Cory, although I think Cory will be back."
Referencing his proposal for a universal basic income, he added:
“The question is why am I the lone candidate of color on this stage? Fewer than 5% of Americans donate to political campaigns. You know what you need to donate to political campaigns? Disposable income. I guarantee if we had a freedom dividend of $1,000 a month, I would not be the only candidate of color on this stage tonight.”
Bonus quote on impeachment:
“We have to stop being obsessed over impeachment, which unfortunately strikes many Americans like a ball game where you know what the score is going to be, and start actually digging in and solving the problems that got Donald Trump elected in the first place."
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar
Taking aim at Buttigieg's thin electoral record:
“We should have someone heading up this ticket that has actually won and been able to show they can gather the support that you talk about — moderate Republicans and independents as well as a fired up Democratic base... I have done it three times. I think winning matters.”
Bonus reference to the wine cave:
"I came here to make a case for progress. And I have never even been to a wine cave. I have been to the wind cave in South Dakota, which I suggest you go to. So what is making a case for progress about? That is what unites us up here instead of what divides us, which is campaign finance reform."
Billionaire executive Tom Steyer
“I built a business over 30 years from scratch... My experience - building a business, understanding how to make that happen - means I can go toe to toe with Mr. Trump. I think that’s different from other people on this stage... I have a different, unconventional way of attacking a different, unconventional candidate.”
—Hundredaire executive Josh Herman
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