June Democratic candidates debate in Miami FL: on Government Reform


Kirsten Gillibrand: Publicly-funded elections address many other social issues

Sen. Kirsten GILLIBRAND: Until you go to the root of the [political] corruption, the money in politics, the fact that Washington is run by the special interests, you are never going to solve any of these problems. I have the most comprehensive approach, that experts agree is the most transformative plan to actually take on political corruption, to get money out of politics through publicly funded elections, to have clean elections. If we do that and get money out of politics, we can guarantee health care as a right, not a privilege, we can deal with institutional racism, we can take on income inequality, and we can take on the corporate corruption that runs Washington.

Former Vice President Joe BIDEN: And the first constitutional amendment to do that was introduced by me when I was young senator.

Source: June Democratic Primary debate (second night in Miami) Jun 27, 2019

Michael Bennet: Overcome structural corruption in voting rights

Q:Will a Democratic president in 2021 make is going to magically disappear?

Bennet: Gridlock will not magically disappear as long as Mitch McConnell is there. That's why it is important for us to win the Senate as well. We need to end gerrymandering. We need to overturn Citizens United. The attack on voting rights in Shelby v. Holder is something we need to deal with. We face structural problems that we have to overcome. We need to expand people's right to get to the polls.

Source: June Democratic Primary debate (second night in Miami) Jun 27, 2019

Michael Bennet: Change corruption in DC; restore relationships with allies

We have to restore our democracy at home. We have a president who doesn't believe in the rule of law, in freedom of the press, in an independent judiciary. He believes in the corruption that he's brought to Washington.

We've got to restore the relationships that he's destroyed with our allies, not just in Europe. When you've got a president who says something happened and the world doesn't know whether to believe it, that is a huge problem when it comes to national security.

Source: June Democratic Primary debate (second night in Miami) Jun 27, 2019

Beto O`Rourke: New voting rights: automatic & same-day voter registration

Right now, we have a system that favors those who can pay for access and outcomes. That's how you explain an economy that is rigged to corporations and to the very wealthiest. A $2 trillion tax cut that favored corporations while they were sitting on record piles of cash and the very wealthiest in this country at a time of historic wealth inequality.

[SPEAKING IN SPANISH]: We need to include every person in the success of this economy. But if we want to do this we need to include every person in our democracy. Each vote, each voter needs the representation, and every voice needs to listen.

[SPEAKING IN ENGLISH]: [We need] a new democracy that is revived because we've returned power to the people, no PACs, no gerrymandering, automatic and same-day voter registration to bring in more voters, and a new Voting Rights Act to get rid of the barriers that are in place now. That's how we each have a voice in our democracy and make this economy work for everybody.

Source: June Democratic Primary debate (first night in Miami) Jun 26, 2019

  • The above quotations are from NBC News, "Decision 2020," the Democratic candidates debate,
    live from the Adrienne Arsht Performing Arts Center in Miami, Florida, June 26-27, 2019..
  • Click here for definitions & background information on Government Reform.
  • Click here for other issues (main summary page).
  • Click here for more quotes by Kamala Harris on Government Reform.
  • Click here for more quotes by Joe Biden on Government Reform.
2020 Presidential contenders on Government Reform:
  Democrats running for President:
Sen.Michael Bennet (D-CO)
V.P.Joe Biden (D-DE)
Mayor Mike Bloomberg (I-NYC)
Gov.Steve Bullock (D-MT)
Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D-IN)
Sen.Cory Booker (D-NJ)
Secy.Julian Castro (D-TX)
Gov.Lincoln Chafee (L-RI)
Rep.John Delaney (D-MD)
Rep.Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI)
Sen.Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
Gov.Deval Patrick (D-MA)
Sen.Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
CEO Tom Steyer (D-CA)
Sen.Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
Marianne Williamson (D-CA)
CEO Andrew Yang (D-NY)

2020 Third Party Candidates:
Rep.Justin Amash (L-MI)
CEO Don Blankenship (C-WV)
Gov.Lincoln Chafee (L-RI)
Howie Hawkins (G-NY)
Gov.Gary Johnson(L-NM)
Howard Schultz(I-WA)
Gov.Jesse Ventura (I-MN) 		Republicans running for President:
Sen.Ted Cruz(R-TX)
Gov.Larry Hogan (R-MD)
Gov.John Kasich(R-OH)
V.P.Mike Pence(R-IN)
Gov.Mark Sanford (R-SC)
Pres.Donald Trump(R-NY)
Rep.Joe Walsh (R-IL)
Gov.Bill Weld(R-MA & L-NY)

2020 Withdrawn Democratic Candidates:
Sen.Stacey Abrams (D-GA)
Mayor Bill de Blasio (D-NYC)
Sen.Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
Sen.Mike Gravel (D-AK)
Sen.Kamala Harris (D-CA)
Gov.John Hickenlooper (D-CO)
Gov.Jay Inslee (D-WA)
Mayor Wayne Messam (D-FL)
Rep.Seth Moulton (D-MA)
Rep.Beto O`Rourke (D-TX)
Rep.Tim Ryan (D-CA)
Adm.Joe Sestak (D-PA)
Rep.Eric Swalwell (D-CA)
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Page last updated: Dec 01, 2021