2019-2021 Town Halls: on Families & Children


Pete Buttigieg: Teens shouldn't worry that they will be killed at school

I got a letter from a 14-year-old saying that she's already written out a basic will. Because she's just that afraid that her next day at school might be her last. It's hard enough to be in high school without worrying about those kinds of things. And I think everybody old enough to vote or hold a position of responsibility should be handling and taking care of those things so that--so that students don't have to even begin to worry about them. I mean, this is basic.
Source: CNN Town Hall 2020 with Don Lemon Feb 24, 2020

Andrew Yang: More therapists in schools; kids very anxious these days

We need to invest in therapists at the high school level. The mental health crisis we're seeing among young people spiked when we got smart phones and social media apps. Today, if you're 12, you close the door, you feel like your classmates are still in the room with you because you can take out your phone and see what they're talking about every moment.

We have to stop pretending that there's normal and then there are people in this category of special needs and autistic because it's the new normal. If you intervene with the right resources at the right stage of development of many of these children, you can actually make a world of difference. And this is the kind of thing where this investment can yield dividends for decades. We should making those investments in our kids right now.

Source: CNN Town Hall 2020: Presidential/NYC Mayoral race Feb 5, 2020

Amy Klobuchar: Churches & agencies should follow law on gay rights

Q: Evangelicals are claiming being forced to do business with gay people infringes upon their religious freedom. Isn't our religious freedom being violated by those who wish to discriminate against us?

KLOBUCHAR: First of all, our Constitution has been founded on a separation of church and state. And we can have different faiths in this country, but the law rules. And the law rules when it comes to discrimination and all kinds of other things. And I can just tell you that I will appoint Supreme Court justices that understand that.

Q: Should the federal government give funding to any religious nonprofit organizations that opposes same-sex marriage, for example, an adoption agency that won't work with LGBTQ parents?

KLOBUCHAR: I think that you have got to have agencies that follow the law. And that's one of the reasons that I want to pass the Equality Act. I think that's really important. And I also think that you've got to recognize adoption for gay families.

Source: CNN LGBT Town Hall 2020 Oct 10, 2019

Amy Klobuchar: Make it easier for LGBTQ couples to adopt

I head up the Adoption Caucus in the U.S. Senate and did a lot of work on this topic when I was county attorney to speed up adoptions. And there are so many loving gay, LGBTQ couples that want to adopt kids, and we should make it easier and not harder.
Source: CNN LGBT Town Hall 2020 Oct 10, 2019

Marianne Williamson: Need a cabinet department to focus on children and youth

We have millions of American children who go to school every day in schools that do not even have the adequate school supplies with which to teach 8-year-old to read. If they can't read, the chances of high school graduation, it's drastically diminished, and the chances of incarceration is drastically increased. We should rescue these children, no differently than we would rescue them from a natural disaster. We need a United States cabinet-level Department of Children and Youth.
Source: CNN Town Hall 2020 Democratic primary Apr 14, 2019

  • The above quotations are from 2020 Presidential Primary CNN Town Halls.
  • Click here for definitions & background information on Families & Children.
  • Click here for other issues (main summary page).
  • Click here for more quotes by Bernie Sanders on Families & Children.
  • Click here for more quotes by Pete Buttigieg on Families & Children.
2020 Presidential contenders on Families & Children:
  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: Apr 07, 2021