8th Democratic Primary Debate: on Civil Rights


Andrew Yang: You can't regulate away racism with race-specific laws

Mayor Pete Buttigieg discussed racism broadly, [when asked about specifics of racist police actions in his hometown]. Warren replied, "It's important to own up to the facts about how race has totally permeated our criminal justice system," she said.

Warren referenced her housing plan, saying that the United States needs to "start having race-conscious laws."

"It was the policy of the United States of America to discriminate against African Americans and any other people of color for buying homes until 1965," she said. "You can't just repeal that and say, 'Okay, now everything is even.' It's not."

Yang then jumped into the discussion, saying that "you can't regulate away racism with a whole patchwork of new laws that are race specific."

Source: CNBC.com excerpts of 8th Democrat 2020 primary debate Feb 8, 2020

Andrew Yang: Provide buying power to black and brown communities

You can't regulate away racism with a patchwork of laws that are race-specific. Martin Luther King was championing a guaranteed minimum income for all Americans of $1000 a month or more that would end up reshaping our economy in communities of color, make it so that black net worth is not 10% of white net worth.
Source: 8th Democrat 2020 primary debate, St. Anselm College in NH Feb 7, 2020

Bernie Sanders: We have a racist society from top to bottom

We have a racist society from top to bottom impacting healthcare, housing, criminal justice, education, you name it. But in terms of criminal justice, what we have got to do is understand the system is broken, is racist. We invest in jobs and education, not more jails and incarceration. We end the war on drugs, which has disproportionately impacted African Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans. We end private prisons and detention centers in America.
Source: 8th Democrat 2020 primary debate, St. Anselm College in NH Feb 7, 2020

Tom Steyer: Tell the story of slavery and injustice, leading to policy

Out of narrative comes policy. Everyone's saying we can't have rules that are different for different people, but in fact we're here because we had rules that are different for different people. I would set up a commission on race to retell the story of the last 400 years in America of systematic racism against African Americans, not just legal discrimination, injustice, and cruelty, but also the contribution that the African American community has made to America.
Source: 8th Democrat 2020 primary debate, St. Anselm College in NH Feb 7, 2020

  • The above quotations are from Feb. 7, 2020- Democratic Debate (8th Debate).
  • Click here for definitions & background information on Civil Rights.
  • Click here for other issues (main summary page).
  • Click here for more quotes by Mike Bloomberg on Civil Rights.
  • Click here for more quotes by Deval Patrick on Civil Rights.
2020 Presidential contenders on Civil Rights:
  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: Mar 23, 2020