The second night of the first 2020 Democratic Party presidential debates featured harsh words for President Donald Trump and contentious discussions about the future of America.
It also featured some lighthearted moments.
One funny interaction occurred when former Vice President Joe Biden reacted to the hand gestures of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT).
Watch:
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) exchanged jabs with former Vice President Joe Biden after she accused him of of joining with segregationists to oppose bussing for students at the second Democratic presidential debate.
"I couldn’t agree more that this is an issue that is still not being talked about truthfully and there is not a black man I know, be he a relative, a friend or a coworker who has not been the subject of profiling or discrimination," Harris said on the issue of race. "My sister and I had to deal with the neighbor whose parents told her she couldn’t play with us because we were black."
She then turned to Biden.
"I do not believe you are a racist and I agree with you when you commit yourself to the importance of finding common ground," Harris stated. "But I also believe and it’s personal and it was hurtful to hear you talk about the reputations of two United States senators who built their reputations and career on the segregation of race in this country."
"It was not only that, but you also worked with them to oppose bussing," she continued. "There was a little girl in California who was part of the second class to integrate her public schools and she was bussed to school every day. That little girl was me."
Biden accused Harris of a "mischaracterization of my position across the board."
"I do not praise racists," he explained. "That is not true. Number one. Number two, if we want to have this litigated on who supports civil rights, I’m happy to do that. I was a public defender. I was not a prosecutor. I left a good firm to become a public defender. When in fact my city was in flame because of the assassination of Dr. King."
Watch the entire exchange below.
Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) received praise on Thursday for shutting down a squabble amongst the other candidates during the second night of the Democratic Party debate.
"America does not want a food fight. They want to know how you're going to put food on their table," Harris said, to applause.
The candidate was quickly praised online for the exchange.
Here are some of the reactions:
MSNBC anchor Savannah Guthrie shut down Sen. Kirstin Gillibrand (D-NY) during the second night of the first Democratic Party debates.
"The debate we are having in our party right now is confusing because the truth is there is a big difference between capitalism on the one hand and greed on the other," Gillibrand explained. "So all the things we are trying to change, is when companies care more about profits than about people."
"If you are talking about ending gun violence, it’s the greed of the NRA and the gun manufacturers that make any progress impossible. It’s the greed of the insurance companies and the drug companies -- when we want to try to get health care as a right and not a privilege," she continued.
"Sen. Gillibrand, thank you," Guthrie interrupted.
"There may not be disagreement in the party, we want healthy capitalism," Gillibrand continued.
"We don't corrupted capitalism," Gillibrand added.
Watch:
On Thursday, ahead of the second round of Democratic presidential debates, MSNBC contributor and GOP strategist Rick Wilson warned Democrats not to fogus too much on their policy proposals to the exclusion of President Donald Trump — because hatred of Trump is a massive driver of voter enthusiasm.
"The Democratic base in 2018 showed us one thing: they will crawl over broken glass to support people who vote against Donald Trump," said Wilson. "2020 is a referendum on Trump. That's what this election is. It's a referendum on Trump. You can either beat Trump or not. If you're the guy that gets on the stage and proves the Democratic base that you can kick Trump's ample backside, you're going to be in a much better position than if you have a 7,000 page policy document about, you know, whatever the most-woke set of proposals are."
"This is a race about Trump," said Wilson. "It is a referendum on Trump. It is not about the Democratic, you know, policy sweep. It is about whether you can beat Donald Trump. The person that can show that onstage, I think, is going to be at a serious advantage in this race."
Watch below:
On Thursday, MSNBC's Joy Reid discussed the Supreme Court's rubber-stamp of partisan gerrymandering with Brian Williams — and warned Democrats that this is all part of a long game to cement absolute right-wing power.
"The Republican Party and Democratic Party are so different," said Reid. "One is shortsightedness versus very, very farsightedness. Republicans plan decades in advance how they're going to deal with the demographic changes they know are coming, as they understand that they're the minority party and they plan accordingly. I call the 2010 election the Armageddon election. You have a midterm where you have lower voting rates among people of color combined with the census that is a recipe for disaster for Democrats. If that was Armageddon, this is Armageddon 2.0, like the zombies are coming when it's over."
"If Democrats don't win in 2020, you just had the John Roberts Supreme Court say you can gerrymander as long as you call it partisan rather than racial," continued Reid. "I think a bit of a strategic mistake by those who brought the suit, they had been winning on race. When racial gerrymandering happened in North Carolina, Democrats were winning those court cases going away. Because if you gerrymander based on race, it's obviously unconstitutional. They were able to tuck it under and John Roberts who has never been a friend of the voting rights act since his days in the Reagan administration, that was the opening to gut further. Which is how you engineer minority rule."
"When Republicans and white Americans become the minority, they can still rule this country," Reid concluded. "Don't think that because there are more people of color and liberal white people that that majority will rule. We're already at minority rule. And if they're able to gerrymander ten more years of absolute power, what do Democrats think they're going to do with it? Mitch McConnell has already said on this immigration bill at the border, you know what you can pass? What I tell you can pass. Mitch McConnell runs this country, and Mitch McConnell wants one thing, control of the courts. Democrats, get it together. If they control the courts, they control this country, and there is nothing you can do about it. You better vote on it."
Watch below:
The second Democratic Debate will air Thursday evening as the next 10 candidates take the stage to discuss the top issues for the 2020 election.
Just 16 months before election day, the debates kick off a grueling season of policy arguments while President Donald Trump watches on, making his own quips on Twitter.
Thursday's debate will feature Former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Kamala Harris and Mayor Pete Buttigieg, to name a few.
You can watch the debate on television at NBC, MSNBC and Telemundo, or livestream it on YouTube and Twitter. Or, you could simply watch it right here at RawStory in the video below:
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) told CNN's Jake Tapper Thursday that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is trying to ram through a bill that does nothing more than fund more military on the U.S.-Mexico border.
The House passed their version of a bill for humanitarian aid to get soap and supplies to children on the border, but it was denied by the Senate. McConnell then pushed through his own bill, which AOC said plays on the fact that members are trying to get back to their districts for Independence Day celebrations. She said she's willing to stay and get it right.
"As you know, the news just came down. I haven't had the opportunity to look at the Senate version. However, I will say I would only support this type of funding if there are strong enough guardrails, strong enough measures so that the administration has to use any money that's appropriated specifically to improve the living conditions of the children who are being impacted by this detention," the freshman congresswoman told Tapper.
She said that the first thing she hopes they do is end detentions entirely but until that is done, she at least wants to get supplies to the border.
"We need to end this detention. I also recognize that we want to make sure that children have what they need," she went on. "The problem is that this administration has a habit and a pattern of taking money that was meant to be spent in one way, and using it in another way."
Her example was the billion-dollar appropriation he was given for border security that he used to build a small piece of his wall.
"So I understand the concern very much that, you know, you need to be sure that there are enough guard rails in place that they could take this money that's supposed to do go to the living conditions of children and spend it in another way, and they need to accelerate getting these children out of these facilities and into the homes of relatives that live in the United States, or care givers in their homes that will be better living conditions. We don't want to prolong children living in these types of conditions," she explained.
"I believe what we should ideally be doing is passing a pure humanitarian bill to get money straight to the kids," she told Tapper. "No tricks, no riders, no poison pills. Toothpaste, tooth brushes, soap and make sure the kids are protected as well as having the resources funded. The fact this is even a game is frankly a huge, huge disappointment."
She said she believes a bill like that would pass.
Watch her full comments below:
Disgraced former Republican Congressman Aaron Schock was recently spotted slipping cash inside of the tight underpants of a Mexico City "go-go dancer" in a gay bar over the weekend.
The Daily Mail reported the incident with photos and videos showing the 38-year-old Illinois politician in Boy Bar, described as an "LGBTQ dive bar" in the Red light District.
Schock was forced to resign in 2015 after using taxpayer dollars to fund lavish vacations with his personal photographer. The issues arose when Schock's office became famous because he modeled the decor after the popular BBC show "Downton Abbey," which was also paid for by taxpayer funds.
According to Politico, Schock was charged with "24 felony counts alleging that he fleeced taxpayers and campaign donors through false expense claims, including inflated mileage reimbursements, personal travel expenses and camera gear — and by using campaign funds to buy Super Bowl tickets that he sold online."
Schock was indicted and set to face the music but in March suddenly prosecutors dropped the charges. The deal had Schock pleading guilty to a misdemeanor.
The person who captured the video told the Daily Mail that he was surprised to see Schock there given he was a supporter of anti-gay policies.
"The last person I would expect to see in Boy Bar is a former Republican congressman," the person said. "I was taking a video of the go-go dancer on stage and all of a sudden I saw him. He looked like he was enjoying himself."
Schock was photographed in Mexico City the day before at the National Museum of Anthropology's cafe.
You can see the video below:
Former Donald Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort appeared in court Thursday for arraignment, and the court crowd was quick to heckle him.
Manafort was charged by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. for a series of felony charges surrounding mortgage fraud, conspiracy and falsifying business records in New York.
The former international consultant was known for being a snazzy dresser with expensive suits and a $15,000 ostrich jacket. Today, Manafort appeared tired and worn with shaggy hair that had turned gray. The 70-year-old Trump loyalist showed up in handcuffs, dressed in his navy prison uniform.
The long-time Republican walked down the court halls surrounded by police and lawyers. Cell phone cameras were raised to film the perp-walk and the silence was broken by the dozens of photographer shutters clicking.
"Traitor!" one person was heard yelling. In the video uploaded by Washington Post reporter Philip Bump, a uniformed officer could be seen whipping around to look back at who may have shouted, but the group continued to walk.
See the video below:
MSNBC host Ali Velshi irked Democratic presidential candidate John Delaney over the Medicare for All debate.
During the Democratic Debate Wednesday night, Delaney attacked fellow candidates for saying that they should end private insurance while delivering healthcare for every American through Medicare or Medicaid.
"If you go to most Americans healthcare is their number one issue, like our seniors, the gentleman from Kaiser talked about Medicare Advantage," Delaney said. "That is private insurance. Half of our seniors are selecting it. Imagine how we’re going to do in the 2020 election if we go out to the seniors in this country and say Medicare advantage which you’ve selected and obviously like and they are selecting it in huge numbers, it’s now illegal. None will vote for the Democrats, why would they? It’s the most important thing in their life."
Velshi said that as a Canadian he agrees that Sen. Bernie Sanders' plan is the one that most developed countries are using and it's the best version.
"A French hospital and a Swiss hospital do not get different rates based on the way in which a person is insured," said Velshi. "So your argument about rates is an interesting argument and Larry suggests its right, but the idea that you’re pinning that on weirdness on Bernie Sanders, I’m just telling you 54 other countries have it. Every other OECD country has some form of universality in which everybody’s rates are paid at the same level."
"I’m sorry, but you are wrong about that," Delaney said. "They have universal healthcare but they don’t have a single-payer system. Medicare for all is a single-payer system."
"No it’s not," Velshi said.
"Yes, it is!" Delaney shot back.
"It’s not. It’s an insurance system," Velshi said.
"Medicare for All is not an insurance system," Delaney said.
"It is an insurance system," Velshi explained. "Medicare is an insurance payment that reimburses something that’s charged. That’s not how single-payer system works. That’s not how the UK works or the how the Canadian system works."
Delaney then devolved into a discussion about the differences between Medicare and Medicare Advantage and the chaos ensued.
Watch the heated debate below:
Part 1:
Part 2:
During a Wednesday night appearance on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., poked fun at two of the Democrats during the first 2020 debate who broke into Spanish while answering questions — and shared her observations about the winners and losers of the night.
"I loved it, because I represent the Bronx. There was a lot of Spanglish in the building," Ocasio-Cortez joked when discussing how Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey and former Rep. Beto O'Rourke of Texas answered some of their questions in Spanish. "I thought it was humorous sometimes, at times. Especially because sometimes the content of the question, I thought people were just going to start saying — "
At that point, Ocasio-Cortez said the Spanish sentence that translates to: "I will not give you an answer to your question." She then added, "But it was good. I thought it was a good gesture to the fact that we are a diverse country — so that's good."
Of the sheer number of candidates on the debate stage — there will be ten in total on each of the two nights — Ocasio-Cortez said, "I think — sometimes with a debate stage this big, it can kind of seem like a high school classroom. And so there are some folks that didn't seem like they read the book, and then they got called on."
In terms of winners, the New York congresswoman identified the progressive senator from Massachusetts and former President Barack Obama's secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
"I think Elizabeth Warren gets asked back . . . I think she knocked it out of the park," Ocasio-Cortez told Colbert. "I think Julian Castro did a phenomenal job tonight . . . I think both of them were great."
By contrast, she answered a question about Reps. John Delaney of Maryland and Tim Ryan of Ohio with facial expressions and mannerisms, which indicated she was less than impressed with their performances.
Instead, she focused on marginalized groups, which she felt received proper attention during the debate.
"I think there were communities that got centered tonight. The trans community got centered tonight. The immigrant community got centered tonight," Ocasio-Cortez told Colbert. "And I think that that was an extraordinary moment as well, policy-wise."
That being said, she criticized the moderators for not sufficiently focusing on man-made climate change.
"I don't think that we are discussing climate change the way we need to be discussing climate change," Ocasio-Cortex said. "It is such a huge, broad systemic issue. And you can't just say, 'Is Miami going to exist in 50 years?' We need to say, 'What are you going to do about this?'"
"And I know there's a lot of folks — a lot of young people — that have been mobilizing for an entire climate debate in the Democratic caucus," she continued. "I think it's a good idea, because when it comes to climate change, climate change is an infrastructure issue. It's a jobs issue. It's an energy issue. It's a foreign policy issue. And we can't just talk about the Copacabana."
Ocastio-Cortez also was restrained in her criticisms of former Vice President Joe Biden, the current frontrunner for the 2020 nomination, reiterating her thesis when she told "Vogue" earlier this week that Biden may not be "a pragmatic choice."
During that interview she added, "That’s my frustration with politics today — that they’re willing to give up every single person in America just for that dude in a diner . . . Just so that you can get this very specific slice of Trump voters?"
You can watch the full segment below:
Kayleigh McEnany, press secretary for President Donald Trump's reelection campaign, on Thursday accused Democrats of being a "homogenous group of socialists."
In an interview on Fox News, host Sandra Smith asked McEnany which Democratic candidate Trump expects to face in the general election.
"You know, we are often asked that," McEnany replied. "This is a homogenous group of socialists, one socialist organism with many heads."
"There might be a bit of a variety, but it's the same organism, a radical government takeover," she added.
Watch the video below from Fox News.
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