Front Burner - Who will take on Trump in 2020?

Episode Date: March 20, 2019

CBC Washington reporter Lyndsay Duncombe guides us through the growing list of Democratic presidential candidates vying to run in 2020.

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CP Flight 21. Get the Uncover podcast for free on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts. Available now. Hello, I'm Jamie Poisson. Lately, it seems like every other day, a new person is running for president. So I am announcing today. Today, I welcome you to a campaign.

So, let's do this. Donald Trump's leadership has galvanized a ton of Democrats, and the race to lead the party in the upcoming 2020 election is getting really crowded really fast. Today, I announce my candidacy. I'm running for president. I'm running to serve you. I am a candidate for president of the United States of America. My CBC colleague, Lindsay Duncombe,

has been covering this story from Washington. And she's here with me now to go over who's running and to talk about how far left or right the party could go. That's today on FrontBurner. That's today on FrontBurner. She's ready to rock. We've got Julian and Harris pulling up on the block. Cory Booker and Delaney have the ball game lot. And Bernie's back again. Let's start with Beto O'Rourke, who just made it official last week. Amy and I are happy to share with you that I'm running to serve you as the next president of the United States of America. Why is there so much energy around his candidacy? Kea Cook is the first stop in our campaign to be president of the United States of America. Well, the word is energy, Jamie.

I mean, look at what happened in Texas. This three-term congressman who nobody had heard of a year ago takes a run at Ted Cruz, a Republican in red Texas. Senator Cruz is not going to be honest with you. He's going to make up positions and votes that I've never held. Well, it's clear Congressman O'Rourke's pollsters have told him to come out on the attacks. And does it in such a really phenomenal way. That's the only way to describe it.

Now, he lost, but the energy of that campaign. And tonight's loss does nothing to diminish the way that I feel about Texas or this country. There's a real sort of charisma there. It's this Gen X skateboarding former punk rocker who drops F-bombs on social media. Beto O'Rourke is on a skateboard in a Whataburger parking lot. I don't know if it gets more Beto.

It really gives a sense of newness to an old political fight. And to go from somebody nobody knew to the cover of Vanity Fair, a big HBO documentary, in politics, that is something you can't really put a value on. And it has to be taken seriously in this race. It is. It's such a stratospheric rise, even faster than Obama's rise in 2004. I think that would be fair, right? It does sort of have similarities to Obama, but the difference is experience, really. And I think I heard him criticized as a faux bomber or a bro bomber because what he is going to be able to offer on policy is a little bit unclear at this stage.

What if I'm going to get an actual policy from you instead of just like platitudes and nice stories? I'm going to try to be as specific as I can. I mentioned our criminal justice system. I called for the end of the prohibition on marijuana and the expungement of the arrest records. So do we know at all what he stands for? Because, I mean, I do find it really interesting how people talk about Beto. It's always the charisma and the energy and, you know, his youthfulness. But I don't actually really know what it is that he's about. Well, he just announced, and there have been some inclinations in the early days of his campaign. One of the things he said is that he is for increased Medicare access, but not necessarily the idea of Medicare for all, a single-payer universal

health care system, which many of the candidates in this race are advocating for. And I think when we look at Beto and the fact that he did work across the aisle in his time as a member of Congress, that he does have that some more moderate proposals at the same time as talking big on climate change. The ability to articulate those policies is going to be the big challenge for his campaign going forward. So I want to come back to the single-payer Medicare issue because it does seem to be one of the issues that is setting these candidates apart. But first, let's go through some of these other rising stars. There are some really strong female candidates in this group.

One of them is California Senator Kamala Harris. With fidelity to country and with the fighting spirit I got from my mother, I stand before you today to announce my candidacy for president of the United States. And what's defining her campaign? Well, Kamala Harris ticks a lot of boxes for Democrats in 2019 and looking ahead to 2020 because she is a woman, because she's from California. She has the experience of being attorney general in California. And she is African American. And if we look at

the demographic poll of the 2018 elections and how many women and women of color really drove the vote, you see a party that is craving a candidate that has those demographic strengths. And certainly during the Kavanaugh hearings, while she was questioning... So I'm going to ask you one last time. Are you willing to ask the White House to authorize the FBI to investigate the claims that have been made against you?

Well, I'll do whatever the committee wants, of course. And I've heard you say that, but I've not heard you answer a very specific question that's been asked. She's had moments that have brought her to attention. And on her launch, her campaign launch, there were 20,000 people that attended that rally. That is more than attended the opening rally of Barack Obama's campaign launch back in the 2008 campaign. Oh, that's really interesting. So, let's do this!

So there's a lot of support there. There's a lot of energy. And I think that's why she, in these early polls, is right up there and certainly has a chance to stay in it. I've heard commentators say that she's really good at sounding more progressive than she actually is. What do they mean when they say that? While Harris was the attorney general in California, her office opposed some release programs for inmates, minimum security inmates in custody, some release programs for inmates, minimum security inmates in custody, in court filings, giving the reason that that wouldn't be good for the labor programs, the labor that those inmates were providing for the state. Now, she later said that she was shocked by that and that,

you know, she opposed it. But it's that kind of history that can come back to haunt candidates as they campaign in what is a very changing public conversation about some of these issues. Is the allegation there that her office was essentially prioritizing the economic benefits of prison labor over the well-being of prisoners? the well-being of prisoners. Yeah. And, you know, she walked away from it. But that just doesn't play in a party right now that is really questioning the role of the prison system and how it plays out, especially in communities of color. How do you reconcile your contradictory past with what you claim to support today? I've been consistent my whole career. My career has been based on an understanding, one, whole career. My career has been based on an understanding, one, that as a prosecutor, my duty was to seek and make sure that the most vulnerable and voiceless among us are protected. And that is why I have personally prosecuted violent crime that includes rape, child molestation.

And then we have more centrist candidates like Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar. I will tell you what I think. I will focus on getting things done. That's what I've done my whole life. And no matter what, I'll lead from the heart. And how is she setting herself apart from the rest of the group? Well, Klobuchar is someone who comes from Minnesota. And that is important because she's incredibly popular in Minnesota.

And that is a state that has a lot of Republicans. She's popular even in areas that overwhelmingly voted for Donald Trump. So if you're looking for someone who can reach out to those Trump voters, you might want to look to a place like Minnesota. And she's campaigning on that idea of Minnesota nice. You know, Minnesota is kind of the Manitoba of the United States. She campaigned out there in the snow. Her hair was covered in snow. Oh, I remember that. It was

really something to watch. Now, we don't let a little snow stop us. We don't let a little cold stop us. Like, are you guys even cold? Tell the truth. It was beautiful, actually, and it really has defined her campaign. However, she's also been dogged by allegations of how she has treated her staff. A lot of these anonymous allegations about her workplace have been something that's been discussed as she has come into this campaign. I don't know. It's all anonymous. But I will say that I am proud of our staff. And yes, I can be a tough boss and push people. That's obvious. But that's because I have high expectations of myself.

I have high expectations of those that work with me. And I have high expectations for our country. that Trump flipped, you know, three Rust Belt states in 2016, is Amy Klobuchar a candidate who might be able to court the votes of people who voted for Trump in 2016? That certainly would be her pitch to Democratic voters, that because she does have that ability to reach out in her own state, that that would be something that in those narrow targeted areas that will be in play in 2020, that she's the right person to be able to reach out and have that conversation to people that would be considering on the fence, really, independent voters that might be on the fence. So how is Amy Klobuchar setting herself apart from the rest of the group?

Policy-wise, Klobuchar is way more middle of the road, perhaps in an attempt to reach out to those independent or Republican voters. She hasn't gone as far as some of the other candidates with respect to income inequality, which is a major plank of some of the other candidates that we're seeing. We should close those tax loopholes designed by and for the wealthy and bring down our debt and make it easier for workers to afford childcare, housing and education. When it comes to universities, she's nowhere near the idea of free tuition, which is being raised by the other candidates. of free tuition, which is being raised by the other candidates. So she runs the risk of not really tapping into that dramatic revolutionary energy

that so many Democrats, particularly young Democrats, want to see in this election. So when it comes to that revolutionary energy, the obvious candidates to talk about are Senator Elizabeth Warren and Senator Bernie Sanders. But let's start with Elizabeth Warren. This is the fight of our lives. The fight to build an America where dreams are possible, an America that works for everyone. Well, Elizabeth Warren is interesting because she is the one out of all of the candidates who seems to have the most detailed proposals. And she's proposing controversially the idea of a wealth tax. So the idea is on the truly great fortunes, $50 million and above, we start charging 2% a year on just that $50 million and first dollar and on up.

But the effect of it, according to her campaign, would be able to go and support some really dramatic social programs for people in the United States, including universal child care and ways to help people, universal pre-K for every child in America and still have $2 trillion left over. And she does bring to the conversation a real policy depth and experience that you aren't seeing with the other candidates at this stage. aren't seeing with the other candidates at this stage. And when she talks about it, there is a real sense of authenticity because this is a fight and a conversation that she has had for decades. I want to pick up on this idea of authenticity. Elizabeth Warren has also faced quite a bit of criticism for her background. Yeah, Elizabeth Warren, who has been criticized by the President of the United States with the nickname Pocahontas because of her talking about her Native American background. You were here long before any of us were here. Although we have a representative in Congress who they say was here a long time ago.

They call her Pocahontas. And that was something that was controversial before. And that was something that was controversial before. And then she had this video where she went through and did a DNA test and it was like backing up her claim. Hi, this is Elizabeth Warren. Is Dr. Bustamante in, please? In the senator's genome, we did find five segments of Native American ancestry. But a lot of Indigenous groups in the states, it didn't buy it. It's a weakness. And a lot of people thought putting out that video really exposed her to that vulnerability. Out front now, the Secretary of State for the Cherokee Nation, Chuck Hoskin Jr.

It's irrelevant to what it means to be a Native American in this country. That's based on a legal definition. Certainly every tribe has that in common, that we have some legal basis for our citizenship that we determine consistent with federal treaties. It's just wholly unhelpful for any national leader to cling to DNA to determine or to establish that they're Native American in this country. OK, and now Bernie Sanders, and he is the most left-leaning candidate of the bunch. I welcome you to a campaign which tells the powerful special interests that we will no longer tolerate the greed of corporate America and the billionaire class. Self-described democratic socialist, wants Medicare for all to fight for income inequality like Elizabeth Warren. He seems different to me than Elizabeth Warren in that he seems to want to take the whole system down as opposed to work within it.

What's different this time around? Well, it might not be fair anymore to say that he's the most left-leaning. Oh, interesting. Because, you know, he is, in his campaign, taking credit for legitimately moving the whole discussion, the whole country and the whole party to the kinds of things that we're talking about, including Medicare for All, including income inequality. Bernie was the first person to introduce the idea of what is needed in the United States right now is a revolution. And he is taking credit for that in his launch and really saying that I'm the guy that brought this to the table initially

and I'm the guy that can go after Donald Trump. Together, you and I and our 2016 campaign began the political revolution. Now it is time to complete that revolution and implement the vision that we fought for. The question is, how does Bernie still resonate when so many other people have very similar ideas? And a lot of those other people bring other things to the table that Bernie simply can't because they are women. They're people of color. They're younger. And the question is, was Bernie Sanders' role as someone who was yesterday's man, who brought these issues to the table, and now all of a sudden there are other people who had taken those ideas and running with it.

He does have a strong base of support, though, hardcore supporters. And thank you all for being part of a political revolution which is going to transform America. When you look at the diverse field, that loyal base may be enough to propel him to the top because it's fractured. The large number of candidates changes the dynamic of things as opposed to a two-person race. The other thing is that one of the things that Bernie Sanders had going for him in 2016 is that he wasn't Hillary Clinton. A lot of people really history associated with Clinton. So those factors are different.

He has a lot of loyalty. He's pulling high. He's got a lot of name recognition. But it will be a very different fight for Bernie Sanders this go around. And I think this is a good segue for us to talk about Joe Biden, who has signaled that he's close to a 2020 run. Be careful what you wish for. He's the former vice president. You know, I think if we're talking about establishment candidates here, he would probably be at the top of that list.

And I find it really interesting that he's polling right now at the top of the group. Well, and a lot of that is likely name recognition, right? Because one of the reasons why Biden is appealing is because there is a sense that he could reach out to those moderate voters, that he would be the most moderate voice in a very progressive field. He almost announced his candidacy over the weekend. He was speaking in Delaware and appeared to say the wrong thing. I'm the most progressive record of anybody running for the United if anybody who would run. So a lot of people are saying it's just a matter of moments really before

he steps in but the thing to remember about Joe Biden is he's tried this before and it did not work out very well for Joe Biden. He might have been a decent vice president, a good senator, but he has been not a great candidate. You know, when he was running previously, he got in trouble for plagiarizing his speeches. He had to withdraw from the race because he was taking words from a labor politician in the UK. And much like we were talking about Kamala Harris and the idea of what's happened in the past when we were in a different political moment, haunting a campaign today, Biden's got those issues big time. Look at the energy around the Me Too movement. And Joe Biden's going to have to answer questions about the fact that he was the chair of the Judiciary Committee during the Anita Hill hearings.

And a lot of criticism about how those questions were able to be asked. It is appropriate to ask Professor Hill anything any member wishes to ask her to plumb the depths of her credibility. Can you tell the committee what was the most embarrassing of all the incidences that you have alleged? How she was able to sit in front of the panel of all of those men. Senator, I would suggest to you that for me these are more than mere allegations. These are the truth to me. Really, it was a different time, but he is very much a product of that time.

And one of the challenges for Biden is going to be how he is able to answer those questions. It strikes me talking to you today how we have candidates sort of all over the political spectrum here, you know, center to left, but still all over the spectrum. You have Amy Klobuchar and Joe Biden who have more centrist views and then Kamala Harris and Beto O'Rourke that are a little bit harder to define ideologically, but have some very progressive views. And then these economic populists like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. As someone who watches American politics really closely, what does this say to you about the fight for the Democratic Party? That it's going to be unlike anything we've ever seen before. You know, if we went back and thought four years ago that these were going to be the kind of things that we were talking about in the United States in a Democratic primary,

the idea of universal health care being something that is adopted by so many of these candidates. We have to fight to make sure that every single American gets the quality health care that they need through Medicare for All. How do we get universal coverage? Medicare for All. I believe the solution, and I actually feel very strongly about this,

is that we need to have Medicare for All. That's just the bottom line. The conversation has shifted. It's shifted far more to the left than we have seen in recent history in the United States. And that's part of the reason why what could happen will make it so difficult to predict. This idea that has shifted so far to the left, why do you think we've been seeing that in the last several years? In 2016, Bernie Sanders, while he was incredibly popular with his supporters. He was also sort of an outlier, and he no longer seems to be an outlier.

I think a lot of it is generational. You have millennials, which are the biggest cohort. They're starting to take over in terms of numbers demographically from the baby boomers. In the United States, a lot of them see the system as being rigged against them. And they're saying, we can do much better. Faced with huge student loan debts, huge health care costs, unable to get ahead, and really feeling as though this is the time that they can have an impact on the political system. It feels existential, how people really feel that things have gone so beyond what they understand their country to be, that dramatic change is what is necessary to align their party with their own beliefs and their own situation.

We talked earlier about how you win these elections on inches, right? And if I'm a Democratic strategist in the United States, for me, the central question I would be asking at this point is who can beat Donald Trump? And is there an answer for that right now? answer for that right now. One thing we have to remember as we look at this field and have these big ideological discussions and balance the idea of are people going to vote with their hearts and the person that really excites them on their ideas and their energy? Or are people going to vote with their heads and look at who really in these key states is going to have the ability to go after the voters that are necessary to defeat Donald Trump. We have to remember how early we are in this game. And there are going to be, I think, a dozen debates where people will be able to watch these candidates perform. It is more than a year

of drama. And at this stage, incredibly difficult to predict. Lindsay, thank you so much. This conversation was such a pleasure. Oh, you're welcome. So just to add to this list, one more person to mention before I let you go. New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has also made her candidacy official. That's why I'm running for president. She's known for her support of the Me Too movement. It is not OK for anyone to grope a woman anywhere on her body without her consent.

It was not OK for Senator Franken. And if there are a few Democratic powerful donors who are angry because I stood up for women who came forward, that's on them. because I stood up for women who came forward, that's on them. The first debates between this growing list of Democratic candidates will be in June and July. And the Democratic National Convention is a year after that, in Milwaukee. I have a feeling we're going to be talking about this a few times before then. That's all for today. I'm Jamie Poisson. Thanks for listening to FrontBurner.

For more CBC Podcasts, go to cbc.ca slash podcasts. It's 2011 and the Arab Spring is raging. A lesbian activist in Syria starts a blog. She names it Gay Girl in Damascus. Am I crazy? Maybe. As her profile grows, so does the danger. The object of the email was please read this while sitting down. It's like a genie came out of the bottle and you can't put it back. Gay Girl Gone. Available now.