Donna Brazile on Democratic presidential candidates jockeying for position ahead of first debates
Expect more policy proposals as 2020 hopefuls look for ways to differentiate themselves from their rivals, says Fox News contributor Donna Brazile, former DNC interim chair.
The cream of the Democratic 2020 crop will start to rise to the top this week, former DNC Chairwoman Donna Brazile predicts.
Appearing on “America’s Newsroom,” Brazile told host Sandra Smith that the party's opening debates on Wednesday and Thursday will see some candidates will “get out of the so-called box," while others will “prove that maybe this is not their time.”
The ex-DNC chair added that the candidates will be desperately searching for a way to make themselves stand out.
“As you all know, preparing for the debate, these candidates have to figure out a way to basically stand out. And, to also draw a contrast with each other,” Brazile said.
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Climate change is expected to be one point of difference among the Democratic hopefuls, with most of the frontrunners having released an environmental or "green" plan to tackle the issue.
However, the issue of college debt is expected to be a hot topic as well, with many of the contenders having pushed plans to get rid of or reduce the figures.
In May, 2020 hopeful Julián Castro unveiled a comprehensive education plan that calls for eliminating tuition at public colleges as well as delaying student loan payments until a degree begins to pay off for borrowers.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., has proposed to raise taxes with more than $50 million dollars in assets, pay off student loans and make college tuition-free, create government-funded child care centers and fight the opioid crisis, among other things.
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On Monday morning in front of the Capitol’s steps, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., launched his college affordability plan, announcing legislation to achieve free tuition for public colleges and to forgive all student loan debt.
That’s $1.6 trillion dollars covering 45 million Americans.
The Democratic socialist candidate said the money needed to fund such a program could be raised by a tax on Wall Street.
“Our proposal which costs two point two trillion over 10 years will be fully paid for by a tax on Wall Street speculation similar to what exists in dozens of countries around the world,” Sanders said. “The American people bailed out Wall Street. Now it is time for Wall Street to come to the aid of the middle class of this country.”
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Rep Ilhan Omar, D-Minn, and Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, D-N.Y., were among those who spoke on behalf of the legislation.
An impassioned Ocasio-Cortez told reporters: “What we tell 17 year-olds all the time is that you are not old enough or responsible enough to drink. You are not old enough or responsible enough to vote. You are not old enough or responsible enough to serve in our military. But, you are old enough and responsible enough to take on a quarter million dollars’ worth of debt and that is wrong.”
“It was literally easier for me to become the youngest woman in American history elected to Congress than it is to pay off my student loan debt,” the New Yorker said.
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On "America's Newsroom," Brazile said Americans "want to hear solutions" to the issue.“45 million Americans have enormous college debt. The question is, will Bernie’s proposal which calls for 0.5 percent on stock transactions and 0.1 percent on bond transactions? Bernie Sanders intends to pay for it by taxing those transactions…Elizabeth Warren’s proposal is a little different in terms of…it calls for $750 billion,” Brazile noted.
“There’s no question that someone has to pay for it, but 45 million Americans are suffering right now. They want to hear solutions.”
