Voting in the NY Primary? Get to Know Your Candidates
Senator Bernie Sanders spoke for 90 minutes at the rally last Wednesday in Washington Square Park.
April 18, 2016
The New York presidential primaries are this Tuesday, bringing voters one step closer to the general election. Before you cast your ballot, WSN has everything you need to know about where the candidates stand on the economy, immigration, energy and health care.
John Kasich:
The most forgotten candidate from the Republican Party, the Ohio governor’s strongest suit is his economic experience. He was able to reduce income and eliminated estate taxes in the Buckeye State, but raised the sales tax. If he’s elected president, Kasich says he’ll reduce overall government spending to balance the budget, but increase defense spending. As for immigration, Kasich said in a Wisconsin town hall that he wouldn’t deport law-abiding illegal immigrants, but would rather they pay a fine to the government and strive toward legal status. Kasich’s “action plan” includes approving the Keystone XL pipeline and increasing means of domestic energy production. Kasich also states on his website that as president, he’ll repeal the Affordable Care Act, but he actually expanded Medicaid in Ohio, accepting billions of federal dollars from the Affordable Care Act in the process.
Ted Cruz:
The Texas senator said Friday that economic growth would be his first priority as president. Cruz plans to create a flat tax plan which would tax individuals at 10 percent after meeting certain economic thresholds and businesses at 16 percent. Like fellow Republican candidate Donald Trump, Cruz supports the building of a wall along the Mexican border and eliminating sanctuary cities — municipalities that protect immigrants in the United States illegally from deportation. On energy, Cruz has called climate change “pseudo-scientific theory” and pledged to end the Obama administration’s “war on coal” if elected. Cruz also said he would repeal Obamacare — the law he was so against he took to the Senate for 21 hours to protest it.
Donald Trump:
Trump’s most prominent platform is his wanting to build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico — and to make Mexico pay for it. Trump said he would threaten to cut off Mexico’s remittances from the Patriot Act unless they wire the U.S. government $5-10 billion for the construction of the wall. However, many have questioned whether he would have the authority to use such intimidation tactics, even as president. Like other Republican candidates, Trump wants to revitalize the coal industry and said climate change was a hoax created by the Chinese government. Trump would also repeal Obamacare and facilitate free-market healthcare reforms, issuing block grants to states for Medicaid.
Bernie Sanders:
Champion of economic reform long before the Occupy Wall Street movement, Vermont senator Bernie Sanders demands the rich pay “their fair share in taxes.” The Sanders campaign has specifically advocated for enacting a tax on Wall Street speculators to help pay for his plan of making all public colleges tuition-free. Sanders also plans to increase the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2020. When it comes to immigration, Sanders has preached dismantling inhumane deportation programs and reforming the path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. In addition, he would ensure U.S. borders remain secure while respecting local communities. Sanders calls climate change “the single greatest threat facing our planet” and hopes to combat carbon emissions by cutting funding to subsidize fossil fuels. In addition, the senator would also put a tax on carbon pollution and transition toward a nuclear-free, clean energy system. If elected into office, Sanders would also build upon the Affordable Care Act and work to create a federally administered single-payer health care program.
Hillary Clinton
Clinton’s economic plan includes raising the minimum wage to $12, but she said she would support a bill raising it to $15 if certain qualifications were met. She also wants to invest $350 billion so students will not accrue debt for paying for tuition at state schools. The former secretary of state has stated that she will preserve executive actions relieving DREAMers and their families from the risk of deportation. On the topic of energy, Clinton plans on installing 500 million solar panels and further invest in sustainable energy sources to combat climate change. As for healthcare, Clinton has defended the Affordable Care Act and would work to expand it while promoting accessible women’s reproductive health care.
A version of this article appeared in the Monday, April 18 print edition. Email Anne Cruz at [email protected].
Dave Francis • Apr 19, 2016 at 1:00 am
MILLIONS ARE PLEDGED TO WALK AWAY, IF TRUMP IS CHEATED. THE RUMOR IS THAT THE REPUBLICAN ELITE HAVE RIGGED THE DIEBOLD ELECTRONIC MACHINES, SO TRUMP GETS BELOW 50 PERCENT. People are just realizing the election system is fixed for the hierarchy in both parties.Many of my brothers fought in the Vietnam war; some died and 35 of us old timers have never voted before and are ready to vote–but ONLY–for Trump?
Gary2278 • Apr 18, 2016 at 11:38 am
The following message is brought to you by Puppets for the Establishment Parasites (PEP), who want to encourage you to let them finish off America so they can move on to their next host…
“You let us get this far…throw the red pill in the trash; stop trying to struggle against the hypnosis now and let us take the last few drops of blood…it will all be over soon”
“And please remember that free trade helps America; illegal immigration helps America; policing the world is America’s moral obligation; super PACs are free speech to help poor unwitting candidates; there are no paid protesters; the news media we fund is unbiased; lobbyists are good; politicians and bureaucrats cannot be bought; your election process is not rigged; those idiotic concerns about the debt and bubbles are unfounded; our education system is the best; your privacy is always protected; the war in Iraq was necessary; Russia is evil; your government listens to you…anyone who disagrees with this reality is a lying, xenophobic, isolationist, ignorant, fascist, misogynistic, racist, terroristic, nutjob!”
Gary2278 • Apr 18, 2016 at 11:36 am
Trump has benefited from a corrupt system and understands what must be done to fix it. It would be far easier for him to just continue buying politicians if he wanted to keep taking advantage rather than running for POTUS. As such, I have to believe he actually wants to help America more than he wants to continue taking advantage. He made his riches and now I think he wants to focus on his legacy, and wants to be remembered for righting America’s ship (who cares if that’s ego driven; I would happily help build him a statue if he succeeds). Consequently, those who want to continue exploiting are scared and doing everything they can to stop him; they are even hiring clueless tools through craigslist to go to his rallies and hold up a “Trump is a racist” sign while yelling at his supporters for $16 per hour.
Gary2278 • Apr 18, 2016 at 11:36 am
If you think Trump is a racist who sees any color other than green, you might be a gullible fool subject to exploiter-funded media influence. Take a look at his life and career; he has always hired, worked with, and supported people of all walks of life. Furthermore, Illegal immigrants and Muslims are not races. Muslims are great people; unfortunately, the terrorists we are at war with are a small sect within that group, so while the idea of being extra vigilant about vetting new immigrants from that group is regrettable, it would also be prudent for our own safety. The big exploiters love having their puppets use labels of racism to tear down people they don’t control (Ross Perot, Ron Paul, Trump, etc); don’t fall for it!
If you think Megyn Kelly isn’t an exploiter (establishment) tool who tried to take down Trump, and you think Trump is a misogynist because of the bloodlust comments he made regarding her (while making bloodlust comments about Chris Wallace at the same time) then you might be a gullible fool subject to exploiter-funded media influence. Trump states “I’m just oblivious to a person’s gender” when dealing with people, and it is obvious that he takes on opponents of any shape, size, color, and gender in a similar fashion.
If you think Trump is an isolationist because he wants fair trade, you might be a gullible fool subject to exploiter-funded media influence. “Free-trade” comes at a huge cost to workers in developed countries! The end result is that America will produce nothing and will provide no services outside our borders because services and products will always be cheaper from poorer countries. Anyone who says anything else concerning free-trade is either lying, or is completely clueless. American middle class workers can only survive and thrive with “FAIR-trade.”
90% of the cocaine in America comes through our southern border; 80% of the meth and heroin in America also comes through our southern border! If you think Trump, who continually says “I love Mexican people,” is a xenophobe because he wants to secure our southern border, you might be a gullible fool subject to exploiter-funded media influence. Trump’s negative comments were targeted at a subset of illegal immigrants (which he has clarified many times); NOT Mexicans! Illegal immigration is destroying our society (illegal immigrant children are almost always below grade level so teachers have to spend most of their time teaching at that level, which hurts our children; illegal immigration keeps wages low; and the drugs from south of our border are ruining our children’s lives).
If you think Trump wants to punish women for having abortions, you might be a gullible fool subject to exploiter-funded media influence. Trump said he made a gaffe during a convoluted conversation involving a hypothetical situation. He has clarified that in the real world he would like to see abortion regulations left up to each state. Making gaffes is human, and having a politician willing to engage in “off the cuff” conversations without consulting an army of advisers beforehand is refreshing.
If you think Trump is ignorant because he thinks it might be more pragmatic for Japan to have a nuke rather than having 54,000 U.S. troops stationed there at our expense, you might be a gullible fool subject to exploiter-funded media influence. The simple fact is that nothing ensures sovereignty like having a nuke. No country with a nuke has been or ever will be invaded. We would have never invaded Iraq if they had a nuke; in fact, the best evidence that we knew they didn’t really have any WMDs was the fact we invaded them. The 54,000 troops we have in Japan are absolutely no deterrent for North Korea, China, or anyone else; what deters them is the fact we have nukes. Furthermore, what would happen to Japan if they can’t defend themselves and we go bankrupt over the next decade or so?
Gary2278 • Apr 18, 2016 at 11:34 am
Here’s a video from a Colorado delegate ejected from the process because he supported Trump:
https://www.facebook.com/larry.lindseyphd/videos/10206019645066642/
Gary2278 • Apr 18, 2016 at 11:33 am
One of the reasons I support both Trump and Sanders is in the hopes that Americans become more privy to the corruption we have. When party activists in Colorado can choose delegates without any input from the voters, and those activists are establishment supporters, there is nothing that will persuade those activists to pick any delegates who support an insurgent candidate. The entire process is designed to stop insurgent candidates (which is what Trump is).
Of course, the exploiter-funded pundits who call Trump a “whiner” and a “loser” because he didn’t get any of the Colorado delegates fail to mention that Trump never had a chance to get any of them in the first place as an insurgent. The rigged process helps to ensure America’s exploiters maintain power. The exploiter-funded media puppets are saying that what happened was perfectly fine because the committee rules enabled them to cancel their election from the outset and then give the delegates to whomever they wanted (RIP democracy).
If Kasich were the current viable anti-insurgent candidate rather than Cruz, they would have given Kasich all of the Colorado delegates instead of Cruz. Despite that, Cruz is trying to convince people that it was his “superior organization” that deprived Trump and Kasich of getting even a single delegate…LOL. Three cheers for America, our exploiter-controlled media, our rigged election process, our two-faced politicians, and the ignorant people who don’t question any of it!
Gary2278 • Apr 18, 2016 at 11:33 am
Super-PACs MUST be banned! They give a few wealthy exploiters the ability to shape our entire political system; they allow for absurdly unequal representation! The people and corporations funding these PACs have acquired their wealth from selling out America through political favors, endless wars, unfair trade deals, exploiting foreign labor, exploiting illegal labor within our borders, creating insurmountable debt for our children, and maintaining a rigged election process that ensures nothing will change. Super-PACs are a direct conflict of interest and an absolute corrupting force!
In my opinion, any candidate who doesn’t demand their super-PACs disband in the name of democracy and the people is a flat out TRAITOR to America! Exploiter puppets Clinton and Cruz will never do this like Trump and Sanders have; instead, they will continue feigning powerlessness and ignorance regarding super-PACs. Anyone who votes for these conniving two-faced lawyers is voting to continue selling out America!
If someone with Trump’s resources can’t run without being shredded by exploiter-funded super-PACs and media pundits, how does someone like me or you have a chance? The answer is that, unless we are lackeys like Clinton and Cruz, whom those same exploiters also fund, we don’t! The process is rigged; you can watch a great example of how the media takes things out of context and falsely demonizes non-controlled candidates like Trump by searching for and viewing “The Untruth about Donald Trump” video.
Gary2278 • Apr 18, 2016 at 11:31 am
Obamacare was just another corporate empowerment (of insurance, hospitals, pharma) at the expense of taxpayers (the middle class in particular). As always, I’m sure the politicians got their palms greased a little to sell out their fellow Americans. My wife and I now spend about $5,000/year more on health insurance than we did 8 years ago and are required by law to do so.