Dems Discuss Issues in Depth in Latest Debate

by Seth Michaels, Jun 29, 2007

Once again, the Democratic presidential hopefuls met last night for a debate, this time at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Focusing on issues facing African Americans, the “All-American Debate,” as it was billed by sponsor PBS, also provided an opportunity for the candidates to talk seriously about the challenges of working families.

Held just hours after the Supreme Court struck down school choice plans in two school districts that were designed to bring diversity and avoid racial segregation to the cities’ school systems, much of the debate focused on the role of race and racial issues.

The event was kicked off by Priscilla Scott Cohen, who won the chance to ask her question in an online contest. Her question about the challenges posed by the racial divide in this country set the tone for the night.

Education, trade and economic development were other themes that emerged throughout the night.

Host Tavis Smiley set the tone by asking of the candidates, “What’s the depth of your love for everyday people? What’s the quality of your service?”

Education, which Sen. Chris Dodd called “the key to equal access to society,” was the subject of a question from journalist DeWayne Wickham. Sen. Joe Biden advocated more early childhood education and smaller classroom sizes. Rep. Dennis Kucinich and former Sen. Mike Gravel focused on the fact that funding that could be used for education has been spent on the war in Iraq. Gov. Bill Richardson and Sen. Barack Obama both focused on providing adequate funding to create more incentives and more training for public school teachers. Sen. Hillary Clinton noted that to really make education work, “you can’t separate the education part from the economic part.” Former Sen. John Edwards agreed, saying that young people coming out of the education system needed to be able to reap the rewards of their learning:

“We have to make work pay. We need to raise the minimum wage, we need to strengthen the right to organize, and we need to help families save so they don’t get taken advantage of by predatory lenders.”

Panelist Ruben Navarette asked about the nation’s budgetary and tax priorities. The candidates agreed about the need to make the tax system fairer by rolling back Bush’s top-bracket tax cuts. Edwards and Biden both addressed how capital gains taxes are far lower than income taxes, which places a greater tax burden on those who work than those who live on accumulated wealth. Clinton noted that payroll taxes are levied against only a portion of income, meaning they hit lower-income and middle-class families more heavily than the wealthy. One idea repeated by several candidates, including Richardson and Kucinich, was the need to stop tax incentives for companies that move their operations offshore. As Dodd noted:

We’re losing manufacturing jobs. Now we reward companies that take their jobs overseas. And we need to reward companies that create jobs in our inner cities.

Questioners raised similar issues on trade. Most candidates said that as president, they would demand enforceable labor standards in trade agreements. Kucinich went furthest, declaring he would withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the World Trade Organization (WTO). Dodd pointed to legislation he had written to prevent outsourcing of defense contracts, while Biden noted that U.S. industry is at a disadvantage due to the problems facing the U.S. health care system. Edwards, Obama, Richardson and Clinton endorsed investment in innovative industries, and Edwards and Obama discussed their experiences in communities that lost jobs when factories closed.

Michele Martin of NPR asked what the candidates would do to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina return to their homes.

Clinton said serious federal efforts were required to rebuild infrastructure along the Gulf Coast so the displaced residents could have functioning communities to return to. Edwards, who announced his candidacy from New Orleans earlier this year, said rebuilding New Orleans needed to happen through assertive federal action and that jobs created by the rebuilding should be at good wages with benefits. Obama noted the disaster exposed the struggles of lower-income families, which had been neglected and ignored. He said “there are Katrinas waiting to happen around the country” and that it was extremely important to have a president who understood and cared about the needs of ordinary people.

Even when questions weren’t directly related to the economic challenges of working families, it was clear these issues were on the candidates’ minds. A question on AIDS drew many responses about the failures of the private health care industry. Richardson, answering a question on crime, noted that better, more secure jobs would be available if workers’ freedom to form unions were expanded and protected.

It was an informative debate, one in which candidates discussed both values and policies. There was quite a bit of consensus on issues like AIDS. Blogger Steve Benen called the debate “unfailingly fair” and “probably the most substantive” thus far. Even conservative commentator David Brody was impressed, saying,

“What was nice to see is some real dialogue about these important issues. There were some real good informational answers to ponder.”

Daily Kos also had an open thread for reactions. The Atlantic’s Marc Ambinder noted, “Wouldn’t it be fun to see the Republicans answer the same questions?” Ambinder may get his wish—the Republicans will have their own “All-American Debate” in September.

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