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Elizabeth Warren 2020


Hugo Stiglitz

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1 hour ago, BradInATX said:

I'd +rep Warren if she were here for going with "crying" to describe the billionaire titty babies on TV. Hell yeah. Kill them, Liz.

Someone should co-opt "ok boomer" and turn it into "ok billionaire" every time one of those chumps gets on TV with the poor me act.

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Edited by Hugo Stiglitz
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As president, Iā€™ll reverse Donald Trumpā€™s efforts to sabotage the Affordable Care Act and will protect people with pre-existing conditions. And in my first 100 days, Iā€™ll take executive and legislative action to reduce health care costs and improve coverage.

First, Iā€™ll act immediately as president to lower the costs of critical drugsā€”including specific drugs that millions of Americans currently rely on, like insulin and EpiPens. And I'll crack down on corruption to rein in health insurers and drug companies.

Next, in my first 100 days, Iā€™ll use the same process Mitch McConnell used to try and kill the ACA to bypass the filibuster and create a true #MedicareForAll optionā€”more generous than one proposed by any other campaignā€”to begin the transition to #MedicareForAll.

This #MedicareForAll option will be open to everyone and includes all the health care benefits of #MedicareForAll. It will be immediately free for nearly half of all Americans, including all children under 18 and anyone with income at or below 200% of the federal poverty level.

Iā€™ll also let anyone over the age of 50 join the existing Medicare programā€”and I'll improve its benefits and reduce its costs for everyone.

We will continue to move forward on health care throughout my term, including by investing $100B in breakthrough medical research and by creating a new drug development institute at the NIH.

By the end of my third year, Iā€™ll fight to pass legislation to complete the transition to #MedicareForAll. Once millions have experienced the full benefits of a #MedicareforAll option and compared it to the corrupt and wasteful system we have today, the people will demand it.

At each step of my plan, millions more Americans will pay lower costs for care and see the quality of their coverage improve. And millions more Americans will be able to ditch their private insurance and enter a high-quality #MedicareForAll plan.

The health care industry spent $4.7 billion over the past decade on lobbying. Let's not kid ourselvesā€”every Democratic plan for expanding health care, big or small, is going to be drowned in money to make sure nothing ever happens.

Any candidate who believes modest reforms will avoid the wrath of industry is not paying attention. So why not dream big and fight hard for the plan that will cover everyone and provide the best care at the lowest cost?

Iā€™ll fight my heart out at each step of this process, for one simple reason: No one should ever die or go bankrupt because of health care costs. And when Iā€™m president of the United States, Iā€™ll do everything in my power to make sure that never happens to another person again.

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Immediate bill:
- 50+ on M4A
- <18 on M4A
- <200% poverty on M4A
- M4A as an option to everyone else

After mid-terms bill:
- Everyone who hasn't opted in is put in

Leaving any of it passing until after mid-terms, when the new president generally loses power in Congress, seems damned risky.

But this is a hell of a lot better than 90% of the other stuff her opponents are offering, so cool.

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My favorite Warren foreign policy plan:

American security and prosperity depend on robust diplomacy. Our diplomats are the front line of our engagement with the world. They serve in over 270 posts worldwide, many in difficult or dangerous locations. They communicate our goals in more than 70 languages. They manage conflict, help U.S. companies compete, and assist Americans abroad. Most importantly, they reflect our values on the world stage. But a diplomacy-first strategy to meet the challenges of the 21st century means that we need world-class diplomats. And after the Trump Administration, thatā€™s going to take a whole lot of work.

Through a toxic combination of malice and neglect, Donald Trump hasĀ declared warĀ on the State Department. In one of his first acts, heĀ attemptedĀ to cut the State Departmentā€™s budget by aĀ third. Some senior career officials wereĀ pushed out, while othersĀ resignedĀ in protest. The State Department has lostĀ 60%Ā of its career ambassadors andĀ 20%Ā of its most experienced civil servants. And too often, these skilled diplomats have been replaced with totally unqualifiedĀ campaign donorsĀ and otherĀ Trump cronies.

But while Trump may have accelerated the exodus from the State Department, he didnā€™t start it. Years of hiring freezes and spending cuts have caused many talented diplomats to head for the doors. Chinaā€™s spending on diplomacy hasĀ doubledĀ under President Xi Jinping ā€” while Americaā€™s spending on core diplomatic capability hasĀ declinedĀ over the last decade.

To take a meaningful leadership position in the world, to protect American interests, and to avoid conflicts around the globe, we need to reverse this trend.Ā Thatā€™s why today, Iā€™m rolling out my plan to rebuild the State Department.

Growing a 21st Century Foreign Service

Letā€™s start with the obvious: today our State Department is too small.

For our foreign service officers and specialists, opportunities for training are scarce and nearly 15% of positions abroad have been left unfilled for years. TheseĀ vacanciesĀ increase workloads, damage diplomatic readiness, and contribute to burnout and low morale. And too few diplomats means missed opportunities to make important connections and develop a better understanding of foreign countries. Today, the United States lacks a presence in nearly 40% of world cities with populations over 3 million, many in the rapidly growing Indo-Pacific region.

The Pentagon is nearly 40 times bigger than the State Department ā€” we employ more people to work inĀ military grocery storesĀ than we do foreign service officers. That has real consequences. Too often, our underinvestment in diplomacy and development causes our leaders to default to military action, instead of treating it as a last resort.

Our foreign policy should not be run out of the Pentagon. Under a Warren administration, it wonā€™t be.

Iā€™ll double the size of the foreign service and open new diplomatic posts in underserved areas to broaden U.S. presence.Ā And to get the most bang for our buck, Iā€™ll prioritize growing core diplomatic functions like political and economic reporting and public diplomacy, and affiliated functions like the foreign commercial and agriculture services.

Achieving that goal means weā€™ll need to recruit a new generation of foreign service officers while retaining the talented service we currently have.Ā Hereā€™s what Iā€™ll do as president. First, Iā€™ll establish a diplomatic equivalent of theĀ ROTCĀ program at universities across the country. Iā€™ll double the size of the Peace Corps, exposing young people to the world and creating a direct employment pipeline to future government service. Iā€™ll grow programs that fund scholarships for critically important languages; and develop or expand similar programs for new skill areas such as data science. And Iā€™ll create new pathways to re-incorporate expertise into our diplomatic corps, including by reducing barriers for returning foreign service officers by fast-tracking reentry for those who return within 5 years; and expanding lateral entry and mid-career hiring authorities and pay.

We also need to significantly expand the pool of diplomatic talent so that our foreign service reflects the diversity of the country it represents.Ā Todayā€™sĀ foreign serviceĀ is 79% white and 65% male ā€” and the nature of the recruitment process also limits the number of diplomats from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. That changes in a Warren administration. Iā€™ll direct the State Department to correct the employment records of all employees fired or forced to resign because of their sexual orientation, to make it clear that all are welcome to serve their country. Iā€™ll dedicate recruiting resources to applicants from HBCUs and other minority-serving institutions, womenā€™s colleges, and community colleges. And Iā€™ll double the size of fellowships designed to recruit minority and low-income diplomats.

For all its rewards, a life in diplomatic service can be hard ā€” deployments to dangerous places, missed holidays and family events, years spent away from home.Ā We must do more to take care of diplomats and provide growth opportunities over the course of a diplomatic career.Ā My Secretary of State will establish a core professional development curriculum, focused not only on diplomatic tradecraft but also the leadership skills appropriate for each career stage. We will require a broadening professional development experience ā€” a graduate degree, interagency assignment, or cross-cone deployment ā€” before promotion to the senior diplomatic ranks. And Iā€™ll enhance workplace flexibility to retain a diverse workforce, including by expanding parental leave and preferential postings for new parents and improving policies to ease hardships for dual-foreign service households.

Iā€™ll make my decisions with input from those who know best ā€” formalizing procedures for career civil servants and foreign service officers to advise my Secretary of State on talent acquisition, retention, and other management challenges. No moreĀ Tillerson redesignĀ that wastes money on fancy consultants to tell us what our civil servants and diplomats already know.

Professionalizing our Ambassadors

Trump has perfected the act of selling swanky diplomatic posts to rich buffoons. In the Trump administration,Ā $1 millionĀ buys you an appointment to the Bahamas ā€” even if youā€™re not quite sure what that means. ForĀ $2 million, you can become Ambassador to the United Nations. Trump nominated a real estate lawyer accused ofĀ sexual harassmentĀ as ambassador to Romania. HisĀ South AfricaĀ nominee is a handbag designer. In all, Donald Trump has appointed political cronies to nearly half the available ambassadorial positions ā€” far more than any president in recent memory. As a result, opportunities for career professionals are severely limited.

The practice of auctioning off American diplomacy to the highest bidder must end.

This president may think a fat wallet and a big campaign check qualifies someone to represent our country abroad. I donā€™t. I donā€™t spend my time at fancy closed-door fundraisers trading favors for money, and Iā€™ll make my ambassadorial appointments based on only one thing: finding the most qualified person for the job.

Thatā€™s why Iā€™m pledging to put Americaā€™s national interests ahead of campaign donations and end the corrupt practice of selling cushy diplomatic posts to wealthy donors ā€” and I call on everyone running for President to do the same. I wonā€™t give ambassadorial posts to wealthy donors or bundlers ā€” period.

And Iā€™ll also ensure that some of the most senior positions in the State Department, including at least one Deputy Secretary position and the Director General of the Foreign Service, are always filled by experienced career ambassadors.

As I travel Iā€™ve had the opportunity to meet with our diplomats at posts around the world, from Beijing to Baghdad. Almost without exception, they are highly skilled, dedicated, resilient, capable professionals. Charting a safe and prosperous course in the coming years will require all of that and more. This is our chance to take our best and brightest young talent and put them to work for this country. We can create a bold and energetic diplomatic corps that looks more like the country it represents ā€” and we can invest in diplomacy to make the world a little safer and a little more secure.

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18 hours ago, bad_teammate said:

Immediate bill:
- 50+ on M4A
- <18 on M4A
- <200% poverty on M4A
- M4A as an option to everyone else

After mid-terms bill:
- Everyone who hasn't opted in is put in

Leaving any of it passing until after mid-terms, when the new president generally loses power in Congress, seems damned risky.

But this is a hell of a lot better than 90% of the other stuff her opponents are offering, so cool.

If Democrats don't win the Senate, her legislative initiatives are DOA.

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She has tried as hard as possible to leave the leadership on healthcareĀ to Bernie because thatā€™s his issue. Ā  If she started becoming the healthcare candidate she would be accused of underminingĀ Bernieā€™s candidacy by shoplifting his platformĀ and it wouldnā€™t be wrong. Ā Thatā€™s why she keeps getting pressed on healthcare. Ā They want the Bernie/Warren fight.Ā 

Also:

Elizabeth Warren Reiterates Support For Marijuana Legalization

"If we talk about criminal justice reform, we need to start with the things we make illegal," the senator and presidential candidate said at a CNN town hall.
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Man, sorry I missed the brain-numbing discussion on wealth inequality a few pages back.

My favorite part of that discussion is always the pro-billionaires side when confronted with historicalĀ tax rates.

"Capitalism is what built this great nation! They earn that money! They shouldn't have to pay taxes that high! We need to make things like the good old days! Socialists are running this country these days and it's going to destroy everything we built!"

"Uh, when capitalism was building this great nation, as you say, the tax rates were much higher than they are now."

"I SAID SOCIALISM!"

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1 hour ago, Huckleberry said:

Man, sorry I missed the brain-numbing discussion on wealth inequality a few pages back.

My favorite part of that discussion is always the pro-billionaires side when confronted with historicalĀ tax rates.

"Capitalism is what built this great nation! They earn that money! They shouldn't have to pay taxes that high! We need to make things like the good old days! Socialists are running this country these days and it's going to destroy everything we built!"

"Uh, when capitalism was building this great nation, as you say, the tax rates were much higher than they are now."

"I SAID SOCIALISM!"

I have this same conversation with seemingly intelligent Republicans who are completely unaware that theyā€™ve been gradually frog-boiled over the past three decades. Ā 

ā€œHey,Ā anyone notice the water has gotten extremely hot? Ā Maybe we ought to turn off the stove...ā€

ā€œRoom temperature is a left-wing pipe dream!ā€

Edited by BrickHorn
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I think Iā€™ve settled on Liz as my candidate.

Iā€™m not emotionally attached to her and maybe thatā€™s good because Iā€™ve already had my heart broken once.

And I think thereā€™s a great chance she could pick Beto as VP - sheā€™s strong on most everything but I think his strength and passion on the border and guns really compliments her on two important issues sheā€™s not touting. Plus, those Texas electoral votes.

Iā€™m not ready to volunteer yet but I made my first donation to her.

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I think Iā€™ve settled on Deval Patrick as my candidate.

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Iā€™m not emotionally attached to him and maybe thatā€™s good because Iā€™ve already had my heart broken once.

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And I think thereā€™s a great chance he could pick Joe Donnelly as VP - heā€™s strong on most everything but I think his strength and passion on not taxing unrealized capital gains and eliminating tarrifs really compliments him on two important issues heā€™s not touting. Plus, those Maryland electoral votes.

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Iā€™m not ready to volunteer yet but I can write a check as I make several times the median family income and Iā€™m thinking about buying a track car, but like a vintage AC, not some trash Miata.

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I think Iā€™ve settled on Deval Patrick as my candidate.
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Iā€™m not emotionally attached to him and maybe thatā€™s good because Iā€™ve already had my heart broken once.
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And I think thereā€™s a great chance he could pick Joe Donnelly as VP - heā€™s strong on most everything but I think his strength and passion on not taxing unrealized capital gains and eliminating tarrifs really compliments him on two important issues heā€™s not touting. Plus, those Maryland electoral votes.
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Iā€™m not ready to volunteer yet but I can write a check as I make several times the median family income and Iā€™m thinking about buying a track car, but like a vintage AC, not some trash Miata.
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Why be an asshole?
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