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CONNELL: RUNNING ON A BOOST TO
YOUR BANK ACCOUNT, MAYBE.
DEMOCRATS WHO ARE THINKING ABOUT
RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT IN 2020
ARE INCREASINGLY NOW PITCHING
FREE MONEY TO AMERICANS WITH NO
EXACT PLAN ON HOW TO PAY FOR IT.
HERE NOW, HADLEY HEATH MANNING
INDEPENDENT WOMEN'S FORUM POLICY
DIRECTOR TO TALK A LITTLE BIT
MORE ABOUT THIS.
HADLEY, WE'RE TALKING
SPECIFICALLY MORE ABOUT
DEMOCRATS IN THE SENATE, LIKE
CORY BOOKER OR KAMALA HARRIS WHO
HAVE THE PLANS IN THE FORM OF
BILLS BUT YOU WONDER ABOUT THIS
AS AN ACTUAL STRATEGY.
HEY, WE'LL GIVE IT AWAY.
OBVIOUSLY SOUNDS GOOD.
THEY NEVER REALLY GET TO THE WAY
THEY WILL PAY FOR IT.
I WONDER HOW IT PAYS
POLITICALLY?
>> IT'S A TIME TESTED STRATEGY.
EVERY POLITICIAN IN THE HISTORY
OF THE WORLD HAS RUN FOR OFFICE
ON THIS IDEA THAT THEY COULD
GIVE SOMETHING TO THE PEOPLE.
NOW THE REAL QUESTION IS, OF
COURSE, HOW THIS IS GOING TO
WORK AND THE IRONY IS THAT
DEMOCRATS WOULD BE RUNNING ON A
PLATFORM OF INCREASING TAX
CREDITS OR ALLOWING PEOPLE TO
HAVE SOME, YOU KNOW, SOME FORM
OF BENEFITS BUT THE SIGNATURE
ACHIEVEMENT OF PRESIDENT TRUMP
AND WAS THE TAX CUTS AND JOBS
ACT WHICH LOWERED TAX BURDEN SO
THAT MOST AMERICANS FACED.
CONNELL: GIVING PEOPLE BACK
THEIR OWN MONEY.
>> EXACTLY.
CONNELL: AS OPPOSED TO GIVING
MONEY THAT THE GOVERNMENT
COLLECTED.
AS AN EXAMPLE WHAT WE'RE TALKING
ABOUT HERE.
CORY BOOKER, SENATOR FROM
NEW JERSEY, THERE IS ALL KINDS
OF TALK HE IS RUNNING FOR
PRESIDENT.
HE HAS A PLAN THAT WOULD GIVE
EVERY AMERICAN 1000-DOLLAR,
INTEREST BEARING BABY BOND AT
BIRTH.
YOU GET $1000, JUST FOR BEING
BORN.
SO IF YOU'RE A REPUBLICAN SAY,
HYPOTHETICALLY RUNNING AGAINST
HIM I GUESS YOU OBVIOUSLY WHERE
DO WE GET THE DOUGH FOR THIS,
RIGHT, SENATOR BOOKER?
>> YEAH THAT IS EXACTLY RIGHT.
AND YOU KNOW, I THINK PEOPLE HOW
THEY FEEL ABOUT THIS WILL
LARGELY DEPEND HOW THEY FEEL
ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF FISCAL
RESPONSIBILITY.
DO WE HAVE TO PAY FOR THE
COMPENSATETURES THAT THE
GOVERNMENT SENDS OUT?
HOW WILL WE PAY FOR THOSE
EXPENDITURES?
WE SHOULD BE LOOKING AT
REFORMING THE FEDERAL BUDGET SO
WE DON'T INCREASE OUR NATIONAL
DEBT.
THAT IS SOMETHING THAT MANY
FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE FOLKS
WOULD ARGUE FOR.
THIS PLAN WOULD GO IN THE
OPPOSITE DIRECTION.
I THINK THAT'S A FAIR QUESTION
TO ASK.
IN TERMS OF DIFFERENT POLICY
SOLUTIONS SOME OTHER DEMOCRATS
PROPOSING TO INCREASE THE EARNED
INCOME TAX CREDIT WHICH I THINK
IS AN IDEA WORTH TALKING ABOUT.
REWARDING PEOPLE THAT WORK HARD,
MAKING HARD WORK PAY.
THAT IS SOMETHING BOTH PARTIES
SHOULD BE INTERESTED IN DOING
BUT IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT A WAY
TO COMBAT POVERTY, FOR EXAMPLE,
ONE EXAMPLE OF PEOPLE TRULY IN
POVERTY, THEIR ISSUE IS NOT THAT
THEY'RE PAYING MONEY IN TAXES,
OR NOT EARNING HIGH ENOUGH
WAGES, THAT THEY DON'T HAVE A
WAGE.
THEY MAY HAVE A SOCIAL PROBLEM
LIKE DRUG ADDICTION.
WE HAVE TO ADDRESS THOSE ISSUES
AS WELL.
CONNELL: SENATOR SHERROD BROWN
IS SUPPORTING TAX CREDIT YOU
TALKED ABOUT, HE MAY VERY
WELL-RUN FOR PRESIDENT.
BUT IS THE PARTY, THE DEMOCRATIC
PARTY, AS YOU READ IT NOW, I
KNOW THEY WILL HAVE WHO KNOWS
HOW MANY CANDIDATES ON THE STAGE
WHEN THEY START THIS OFF, ON
ECONOMIC ISSUES YOU SENSE MOVING
TOO FAR TO THE LEFT AND
SOMETHING COULD COME BACK AND
BACKFIRE ON THEM POLITICALLY?
WHAT IS THE RIGHT CANDIDATE
POLITICALLY FROM THEIR POINT OF
VIEW SHOULD RUN AGAINST
PRESIDENT TRUMP NEXT TIME
AROUND?
>> DEMOCRATIC PARTY IS DIVIDED
WHAT KIND OF STRATEGY WHEN IT
TAKES TO RUNNING AGAINST
PRESIDENT TRUMP.
THERE THOSE ON THE LEFT-WING,
THEY NEED TO CREATE A POLICY
CONTRAST, OFFER THINGS LIKE
UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE, PAID
FAMILY ENTITLEMENTS.
AND OTHERS SAY WE NEED TO COME
CLOSER TO THE MIDDLE TO APPEAL
TO SOME VOTERS THAT MIGHT
OTHERWISE VOTE FOR PRESIDENT
TRUMP.
THIS WAY YOU HAVE A SELECTION OF
CANDIDATES --
CONNELL: NOT AS MANY, NOT AS
MANY IN THE MIDDLE ECONOMICALLY.
MAYBE JOE BIDEN.
YOU PROBABLY MAKE THAT ARGUMENT,
SEEMS LIKE THERE IS MORE ENERGY
AT LEAST ON THE LEFT?
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
I THINK THERE ALWAYS IS MORE
ENERGY ON THE RIGHT-WING OR THE
LEFT-WING.
HARDER TO GET EXCITED ABOUT THE
MORE MODERATE CANDIDATES.
CONNELL: SURE.
>> I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THE
PRIMARY SEASON FOR THIS VERY
REASON.
WHEN WE DO SEE A SLATE OF
CANDIDATES ON THE STAGE.
I HOPE THEY TALK ABOUT POLICY
IDEAS SO WE SEE WHERE EACH OF
THE CANDIDATES LIES IN TERMS
WHERE THEY TAKE THE COUNTRY AND
WHAT KIND OF SOLUTIONS THEY
HAVE, WHERE WE CAN VET THE IDEAS
RATHER THAN IDENTITY POLITICS
AND PERSONALITY CONFLICTS
AGAINST PRESIDENT TRUMP.
CONNELL: IN 2016 THE REPUBLICANS
HAD A NICE CALM SET OF DEBATES
IN THE SEASON.