What 4 Democrat Presidential Candidates Said At Iowa Wing Ding Dinner
Leah Jessen /
CLEAR LAKE, Iowa— Democratic presidential candidates spoke at a historic rock and roll landmark here Friday night, with each using the Iowa Wing Ding dinner to lay out their policies.
#WingDing dinner 2015 pic.twitter.com/6XvHPLQvWO
— Leah Jessen (@_LeahKay_) August 15, 2015
Guest speakers were former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Sen. Bernie Sanders, former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, and former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee.
Below are the main policies each politician spoke on.
Hillary Clinton on Iran Deal, Student Debt
.@HillaryClinton says she launched a Snapchat account, "those messages disappear all by themselves" pic.twitter.com/RvJ9dVlxJr
— Leah Jessen (@_LeahKay_) August 15, 2015
Clinton praised the Iran nuclear agreement negotiated by the United States and five other world powers.
“None of us should have any illusions about Iran’s true intentions or its continuing threats to the region, to Israel, to the United States,” Clinton said. “That threat is real and it must be confronted, including how we enforce this agreement and deter Iranian aggression and sponsorship of terrorism.”
She continued:
“Our path is clear. This agreement, combined with strong enforcement and insurance, is the only way to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. There is simply no viable alternative,”
Hanging with @HillaryClinton #iacaucus #Hillary2016 pic.twitter.com/GaaopaBFTX
— Leah Jessen (@_LeahKay_) August 15, 2015
On the domestic front, Clinton wants to make college more affordable and refinance loans at lower rates so “cost isn’t a barrier and debt won’t hold anyone back.”
“If you work hard and do your part, you should be able to get ahead and stay ahead.”
Bernie Sanders on Family Values, Social Issues
Sanders holds a pro-choice view on abortion, supports gay marriage, and wants to champion 12 weeks of family and medical leave for all working families in the country.
“We need an economy that works for the middle class, for working families, for low income people, and not just for the top one percent,” Sanders said.
Sanders would also like to see pay equity for men and women in the workforce.
“We need an economy in which when somebody works for 40 hours a week, that person is not living in poverty because we have raised the minimum wage to $15 an hour.”
.@BernieSanders at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa pic.twitter.com/qa5uA0KvIG
— Leah Jessen (@_LeahKay_) August 15, 2015
He would like to end racism in America and “reform our broken criminal justice system.”
He wants police to be incorporated into communities “to move away from the militarization of police forces.”
According to Sanders, his reform would help young people get education and jobs, and avoid incarceration.
Martin O’Malley on the Economy
.@MartinOMalley at Democratic #WingDing event: "It's about new leadership" #iacaucus pic.twitter.com/O5aLjCO6mr
— Leah Jessen (@_LeahKay_) August 15, 2015
He wants to see a stronger middle class to help grow the economy.
“There is growing injustice in our country. An economic inequality that threatens to tear us apart,” O’Malley said.
O’Malley feels that wealth and power inequality is creating an economy “that is leaving the majority of our people behind.”
He feels that one way the economy can be improved is through education so people can earn higher wages in addition to attaining knowledge.
Meet & greet with @MartinOMalley after the #WingDing dinner pic.twitter.com/SEo7E5Dm5i
— Leah Jessen (@_LeahKay_) August 15, 2015
“Today we’re saddling our graduating kids and their families with more college debt than any developed nation on the planet and it does not have to be this way.”
For employees, he would like those that work overtime to be compensated with overtime pay, make it easier for workers to join labor unions, and have paid family leave “so that women can participate more fully in our economy.”
Lincoln Chafee on Immigration
Chafee supports a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants.
He spoke on his past support for the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act that was passed in Rhode Island, as well as other states, so that undocumented students could get in-state tuitions at colleges.
“If you have a tolerant society, your economy is going to prosper,” Chafee said.
Listing his accomplishments in Rhode Island, Chafee said that for two years, state tuition rates were frozen at colleges in his state. By putting resources into colleges, he said, this helps contribute to less student debt.
On foreign affairs, Chafee feels the Iranian nuclear agreement is “the right path to take.”
“I have a vision of working around the world to get peace, which will lead to prosperity here at home,” Chafee said. “We can bring those dollars back home to invest in our infrastructure, our education, our healthcare, our environment.”
While in Clear Lake, @LincolnChafee talks with voters #iacaucus pic.twitter.com/1ZLJKodCDc
— Leah Jessen (@_LeahKay_) August 15, 2015