On the political spectrum, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I) of Vermont and Rep. Devin Nunes (R) of California are polar opposites. But the liberal Sanders and the conservative Nunes share a disdain of mainstream media that has inspired both to set up media operations distilling unfiltered campaign messages to voters. Sanders...
Bernie Sanders Thinks Media Is Unfair, so He Created His Own
WASHINGTON — When Bernie Sanders wanted to preview a speech about his signature health care plan, "Medicare for All," he did not opt for a traditional interview. Instead, he made an appearance on "The 99," his Democratic presidential campaign's in-house livestreamed show, a controlled, decidedly on-message pro-Sanders program that streams on a...
Sanders Set to Mount Vigorous Defense of 'Medicare for All'
WASHINGTON — Bernie Sanders will vigorously defend his signature "Medicare for All" proposal on Wednesday and hit back at his critics who say his push amounts to both bad politics and bad policy. The Vermont senator also will pledge to reject campaign donations from health insurance and pharmaceutical industry executives, lobbyists and...
Kamala Harris Gets Personal, Delivers Stunning Blow to Biden
WASHINGTON — Kamala Harris spoke slowly but bluntly as she stared at Joe Biden, then began treating him as a hostile witness. The former prosecutor turned California senator started by saying she didn't think the former vice president was racist. But she criticized him for recently defending having worked with segregationists in...
Kamala Harris Pressed to Get Personal About Why She's Running
WASHINGTON — Kamala Harris nodded knowingly when a black woman at a weekend candidate forum recounted watching her mother face racial discrimination during her childhood. "You and I have a similar experience growing up," said Harris, the California senator and former prosecutor who would be the first black woman elected president. "I...
Walters: Democratic Voters More Centrist Than Their Party
When the state Democratic Party staged a convention in San Francisco a few weeks ago, it drew many of the seemingly countless would-be presidential candidates – particularly those positioning themselves on the party’s left-most wing. Delegates roared their approval as hopeful after hopeful denounced President Donald Trump and promised a...
Do Democrats Think Joe Biden is Just Too Old?
When it comes to presidential campaigns, the question “are you too old?” is nothing new. In the election of 1840, 67-year-old Whig candidate William Henry Harrison was attacked by the Democratic press as “granny” and “General Mum” over his “age and imbecility.” When he was sworn in after defeating incumbent...
Buttigieg Is Breath of Fresh Air in Dem Presidential Race
You can bet on just about anything online — including the Democratic presidential nominee. Depending on the bookmaker, Pete Buttigieg, the openly gay mayor of South Bend, Indiana, has either the third- or fourth-best odds of facing President Donald Trump. That's a testament to the rising arc of Buttigieg's campaign....
$15 Minimum Wage Becomes Part of 2020 Presidential Landscape
From liberal firebrands Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren to moderates Joe Biden and John Hickenlooper, nearly the entire 2020 Democratic presidential field agrees that the federal minimum wage should be more than doubled, to $15 an hour. That near-unanimity reflects the success of an unorthodox campaign by the Service Employees...
Liberals Dare Trump to Back Their Bills Lowering Drug Prices
WASHINGTON — Challenging President Donald Trump to make good on his pledge to cut prescription drug prices, congressional liberals proposed legislation Thursday to bring U.S. prices in line with the much lower costs in other countries. The Democratic bills stand little chance of becoming law in a divided government. But...