What Are the Positions of Deval Patrick and Michael Bloomberg on the Main Issues of 2020?
If we’ve learned anything from this week’s news, beyond updates to President Trump’s alleged ties to Ukraine, it’s that it’s never too late to jump into the presidential race. Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick officially dropped his hat in the ring of 2020 on Thursday morning – after having already skipped several debates and months on the campaign trail.
“It won’t be easy,” he said in a video announcing his candidacy, “and it shouldn’t be. But I believe in people who feel left out and abandoned. ” Meanwhile, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is also reportedly testing the 2020 presidential waters, applying to participate in the Democratic primaries in Alabama earlier this month.
This is where Bloomberg and Patrick stand on several important 2020 issues and how their political reputations led them into the (already very crowded) presidential race.
Changing of the climate
Bloomberg: Does Not Support Green New Deal Claiming It Wo n’t Pass Senate Word. Earlier this year, he pledged $ 500 million as part of his campaign to close US coal plants and prevent the construction of new gas plants.
Patrick: As governor, expressed support for the progress of “wind and solar efficiency projects” and once called for a “fossil fuel-free” and coal-free future in Massachusetts. (From 1998 to 2001, he was also the head of the Texaco oil company.)
Immigration
Bloomberg: Supports immigration reform . In 2006, he also criticized a House bill to deport 11 million undocumented immigrants.
Patrick: As governor of Massachusetts, supported education in public colleges for undocumented immigrants.
Firearm control
Bloomberg: Supports red flag laws and background checks. Founded a non-profit organization that advocates stricter gun control laws.
Patrick: In 2014, he signed a bill that would allow law enforcement agencies to withhold a firearm ID from a person deemed a “threat” and create an online portal to verify identity when selling private weapons, among other gun control measures.
LGBTQ rights
Patrick: In 2007, publicly denounced the Massachusetts law outlawing same-sex marriage. (Also wrote an article in support of marriage equality for the Washington Post in 2013.)
Bloomberg : In 2005, as mayor, he once challenged a judge’s ruling that gave same-sex couples the right to marry. Later he expressed support for marriage equality and its ” economic benefits ” for New York.
Medicare
Bloomberg: Doesn’t support Medicare for everyone. “I think you might have Medicare For All for vulnerable people, but this is a smaller group,” he said earlier this year. “But replacing the entire private system in which companies provide health care to their employees would bankrupt us for a very long time.”
Patrick: He expressed support for Medicare For All as recently as 2018 , but when asked during an interview with CBS This Morning this week about his position, Patrick has since changed his mind. “No. Not in the terms we talked about,” he said. “I support the public option.”
Wealth tax
Bloomberg: In January, Elizabeth Warren ‘s proposed wealth tax was “likely unconstitutional” and compared to Venezuelan socialism.
Patrick: He does not support the introduction of a tax on wealth, although I agree with it “directly”. Instead, he proposed a “much simpler ” tax system as president.