Today on AirTalk, we recap the first night of the second round of the Democratic Presidential candidate debates with a panel of political analysts. We also discuss the U.S.D.A's new proposal that would change SNAP eligibility requirements and how this new proposal may have an outsized impact on Californians; and more.
Healthcare, Electability: We Talk Round 2 Of The Democratic Presidential Debates
The signature domestic proposal by the leading progressive candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination came under withering attack from moderates in a debate that laid bare the struggle between a call for revolutionary policies and a desperate desire to defeat President Donald Trump.
Standing side by side at center stage on Tuesday, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren slapped back against their more cautious rivals who ridiculed "Medicare for All" and warned that "wish-list economics" would jeopardize Democrats' chances for taking the White House in 2020.
"I don't understand why anybody goes to all the trouble of running for president of the United States just to talk about what we really can't do and shouldn't fight for," said Warren, a Massachusetts senator, decrying Democratic "spinelessness."
Sanders, a Vermont senator, agreed: "I get a little bit tired of Democrats afraid of big ideas."
A full six months before the first votes are cast, the tug-of-war over the future of the party pits pragmatism against ideological purity as voters navigate a crowded Democratic field divided by age, race, sex and ideology. The fight with the political left was the dominant subplot on the first night of the second round of Democratic debates, which was notable as much for its tension as its substance.
We recap what you missed.
With files from the Associated Press.
Guests:
Matt Rodriguez, Democratic strategist and founder and chief executive officer of Rodriguez Strategies. He is also a former senior Obama advisor in 2008; he tweets
Amanda Renteria, president of Emerge America, a national organization that works to identify and train Democratic women who want to run for political office; she is the former national political director for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign and has been a staffer for Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI); she tweets
Sean T. Walsh, Republican political analyst and partner at Wilson Walsh Consulting in San Francisco; he is a former adviser to California Governors Pete Wilson and Arnold Schwarzenegger and a former White House staffer for Presidents Reagan and H.W. Bush
How Will Tightening Eligibility Standards For Food Stamps Affect Californians?
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has a new proposal that would change SNAP eligibility requirements -- and some argue that it may have an outsized impact on Californians.
About 3.1 million people would lose food stamp benefits under the Trump administration’s proposal to tighten automatic eligibility requirements for the food stamp program.
The Agriculture Department said Tuesday that the rule would close “a loophole” that enables people receiving only minimal benefits from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program to be eligible automatically for food stamps without undergoing further checks on their income or assets.
The proposed rule is the latest in the Trump administration’s efforts to cut back on the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program or SNAP, the official name of the food stamp program. It also has proposed to tighten work requirements for those who receive federal food assistance.
Some critics are arguing that people in California are especially disadvantaged by this proposed change because of our higher minimum wage and the higher cost of living in the state.
We discuss the pros and cons of the proposed change, as well as its impact on Californians.
With files from the Associated Press.
We invited the USDA to participate in our conversation. They decline our request but a USDA spokesman sent the following statement:
“The proposed rule does not in any way modify the school meals eligibility standards Congress has provided in statute. All children who qualify for school meals under the standards Congress provided would continue to receive free or reduced price meals based on those respective standards. It is Congress’ job to write those eligibility standards and USDA’s job to ensure they are carried out with integrity. Instead, this rule ensures SNAP benefits go to those who meet the eligibility criteria as outlined by Congress, not millionaires or those who simply received a referral to a non-working 800 number.
Guests:
Angela Rachidi, research fellow in poverty studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) whose expertise includes the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs
Jessica Bartholow, policy advocate for the LA-based Western Center on Law and Poverty, an advocacy organization for low income Californians; chair of the California Asset Building Coalition, a non-profit that aims to help Californians achieve economic self-sufficiency
After Last Night’s Debate, A Deep Dive On Medicare For All
Last night’s Democratic presidential debates included a discussion on healthcare reform.
Perhaps one of the most notable moments was when former Maryland congressman John Delaney questioned the feasibility of Medicare for all and Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren came back with sharp responses.
But neither Sanders or Warren addressed Delaney’s criticism of their plan.
To grapple with the various strategies candidates presented at last night’s debates for implementing Medicare for all, Larry sits down with three healthcare experts.
We want to hear your thoughts on what the candidates had to say about healthcare last night at 866-893-KPCC.
Guests:
Kavita Patel, M.D., non-resident senior fellow at The Brookings Institution and primary care physician; she served in the Obama administration as director of policy for the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement in the White House
Avik Roy, president of The Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity, a non-profit think tank, policy editor at Forbes and former policy advisor to Marco Rubio, Rick Perry and Mitt Romney
Paul Song, M.D., radiation oncologist and President of the Claifornia Physicians for a National Health Program.
Triple Play: Dodgers, Angels In Familiar Positions At Trade Deadline. Will Either Team Make A Move?
If you’re looking for a model of consistency in baseball, look no further than Los Angeles.
For the last couple of years, both the Dodgers and Angels have found themselves in familiar positions heading into the trade deadline. The Dodgers once again find themselves atop the National League West, sporting one of the best records in the game at 69-39 and a lineup that is dangerous from top to bottom. The Angels, meanwhile, once again find themselves hovering around the .500 mark with the amount of time left to make a push fading fast.
Just as is the case with winning in the playoffs, the trade deadline, too, is all about pitching. The biggest names on the trading block are all pitchers -- San Francisco’s Madison Bumgarner, Arizona’s Zack Greinke, Cleveland’s Trevor Bauer, the New York Mets’ Noah “Thor” Syndergaard and lights out reliever Edwin Diaz, also a Met. Landing a big time pitcher at the trade deadline could be the difference between making that final postseason push and watching the playoffs from the couch.
Today on AirTalk, we reconvene KPCC’s Triple Play of Larry Mantle, A Martinez and Nick Roman to break down the Dodgers’ and Angels’ seasons so far, forecast what each team needs to do to make a playoff run, and speculate on who might end up wearing Dodger Blue or Halo Red by the end of the day.
Guests:
Nick Roman, host of KPCC’s “All Things Considered”; he tweets
A Martinez, host of KPCC’s “Take Two”; he tweets