Interviews during 2018-2020: on War & Peace
Seth Moulton:
AdWatch: Don't send troops back to Iraq
[OnTheIssues transcription of TV ad]:- Who is this Seth Moulton?
- Four tours in Iraq--a war he opposed but didn't want another to go in his place.
- And he doesn't want to send troops back there now.
- Running for Congress, unafraid to take
on the radicals who threaten to shut down our government.
- He'll stand up to them, to protect Social Security, Medicare, and the rights of women.
- And no one will fight harder for our veterans.
- Seth Moulton: His fight is for our values.
Source: OnTheIssues.org AdWatch: 2020 Democratic primary
Jul 10, 2019
Joe Sestak:
America broke its word with departure from Iran agreement
"America broke its word when he withdrew us from an accord with Iran where they kept theirs," he said, referring to the president [Trump] and his decision to scrap the 2015 nuclear agreement the Obama government brokered with Tehran and other
major world powers. Sestak said robust diplomatic engagement is the only way to permanently solve decades of geopolitical enmity. "Militaries might stop a problem, but they don't fix a problem," he said.
Source: CBS News on 2020 Democratic primary
Jun 24, 2019
Mike Gravel:
Filibustered to end the military draft
Staunchly opposing military aid to Cambodia, Gravel "paralyzed the Senate for two days" in a spontaneous filibuster in 1970, according to the Washington Post. He later trained his sights on the draft extension. As Gravel explained in a letter to the
New York Times, the resulting restriction on manpower would force the administration to reconsider its timetable and restrict any other overseas interventions. His filibuster ultimately succeeded in killing the draft.
Source: Jacobin Magazine on 2020 Democratic primary
May 2, 2019
Julian Castro:
Opposed troops in Syria, but have to plan withdrawal
I think that many folks recognize that it was time for us to pull out of Syria. However, once you're there, you have to make sure that you have a plan for your operations there and for your withdrawal. I do believe, and I agree with folks that say,
that both for our own sake, for the sake of our troops, for the sake of our allies, once you're there, you have to actually have a solid plan for how you're going to withdraw.
Source: Meet the Press 2018 interviews for 2020 Democratic primary
Mar 31, 2019
Mike Gravel:
2008: searing indictment of Democratic support of Iraq war
David Oks, a high school senior who has previously run for mayor of his small New York town, said that he and several friends are avid listeners of the Chapo Trap House podcast, which mentioned Gravel in a recent episode.
About a week ago, he and a couple friends reached out to Gravel and asked if he would consider making another run for president. Their pitch was clear. "My friends and I were encouraging him to consider running for president with the idea
being that he would not try to contest any primaries, he would just try to get into the Democratic debates," he said.Oks and his friends were clearly inspired by Gravel's performance in the 2008 debates, where he delivered a searing indictment
of the vast majority of his fellow candidates for their support of the Iraq war and their continued commitment to American interventionism in the Middle East.
Source: New York Magazine on 2020 Democratic primary
Mar 20, 2019
Tulsi Gabbard:
No more wars for regime change, like Syria and Afghanistan
Her big idea: A central part of Ms Gabbard's campaign has been her call for an end to US-led "regime change wars"--in Syria and Afghanistan. She also condemns runaway military spending as a "new arms race". As a major in the US Army reserve and a
veteran of the Iraq War, Ms Gabbard has a unique perch from which to launch her critique.Her biggest obstacle: Her foreign policy has also been a source of controversy. In 2017 she met President Bashar Assad in
Syria and has questioned the international consensus that the Syrian government has used chemical weapons against its own citizens.
"I served in a war in Iraq, a war that was based on lies," she said. "I think that the evidence needs to be gathered."
She refused to label Mr Assad as a "war criminal"--a position that sets her well apart from the majority of US politicians and the American people.
Source: BBC.com on 2020 Democratic primary contenders at 2019 SXSW
Mar 12, 2019
Joe Biden:
US should stand up to aggression of dictators
[At the Munich Security Conference], "The America I see does not wish to turn our back on the world or our closest allies," Biden said, citing a commitment to both NATO and the European Union that has often been in doubt under
Trump. "The America I see cherishes a free press, democracy, the rule of law. It stands up to the aggression of dictators and against strongmen."
Source: WashingtonPost.com on 2020 Democratic primary hopefuls
Feb 16, 2019
Pete Buttigieg:
Pull troops out of Afghanistan, but not Syria
Buttigieg says his experience serving as a Navy intelligence officer in Afghanistan helped shaped his views.
Buttigieg supports pulling troops out of Afghanistan, but has criticized Trump's plans to withdraw from Syria.
Source: PBS Newshour on 2020 Democratic primary
Feb 15, 2019
Page last updated: Dec 01, 2021