Summary

TVU 22 BERNIE SANDERS BERNIE BEATS TRUMP DECORAH IA ABC UNI 092319 2020 Northwood/Decorah ON CAM - TVU 22; Dubuque/Clinton available via tape) CLINTON, Iowa -- Among the fascinations of political observers during the 2016 presidential election was the phenomenon of Obama-Trump voters -- those who voted once, or twice, for President Barack Obama, but then crossed party lines to cast a ballot for Donald Trump -- and the towns and districts that similarly swung to the right. Though numerous explanations have been offered for the shifts, including Hillary Clinton's weaknesses as a candidate, a desire to elect an outsider, and economic uncertainty in electorally important pockets of the country, among others, a common thread among the 2020 Democratic presidential field is the confidence that they can be won back. In this vein, Sen. Bernie Sanders' campaign stops Monday (each labelled "Bernie beats Trump" events) targeted four Iowa towns whose votes flipped from left to right in 2016, but where he and his campaign believe his progressive bonafides and appeal to blue-collar voters -- traits that combine pieces of the 45th and 44th presidents, in a way -- represent a winning formula. In Northwood, Decorah, Dubuque and, expected at a forthcoming event in Clinton, where, given their support for Donald Trump in 2016, it would seem Sanders' Democratic-socialist platform could be a liability, Sanders did not shy away from his greatest hits, telling an audience of high schoolers in Northwood that he'd ensure their college or trade school educations would be free, college students in Decorah that he'd protect the environment through the Green New Deal while creating 20 million jobs at the same time, and a diverse group in Dubuque that he'd hold Wall Street accountable for its misdeeds while redirecting government assistance to the nations' needy citizens. But perhaps the focus of all four stops was the issue that has already proved to be successful for Trump-era Democrats (at least in the 2018 midterms), health care. Sanders leaned-in to Medicare For All throughout the day, taking ownership of the "middle class tax increase" needed to pay for the program that rival Elizabeth Warren has gone to great lengths to avoid discussing. But Sanders voiced issue with the way the potential hike was being portrayed by the media, sharpening his, at times this summer, sloppy explanation of the net-savings the majority of the country would receive through the plan. "This is what you're going to hear all over the campaign from Republicans, from the industry, and from some Democrats. 'Bernie Sanders wants to raise your taxes. Oh my god, how bad and terrible is this guy from Vermont?'" (15:16:24) Sanders started his discussion of the topic in Decorah, before providing an example to one woman in the crowd. "If said to you... when you were on private insurance, that instead of spending $20,000 a year to the insurance companies for premiums, I was going to end that completely, no out of pocket expenses. You're gonna spend no more than $200 a year for prescription drugs. And maybe, this is hypothetical, your taxes would go up $10,000. Is that a good deal?" (15:17:25) "Yes. Why can't people get it? They just don't get it." (15:18:00) the woman responded to applause before Sanders put an exclamation point on it, giving insurance premiums a new descriptor. "That's what it's about. So you're seeing the lies, the 30 second ads---and the media deals with this all of the time as well. 'Bernie is gonna.' 'are you gonna raise taxes? are you gonna raise taxes?' And that becomes the 12 second clip. Not are we gonna eliminate Danielle's $1700 a month premium---now you can call it 'premium,' whatever you want. I would call it a tax to the insurance companies. That's gone." (15:18:15) With polls, both nationally and here in Iowa, continuing to show a Warren rise, and one increasingly coming via the Vermont senators' 2016 supporters and at his 2020 expense, Sanders continues to avoid making any direct comparisons between the two's campaigns, but his willingness to engage on the tax implications of their dually supported health care proposal represents one of the starkest contrasts between their respective strategies in recent weeks. Separately... Flagging a fun moment to reward you for reading down this far. In Decorah, during a Q&A portion of Sanders' event, one man stood with more of a comment than a question, focusing in on other politicians, including President Trump, who he said he sees wearing expensive clothing while the American people struggle, sending the wrong message. AUDIENCE MEMBER: "Clothing is a symbol of racial and classist divides in people. I'm sorry but an Armani suit is about $2,000, and you look like you're wearing about $250 worth of JC Penney. That's what the difference is between the classes." SANDERS: "Actually, it is Kohl's, not JC Penney." (15:02:00) Watch the exchange, which Sanders supporters are getting a kick out of on social media, HERE . (h/t McMurry for cutting) TVU 22 BERNIE SANDERS BERNIE BEATS TRUMP DECORAH IA ABC UNI 092319 2020 142342 Woah. We were driving here and it's such a beautiful day. I was wondering how many people would come out Well you did, and I appreciate it very much. And I want to thank the many people who didn't get in, who are in the overflow. So thank you all very much for coming out. 142411 We are, today, we're keeping busy today, we're doing 4 town meetings. And we're doing them in Norwood, in Decorah, in Buke, and in Clinton. And why are we doing them, town meetings, in those 4 towns. Well, there's a particular reason for that. And those are towns that Barack Obama won, but Donald Trump also won. 142439 So we are here today to tell the folks who at one point had voted for a progressive candidate for president, President Barack Obama but then for whatever reason, ended up voting for Donald Trump. We're here to tell you I understand that in 2016 Trump ran a very smart campaign. 142506 I gotta give him that. And what he told the people of Iowa and what he told people all over this country. He said, I stand with the working class of this country. I'm gonna take on the establishment. I'm a different type of Republican. So I'm here to tell the people of Decorah and all over Iowa that Donald Trump lied to them. As he does all of the time. 142536 Donald Trump said that he would provide healthcare to everybody, remember that? Well, he ended up trying to throw 32 million Americans off of the healthcare that they have. That's not providing healthcare to everybody. Donald Trump said that he would bring forth a tax reform proposal that wouldn't benefit billionaires like himself. 142620 It's gonna benefit working people. He lied. He's worse than a joker, he's a liar. His tax proposal gave 83% of the beenift over a 10 year period to the top 1%. The people who need it the least. And then you end up with a situation where companies like AMazon that made 10 billion dollars in profits last year -- 142654 Anybody know how much Amazon paid in taxes? (Crod: Zero!) Smart people. That's smart people. Zero in taxes. Alright? He lied about his tax reform proposal. Donald Trump said during when he ran for office he says, I'm gonna be a different type of Republican. I'm not gonna cut social security, Medicare, and Medicaid.Trump's budget, the ranking member of the budget committee, Trump's budget over a 10 year period, proposed 1.5 trillion dollar cuts on Medicaid. 142731 So if you are a lower income person, or if you are a person who has a relative in a nursing home, and nursing home care is paid for very often by Medicaid, understand what that would mean to your family. Trump proposed that 840 billion dollar cut in Medicare. A 20 billion dollar cut to social security. So when he said he would not cut medicare, medicaid and social security, he lied to the working families of this country as well. 142805 Now, Trump said, Trump tells corporate america, he says, you nkow what, you should not be hiring undocumented people, we should be throw them out of this country, bring your factories back to America, but what everybody here should know is that Donald Trump manufactured his tie line(?) in China. 142834 Donald Trump, who is telling corporations to hire American workers, does his clothing line in Mexico. Donald Trump who loves American workers makes his furniture line in Turkey, he makes his picture frames in India, and he makes shirts -- you ever buy a Donald Trump shirt, in Bangladesh, where workers all paid just 30 cents an hour. 142904 So I say to Trump, before you tell corporations all over the world to come back to America, why don't you lead by example. 142918 And all of you, all of you have heard every day Trump demonizing undocumented people in this country. About 11 million undocumented people in this country. And he demonizes -- wants to throw millions of them out. They're terrible, etcetera, etcetera. And yet if you check the record, it turns out that Donald Trump had no problem hiring undocumented immigrants to help to build the Trump hotel, in Washington, DC and the Trump tower in New York City. 143005 And he had undocumented people working in his resorts, in various locations arounf the country. So what is the point. Donald Trump is not just a pathological liar. Donald Trump is not just a racist. He is not just a sexist.He is not just a homophobe. He is not just a religious bigot. And he's not just a xenophobe. Donald Trump is a fraud. And we don't need a fraud in the White House. 143047 What we need right now, and it would give me immense satisfaction to be the president to do that, is we need a candidate not only who can defeat Trump, and I happen to think I am the strongest candidate to defeat tTrump for a number of reasons. What we need a president who in this unprecedented moment in American history is prepared to take on the greed and corruption of the corporate elite in this country. 143133 Now this is not an issue that we hear a lot of discussion about. And we don't hear a lot of discussion about it because in Congress,m any of the members of Congress, receive their contributions and get elected, because of the support they received from the very wealthy. 143202 And We don't hear a lot about this on the media, because the media is owned by a large, by the very wealthy. But this issue of the greed and the corruption and the power of the 1% is an issue, we have got to talk about. And that means taking on -- and this is hard stuff, it is hard stuff and I know people, I honestly do know 143241 People are uncomfortable about thinking about it, or doing something about it. It means taking on Wall Street, where 6 financial institutions have assets of over 10 trillion dollars. 6 financial institutions. 143306 It means taking on the pharmaceutical industry which is charing you the highest prices in the world for the prescription drugs you need. I went to Canada last month with people who have diabetes, we bought insulin for one tenth of the price. Because of the greed and power of the pharma industry in this country. 143332 It means taking on the insurance industry because they make billions of dollars every year charging us the highest prices in the world, for the healthcare that we need. It means taking on and this is a huge one: it means taking on the fossil fuel industry. [claps] Because the fossil fuel industry is producing a product today that is destroying our planet and that has got to stop and I'm very proud [claps] and I'm very proud to tell you: that I have introduced the most aggressive and comprehensive climate change legislation every introduced 143441 Not only by any presidential candidate, but I think any candidate for federal laws. What this campaign is about, what the Bernie sanders administration is about, is dealing with an extremely broken criminal justice system which is racist as well. It means ending the so called war on drugs. [claps] 143531 It means expunging the record of those who have a criminal record because of the possession of marijuana. [claps] It means ending private prisons in the US. It means investing in our young people jobs and education not more jails and incarceration. 143620 In terms of education, it means rethinking education all across the board from child care to graduate school. And what that means, for a start, do we got any psychology majors or psychologists in the room? Alright, right here. Alright, correct me if I'm wrong, psychologists. Ready? Here's the question: 0 through 4, is the most important years of human intellectual and emotional development. Am I right? 143650 Alright. This psychologist tells me I'm right, therefore (laughs) I got an A. Alright. And I want you to think about this, and this is so true of so many aspects of our society. If we all agree that 0 through 4 are the most important years of human development, why do we continue to have a dysfunctional child care system which is unfair to the children and is unfair to their parents? Alright? 143728 And is unfair to the workers who work with those kids. So if we consider 0 through 4 to be the most important years of human development, why don't we treat those little children with the respect and the dignity and the love to which they are entitled? And that's why, that is why we are going to create a universal affordable childcare program in this country. 143810 And that is why we are going to rethink, not only rethink, but rethink -- yeah, rethink is a good word, I'm gonna think of it, let's rethink it -- our value system with regard to education. 143831 We live in a nation in which baseball player and football players and basketball players 144034 For Title I, those are the lowest income schools. Put money into those schools, into all over America where teachers are dealing with kids with a variety of disabilities, and in terms of higher education, let me tell you something which I'm proud of, very proud of, and by the way, here in iowa I want to thank you for this, I came here to Iowa 4 years ago and nobody knew who I was. 144353 Okay, what I want to do now---probably gone on too long already---what I want to do now is give the mic over to our panelists and then I want to open it up to your comments, your questions. Maybe I'll ask you some questions, you ask me some questions. Let me begin by bringing up Ellen Rockne. Ellen is a small business owner and a lifelong Democrat, Ellen? 144420 [PANEL BEGINS INCLUDING ELEN ROCKNE, SEAN MCKENZIE & SAMANTHA DOUGLAS] 145427 SAND>> Let me thank Ellen, Sean, and Samantha for their remarks. I think, without exception, you hit the nail on the head. That's exactly what this campaign is about. And I thank you very much for being here. What I want to do now is open it up and I'd like to ask you some questions and you guys can ask me some questions. I think we probably have a few mics running around the room here. 145457 I want to start off---I was just at a high school earlier today. And I ask kids, mostly kids, about income and wealth inequality. And there was a real reluctance for people to talk about it. It was like I was saying something that was vulgar, that was dirty, that we're not allowed to talk about. You know? It's like I asked someone to talk about pornagraphy. And all I was asking is income and wealth inequality---I wanna question out there, I want you to think about it. Why is there so little discussion in America about the grotesque level of income and wealth inequality? 145540 And I think it was Ellen that made the point, that you really have corporate control of our government and our economy, but we don't talk about it too much. So my---let me start it off by asking you a question. Anyone have any thoughts about that? Why is that the case? Okay, I see a hand right there. 145558 Q: My name is Shah. And the reason why we never never talked about it was because my mother and father said, "we don't talk about that." We were raised not to talk about that. You will be fired if you talk about how much money you make at work. We want to get somewhere, we have to open our mouths. We have to stand up. 145630 SAND>> Good. Alright. What about if I were to---if down the street, some big bully beat up someone who is gay, for example. Everybody would be outraged, appropriately so. We'd say, "bullying is terrible." You got three people owning more wealth than the bottom half of the people in America, while a half a million people sleep out on the streets tonight. Do you know that? Half a million people. 145701 Should we be outraged? Are we allowed? Who defines what outrage is? [Audience member says, "we do"] Do you really? Should we be outraged? [Audience shouts "yes"] Alright. Well, this is an issue that we have got to talk about. And what our campaign is about is telling the billionaire class, telling people like Jedff Bezos who's worth 155 billion dollars give or take a few billion, that that is not acceptable when half of the country is working paycheck to paycheck. 145738 Alright? Are people comfortable? Talk about it to me. I know that this is a hard issue. It's a hard issue, we don't talk about it. Are we comfortable about dealing with this issue? Moving forward to end that kind of income and wealth inequality? Alright, raise your hand. Tell me about it. Yes, sir. Right here. Stand up. Get him a mic. 145803 Q: Thanks for coming. I think that the messages that we get from the mainstream media and the mainstream media is a bunch of corporations. You are the enemy of those corporations. And they hang out---with media folks hanging out with other fairly wealthy establishment people so they really don't have a chance to give us the actual truth or to give an opportunity or a forum to really discuss it. 145843 SAND>> Okay. Other thoughts on the issue. Ma'am? Misty, right there. Stand up. Give us your name please. 145849 Q: Hi and I think that the kind of brainwashing or the idea I grew up with, is that our definition of success is like the American dream in capitalism, you're rewarded for getting everything and just keeping it to yourself and not worrying about everybody else, and that's sort of like a psychology that we've all been taught. That it's the American way, so I think that has something to do with it. 145925 SAND>> I think Lizzie is exactly right. That's a profound---it's a profound point. We have---and I have met actually here in Iowa and I will not forget this---Misty was there with me. Ny the ay, Misty, say hello. Misty is our campaign director here in Iowa [cheers] 145954 And we were at a meeting we held on healthcare---you remember that Misty? I think it was in DEs Moines. I don't know. Couple months ago. And I'll never forget. There was a Latina woman who was a home health care worker, a beautiful woman, and she went every day to help elderly people make their beds and cook them a meal, and she said that sometimes the things that she saw in the people's homes---she, who was making 13 bucks an hour, took money out of her own pocket to help these people. 150024 You see, I think that is what a human being is about. Alright. But your point is we have been educated to believe that people like Trump who lie, cheat, and steal---Trump was sued in his private business life over 2000 times, was involved in legal issues over 2000 times because he broke contract. He lied all of the time. 150053 But he made billions---presumably, we don't know if thats true. But he said he made billions. He's a hero, but that woman who makes 13 dollars an hour keeping other human beings alive, taking money out of her own pocket or the teachers who take money out of their pocket to buy school supplies for their kids. Hey, they're failures! They're failures. [applause] So what this campaign is about, the more I think about it, I think about how revolutionary it is because we're challenging values. 150131 Teachers who educate our kids are the heroes and the heroines of our society, not billionaires who lie, cheat, and steal [applause] Any other thoughts on the issue of income and wealth inequality? I see a hand right here. 150155 Q: Clothing as a symbol of racial and classist divides in people. I'm sorry but an Armani suit is about $2,000, and you look like you're wearing about 250 worth of JC Penny. That's what the difference is between the classes. SAND>> Actually, it is Kohl's, not JC Penny's [laughter/applause] Q: Trump's spending is ridiculous and like nobody we surround ourselves with. Thank you for the movement. 150310 Q: I was raised in the middle class, there were 6 children and my mom and dad, and my dad was the one who worked for us and the six of us. We were taught that there're only two things in life you couldn't avoid, death and taxes. My dad makes taxes every single year. Right. So it wasn't until I heard you the first time that I knew anything about corporations like Amazon, who don't pay one penny in taxes. So part of it is just total ignorance, and we needed you to educate us. Thank you. [applause] 150408 SAND>> Alright, we have a couple of mics here if people have questions or comments for me. please raise your hand and how we're going to do this, Misty? Q&A 150425 Q: Hi, my name is Maya. Since I've started college, I have had to call seven of my friends because there were shooters on their campuses, scattered across the US. I know this is a huge topic, and its mostly in public schools, and specifically with youths who are being appealed to this, because it is students, what steps might you take? 150502 SAND>> Good, thank you Maya. Everybody hear Maya's question? It's a very important question. I was eventually going to get to it, but thanks for asking it. But I would just disagree with you on one thing, it is not just young people. When demented human beings in El Paso walk into a shopping mall---it's not just young people and so forth. We are looking at a horrific crisis, in terms of gun violence in this country. That's what you're talking about. 150534 And, as I often say, it's such a painful and ugly issue to be thinking about some demented person walking in and just shooting down people. I really find it difficult to talk about. But obviously, we need to. And I'll tell you something else, I was here in Iowa and I don't remember what town I was in. And some guy, in a meeting like this, a guy about 6 foot 2. He looked like a football player. And he stood up and he said, "I gotta tell you, Senator, that in my school, we are afraid." 150607 And that's from a high school student who was 6"2'. So you think about the kids in the fourth grade and the third grade. What a terrible thing it is, we used to believe that schools were a place of safety, where kids went to learn and to have fun and to feel comfortable. The idea that kids are in the drills, today, hiding under desks, doing whatever they're doing, is a terrible, terrible thing. 150634 So to answer your question. Number one, I will do what the American people want us to do which is the past gun safety legislation. [applause] Alright. Now what does that mean? what does that mean? It means moving toward expanding background checks so that people who have a history of violence behind them do not own guns---significant expansion of background checks. People who should not own guns, under my administration, will not own guns. 150723 Number two: ending the gun show loophole which allows people to avoid background checks and buy guns. Number three ending the Strong man Provision, which allows people to legally buy guns and then sell them to criminals. Number four, and there has been, in recent months, a significant movement of the American people in this direction. Something I've advocated for decades and that is the banning and sale of assault weapons in this country. 150807 And there are other things that we should do as well, that's just some but it is an issue that must be tackled, and the overwhelming majority of American people want us to tackle this issue. Why aren't we tackling this issue? in Congress? You know what? That's right. One word---it's the NRA. And the NRA has sufficiently intimidated Trump and the Republican leadership. I will not be intimidated by the NRA. We will do what the American people want. [applause] 150849 Okay, that's a great question. Thank you. Let me ask you a question. Some discussion on this. Is healthcare a human right or a privilege? Raise your hand if you think it's a human right. [hands go up] Okay. Why is the United States the only major country on Earth, not to guarantee health care to all people as a right and why do we spend twice as much per capita on healthcare, as do the people in Canada or other European countries? [audience member shouts "We're essentially stupid"] No. 150927 Hold it, raise your hand. Raise your hand. Let me get the new people, what's the answer then? Why are we spending twice as much and have 87 million people uninsured or underinsured? I want to get to new people. Nobody knows the answer then? Yes, sir. [audience member says "corporations"] Good. Stand up, take the mic and amplify that a little bit. 150941 Q: I'm from Australia. And, you know, we already have free healthcare. SAND>> Good. Tell people---Thank you for being here. So if you end up, you get sick, you have serious operation, you go to the hospital. Do you go bankrupt? Q : No. Doesn't cost me a thing. SAND>> Doesn't cost you a thing?? Q: We've had four kids and hasn't cost us any money to have those kids to be in hospital treatments. 151026 SAND>> But, obviously, your wife must have had to wait two years before she could give birth, right? Q: No [laughter] SAND>> Because the system must be so broken and terrible, right? Q: Wrong. 151039 SAND>> Okay. That's Australia. [applause] And look, every country has a different system. The Australians have their, the Canadians have theirs. United Kingdom has theirs, Germany has theirs. Scandinavia have theirs. All systems are different. But they all have in common what the gentleman from Australia just said. Health care is a human right. [cheers] You don't have to go bankrupt because you have a baby, for god sakes. 151120 Or run some incredible debt. Now what we are taking on, all over the world people think we are crazy. The Australian is nodding his head. And that we pay outrageous prices. You have a baby---anybody tell me what it costs to have a baby? What's the latest? Anyone know? Anyone have any babies lately? You had a baby lately. 151150 Q: We had pretty good insurance, thankfully, but I know my sister opted to have her child at home which was less medical involvement, less office visits, because that's a charge SAND>> Was one of the reasons to say money? Q: No, actually it cost way more. And she had to get prior authorization which took months--- SAND>> This is to have a baby at home. Q: She just had her second child at home, despite all the costs. She still went ahead because it was a less stressful process for her. 151243 SAND>> Good. That's a whole other issue. Q: But not everybody has that option, because it's way too expensive. SAND>> Alright, other---on healthcare, give me some examples of healthcare. Alright. Yes ma'am. 151302 Q: Hi I'm a senior nursing student. I've had patients have to walk about hospitals against medical advice because they can't afford dialysis or cancer treatment and it's absolutely horrifying. 151332 SAND>>This is the reality of american health care. It's a reality that we do not discuss. It is---to say the word least---it is obscene. It is disgusting that in the wealthiest country in the history of the world, people walk out of a hospital because they cannot afford the care that they need. And our friend from Australia was shaking his head, and he should shake his head. This is not what the United States of America is about. Let me just conclude this discussion. 151401 I want to tell you briefly what our legislation is about. It's called "Medicare for All." And what it does is it takes Medicare, which is a good program right now. It expands Medicare to cover dental care, hearing aids, and eyeglasses, covers all basic healthcare needs, including home health care. How's that? [applause] And right, Medicare starts at 65 or older. It goes down 55 in year one, 45-year two, 35-year three, and then it covers everybody by year four. 151447 There are no premiums. And I want to deal with this issue. There's a lot of dishonesty that's going on. And I got to deal with it every day. It's not enough, you know, we're taking on the entire health care industry, which is already advertising here in Iowa. They'll be advertising, spending hundreds of millions of dollars all over the country, trying to defeat what I have proposed. So let me be very clear about how we pay for this. Okay? 151516 There are no premiums. All right. I want to ask---anybody here want to jump up and tell me what they're paying a month in premium. Who wants to tell me that?Stand up. Stand up, man. Hold it. One at a time. Give the lady a mic. How much you paying in premiums? 151535 Q: Actually, I am on Medicare now and it's great. I just got on it, but I was paying last year $1750 a month for insurance. SAND>> 17 hundred dollars a month. Yes? Is that what I'm hearing? [she nods] Q: Yes, one thousand seven hundred fifty dollars. SAND>> A month. Okay. For how many people in the family? Q: Just me! My husband left me. 151558 SAND>> Alright. Come on up here ma'am. Come on up here. Q: Because I supported you. SAND>> Come here, come here, come here, come here. Come on. Would you mind coming up here? 151624 For this, getting you up here, I'll sign your book twice. How's that? Alright. I'm sorry, your first name? Q: Danielle. SAND>> Danielle. Alright, Danielle has just made the point. This is what you're going to hear all over the campaign from Republicans, from the industry, and from some Democrats. "Bernie Sanders wants to raise your taxes. Oh my god, how bad and terrible is this guy from Vermont?" Alright? Your name again? Danielle. It's still Danielle, you haven't changed it [laughter]. 151700 Danielle just told us she was paying 1700 dollars a month? Yes? That is like $20,000 a year for healthcare, yeah? DANIELLE: Yeah, it's ridiculous. [laughter] SAND>> Now, if I said to you, Danielle---you're on Medicare now, which is a lot better, right? DANIELLE: Yeah, I have a little bit of money in my pocket now. 151725 SAND>> Now, if I said to you, Danielle, when you were on private insurance, that instead of spending $20,000 a year to the insurance companies for premiums, I was going to end that completely, no out of pocket expenses. You're gonna spend no more than $200 a year for prescription drugs. And maybe, this is hypothetical, your taxes would go up $10,000. Is that a good deal? DANIELLE: Yes. Why can't people get it? They just don't get it.[applause] 151804 SAND>> That's what it's about. So you're seeing the lies, the 30 second ads---and the media deals with this all of the time as well. "Bernie is gonna." "are you gonna raise taxes? are you gonna raise taxes?" And that becomes the 12 second clip. Not are we gonna eliminate Danielle's $1700 a month premium---now you can call it "premium," whatever you want. I would call it a tax to the insurance companies. That's gone. 151836 And the nursing student a moment ago just talked about people having to pay out of pocket expenses, they don't have the money. That's gone! Co-payments are gone. So one of the things that we have to deal with is the dishonest of people trying to say, "oh, my program is going to cost people more." My program will cost the overwhelming majority of Americans, except the very rich, less in health care costs. Yes. If you are below 29,000. You're not gonna pay anything, as a fact of fact. 151916 But other people will pay more in taxes, but in every case, it will be less than what you pay for premiums, out of pocket expenses and co payments. It's a good deal. [applause] Alright, a question. Let me get a question from the audience. We got a question? Okay, I see a woman right here. Alright Ma'am. Stand up. Get her a mic. Where's the mic? Misty, where's the mic? Right there. Watch the baby. Watch the baby. [laughter] or they'll have more healthcare costs here. Okay. 152009 Q: My name is Jennifer. I followed Gillibrand's campaign for a time. I really liked her ideas about public service for college. She talked about extending the ROTC program, you put in two years as a nurse, you get a year of college free. This was her idea of how to make college accessible for everyone. What do you post a college for all happen in a way that can happen with the existing infrastructure? 152042 SAND>> Well, I think what we're proposing can happen in States---you know, as I mentioned earlier, when I was here in Iowa four years ago and proposed making public colleges and universities tuition free, it was thought to be a crazy idea. Since then, 12 states have moved in that direction. New Mexico just announced it's making public colleges and universities tuition free, but I do like the idea. I would approach it a little different than Kirsten does. 152109 And that is one of the things that we are doing, and I have played an active role, is expanding something called the National Health Service Corp. I don't know if you know what this. And expanding it beyond healthcare--in other words, if you want to go to medical school, okay, and you are prepared to serve. And we need to serve in underserved area, we will forgive all of your debt. Alright? You're a nurse and you're prepared to serve in an underserved area, we will forgive all of your debt from nursing school. 152139 But it needn't be just health care, it could be teachers. It could be people working for the public good. And that's one way that we can approach it but at the middle of what we're trying to do, the heart if it is, in fact, for everybody---making public colleges and universities tuition free as a right. Okay, let me ask---alright, I'll take another question. Okay, way in the back. And I see you're wearing---is that Wellstone shirt? [cheers] 152211 Paul Wellstone---I had the privilege of knowing Paul, and Paul was a wonderful human being, and obviously, we miss him and his wife Sheila. Okay, yes. 152222 Q: Charlie, from Minneapolis. And when you turn 18, obviously, a whole bunch of stuff happens. You can vote, it also happens is you're eligible for the draft. And on September 14, I read, the Defense Department believes Iran attacked Saudi Arabia oil production facilities. I just want to know how president Bernie Sanders would respond to increased Iranianian hostilities in the region and the protection of our Middle Eastern allies? 152302 SAND>> Well, I think I disagree---if I may, if I got the thrust of your question. I don't see Saudi Arabia as a middle east ally [applause] I see Saudi Arabia as an incredibly brutal, undemocratic regime which treats women as third class citizens, which torches people who stand up for Democracy. And I think, in many ways, we have to rethink our relationships with countries in the Middle East. 152345 So I think that Saudi Arabia is a brutal dictatorship. Iran is nothing to write home about either. The are anti-democratic and I have real concerns about Iranian policies. But I think we have got to end the US approach which supports Saudi Arabia and just attacks verbally, and otherwise, Iran. I think what a president Bernie Sanders would do is bring Saudi Arabia, bringing Iran around the table and say, "You know what, we are not going to spend trillions of dollars sorting out your laundry." 152427 "Get it together. Stop your damn wars. Alright? And we'll work out with you some kind of peaceful arrangement." But right now, Saudi Arabia has initiated a terrible, terrible war, as you know, in Yemen which is currently the worst humanitarian disaster on Earth [applause] and I'm proud, proud to tell you that along with a conservative republican, a guy named Mike Lee from Utah, for the first time since the War Powers Act was established 45 years ago, in the House and the Senate we passed the resolution demanding that the US get out of intervening in the war in Yemen. 152517 Major breakthrough [applause] Alright, let me conclude. I think we have to get going soon, but I wanted to say---we've gone over a lot of issues and thank you, this is just a tremendous turnout. And the folks that are still outside, thank you very much for being there. This is what I want to say to you: is that, what our campaign is about and which, quite honestly, makes it a unique campaign is, I am not here telling you "vote for Bernie Sanders, and I can do it all. Just vote for me and I'll take care of all the problems." 152558 I don't say that because I don't believe it. And I don't believe it, because it's not true. No president of the United States alone can take on Wall Street and the drug companies and the fossil fuel companies, and the military industrial complex, and the prison industrial complex. The only way that real change ever takes place, and you all know history, whether it's the Labor movement or the women's movement, or the civil rights movement or the gay movement or the environmental movement. 152633 The only way that real change ever takes place is when millions of people stand up and demand justice. It's the only way change takes place. [applause] 152657 So, I'm here to ask for your help here in Iowa, and I believe that we have the kind of grassroots volunteer basis that will enable us to win here in Iowa. I am asking your help to become to democratic nominee and I'm asking your help to help me defeat the most dangerous President in American history [applause] 152726 But I'm asking more of you in a way that no other candidate has ever done. We're trying to do something unprecedented, unprecedented in American history. Every candidate wants to win an election, and every candidate will tell you all the great things he or she is going to do. But I'm saying, I cannot do it alone. We need an unprecedented grassroots movement, not just to defeat Trump, but to transform this country. 152801 Can I count on you to be there with me in that struggle? [cheers] Alright. This is a big deal. We're fighting for the future of America and for the planet. So, with that...I think we are---do we have time for? We do not have time. Do we have time for selfies? What? I was hoping to do selfies, but we don't have the time to do it all. So I'm going to come out and say hello to you, but I wanted to thank all of you very much for being here this afternoon. Thank you. ####