MANCHESTER, New Hampshire – Democratic presidential candidate Rep. Dean Phillips breaks down President Biden’s views on compensation and universal basic income in an exclusive interview with The Post, revealing new details about his campaign platform.
Phillips (D-Minn.) has been gradually rolling out his policy proposals since launching his campaign in late October, with his website promising more to come “while listening to people across America.”
The headlines about the 54-year-old have been dominated by Phillips’ insistence on making the incumbent’s age and low polling numbers the focus of his campaign.
But in a half-hour conversation with The Post at his campaign headquarters in New Hampshire, Phillips confirmed he would accept reparations to African-Americans for slavery and experiment with universal basic income — both proposals associated with the left wing of the Democratic Party.
He also elaborated on his plan to secure the border and criticized some Americans for being “ignorant” about Israel.
Repair
Phillips said he believed in reparations, which to him meant that all disadvantaged communities should receive investment from the government to improve their standard of living.
“I believe that repair should begin by acknowledging the injustices done to black Americans,” he said.
Democratic presidential candidate US Representative Dean Phillips (D-MN) speaks during a campaign stop at the New Hampshire Veterans Home in Tilton, New Hampshire. Reuters
“For me, the answer is to invest in every community that is underrepresented, disenfranchised, has been marginalized or has experienced horror.”
“It means excellent education for everyone, it means excellent health care for everyone. That means child care and pre-K education, it also means housing for everyone. That to me is the best way we can make amends, is to do so by improving the bottom line for everyone. That of course includes black Americans because the injustice is terrible.”
Federal marijuana legalization and criminal justice reform are also forms of “retribution,” argued Phillips, who joined independent presidential candidates Cornel West and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in support of the comprehensive action.
Biden has been largely silent on the damages, which has upset some liberal Democrats.
New York State Governor Kathy Hochul was joined by Rev. Al Sharpton, center back, New York State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, 2nd from right, New York State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, 2nd from left, and others as he signs the replacement bill loss of slavery at the New York Historical Society on Tuesday, December 19, 2023 in New York, NY James Keivom
Universal basic income
Phillips also said he would be open to experimenting with universal basic income due to the onset of artificial intelligence.
“I believe a UBI pilot should be started,” he told The Post. “There are several. I think it’s time to do more, because we’re going to lose millions of jobs to artificial intelligence, and right now we don’t have any plans to deal with that.”
The Minnesota lawmaker added that he thought that the early UBI program was “really promising.”
“If you entrust people with resources, they usually figure out how to take care of themselves,” he said. “But if they don’t have any resources, they have to rely on the public system or the private sector.”
Harris County, Texas recently announced it will provide a monthly payment of $500 to each resident for up to 18 months. Cash will be taken from unused COVID-19 relief funds.
“I think it’s worth exploring. But that doesn’t mean that only money fixes it. We need to increase the overall base of support, along with making sure people have some money in their pockets,” added Phillips.
Securing the border
Phillips has championed southern border security since he launched his campaign, telling The Post he would also be open to using “barriers” if necessary and also pledged to strengthen the northern border with Canada, which has seen an increase in migrant crossings.
Thousands of migrants wait to be processed by the US Border Patrol at a temporary transit center after crossing the Rio Grande river into the US from Mexico in Eagle Pass, Texas on December 20, 2023 Go Nakamura for the NY Post
“The wall is a metaphor for safety,” he said. “I believe in border security. That means barriers in some places, that means technology, that means human resources and that means easily reimagined ports of entry.
“It is a national security crisis. And it’s not just the southern border. We have no northern border. We have farm fields where they can walk straight.”
While record numbers of illegal border crossings have been recorded during the Biden administration, Phillips said the crisis is the fault of both sides.
“I don’t know why almost every president in my lifetime has failed to secure our borders,” he said. “I do not understand. And this notion that ‘Canada is our friend?’ There will be a crisis, I assure you. Whether through another pandemic, or through lack of access to water, or famine, or war, there will be a crisis at some point where our borders will become more important for us to be aware of.”
Medicare for all
Medicare for All, prominently championed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is a policy that has been “proposed for generations” and that the US “is unusual among all developed nations” in that it allows people to go without any coverage, Phillips argued.
Dean Phillips speaks at the opening of his office in Manchester, New Hampshire. Dean Phillips for President
“I would present this as not a progressive notion, it’s actually a very centrist and simplistic notion, that everyone should have insurance,” he said. “The government should not be involved in care, in provision, in hospitals — not at all. There just needs to be a single payer covering the costs, and if we do that, we’ll spend less money.”
Phillips acknowledged the policy would lead to higher federal taxes, but would reduce costs for Americans overall.
“In some cases, taxes will have to go up a little, but in most cases it will go down for the people because the money has already been collected. It’s just not a tax,” he said. “I think we are taxed every time we pay our health insurance premiums. That’s tax. So it depends — if you’re talking about federal taxes versus health care taxes right now, health care taxes are probably twice as high as they should be.
“So in the end, do dollars have to go to the government to pay the bills? yes. But it will reduce — I think we can get to the point where it probably cuts at least a third, if not half, of our total spending.”
Middle East
Phillips, who is Jewish, supports a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine following the Jewish state’s current war against Hamas.
Massive pro-Palestinian protests erupted across the US after the terror group launched an unprecedented attack in southern Israel on October 7, killing an estimated 1,200 people — including 33 Americans.
“I think two things can be true at once. Israel has a right to exist, and needs to, and America should support it. And I believe the Palestinian people have a right to exist and a right to self-determination and also safety, security and opportunity,” Phillips said.
Turning to the wave of anti-Israel and anti-Jewish sentiment across the US, Phillips said that “a lot of Americans don’t know about history.”
Phillips supports a two-state solution to the Israeli conflict. Reuters
“Many Americans are unaware of the fact that there are 200 or more Christian-majority countries in the world, 140 or more Muslim-majority countries, and only one Jewish-majority country in the world. That alone is the rationale for understanding and support.
“Do I believe that [Benjamin] The Netanyahu government is responsible for some of Israel’s current problems? Of course,” he added. “I think settlement policies, I think judicial reform initiatives and others have made the preservation of Israel more complicated. I think Hamas needs to be eliminated.”
Phillips has focused his campaign in New Hampshire, where Biden is off the ballot following a major scheduling dispute between Granite State officials and the Democratic National Committee.
He said Biden’s age is “dangerous” for the US and is struggling to gain access to the vote in states that choose not to hold Democratic primaries because they already have incumbents in office.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
