Former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) are viewed as two of the most moderate candidates in the Democratic 2020 presidential field. After the most recent Democratic debate, this may need to be rethought — as well as if any moderate presidential candidate exists in the Democrats’ bullpen.
During the sixth Democratic primary debate, Biden and Klobuchar offered vociferous endorsements of one of the most radical ideas embrace by the modern Democratic Party — the belief that your tax dollars should fund candidates even if you don’t agree with their beliefs as a matter of conscience.
At the PBS NewsHour debate, Klobuchar said (1:55:00):
KLOBUCHAR: [The] first bill we pass when I am president will be H.R. 1…. And if you don’t think we can get this done, well, we can, but only if we win this election big.
If enacted into law, H.R. 1 would use your tax dollars to fund candidates you don’t agree with or whose policy stances you may be morally opposed to. This is done via a six-to-one match of federal dollars for campaign contributions of less than $200. Democrats are confident they can exploit this to their advantage due to their robust online infrastructure for soliciting small-dollar donations. A $100 donation to a progressive candidate could suddenly become a $600 one — paid for by your tax dollars.
After Klobuchar’s remarks, Biden echoed this sentiment and took it one step further by saying candidates should only be funded by your tax dollars. Biden stated:
I’m the first person to introduce the constitutional amendment to make sure that there is no — all public funding of elections. End all private funding. And we all should take a commitment, make a commitment to that right now on this stage. [Emphasis added]
Let’s not mince words — Klobuchar’s and Biden’s campaign finance proposals present an existential threat to freedom of speech in America.
If your tax dollars can be funneled to candidates whom you oppose, your ability to speak out against politicians and policies is severely eroded.
Klobuchar positions herself as a candidate who will bring people together, yet the “first bill” she hopes to pass is one to silence your speech. Out of all the challenges America faces, this is what her vision for improving America on Day 1 looks like?
Klobuchar’s and Biden’s pronouncements warrant significantly more scrutiny from the press. If this is an idea embraced by even the so-called moderates on the Democratic debate stage, it is scary to think what this would mean if they were to hold levers of power. Proposals such as “H.R.1” and “Democracy Dollars” would destroy our freedom of speech in America — and liberals know that once they silence our speech, they win.
Photo credit: Gage Skidmore
