Iowa is Rubio Country

[Jaguar4life]

[UWS]

Rubio leading in California LOL

Not completely unreasonable. If you check Sanders Positions and compare that with Democrat Michael Dukakis who lost a landslide in 1988 they are quite similar.

Electoral Count 1988
George H. W. Bush 426
Michael Dukakis 111
Abstentions 1

I somehow feel like your related to UWS somehow. Maybe a cousin or something?

A sock puppet operated from a different IP.

Absolutely dead wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong.

Saying that 2016 and I are sockpuppets is like saying that Barack Obama was not born in the United States : neither are true.

If you click on the following link and look at Reply # 865 and Reply # 867 of my timeline, 2016 has himself corrected me because when I wanted to write Susana Martinez among the speakers, I had my head in the clouds and accidently wrote « Alaska Senator » while she is from New Mexico. After that, 2016 corrected me by saying she was from New Mexico, and then I fixed it. And I don't think I would intentionally write mistakes and then shift accounts just to write that I made a misspelling. That would be useless to me.

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=259588.850

UWS,
Susana Martinez is from New Mexico not Alaska.

UWS,
Susana Martinez is from New Mexico not Alaska.

Fixed

Even Virginia, one of the moderators of the Atlas, investigated on my profile and on 2016's profile and demonstrated very very clearly that your sockpuppet accusations are lies, that 2016 and I are not sockpuppets and are different persons.

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=290961.0

FTR, to the author (and everyone else, really), if you're making a thread about something like this, please put a link to the user's profile and also links to whatever posts in question you find suspicious? I can only speak for myself here but I'm much more inclined to just ignore the thread if at least that much can't be done. I don't want to have to go sleuthing all over the forum to find whoever you're talking about and/or the posts you're referring to. I used to do this but this keeps happening from time to time and it is really annoying.

That being said, I actually thought this was a parody thread or something, like "official socketpuppet investigation of [year]", since I was unaware there was a user named "2016."]

-

Edit: Looking at the two users, there doesn't seem to be any overlap. Not in the device(s) they use nor in the location of their IPs.

I am sick and tired of these lying accusations and you know very well that this a great rationale to denounce you to the moderators.

[UWS]

Vice-Presidential Debate, Part 1

Margaret Brennan : Good evening, Madam Vice-President and Governor Patrick. Thank you for being here tonight. It's a great honor to be with you.

I would like to start with North Korea. Recently, North Korea has announced that its nuclear test site will be dismantled by the end of October, which reinforced the eventuality of a possible restoration of peace in the Korean peninsula. How do you feel about this announcement and about the effects of North Korea's move on the region's stability?

Nikki Haley : Thank you Margaret. It's important to look at all the efforts and the progress we made against North Korea's nuclear threat throughout the last four years because without these efforts, this victory could not have been possible.

Four years ago, the world was close from a nuclear war with North Korea who was close from getting ballistic missiles able to hit Hawaii, Alaska and the Western Coast. But President Rubio's strong leadership managed to help America to take the advantage against North Korea. By reinforcing our navy's presence on the Pacific and by working with our allies around the Pacific to create the Pacific Treaty Organization, we prevented any North Korean agression in the region. We reinforced sanctions against North Korea, which is something Bernie Sanders opposed by voting against the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act despite the seriousness of the North Korean threat, cut off North Korea's crude oil supply and sanctionned international firms that were transfering money to the regime of Kim Jong-un to finance their nuclear program. Through the establishment of an anti-missile shield taking down any North Korean nuclear missile launched against us and our allies, through Japan's decision to remilitarize itself by modifying its 9th constitutional amendment and through the creation of the U.S.-Japan Cybersecurity Unit, we further took the upper hand.

So I am optimistic about North Korea's move to dismantle its nuclear test site. We are finally getting the world to peace, stability and security in the Korean peninsula and in the Pacific. And we're going to make sure that peace and the respect of human rights in Korea as well will be discussed in the upcoming summit between President Rubio and Kim Jong-un next March.

Margaret Brennan : Governor Patrick?

Deval Patrick : Thank you, Margaret and I want to thank the Washington University for hosting that debate.

There are several reasons to be optimistic about Kim Jong-un's wise decision to dismantle North Korea's nuclear program for the sake of peace. However, we must not be provocative through deep warmongering. I'm proud to see the world getting to peace in the Korean peninsula over 6 decades after the Korean War. I have to give the President this credit of working hard with our allies to get us to these results. And I agree with the Vice-President when she says that the respect of human rights in the Korean peninsula should also be discussed in the U.S.-North Korea summit. Kim Jong-un is a complete nutjob who oppresses his own people while controlling the food the  eat, the water they drink, the literature they read and the television they watch. Perhaps when he outgrows his power fantasies, he can rejoin the rest of the world. And in addition, all these military and diplomatic efforts that were orchestrated also resulted to stronger relations with our allies around the Pacific, including China due to the impoundment of Chinese fishing boats and to the threat of North Korea's nuclear threat on China's economic interests, which led China to join us and to reinforce sanctions against Pyongyang. And thanks to all this pressure, we are going to make peace permanent in the Pacific.

Margaret Brennan : And that leads us to Iran. Recently, Secretary of State Lindsey Graham declared that North Korea's denuclearization is going to force Iran to do the same. Do you agree with that and if yes how do you think this is realistic? Governor Patrick?

Deval Patrick : Maybe, but we have to remain careful on handling the Iran issue. The President deterioriated the situation by repealing the Iran nuclear deal that was aimed at making sure that Iran never gets nuclear weapons, which risks of triggering a nuclear war with Iran due to increased pressure on them. That's why Bernie Sanders will promote diplomacy over warmongering and put the use of military force as the last resort. That way we can get to peace in the Middle East without any war against Iran.

Margaret Brennan : Madam Vice-President, 90 seconds to respond.

Nikki Haley : Well, Margaret, the President's decision to repeal the Iran nuclear deal was the right thing to do. Through the lifting of the sanctions against Iran, this so-called deal was allowing Iran to get the necessary capitals to finance the development of their nuclear program and to sponsor terrorism because I think you forgot, Governor, that Iran is the world's largest sponsor of terrorism. In addition, it has been revealed last year that the Sheikh Omar Hadid Brigade, ISIS' branch in Gaza, is among the states sponsored and armed by Iran. Despite all of this, Bernie Sanders supported the Iran nuclear deal. By repealing it, we deprived Iran of the money they need to develop nuclear weapons and diminished their ability to sponsor terrorist groups, which reinforced our national security. And thanks to an anti-missile shield to destroy any Iranian nuclear missile launched against America and its allies, we took the advantage against North Korea. The moreover that Iran is also facing deep economic decline thanks to the sanctions, to rising  prices, to higher inflation and to Tehran's decision to cut fuel subsidies, which caused several  opposition protests across Iran and we are supporting these pro-freedom activists in their fight to restore freedom, justice and integrity in Iran. There will be elections there next year and I hope that the Iranian people quest for change will be successful through the election of an Iranian government listening to their concerns because I think Iran's uranium should be used economic purposes and for Iran's economic growth, not for military purposes. So North Korea's denuclearization will lead Iran to follow Pyongyang's lead and to use its nuclear energy for its economic  restabilization and to create jobs for Iranians. As long as Iran acts like this, there will be no need to take military action against Iran. That's why, in a second trm, President Rubio and I will work hard to get the world to a non-nuclear North Korea and to a non-nuclear Iran for the sake of international peace and security.

[UWS]

Vice-Presidential Debate, Part 2

Margaret Brennan : Madam Vice-President, in the last four years, the Rubio Administration added Vladimir Putin's Russia on the list of state-sponsors of terrorism. Why is Russia would be state-sponsoring terrorism?

Nikki Haley : Well, the answer is quite obvious : to destabilize America and its allies in the Middle East and in Europe.

Six years ago, civilian Boeing MH17 was shot down in Donbas, over the territory occupied by Russia. Furthermore, in 2015 Russia vetoed a resolution of the UN Security Council on the establishment of an international tribunal to investigate the downed Boeing. In addition, after the radification of the Iran nuclear deal, Russia has increased its missile sales to Iran in addition of exporting uranium to this same nation that is none other than the world's largest state sponsor of global terrorism and seeks to get nuclear weapons to launch nuclear attacks against nations like Israel.

So we had to take action by countering Russia's illegal actions. We stood with our allies, including with Ukraine by providing them all the necessary military training and military arsenal they needed to combat the pro-Russian terrorist rebellion in Donbass, which helped them to win the War in Donbass. By sanctioning Russia's uranium exports and its missile sales to Iran and by establishing a new naval base in the Caspian Sea, we managed to deprive Iran of any supply of material they needed to develop their nuclear arsenal and to sponsor terrorist organizations. We can't lower our guards against any foreign policy threat, including Russia. And that's a major reason why we reinforced stability in the Middle East and in Eastern Europe and to keep America safe.

Margaret Brennan : Governor, do you agree that the addition of Russia on the list of state-sponsors of terrorism was the right thing to do?

Deval Patrick : I do not. This was a careless move that further increased tensions with Russia. But do I think Putin's a good man? No I do not. However, we need to stop this alarmism. This is the same jingoistic saber-rattling that starts wars and will plunge our relations with Russia to Cold War levels. We need to pursue detente with Russia, but cautiously. There is nothing to be gained from fear-mongering. That's how we can accomplish our common goals which are to defeat ISIS in the Middle East, to denuclearize North Korea and to restore global peace.

Margaret Brennan : The next question goes to you, Governor. Senator Sanders has repeatedly opposed U.S. military action against ISIS and has spoken out against our military intervention in Syria and Iraq aimed at defeating ISIS, calling for a timetable withdrawal. How can you assure that such withdrawal will not bring the same results as our withdrawal from Iraq in 2011?

Deval Patrick : Well, first of all, our troops did a great job and that's how Iraq and Syria are more stable today as we are training the new Syrian Army. But what Bernie Sanders has said is that we can't support without any timetable. Our military intervention against Iraq in 2003 caused a vaccuum fulfilled by ISIS and I'm concerned that our military action against would cause the same troubles. In addition, we spent hundreds of billions of dollars that could have been invested into social services and infrastructure. We are defeating terrorists on the ground, thus restoring stability in the region. Time has come for us to focus on our own business.

Margaret Brennan : Your response, Madam Vice-President.

Nikki Haley : Let me just say first of all, that ISIS' rise is actually caused by a schism from Al Qaida and by our early withdrawal from Iraq in 2011 while our duty to defeat Al Qaida, to rebuild Iraq and to train the Iraqi Army was not completed. So Senator Sanders' plan is dangerous as it includes deep cuts in the defense budget and withdrawal of our troops at the wrong time. No wonder that Senator Sanders called for the shutdown of the Strategic Defense Initiative and of the B-2 bombers despite the fact that these programs helped America to win the Cold War, opposed the Gulf War and opposed any form of support to our troops. The President corrected this situation, growing our defense budget to reinforce and modernize our military, strengthening and expanding our alliances, arming the right groups in the Middle East through background checks on them and striking terrorists wherever they are. And that's what we and our allies did by intervening militarily in Syria and Iraq to defeat ISIS and as a result we recaptured all of ISIS' territory, eliminated several of their commanders and our troops found and killed Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. It's only by pursuing these efforts that we're going to defeat ISIS and by rebuilding Syria, a country that is now democratic, we are ensuring Syria's stability. We trained 100 000 Syrian troops without any danger and so we are progressively transferring the responsbility of Syria's security to the Syrian armed forces who are also doing a formidable job. And as President Rubio made it clear, there is only one way out for our security and for peace : America's victory against radical Islamic terrorism. It's only by getting the job entirely done and by totally defeating ISIS that we can win this war and end it with dignity and honor.

[Virginiá]

Can you guys give this UWS = 2016 thing a rest please? I already compared the two accounts a long time ago. There is nothing to it. And I said this publicly too, so unless you have some evidence for these accusations, after a certain point it could be considered harassment if you won't let it be.

[OBD]

Can you guys give this UWS = 2016 thing a rest please? I already compared the two accounts a long time ago. There is nothing to it. And I said this publicly too, so unless you have some evidence for these accusations, after a certain point it could be considered harassment if you won't let it be.

Alrighty.

[UWS]

Vice-Presidential Debate, Part 3

Margaret Brennan : For many years, Senator Sanders has questionned NATO's effectiveness, claiming that the other NATO members are not paying their fair share of defense spending and should be spending at least 2 % of their GDP on defense. How do you respond it, Madam Vice-President?

Nikki Haley : First of all, it's curious that despite the fact that Senator Sanders has, throughout his career, opposed NATO expansion, claiming that this organization is a waste of taxpayer dollars and causes tensions with Russia, he has supported Montenegro's ascension as NATO member 3 years ago. It is totally irresponsible of Bernie Sanders to demean the enormous efforts and contributions that our allies in NATO and outside NATO gave in the last few years. We and our European allies, especially France, Germany and Turkey, suffered so many terrorist attacks before President Rubio came in office. So just like we did, our allies agreed to spend at least 2 % of their GDP on defense and they fulfilled their pledge. Along with the consolidation and expansion of our alliances, it helped us to fight and defeat radical Islamic terrorism in several regions of the Middle East and North Africa. Otherwise we would not have accomplished such successes like killing Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi or winning the War in Afghanistan. So it is irresponsible to question the determination of our allies who have suffered from terrorism as much as we did and who have the same objectives which are to keep America safe.

Meanwhile, Senator Sanders wants to gut our military by reducing our defense budget and our intelligence operations, which will make America an easier target for terrorists and allow jihadists to be permanently on the run and to assault our values. Since he was Governor of Massachusetts during the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, Governor Patrick should understand that the reason why terrorists were able to commit attacks against us on our territory was the abscence of American leadership and it is by restoring it and by working hard with our allies that we are defeating ISIS and winning the War on Terror and as long as Marco Rubio is President, our allies can trust  us and it's through trust and solidarity with our allies that we can overcome our foreign policy challenges.

Margaret Brennan : Governor Patrick, 90 seconds.

Deval Patrick : First of all, Senator Sanders too believes in strong alliances like NATO and he's trusting our allies as much as the President does. We don't believe the United States should be the police of the world and that's why we are proud to see our allies doing their fair part because we can't just support their economies. They got to put up their own fair share of the defense burden. Nothing wrong with that. After all, they all have excellent health care system and education system. That is the best way to maintain peace and security.

Margaret Brennan : All right, let's move on to the next topic : the economy. Governor Patrick, Senator Sanders seeks to increase taxes by $15 billion to make sure the wealthy and corporations pay their fair share and opposes free trade. Doesn't it contrast your views with regards to the economy due to your record  of reducing taxes for Massachusetts' middle class and to your support to free trade during your time as Governor?

Deval Patrick : As Senator Sanders said, making sure that this economy works for all Americans requires making sure that the wealthy, corporations and big businesses pay their fair part in order to ensure a better share of wealth across this country. It starts with an increase of the minimum wage to 15 dollars an hour. Opportunity requires growth, and growth requires investment. That's why Bernie Sanders wants to change our tax code to make sure that we're helping small businesses and companies that are investing here in the United States. Small businesses need access to start-up capital. We also need to make fairer trade deals and to focus on green energy. Our status as an energy independent country gives us the chance to put fossil energies and to invest in green energies for the sake of both the economy and the environment. That's how we can make this economy working for everyone.

Margaret Brennan : Madam Vice-President.

Nikki Haley : Well, as a managing director at Bain Capital, Governor Patrick should understand that taxing and regulating businesses like Senator Sanders seeks to do won't solve any problems but create problems and that the best way to ensure economic growth is to make America the best business-friendly environment in the world, which we did with the Rubionomics that brought the largest tax reductions in history, tax cuts that benefited to all Americans, including the middle class, in addition of doubling the child tax credit to $2000, thus reinforcing taxpayers' purchasing power and their ability to find a good-paying job and to raise their families. These are policies that reduced taxes and regulations on businesses, lowered our corporate tax rate to 15 %, got us to energy independence by taking advantage of all of our sources of energy, made us competitive in the global economy through the promotion of free trade and lower tariffs and facilitated economic activities in America by encouraging public-prrivate partnerships to fund infrastructure projects, which brought infrastructure development and favored the implementation of new businesses in America. As a result, we helped creating 12 million new jobs in the last four years, which is the highest number of jobs ever created during a President's first term. We brought our unemployment rate at its lowest rate since the last 50 years, increased wages and reduced our deficit almost in half. Thanks to President Rubio's policies, we are better off than we were four years and we have a plan to make the next four years better still which is to keep taxes low for all Americans, balance the budget in order to invest a part of future budget surpluses into the development of new infrastructures and renewable energies. That way, we can get to full-employment thanks to the expansion of opportunity, which requires small government, lower fiscal burden and free enterprise.

[adamevans]

Why do you have to stretch the images like that?

[Lord Admirale]

UWS,

Considering the Republicans have such strong supermajorities in both chambers, and that Rubio has amazingly high approval ratings, they ought to repeal the 22nd Amendment assuming Rubio wins reelection and the Republican Party holds their majorities in both chambers. That way, Rubio can seek a third term if his approval ratings continue to be favorable.

[UWS]

Vice-Presidential Debate, Part 4

Margaret Brennan : Next question, the gun rights issue. In the last four years, gun violence has been reduced and of course both of you have different views on that issue. The question goes to you, Madam Vice-President. Which is this reduction of gun violence due to according to you?

Nikki Haley : It is due to President Rubio's decision to allow the Attorney General to block the transfer of firearms to suspected terrorists and suspected criminals and to the adoption by the Congress of a law contributing to the deployment of a police officer in every public school around the country, which reduced violence in schools. That is the right way to ensure security while defending the Second Amendment that protects the right to self-defense. That way, anyone feeling threatened by an agressor can defend themselves. No wonder that Senator Sanders has opposed several bills including stricter gun control because gun control won't solve anything. Criminals take guns in the black market. And I need to remind the Governor that the terrorist attack at the 2013 Boston Marathon was not done with guns, but with bombs. Criminals and terrorists can commit attacks with any other weapon than guns like bombs, swords, axes, trucks, etc. That's why gun control is not only unconstitutional but also ineffective. The right way to restore security is also to stay on our guards and that's what we did by reinforcing the FBI's counterterrorism budget, modernizing our homeland security, keeping our military strong and going after terrorists, which is why we are winning the War on Terror. It's only by standing for freedom that we can keep our country and our citizens safe.

Margaret Brennan : Governor?

Deval Patrick : We can't afford to tolerate violence in any place in this country. I believe in the right to wear a gun but I also believe that guns should be owned by the right individuals. When I was Governor of Massachusetts, we established the toughest gun laws in the country. As a result, we helped stopping tragedies like the one in Newton, Connecticut, by requiring background checks. There is more to do. The truth is that, in any successful organization, the work of self-improvement is never finished. I am proud of the fact that, working with the House and Senate, no administration in Massachusetts has ever delivered more sweeping reform of state government than ours has. As a result, we stopped any criminal, terrorist or any other bad guy to take guns and to harm people. If the Rubio Administration established background checks on Syrian rebels before arming them, why wouldn't it work for citizens across this country?

Nikki Haley : Because unlike our fellow Americans, these rebels are not living in the United States and they are not U.S. citizens. So the Second Amendment has nothing to do with our fight against jihadism in the Middle East. This is a strategy that helped us to correct the mistakes of the previous administration that handed weapons to groups we knew nothing about and were fighting for terrorist organizations like ISIS or Al  Qaida. So by establishing background checks on Syrian rebels, we armed the right groups in the Middle East, including the Kurds and mainstream militias, which is contributed to our success in Syria and Iraq against ISIS. Our citizens deserve the right to protect themselves and that's why Attorney General Cruz blocked the transfer of firearms only to suspected criminals and suspected terrorists. As a result, only honest and civilized people are getting guns and are able to stop tragedies themselves, if needed. Why? Because, security and freedom go together.

Margaret Brennan : Now, the health care issue. You don't agree, of course, on the effects of Rubiocare on our health care system. Governor Patrick, why should America's health care system be modified?

Deval Patrick : We need a universal health care system. I see health care as a common good - like clean air, safe streets, and effective education - and so I believe that government has a role to play in assuring that the conditions exist for the health care system we all want. We need to put an end to the "fee-for-service" model. We need to stop paying for the amount of care, and start paying instead for the quality of care. We need to empower doctors to coordinate patient care and to focus on wellness rather than sickness. And we need medical malpractice reform. Bernie Sanders' plan will save middle-class families many thousands of dollars a year in their health care costs by focusing on how we make uniform the forms for reimbursement, how we use our technology to maintain patient records and how to be smarter about purchasing strategies for prescription drugs. That is how we can deliver health care for all while bringing costs down.

Margaret Brennan : Madam Vice-President?

Nikki Haley : Well, I find it strange that Governor Patrick talks about improving the health care system since he has, during his time as Governor of Massachusetts, abolished several reforms included in the 2006 Massachusetts health care reform that has been several times accused of being similar to Obamacare and has been adopted by his predecessor Mitt Romney. But Senator Sanders' health care plan will be a disaster for our health care system and for the middle class, raising taxes on middle class Americans through a new 2.2 % income tax on all Americans, restricting their purchasing power and their access to health care and Medicare and increasing government mandates bailing out health care companies with taxpayer dollars. Rubiocare increased credits annually and set the tax preference for employer-sponsored insurance on a glide path to ensure that it will equal the level of the credits within a decade. We adopted measures reforming insurance regulations to lower costs, encouraging innovation, and protecting the vulnerable to make sure those with pre-existing conditions have access to affordable care through mechanisms such as federally-supported, actuarially-sound and state-based high risk pools. If you want someone who will fight for you and who will fight for the middle-class families and working men and women, who are sick and tired of having their parents and grandparents pay higher prices for their access to Medicare and health care, then the choice is President Marco Rubio.

[UWS]

Vice-Presidential Debate, Part 5

Margaret Brennan : That leads us to the closing statements. Governor Patrick, you go first.

Deval Patrick : Thank you, Margaret for moderating this debate and thank you Madam Vice-President for being here tonight. America has a choice to make. Either we keep handing money to the top 1 %, or we ensure that all classes, including the wealthy pay their fair part to make sure this economy works for everyone. Bernie Sanders is a man who spent his entire life fighting the vulnerable, for the middle class and average Americans. He will work to get fairer trade deals for America in order to keep our jobs, to get rid of these subsidies to the fossil energy industry, to focus on renewable energy, to increase the minimum wage to 15 dollars an hour, to provide universal health care for all and promote diplomacy in order to keep our country safe and to restore international peace. That's how we can ensure a society working for all Americans and if you give us the mandate to lead, we'll do it by making sure that all Americans will do their part.

Margaret Brennan : Your closing statement, Madam Vice-President.

Nikki Haley : Thank you, Margaret.

It's been a great privilege and a great honor to serve as your Vice-President these last four years and to work alongside President Rubio, a man who lived the American Dream as a young man, understands the struggles and concerns of everyday Americans and fought every single day to put our economy on an upward path and  to keep America safe.

In the last four years, we reduced taxes for all Americans, got our country to energy independence, promoted free trade for the sake of our economic competitiveness in the world, championed small businesses and reformed our immigration system. We created 12 million new jobs, increased wages and reduced our deficit almost in half. We will keep fighting to make sure that all Americans will find good-paying jobs and that requires pursuing this fight for the expansion of opportunity. Now we have the opportunity to balance the budget and by doing so, we're going to increase investments into infrastructure and renewable energies for the sake of a stronger economy and into the modernization of our military for the sake of a safer America and stronger peace.

Four years ago, America was facing terrorist threat that was at one of its highest rates when we suffered major attacks in San Bernardino and Orlando. But thanks to President Rubio's foreign policy experience, to his leadership and to his determination to win this fight against terrorism, we kept America safe by strengthening our military and our alliances, by restoring American leadership, by going after terrorists in the Middle East through military action and by eradicating them in Iraq, Afghanistan, North Africa and almost in Syria. Our brave troops eliminated Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Al Qaida is about to be totally anihilated. We restored democracy in Syria and are rebuilding that country to ensure its stability. We got North Korea to denuclearize by standing with our allies and keeping our military strong. There is still work to do to restore global peace and security. It is important for us to stand for the values that make America a great, special and free nation, which are freedom of speech, freedom of speech, freedom of religion and gender equity. That's why it is umportant for us to stand with our allies and to stand against the ennemies of freedom and that's why we have no choice but to win the war against terrorism, which is a fight we're going to win with President Rubio as Commander-in-Chief.

You know why? Because America's future depends on the ability and determination of the American people and on the strong leadership of a President to overcome the challenges facing our countries. This a leadership that made our economy stronger, kept America and the whole world safer against tyranny and terrorism and will keep doing so in the next four years. That's why we are better off than we were four years ago, that's why the next four years will be better still. That's why it's with honor that I'm ready to serve as your Vice-President alongside President Rubio for four more years, alongside a great leader who will fight for what's right and for all the values that made America great. So we ask for your vote to keep America strong.

Margaret Brennan : And thank you both again. Thank you very much. This concludes the vice presidential debate. Please tune in next Sunday for the second presidential debate at the North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina. I'm Margaret Brennan of Face The Nation. It was an honor to moderate this debate and I hope you will all go to the polls. Have a good evening.

[APPLAUSE FROM THE AUDIENCE AS NIKKI HALEY AND DEVAL PATRICK SHAKE HANDS]

[UWS]

Who Won the Vice-Presidential Debate?

CNN/ORC poll :

Nikki Haley : 51 %
Deval Patrick : 38 %
Tied/Unsure : 11 %

Politico/Morning Consult poll :

Nikki Haley : 54 %
Deval Patrick : 37 %
Tied/Unsure : 9 %

Reuters/Ipsos poll :

Nikki Haley : 55 %
Deval Patrick : 36 %
Tied/Unsure : 9 %

NBC News/SurveyMonkey poll :

Nikki Haley : 47 %
Deval Patrick : 43 %
Tied/Unsure : 10 %

Gallup poll :

Nikki Haley : 52 %
Deval Patrick : 34 %
Tied/Unsure : 14 %

Fox News poll :

Nikki Haley : 58 %
Deval Patrick : 33 %
Tied/Unsure : 9 %

ABC News/Washington Post poll :

Nikki Haley : 52 %
Deval Patrick : 37 %
Tied/Unsure : 11 %

[UWS]

Who Won the Vice-Presidential Debate?

CNN/ORC poll :

Nikki Haley : 51 %
Deval Patrick : 38 %
Tied/Unsure : 11 %

Politico/Morning Consult poll :

Nikki Haley : 54 %
Deval Patrick : 37 %
Tied/Unsure : 9 %

Reuters/Ipsos poll :

Nikki Haley : 55 %
Deval Patrick : 36 %
Tied/Unsure : 9 %

NBC News/SurveyMonkey poll :

Nikki Haley : 51 %
Deval Patrick : 42 %
Tied/Unsure : 7 %

Gallup poll :

Nikki Haley : 52 %
Deval Patrick : 34 %
Tied/Unsure : 14 %

Fox News poll :

Nikki Haley : 58 %
Deval Patrick : 33 %
Tied/Unsure : 9 %

ABC News/Washington Post poll :

Nikki Haley : 52 %
Deval Patrick : 37 %
Tied/Unsure : 11 %

Yeah; the fact you have Haley always beat Patrick in every debate point shows how biased this TL is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B34DmsMxUlA

Anyway I just made the NBC poll closer.

[2016]

UWS,

Considering the Republicans have such strong supermajorities in both chambers, and that Rubio has amazingly high approval ratings, they ought to repeal the 22nd Amendment assuming Rubio wins reelection and the Republican Party holds their majorities in both chambers. That way, Rubio can seek a third term if his approval ratings continue to be favorable.

I hope this doesn't happen. More likely is that UWS is working towards that President Rubio helps Nikki Haley becoming President once he is reelected.

[Lord Admirale]

UWS,

Considering the Republicans have such strong supermajorities in both chambers, and that Rubio has amazingly high approval ratings, they ought to repeal the 22nd Amendment assuming Rubio wins reelection and the Republican Party holds their majorities in both chambers. That way, Rubio can seek a third term if his approval ratings continue to be favorable.

I hope this doesn't happen. More likely is that UWS is working towards that President Rubio helps Nikki Haley becoming President once he is reelected.

Yes, but, we don't know how effective Haley would be, so I think three, or even four, terms of Rubio, followed by a Haley presidency would be ideal.

[UWS]

Second Presidential Debate

Date : October 11, 2020

Place : North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina

Moderator : Tom Brokaw

Podium order :

Sanders        Rubio

Tom Brokaw : Good evening from the North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina. I'm Tom Brokaw of NBC News. We are here for the second Presidential Debate, a town hall sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates. The Gallup organization chose 82 uncommitted voters from the Raleigh area. Their questions will drive the night. My goal is to give the conversation direction and to ensure questions get answered.

The questions are known to me and my team only. Neither the commission, nor the candidates have seen them. I hope to get to as many questions as possible, and because I am the optimistic sort, I'm sure the candidates will oblige by keeping their answers concise and on point.

Each candidate has as much as 2 minutes to respond to a common question, and there will be a 2-minute follow-up. The audience here in the hall has agreed to be polite and attentive; no cheering, no booing, or outbursts of any sort.

We will set aside that agreement just this once to welcome President Marco Rubio and Senator Bernie Sanders.

[APPLAUSE FROM THE AUDIENCE AS MARCO RUBIO AND BERNIE SANDERS ARRIVE ON THE DEBATE STAGE, SHAKE HANDS AND SIT ON THEIR CHAIRS]

[UWS]

Second Presidential Debate, Part 1

Tom Brokaw : Gentlemen, to the business at hand. The first question is for Senator Sanders, and it will come from Fred Scott, who is right behind me.

Question : Senator Sanders, as a father of a working class family living paycheck to paycheck who has access to heat thanks mostly to electricity, I'm worrying about your energy plan that would gut the fossil energy industry, including coal that generates electricity. And as we all know, North Carolina is the 11th electricity producer in the country. So my question is how do you plan to make sure that we'll still have access to heat and electricity despite an offensive on the coal industry that you seek to launch?

Bernie Sanders : Thank you Fred for your question because it concerns an existing problem, which is something the President has not proven to understand. Coal is extremely polluting and there are clear alternatives to make sure that people have access to heat and electricity and it is to invest into the development of renewable energies, including hydroelectricity and nuclear. That's why I intend to make the fight against climate change as well as renewable energy development a priority and that way, we can avoid that people like you will suffer the effects of the gutting of the fossil energy. We can handle our environment and ensure economic growth at the same time. We need to find new jobs for the workers in the fossil fuel industry, and if necessary subsidize their going back to school to acquire new skills. That's why I also have a plan to invest into education to make sure these workers will be rapidly able to find a job after going back to school, if needed and that is the best way we can make America's energy independence permanent while ensuring a clean environment and as a result people will keep their access to heat.  

Tom Brokaw : Mr. President, two minutes.

Marco Rubio : Thank you Fred. Your future is bright thanks to the economic prosperity our country is living and thanks to America's energy independence that has become possible thanks to policies that Senator Sanders has opposed time and time again. He is one of the strongest supporters of the War on Coal that raised taxes on the energy industry and shipped hundreds of thousands of coal mining jobs to China. Foreign companies were buying so many of our different plants and then re-jiggering the plant so that they could take care of their oil. We reversed that situation and repealed these job-killing regulations, brought coal mining jobs back home, thus helping our country to take advantage of all of its sources of energies. Coal actually produces renewable energy since it is burned for the production of electricity and heat and is the largest source of energy for the generation of electricity worldwide, helping creating jobs in the electricity industry and give the American people a better access to heat and electricity. Unlike what Senator Sanders claimed, I believe climate change is real because climate has always been changing. There's never been a time in the history of Earth during which climate has not been changing. But that is not a reason to put workers out in the cold like Senator Sanders wants to do by cutting their jobs. That's why we took bold action to make America energy independent by encouraging oil drilling and production, doubling permits and licenses on federal lands, approving the construction of pipelines to facilitate oil transportation and ending the War on Coal, thus providing massive job creation and getting revenues from oil drilling a part of which is being invested into the development of renewable energies such as solar, wind, hydroelectric and nuclear energies, favoring further job creation while getting the world to a cleaner environment thanks to a reduction of our greenhouse gas. As a result, this advantage that our country has taken will ensure that families like yours will have a better access to electricity as well as higher incomes, thus making your future as well as America's future bright.

Tom Brokaw : The next question goes to you, Mr. President, from Kevin Brown, right there.

Question : Mr. President, as a 21-year old college student who is about to open his own agricultural business, what is your plan to make America's agricultural businesses competitive?

Marco Rubio : Thank you Kevin. This is a great question that gives me the occasion to highlight the progress we made in the last four years in terms of job creation. As our economy was heading into a recession due to sluggish economic growth, we fixed the problem by providing the largest tax cuts in history for all Americans, including the middle class, reinforcing their purchasing power and their ability to raise their families. We made America the best place in the world by cutting taxes and regulations on businesses, including small businesses, by lowering our corporate tax rate to 15 %, by reducing the cost of doing business in this country and by encouraging public-private partnerships to fund infrastructure projects, favoring infrastructure development and the implementation of new businesses here in the United States. We got America to energy independence by taking advantage of our own sources of energies. We made America competitive in the world economy thanks to free trade. We reformed our education system by promoting school choice. As a result, we created 12 million new jobs and reduced our unemployment rate from 5.6 % to 2.5 %. This is a favorable environment for people like you to start a business.

What we have done in the last four years to grow our agricultural industry is repealing burdensome regulations on farmers and ranchers and abolishing the death tax, which allowed farmers and ranchers to immediately write off the cost of new machinery and equipment, raised wages and dramatically boosted investment. We opposed new taxes on energy, curbed overregulation and reformed our immigration system since nearly 8 in 10 farmworkers in the United States are immigrants. And yet, Senator Sanders opposed the Immigration Reform Act of 2007, opposed guest worker programs and supported the Community Protection Act of 2006 that included the detention of undocumented immigrants. Our policies boosted job creation, improved agricultural technologies, ensured America's subsistence, reduced food prices through the reduction of inflation and reduced Americans' dependence on food stamps, which reinforced their purchasing power and gave them more access to food. So your success in business is guaranteed, Kevin.

Tom Brokaw : Senator Sanders, your answer.

Bernie Sanders : There is clearly a need for sustainable agriculture and access to healthy food and education for working families. That's the reason why I helped pass legislation that helped prevent the closure of family-owned farms, including The Agricultural Act of 2014. I supported Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and a diverse array of other nutrition-impacting pieces of legislation, I supported the Opportunity Act in 2018 that finally granted U.S. citizenship for immigrants across this country. And I support allowing states to require labels on foods containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) based on the consumer’s right-to-know, but I do not believe that GMOs are necessarily bad. I invested in future nutrition and family farms through my support to the Growing Safe Food Act of 2009, which focuses on educating farmers about safe, sustainable, and efficient farming practices. I backed the Summer Meals Act of 2014 and the Local Farms, Food and Jobs Act of 2013, which improves the nutrition of future generations by providing grants to schools for local produce, increasing education about nutrition and agriculture, improving low-income health programs, and encouraging research-based agricultural practice.

Nutritional assistance programs primarily support low-income households with hungry children. Under my plan, we will increase subsidies for farmers, reduce those for people earning under $750,000 and increase those for small farmers. Subsidies for ethanol will be increased in order to support the ethanol industry. This is how we're going to make America's agricultural industry and its corn industry competitive and dynamic.

Tom Brokaw : That brings us to the next question from Gary Smith. It goes to Senator Sanders.

Question : Senator Sanders. I have a son serving our country in the U.S. Army in Afghanistan. One of the main reasons of our recent victory in the War in Afghanistan is due to the creation of the US-Indian Military Alliance Treaty in 2017 and to India's military engagement in Afghanistan. But in the Senate, you opposed the creation of this alliance as well as the temporal reduction of our aid to Pakistan that was accused of sponsoring terrorism. Why?

Bernie Sanders : What the President has needlessly done is strain our relationship with Pakistan to the breaking point, considering that they are not know for their healthy relationship with India. Both of these countries have nuclear weapons as well, and this decision has needlessly destabilized the region and is pushing us closer to an actual nuclear war. Such a war would create incentives for other countries to withdraw from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. I will promote diplomacy first and war will always be the last option because a nuclear is exactly the last thing we need. Otherwise, war will be forever in the region.

Tom Brokaw : Mr. President.

Marco Rubio : Well, let me remind you, Senator, that back in 2008, the United States India ratified the India–United States Civil Nuclear Agreement that you have opposed and that guaranteed that India uses its nuclear energy for civil purposes, not military purposes.

Senator Sanders' statement demonstrates that he has no plan to win the War on Terror. No wonder that he called the War in Afghanistan unwinnable. I guess he would have suggested that we would allow the Pakistani government to keep sponsoring radical Islamic terrorist groups with the money we are sending in aid to Pakistan. By reducing it, we convinced India, the 4th military power in the world to engage in Afghanistan. The U.S. aid to Pakistan increased again when Pakistan accepted to stop sponsoring terrorism, to fully side with us in the War on Terror and to give stronger efforts in fighting terrorism in the region. Like I said, India and Pakistan may have differences that are sources of long years of political, religious and territorial conflicts, but in this time of war against terrorism, extremism and tyranny, we have to understand what unites us as allies and partners. Both India and Pakistan suffered centuries of colonial oppression and they together, they fought for their national independence. So, in some ways, Indians and Pakistanis are brothers in arms. Both India and Pakistan have a common goal : restoring peace, stability and security in the Indian Subcontinent. We all agree that Iran must never get nuclear weapons that would be aimed at attacking any nation in the world. Just like the United States did, India and Pakistan all suffered from terrorism. They both have a common enemy. It is radical Islamic terrorism, a clear and present danger that was operating in Afghanistan, which is next to Pakistan, and in Pakistan, which is next to India.

So by ratifying the US-Indian Military Alliance Treaty and by getting India to join us in Afghanistan, we definitely took the advantage against the terrorists. Thanks to the combination of our military powers, we totally annihilated ISIS, the Taliban and Al Qaida in Afghanistan and Pakistan, we eliminated Ayman al Zawahiri, we restored peace in Afghanistan and we are completing our duty to rebuild this country and to train their armed forces to ensure Afghanistan's stability and security. As a result, our troops will be coming home next year and we kept America safe.

[UWS]

Second Presidential Debate, Part 2

Tom Brokaw : So the next question will come from Cindy Robinson.

Question : Good evening, gentlemen. You both opposed gun control. But as the mother a young man about to integrate the Raleigh Police Department, I'd like to hear from both of you, why are you the best to defend the Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States.

Marco Rubio : Well, the right way to defend the Second Amendment while ensuring security is to allow the Attorney General to block the transfer of firearms to suspected terrorists and suspected criminals. That's what we did by giving Attorney General Ted Cruz that mandate and as a result, we reduced gun violence which has also been done by deploying a police officer in every public school. The reason why the Charleston church shooting occured is because the FBI had the information needed to stop Dylann Roof from buying a gun, but didn't use thee resources. That' why background checks are ineffective. But by reinforcing the FBI's counter-terrorism budget, we helped them to get all the tool they needed to prevent shootings. Even though he opposed gun control in the past, Senator Sanders has not been consistent on immunity for gun manufacturers and sellers. He voted for the 2005 measure that provided broad liability exclusions for gunmakers and sellers. Ten years later, when he was a candidate in 2016, like myself, he said that he would "take another look" at the liability question and that he supported a proposal to rescind the immunity provisions. Inconsistency is not a solution for ecurity and freedom. It has never been difficult for me to take a tance in order to keep our nation afe and free and to make sure every civilized citizen in this country can have the means to defend himself or herself.

Bernie Sanders : Well, back in 1988, I ran for the United States Congress one seat in the state of Vermont. I probably lost that election, which I lost by three points, because I was the only candidate running who said, you know what? We should ban assault weapons, not seen them sold or distributed in the United States of America. I've got a D-minus voting record from the NRA. And, in fact, because I come from a state which has virtually no gun control, I believe that I am the best qualified candidate to bring back together that consensus that is desperately needed in this country. What we need to do is to do everything that we can to make certain that guns do not fall into the hands of people who do not have them. Now, I voted against this gun liability law because I was concerned that in rural areas all over this country, if a gun shop owner sells a weapon legally to somebody, and that person then goes out and kills somebody, I don't believe it is appropriate that that gun shop owner who just sold a legal weapon to be held accountable and be sued. But, what I do believe is when gun shop owners and others knowingly are selling weapons to people who should not have them, somebody walks in. They want thousands of rounds of ammunition, or they want a whole lot of guns, yes, that gun shop owner or that gun manufacturer should be held liable.

Tom Brokaw : That brings us to the next question from Alan Johnson to Senator Sanders.

Question : Senator. As we all know, you are a harh opponent of free trade even though it had reinforced this economy notably by getting America at the first rank of auto production in the world. So as an auto manufacturing worker, I wa worried about your anti free trade rhetoric. How do you intend to make sure that our automobile industry remain competitive despite a withdrawal from trade deals?

Bernie Sanders : These free trade deals were disastrous for the auto industry by outsourcing manufacturing jobs and plants overseas partly due to China's currency manipulation. So we need to withdraw from these trade deals and to promote fair trade in order to bring jobs back. And in order to keep our auto industry competitive, we need to stand up to corporate America like I did time and time again and to make sure that corporations and the wealthy will pay their fair share. We need a relaunch of our automobile industry through the grant of $20 billion of federal funds in order to get this industry restabilized like we did with the auto bailout. That's how our auto industry will keep its competitiveness under my plan.

Tom Brokaw : Mr. President, two minutes.

Marco Rubio : What Senator Sanders said is just not true. The trade policy adopted by my administration has proven  to be beneficial for our economy in general, including for America's automoile industry. The reason of Mexico's past advantage over America in terms of auto manufacturing was because Mexico had free trade agreements with 45 countries while the U.S. had free trade deals with only 20 countries before 2016. Because we believe in free market, we have, under my leadership, ratified free trade deals with Europe, Latin America and India and we now have free trade agreements with about 75 countries, surpassing Mexico on trade partnerships, thus making us number one in auto production again, which has also been possible thanks to America's energy independence. We made our free trade policy fair  for American workers by cutting taxes for businesses, including the manufacturing industry, andy cutting our corporate tax rate to 15 %. Thanks to these policies, American businesses are now able to make direct investments into foreign economies to produce goods at a lower cost in these environments. Meanwhile, Senator Sanders' agenda that will increase tariffs, rip trade deals apart and isolate America will bring us backwards by restricting trade like the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act did and caused a longer Great Depression through higher unemployment rate in the 1930s. This is an election about the future and that's why I'm focused on leading America to the future,which we are doing thanks to the promotion of free enterprise, free market, free trade and energy independence, all policies that added 12 million jobs. We got there because I trust the American people and it's by trusting the people that our economy will be better still in the next four years and get us to full-employment.

Tom Brokaw : The next question goes to you Mr. President from Andrew Longwood.

Question : Mr. President, this year I'm going to vote for the first time and it's only since then that I started getting interested in politics. So what are the promises that you fulfilled during your first term?

Marco Rubio : When I ran for President four years ago, I said we'd make America the best  place in the world start a business and we did that by cutting taxes for businesses, including small businesses, by reducing the cost of doing business in America, by lowering our corporate tax rate from 40 % to 15 % and by promoting public-private partnerships to fund infrastructure projects, which developped infrastructures and ensured the implementation of new businesses in America. We created 12 million new jobs and reduced our unemployment rate at its lowest rate in 50 years.

I said we would get America to energy independence, we did that by ending the War on Coal, by developping clean coal technologies, by encouraging oil drilling and production, by building new pipelines to facilitate oil transportation, by doubling permits and liscenses on federal lands and by using a part of the revenues from oil drilling to invest intothe development of renewable energies, thus ensuring job creation and a clean environment through an improvement of our ecological footprint.

I said we would go after ISIS and we did that through a reinforcement and modernization of our military and our intelligence meaures and through an expansion of our alliances. We took military action against ISIS in Syria and Iraq and our troops a well as our allie there swept of all of ISIS territory in the region and we eliminated ISIS' leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. We expanded our fight against radical Islamic terrorism in the African continent by supporting our local allies through the provision of all the necessary military equipment, arsenal and training they needed to fight terrorism and that's how we defeated jihadism in Somalia, in Egypt and North Africa. So we are winning the War on Terror.

I said we would win the War in Afghanistan and we got there through the restoration of American leadership, through a military surge there in order to make sure we can successfully handle the terrorist threat there. We got India, the fourth military power in theworld, to get involved militarily on our side in Afghanistan, which gave us the decisive advantage and helped us to overpower Al Qaida, the Taliban and ISIS, and to totally defeat them in the region. We killed Al Qaida's leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. We restored peace,tability and security in Afghanistan and we are accomplishing our job to rebuild that country andto train their armyin order to make sure they will take full responsiility of their country's security. Our troops will be coming home by the end of 2021.

I said we would pass immigration reform and we did by bringing both Republicans and Democrats together on that isue. Senators Jeff Flake and Kamala Harris introduced the Opportunity Act, two years ago, and it passed both houses of Congress by overwhelming numbers, which reformed our immigration reformand granted U.S. citizenship for immigrants across this country, gave them access to higher education and strengthened our economy through an expanded workforce and through innovation. We restored the American Dream as well as America's status as the land of opportunity.

We are better off than we were four years ago and we will be better still in the next four years if we pursue the efforts that kept the American people together and kept America strong, prosperous, free and safe.

[UWS]

Second Presidential Debate, Part 3

Tom Brokaw : The next question will go to Senator Sanders from Gabriela Juarez.

Question : Senator Sanders, as a daughter of immigrants from Guatemala, I earned American citizenship just two years ago thanks to the adoption of the Opportunity Act. As you know, immigration reform could have passed earlier, especially in 2007 when you opposed the Immigration Reform Act at that time. Why this change of course?

Bernie Sanders : Because at that time, wages weren't high enough for immigrants and that is a reason why we need to increase the minimum wage to 15 $ an hour. But I'm proud to have  supported the President's efforts to reform our immigration system, which granted American citizneship for 11 million illegals, allowed them to come out of the shaddows and to find a job in order to accomplish their American Dream. In addition, it made our economy stronger through the addition of these immigrants' skills. We are a nation of immigrants and diversity represents one of our nation's strengths and that' why I will defend these values.

Marco Rubio : As the son of Cuban immigrants who came to this country while living paycheck to paycheck and not speaking English, I understand the concerns of immigrant acro this country. The reason of their struggles was the fiscal burden imposed to them by big government, a philosophy defended by Senator Sanders and aimed at dismantling free enterprise, the only economic system that allowed parents like mine to prosper thanks to their hardworking. Senator Sanders stood in the way of better living conditions for immigrants coming to this country. He voted against the Immigration Reform Act of 2007, opposed guest worker programs and supported the Community Protection Act of 2006 that included the detention of undocumented immigrants. But under my presidential leadership, we took bold action to reform our immigration by adopting the Opportunity Act to secure our borders through the increase of border patrol agents and the establishment of a E-Verify system and to grant U.S. citizenship for immigrants across this country, thus reforming our immigration system, establishing guest worker programs and allowing immigrants to earn the opportunity to have access to higher education, to find good-paying jobs and to raise their families here on the land of opportunity. This allowed an increase in personal income, stimulating consumer spending sufficient to support 750,000 to 900,000 jobs. It brought more innovation and ingenuity in our workforce due to immigrants' knowledge about artificial intelligence or robotics that spurs innovation by the sponsoring tech firm. These innovations are benefiting consumers, and helping the tech firm compete with rivals in other countries. As a result, the hard work of these immigrants will help them to accomplish their American Dream here on the land of opportunity where the impossible becomes possible like I did and like my parents did.

Tom Brokaw : That leads to the next question from Chris Harrison.

Question : Mr. President, as we jut won the War in Afghanistan that i coming to an end and as our troops from Afghanistan are about to come home next year, I would like to ask you, as a Gulf War veteran, what are you going to do in a second term to make sure that thoe future veterans will have access to the services they need for their post-military career?

Marco Rubio : Thank you for your question, Chris, and thank you for your service to this nation. When our men and women in uniform serving our country in Afghanistan will come home next year, they will have access to the best social services they could possibly imagine. Even my brother Mario is a military veteran and I'm proud of him and his service to this country. Under my presidency, we reformed our Veterans system and made sure that irresponsible bureaucrats will be held accountable. I also signed, 3 years ago, a bill to make the federal Department of Veterans Affairs work with state and federal agencies to stop con men who are diverting federal aid away from veterans. I ratified a veterans' education bill to provide college assistance for military veterans and increase these payments if they complete science, technology and engineering courses. And in the next four years, we will use a part of future budget surpluses to invest into the development of new job training programs for our veterans in order to give them the jobs they need in their post-military career. So our soldiers in Afghanistan will enjoy a formidable post-military career thanks to such formidable social services.

Tom Brokaw : Senator.

Bernie Sanders : Of course, we have to make sure that when coming back from Afghanistan after almost 2 decades of war, these soldiers who are about to become veterans will be able to find a job in their post-military career and that they will earn the best social and health care services possible. I was chair of the Veterans' Affairs committee in the Senate so I understand our veterans' struggles. That's why it is important to increase investment into health care, education and job-training programs reserved for those future veterans. I will increase funding for the VA, as well as a major retraining and housing program for past and future veterans. The driving force here is to create federal housing and job training programs for our returned veterans. We can invest money into improving our mental health services. We can allow our veterans access  to medical marijuana. We need to slash the sheer amount of red tape that exists, and ensure that our doctors receive the training they need and the VA gets the funding it needs.

Tom Brokaw : Now the final question from Sarah Grayson.

Question : Mr. President, Senator Sanders, as we all know North Korea is now dismantling its nuclear program and a summit between the United States and North Korea will be held next March to negotiate a possible denuclearization of North Korea. So, as a foreign policy professor at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, why are you the most qualified to negotiate with Kim Jong-un?

Bernie Sanders : Well Sarah, I believe we need to work through the UN and other international organizations to achieve peaceful, diplomatic solutions to conflicts. The President has, throughout his leadership, adopted warmongering and provocative policies. That's not what we need in a process of pacific denuclearization of North Korea. We almost got to a nuclear war with North Korea due to all of this provocation. We need to promote diplomacy in order to make sure we can get to a non-nuclear Iran without any disaster and I think that it is possible thanks to China's decision to join us to orchestrate diplomatic and economic pressure on North Korea. That way, we can ensure that a deal between the United States and North Korea will be beneficial for both these countries. And during that summit, I will also negotiate the respect of human rights. That's how we can finally restore peace in the Korean peninsula.

Tom Brokaw : Mr. President.

Marco Rubio : Actually, Senator, this is not true. The actions we took against North Korea's nuclear threat helped us to avoid a nuclear war with North Korea. Because peace requires strength, requires being ready for war. We sanctionned international firms that were transfering money to the regime of Kim Jong-un to fund their nuclear program, we cut off North Korea's crude oil supply since crude oil is the lifeblood of any modern military, which are efforts that you have opposed by voting against the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act that was supported by 99 senators while you were the only one to vote against it. We reinforced our military presence in the Pacific, established a tested missile shield on the Pacific and worked with our allies in the Pacific to create the Pacific Treaty Organization in order to counter any attempt by North Korea to launch a nuclear attack against us and our allies. Last summer, I met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during a visit in Tokyo and we ratified the U.S.-Japan Cybersecurity Unit to counter any attempt of North Korean cyberattacks. Due to North Korea's impoundment of Chinese fishing boats, we managed to convince China to increase pressure on North Korea and to reinforce it's military in the Yellow Sea. As a result, we have weakened North Korea's economy and it's military. That's how we got North Korea to dimantle its nuclear test site. Without all these efforts, we would not have gotten these results. Thanks to my foreign policy experience, we'll be able to cut a deal with North Korea when negotiating with Kim Jong-un. They're going to understand the consequences of a nuclear war on the North Korean people and on its economy, including a possible shutdown of their trade ties with China, their largest trade partner. They're going to understand that their nuclear energy should be used for economic purposes instead of military purposes. And we will discuss the respect of human rights in Korea. That's the best way to bring freedom, stability, prosperity and peace in Korea without any war. That's how leadership works. That's why our path to a non-nuclear North Korea will be successful a long as I'm President of the United States.

Tom Brokaw : President Rubio and Senator Sanders, thank you. And I want to thank all the audience here for the questions and for joining us tonight. That concludes tonight's town hall debate.

I want to give you a reminder that the third and final debate, on foreign policy isssues, will be held next Sunday, October 17th, at University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico, hosted by Wolf Blitzer of CNN.

I'm Tom Brokaw of NBC News, I want to thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for this great night, I hope the answers you got from the two candidates helped you to decide your vote and I hope you will not forget to vote. Thank you and good night.

[APPLAUSE FROM THE AUDIENCE AS MARCO RUBIO AND BERNIE SANDERS SHAKE HANDS]

[CookieDamage]

44 pages. I mean...

[UWS]

Who Won the Second Presidential Debate?

CNN/ORC poll :

Marco Rubio : 61 %
Bernie Sanders : 32 %
Tied/Unsure : 7 %

Politico/Morning Consult poll :

Marco Rubio : 60 %
Bernie Sanders : 37 %
Tied/Unsure : 3 %

Reuters/Ipsos poll :

Marco Rubio : 59 %
Bernie Sanders : 32%
Tied/Unsure : 9%

NBC News/SurveyMonkey poll :

Marco Rubio : 55 %
Bernie Sanders : 43 %
Tied/Unsure : 2 %

Gallup poll :

Marco Rubio : 58 %
Bernie Sanders : 35 %
Tied/Unsure : 7 %

Fox News poll :

Marco Rubio : 68 %
Bernie Sanders : 27 %
Tied/Unsure : 5 %

ABC News/Washington Post poll :

Marco Rubio : 60 %
Bernie Sanders : 38 %
Tied/Unsure : 2 %

[UWS]

Warner Brothers making a movie about Rubio? Yeah, this is just creepy at this point.

Also, no way Salazar would endorse Rubio, he'd endorse Sanders in a heartbeat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ny6SJCNUzqY

Unlike Sanders, Salazar supports free trade and oil drilling just like Rubio does.

Your statement demonstrates how much you're an adversary of free speech (since you don't let me say what I think would happen without you trying to trash it) and how much you know absolutely nothing in American politics.

[_]

Can this be brought to an end already

[Don Vito Corleone]

This Timeline. This poor timeline. It had such potential. Now look at it. Such a shame. Such Wasted potential.

[UWS]

This Timeline. This poor timeline. It had such potential. Now look at it. Such a shame. Such Wasted potential.

I guess you would rather have a pessimistic environment than an optimistic scenario. I have the right to say whatever I think would happen. That's what free speech means, something people like MassGuy have failed to understand time after time after time.