You're right, I haven't watched the debates. There's no point, with so many people still in the running. When the herd thins out, I'll play closer attention. I have to admit that I cringed just a bit when some one told me all those hands went up on free medical care for undocumented immigrants. I believe that they are all trying to "Out Progressive" each other and that position will mellow as the field shrinks. This is politics. Conservatives now want to restrict legal immigration and Liberals say everyone gets in. In the past, they would debate this issue on the House and Senate floors and would negotiate to a reasonable a rational immigration policy. That was then, this is now. I am certain that free medical care for immigrants will NOT make the 2020 Democratic Platform.
They have us at each others throats over immigration which really need not be an issue. Reasonable people could easily get together and formulate a reasonable immigration policy. We had one...once, as I described in a previous post. . If we had a reasonable immigration policy, they wouldn't have to commit a crime to get here. Unemployment is at 3.7%. That's considered FULL employment by the Department of Labor. Undocumented immigrants are working jobs that could not possibly be filled if they were deported. So, since we need them, lets make everybody happy. Give them work visas, pay them a fair wage and collect all appropriate taxes from their wages. It's a win-win. They spend their wages in our economy, creating additional demand for goods and services. Companies that provide goods and services now have to hire more people to produce those goods and services. Those new hires, now go out and spend their money on more goods and services...and the wheel goes round again. That's how you create a vibrant economy. Not, tax breaks for the rich. They don't spend those billions in our economy. Their billions go to stock buy backs and Cayman Islands bank accounts, thereby stifling our economy. We are a consumer based economy. That's how it works.