CNN's Much-Hyped Town Hall with 2020 Candidate Klobuchar Gets Devastating News
As the 2020 election draws nearer, candidates in the crowded Democratic field are beginning to take their first knocks.
This is all too true for Amy Klobuchar, who is actually on her second mishap after a particularly disastrous campaign launch. Now, the latest blow to her fledgling presidential bid could be a sign of things to come for the Minnesota senator.
CNN aired an exclusive and highly promoted town hall for Klobuchar on Monday, hosted by Don Lemon. With the media giant putting the spotlight on her, the event was the senator’s shot at carving a place at the 2020 table.
This was a shot that ultimately missed.
As Fox News reports, the viewership for Klobuchar’s event was dismal. Her town hall drew just over 1 million viewers, only 294,000 of whom were members of the vital age block of adults ages 25 to 54.
For someone hoping to be the next face of the Democratic Party, this simply isn’t going to cut it.
Klobuchar appeared to be at a disadvantage from the very beginning. Although she is female, she’s also white in a party that’s embracing identity politics now more than ever.
Sen. Kamala Harris of California, a fellow Democrat eyeing the same party nomination as Klobuchar, is already on record using her Jamaican heritage to her advantage. Another challenger, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, is using his African-American ancestors in what appears to be a desperate bid to connect with voters.
Even overwhelmingly white Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts highlighted her own distant (and I do mean distant) Native American ancestry in the months leading up to her 2020 announcement.
With this in mind, the 25-54 demographic losing interest does not bode well for Klobuchar.
Despite this, she has worked to distance herself from the competition.
One point where Klobuchar breaks with the other Democratic candidates is on the subject of socialism — known to many voters simply as “free stuff.” During the CNN town hall event, she responded to a question about free college in a way that could kill her chances of securing the vote of the far left.
A recent college student asked her about government-funded higher education and whether she would “end the student debt crisis by supporting free college for all.”
Klobuchar’s answer was stunning — not for its message but because it came from a Democrat.
“No,” she said, “I am not for free four-year college for all. If I was a magic genie and could give that to everyone and we could afford it, I would.”
Although Klobuchar did reject fully funded education for all, her answer to the student debt crisis still fell back on the shoulders of the taxpayer.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar discusses education: “I am not for free four-year college for all.” https://t.co/IYkVW35POr pic.twitter.com/x9fWQNz5R4
— The Hill (@thehill) February 20, 2019
It might not seem like much, but this small statement puts her leagues ahead of her party rivals when it comes to a connection with economic reality.
With the recent official entry of avowed democratic socialist Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders into the fray for 2020, it appears the Democratic Party is at a crossroads that will have a major impact on the future of its politics.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
