Even Former Dem Leader Harry Reid Blasts 'Medicare for All' and Open Border Proposals
Former Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid had a few things to say about his party’s presidential candidates’ ideas in an exclusive interview with Vice News.
One hot-button topic the former Nevada senator is unhappy with candidates pushing is Medicare for All, saying that it would be hard to get it passed.
“I think that we should focus on improving Obamacare. We can do that — without bringing something that would be much harder to sell,” he told Vice News.
“Improving Obamacare: People understand that. They would appreciate that. It locks in many important things.”
Many Democratic candidates endorsed Medicare for All at the start of the primaries to show “their progressive credentials,” as Business Insider called them. But recent polling by the Kaiser Family Foundation showing voters’ concerns with the plan has caused a dramatic shift.
According to Business Insider, Democratic presidential candidates Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Kamala Harris of California, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Cory Booker of New Jersey and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York cosponsored the Medicare for All bill introduced in the Senate.
Harris in particular has tried to distance herself from the bill she signed onto, recently saying she has “not been comfortable” with the proposal Sanders is pushing, The Daily Beast reported.
Reid also blasted the prioritization of open border policies suggested by Democratic candidates.
“There are so many more important things to do,” he said. “Decriminalizing border crossings is not something that should be at the top of the list. It should be way, way down at the bottom of the list.”
Reid added, “People want a fair immigration system. They don’t want an open-door invitation for everybody to come at once.”
Former Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro supports ending the criminalization of illegal border crossing, according to the Chicago Tribune, and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee wants to expand the asylum and refugee programs.
Reid does seem to have a point — many of these Democratic candidates are willing to make a name for themselves by trying to be more radical than the rest.
But, as recent polling has shown, they are not really in touch with what the American people want.
More center-leaning candidates, like former Vice President Joe Biden, are leading in the polls because they haven’t taken too radical of a stance on hot-button issues.
According to the RealClearPolitics polling average, Biden is pacing the field by 13.2 percentage points.
Nevertheless, Reid says he is not endorsing any candidate until after the Nevada caucuses.
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