Iowa caucuses 2020: Candidate John Delaney says voters aren't looking for 'socialism'

[mia]

Former Maryland congressman John Delaney, the earliest member of a growing field of 2020 Democratic presidential candidates, said in a statement Tuesday that voters will have to choose "between socialism and a more just form of capitalism."

As other Democrats have endorsed more liberal proposals, Delaney, who's in Iowa campaigning before the 2020 caucuses, has tried to take what he's called a pragmatic approach. He's said the proposed "Green New Deal" is unrealistic and doesn't think a Medicare-for-all bill isn't the answer for the nation's health care system.

Instead, he's for a carbon tax and increased energy funding to spur innovation. On health care, he's proposed creating another public health plan for Americans under 65 while also keeping private health care options available.

"I'm a pragmatic idealist," Delaney told reporters after meeting with lawmakers at the Iowa Capitol on Tuesday. "I want to do big things. A lot of the goals I'm working towards are similar to what the other candidates are, but I actually have real plans (for) how to make them happen and build the kind of coalition you need to get it done."

https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/elections/presidential/caucus/2019/02/19/elections-2020-john-delaney-voters-iowa-caucuses-bernie-sanders-pragmatism-not-socialism-moderate/2915961002/

[Maru Kitteh]

1. We can call it something else. I don't have a problem with that.

People already have socialism, and they love it - they just don't like the label.

[Vinca]

2. Apparently they are given the popularity of Medicare, Social Security, the VA and

the village snow plow that turns up after every storm. What, exactly, do they think socialism is? No one is suggesting we grab every dime from the gazillionaires and redistribute it.