US Elections 2020: What are the Democrats and Republicans focusing on?

From student loans, climate change and taxes to legal marijuana, US presidential aspirants are focusing on a number of issues

The US presidential elections are quite some months away and the Republicans and the Democrats have been trying to convince the people of their policies. The Democrats have faced a substantial degree of skepticism over plans for the future of America not just from some working class white voters who support President Donald Trump but also from people the agendas are set for.

While the Democrats are offering a new ambitious set of policies, the Republicans have one thing on their mind and that is Trump.

Liberals and centrists have different goals for Democratic candidates. Those pitching for Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren say they should put forth a transformational agenda. Centrists who support former vice-president Joe Biden and senator Amy Klobuchar believe that they should find a nominee and set an agenda that would have the support of swing voters.

What do the Democrats believe in and what is the Republican agenda?

Andrew Yang
Democratic Presidential Candidate Andrew Yang(Representational Image) Wikimedia Commons

The Democrats have a few popular ideas but implementation faces real-time issues. Some believe that the ideas will seem impractical until and unless the Democrats get in the Senate and the White House.

  • A Green New Deal: Green House emission has been a major issue worldwide. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Ed Markey are supporters of the deal. The biggest obstacle this could face is the challenge of investing trillions in decarbonizing the country. Several Democrats have even looked down on the deal and believe that a cheaper method would have to be found.
  • College Affordability: There has always been a struggle to address student debt in the country. With the debt reaching at least a trillion, it is always been quite a challenge. In 2016 Sanders had shifted his debate calling for free public universities and in the 2020 elections Warren has joined in by talking about debt forgiveness. But, the proposal by Warren would cost another trillion over a ten-year time span. Several of her competitors believe that this is not a feasible idea.
  • Legalizing Marijuana: Several people using illegal substances around a dozen of the states in the US want legal use of weed. With most of the illegal substances like heroin and opioid claiming a sizable number of lives, people who have weed are caught at a higher rate.
  • Medicare: Many citizens sink into debt because of medical care and spend twice as much when compared to other developed nations. The Republicans are already against the Democrats' idea of medicare for all. This is one of the key points on the agenda of the Democrats.
  • Tax the rich: Income inequality is also an important issue that the debates have been focusing on. The 2017 Trump tax law has cut corporate tax in half. Ocasio-Cortez, Sanders, and Warren have proposed tax hikes. Warren wants the ultra-rich to cough up more.

The question on what the Republicans are planning for is still unanswered. In the Trump era, the Republicans have struggled to forge a firm policy agenda. The present idea is to push back on the Democrats.

Related topics : Education
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