White Man #7298 Officially Kicks off His Presidential Run

By Sophie Weiner  |  April 15, 2019 | 12:22pm
Elections

It was a big weekend for the 2020 campaign, with the launch of media darling Pete Buttigieg’s campaign, the release of Kamala Harris’ tax returns, and the announcement that the Trump campaign raised $30 million in its first quarter. But that’s not all! Rep. Eric Swalwell also officially entered the race.

If you’re wondering who the hell that is…folks, we are right there with you.

Swalwell, it turns out, is a congressman from California, who announced his potential candidacy last week on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. On the show, he vaguely described his leadership style as “bold.”

Since then, his incredibly young campaign has already formed a union, making them the second campaign after Bernie Sanders to organize. Good for them! And on Sunday, he officially launched his campaign. His launch event took place in the city of Dublin, CA, part of Swalwell’s East Bay district.

The congressman, who has little hope of winning the Democratic nomination, is angling to be the gun control candidate. He’s discussed the Second Amendment publicly multiple times in his days-old campaign. In his launch speech, Swalwell referenced last year’s mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL. Swalwell held a town hall meeting in Parkland last week.

Swalwell has proposed an assault weapon-ban and buyback program to get military grade weapons out of circulation. He also supports increased background checks and programs to alleviate violence in American cities.

Like many other current presidential candidates, Swalwell has promised not to accept money from PACs.

Later, on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Swalwell spoke more about his thoughts on gun control.

“The greatest threat to the Second Amendment is doing nothing,” he said. “And the Second Amendment is not an absolute right. Just like free speech—you can’t shout fire in a theater or lie about the products you are selling. You can’t own a bazooka, you can’t own a tank, you can’t own rocket-propelled grenades. So we should put some limits in place.”

This is all fine and good. But Swalwell still hasn’t said how he plans to accomplish these gun control measures, which have eluded past presidents. His website mentions “working with Congress” to achieve these goals. He certainly hasn’t promised to use the power of the executive office to enact these policies.

In any case, gun control isn’t really an issue with which you can win the presidency. Maybe it’s smart to not pay too much attention to polls, but it is probably worth knowing that one of the top issues important to 2020 voters is healthcare, followed by defeating Trump.

Where does Swalwell stand on healthcare? Despite being listed as a cosponsor of the Medicare for All bill in the House, his shiny new website skirts the question of single-payer.

“Americans need a healthcare guarantee: If you’re sick, you’ll be seen by a doctor, and if you’re seen, you’ll never go broke because of it,” it reads. No word on just how close to broke you’ll be allowed to get under his plan.

Swalwell told Jake Tapper Sunday that though he supports Medicare for All bill currently in the House, he disagrees with ending private insurance.

“Give a public option, the Medicare portion, but allow people to keep their plans that they like,” Swalwell said. “It’s very much in our DNA to have choice.”

Love that choice in how to stay healthy and alive without going bankrupt!

Other than gun control and healthcare, the only other issue currently listed on his Swallwell’s site is education. Swalwell says he’s for no-interest federal loans and “debt-free college.” Again, no word on how he’ll achieve that.

Oh, and he wants to have a bipartisan “team of rivals” in his cabinet. That should tell you what you need to know.

And thus, another white dude enters the race.

 
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