By Patrick Adrian
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CLAREMONT — In a heavy week of Upper Valley presidential campaigning, Claremont received a visit on New Year’s Eve from Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bennet, accompanied by his family to visit the city’s annual First Night event.
The Colorado senator made an appearance at the Claremont Savings Bank Community Center, where the facility was hosting free swimming in their pools, circus performances and hands-on activities for kids. Bennet took part in the activities with his wife, Susan Daggett, and two of his three daughters: Halina, 18, and Anne, 15.
During his stop, Bennet decided to visit the pool after learning that Stevens High School junior Prescott Herzog, who was on duty as a lifeguard, had interned as a congressional page during the fall. Herzog said that he was eager to chat with Bennet, whom he had met during his internship.
“I was a page in 1986 during a summer internship,” Bennet said, following his conversation with Herzog.
Bennet added that his concern about the economy, the tarnished integrity of the presidency and the damaged relationships with America’s allies under the direction of President Donald Trump drove his decision to ultimately run for president.
Despite a strongly active stock market, the country’s economy is leaving the majority of Americans behind to struggle, according to Bennet.
“For the last 50 years, there really hasn’t been any economic mobility,” Bennet told the Eagle Times. “All the benefits of the rising economy have gone to the wealthiest people in the county and certain large cities, not to the rest of Americans.”
The trend of economic inequality ranks chief among Bennet’s concerns. The failure to keep middle class wages in line with the cost of living has produced the worst income inequality numbers in America since 1928.
Such economic instability not only threatens the wellbeing of citizens but to the functionality of democracy, according to Bennet.
“Democracies don’t do well when there’s vast amounts of inequality and very limited economic mobility,” he explained.
The narrative that pertains to America’s strong economy under President Trump is misleading in some ways, the senator said.
First, economic reports show that the average job creation was higher during President Barack Obama’s second presidential term than it has been under President Trump.
Secondly, the stock market is not an accurate measure of an economy’s strength, as a company’s shareholdings do not reflect employee wages or the affordability of living. Bennet regularly hears from people in town hall events that they struggle to afford the combined costs of housing, health care and education.
“They tell me that they can’t afford a middle class life, that they feel like they can’t save anything and that their kids are going to live more diminished lives that we lived,” Bennet said.
The presidential hopeful said he would shift America’s priorities in tax cuts and spending toward the middle class. Bennet’s plan would include replacing the 2017 tax bill with a slate of middle class and lower income tax cuts, a paid-family leave bill and raising the federal minimum wage to $15. He said, however, that wants to implement a minimum wage increase responsibly, as there are many communities in the country where the average businesses may struggle to adopt a $15 minimum.
Bennet also said that he supports universal preschool, but does not agree with candidates like Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren about making college free. Given that about 70% of high school graduates do not go to college, universal preschool would arguably have more overall benefit than a universal college program.
The underlying problem of college is that it costs too much, according to Bennet, and forgiving college loans will not address that issue. Bennet said that many states, including New Hampshire, need to restore or increase funding to their state colleges, as that decline in taxpayer funding has contributed to college costs. Similarly, states need to explore alternative models to help reduce college costs.
“I think we’re going to be in a place where students will be able to buy education in smaller increments, so that they’re acquiring education for what they need,” Bennet said.
The senator understands his past experiences as a businessman and a former superintendent of the Denver public school system greatly shaped his priorities, which he believes closely align with the needs of Americans who are struggling to reach or maintain a middle class life. Moreover, he believes that the party’s candidate must focus on achievable goals.
“I don’t want to spend the next ten years fighting a battle for Medicare for All,” said Bennet, who serves on the Senate Education Committee. “I’d rather be fighting a battle to make sure that when people work, they can actually support their family. We can do that. And we can work on universal health care at the same time, but through a public option… that would be less of a shock to the system.”
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