The Squad fight back

A squabble among Democratic presidential candidates about the best path for healthcare continued this week with sniping by Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders about whether medicare for all or something closer to Obamacare is going to win over voters. We talk about the rare bipartisan agreement over the repeal of the so-called cadillac tax, which imposes a tax on high-cost gold standard health plans.

There was no bipartisan agreement on condemning President Trump’s suggestion that four female congresswomen nicknamed “the squad,” go back to where they came from, even though three were born in the United States. While 95 House Democrats voted in support of impeaching Trump because of his inflammatory statements, only four Republicans did. Trump may have energized his base this week, with thousands of supporters chanting “send her back” at a rally in North Carolina, but he also, at least temporarily, brought together the divided members of the Democratic party who had been feuding in recent weeks.

Special guest Tim Alberta, who wrote American Carnage: On The Front Lines of the Republican Civil War and the Rise of President Trump, says while Trump’s incendiary language may mobilize members of his base, it also may end up alienating more moderate voters whom he needs for re-election in 2020. And we talk about how the compassionate conservatism of George W. Bush may have backfired on the party and helped bring Trump to power.