CNN moderator Dana Bash got to ask the first question coming out of the commercial break in what might hopefully be the end of the last of the second Democratic Party debates. It was also the most racist question of the night.
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Bash: Secretary Castro. This is for you. Wage growth is up. stocks are rising unemployment is near historic lows—including for Latin and African Americans. You have all outlined plans—you in particular—that could raise taxes. How can you guarantee that won't hurt the economy?
This is a racist question for a variety of reasons. Forget about the fact that they’ve just come back from talking about how reforms to our racist law enforcement system have been put on hold under this current administration, putting the lives of people of color in jeopardy … just 15 minutes ago. Forget about the fact that the wealthiest one percent of our country just received an epic tax cut, and most every Democratic candidate is offering up plans that would cut costs by creating a universal healthcare system, pulling back on our military costs abroad, while significantly raising the taxes of the wealthiest individuals and corporations in the country. The base idea here is that people of color might not want a candidate who is offering up programs that would directly impact the general welfare of communities of color, and instead might want to believe Trump’s Twitter account versus all of the facts in the world.
First of all, there are a lot of Americans that are hurting. Just go and ask the folks that received notice they're getting laid off by General Motors, or ask the folks sleeping on the street in big cities and small towns across the United States. Or ask fast food workers, that I joined a couple weeks ago, who work for minimum wage, and can't provide for families or pay the rent. So, the idea that America is doing fine is wrong.
Not only that, but this president always likes to take credit like he did this. We have had about 105 straight months of positive job growth—the longest streak in American history. Over 80 months of that was due to President Barack Obama. Thank you, Barack Obama. So I believe that we need to invest in what will ensure Americans can prosper in the years to come. The knowledge and skill to compete in the 21st century economy. Ensuring that they can afford the rent where they live and that they have health care so they don't have to worry about going homeless because they can't afford a medical procedure.
Castro is touching on them all tonight.
