Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper who is running for the Democratic nomination for President opened a brewpub in an abandoned warehouse in Denver after he lost his job “and my profession” in the early 1980s, he told a press conference at the National Press Club.
Hickenlooper was highly critical of the “Green New Deal” advocated by several other Democratic hopefuls and called for collaboration between business, government and nonprofits such as academia.
On taxes, he noted that from World War II to the 1980s, the U.S. experienced a prosperity boom. “We have to invest in infrastructure of all kinds and to pay for it, corporate America and wealthiest” have to step up. “Without a strong middle class, our future prosperity will be in doubt.”
Business leaders aren’t blind, he said, to what the concentration of wealth is doing for the long-term prospects for the U.S.
Healthcare is the first topic people seem to be interested in, followed by climate change. But for nearly every person, there seems to be a lot of fear in their economic future. While Medicare for All polls very well, when you tell them they will have to give up private health care, 80% oppose it, he said.
Democrats must clearly state they are against socialism and demonstrate they have pragmatic solutions or risk losing in 2020, he said. Each candidate has a responsibility to draw that line and outline their plans.
On tariffs, Hickenlooper said President Trump’s tariffs are damaging the economy. Economists tell him, he says, that at best “you come out close to where you started.”