The Boston Globe - 31.07.2019

A6 TheNation The Boston Globe WEDNESDAY, JULY 31, 2019

WARSAW — President
Trump will visit Warsaw from
Aug. 31 through Sept. 2 to take
part in obser-
vances mark-
ing the 80th
anniversary of
World War II, aides to Poland’s
president said Tuesday.
It would be Trump’s second
visit to Poland since July 2017.
Under a right-wing govern-
ment, Poland is among Wash-
ington’s closest partners in Eu-
rope, with cooperation focusing
on defense and energy security.
Washington recently decid-
ed to add 1,000 troops to its
contingent of 4,000 troops
based in Poland as a security
enhancement for the country,
which is wary of neighboring
Russia’s military activity. Po-
land is planning the purchase

of state-of-the-art US F-35 jets.

It is also buying liquefied gas

from the United States in a

drive to cut its energy depen-

dence on imports from Russia.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Publiclandscritictolead

BureauofLandManagement

WASHINGTON — A conser-

vative lawyer and writer who ar-

gues for selling off the nation’s

public lands is now in charge of

a nearly quarter-billion acres in

federally held range land and

other wilderness.

Interior Secretary David

Bernhardt on Monday signed

an order making Wyoming na-

tive William Perry Pendley act-

ing head of the Bureau of Land

Management. The bureau man-

ages nearly 250 million acres of

largely wild public lands and

their minerals and other re-

sources in vast holdings across

the West.

Pendley, a former midlevel

Interior appointee in the Rea-

gan administration, for decades

has championed ranchers and

others in standoffs with the

federal government over graz-

ing and other uses of public

lands. He has written books ac-

cusing federal authorities and

environmental advocates of

‘‘tyranny’’ and ‘‘waging war on

the West.’’ He argued in a 2016

National Review article that the

‘‘Founding Fathers intended all

lands owned by the federal gov-

ernment to be sold.’’

Pendley has welcomed

Trump administration moves

to open more federal land to

mining and oil and gas devel-

opment and other private busi-

ness use, and he has called the

oil and gas extraction tech-

nique known as fracking ‘‘an

energy, economic, AND envi-

ronmental miracle!’’

A conservation group called

Pendley an ‘‘ideological zealot’’

and pointed to the federal

agency’s announcement that it

planned to move the BLM’s

headquarters from Washington

and disperse the headquarters

staff among Western states.

Pendley’s ‘‘ascending to the

top of BLM just as it is being re-

organized strongly suggests the

administration is positioning

itself to liquidate our shared

public lands,’’ said Phil Hance-

ford, conservation director for

The Wilderness Society conser-

vation advocacy group.

Interior spokeswoman Mol-

ly Block denied the accusation.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

TrumpdefendsMcConnell,

attacksWashingtonPost

President Trump accused

The Washington Post on Tues-

day of being a ‘‘Russian asset,’’ a

baseless claim he made to de-

fend Senate majority leader

Mitch McConnell, Republican

of Kentucky.

Trump was asked by report-

ers outside the White House to

respond to a Post opinion piece

published Friday under the

headline, ‘‘Mitch McConnell is

a Russian asset.’’

‘‘The Washington Post called

Mitch McConnell what?’’

Trump asked. ‘‘I think The

Washington Post is a Russian

asset by comparison.’’

The article, written by Post

columnist Dana Milbank, criti-

cized McConnell for blocking

legislation to secure US election

systems against attacks by Rus-

sia or other foreign agents. Mil-

bank wrote that by refusing to

defend America against future

attacks, McConnell was ‘‘doing

Russian President Vladimir Pu-

tin’s bidding.’’

McConnell ‘‘is a man who

knows less about Russia than

even Donald Trump, and I know

nothing,’’ Trump said.. ‘‘If they

actually said that, they ought to

be ashamed of themselves, and

they ought to apologize.’’

McConnell went on the Sen-

ate floor Monday to fire back at

his critics, defending his deci-

sion to block the election-secu-

rity bill and calling the asser-

tion that he was helping Putin

‘‘modern-day McCarthyism.’’

WASHINGTON POST

President will visit Poland for WWII anniversary next month

POLITICAL

NOTEBOOK

GUNCONTROL

SenatorBernieSanders’

record on the issue is more

complicated than he let on.

Whathesaid:

“Back in 1988, coming

from a state that had no gun

control, I called for the ban of

the sale and distribution of as-

sault weapons. I lost that

election.”

Thisismisleading.Sand-

ers suggested he had a long

history of fighting the Nation-

al Rifle Association. Sanders

noted that he has a “D minus

voting record from the NRA

and as president I suspect it

will be an F record.” He vowed

that as president, he would

“do everything I can” to take

on the NRA.

But Sanders left out parts

of his record as a lawmaker

defending gun rights in Ver-

mont, a rural hunting state. In

1993, then-Representative

Sanders voted against the

Brady Bill, which mandated

background checks and im-

posed a five-day waiting peri-

od for gun purchasers.

In 2005, while still in the

House, Sanders voted in favor

of a measure to shield gun

manufacturers and dealers

from lawsuits arising from the

criminal use of their products.

In 2012, after a mass shoot-

ing in Colorado, he suggested

the federal government

should steer clear of gun con-

trol, saying, “In my view, deci-

sions about gun control

should be made as close to

home as possible — at the

state level.” But Sanders vot-

ed in favor of the 1994 as-

saultweaponsban,which

passed as part of a broad

package of crime legislation.

HEALTHCARE

GovernorJohnHicken-

loopersuggested universal

health care would not play

well with moderate voters.

Whathesaid:

“Last year Democrats

flipped 40 Republican seats in

the house and not one of

those 40 Democrats support-

ed the policies of our front-

runners at center stage.”

Thisisexaggerated.Hick-

enlooper was referring to

“Medicare for All,” the pro-

gressive plan for universal

health care. Many of the seats

Democrats flipped in taking

control of the House in 2018

were in swing districts, or dis-

tricts carried by President

Trump; most of the freshmen

who won those seats are cen-

trists and do not support

Medicare for All.

But at least two of them —

Katie Porter and Katie Hill of

California — do, and cam-

paigned on it.

In 2017, Porter said on

Twitter: “I believe in universal

coverage and I support Medi-

care for All.” Hill’s campaign

posted a video on Facebook

explaining her reasoning for

backing Medicare for All. “We

have to do whatever it takes

to get us to Medicare For All

as soon as possible,” she said.

TRADEPOLICY

Sandersblamed trade poli-

cy, apparently referring to the

North American Free Trade

Agreement, for Detroit’s de-

cline.

Whathesaid:

“Detroit was nearly de-

stroyed because of awful

trade policy which allowed

corporations to throw workers

in this community out on the

streets as they moved to low-

wage countries.”

Thisisexaggerated.NAF-

TA, which went in effect

199 4,isoftenblamedforthe

loss of American manufactur-

ing jobs in the Midwest, but

Detroit’s struggles started

well before that as global

competition increased. Auto

jobs started scattering during

the energy crisis of the

1970s and the economic

downturn of the 1980s.

Moreover, jobs in Detroit were

also lost to competition the

union-averse South, where

many carmakers sought

cheaper labor.

***

SenatorElizabethWarren

said that Trump’s trade deals

are not about helping Ameri-

can workers but are actually

about helping big companies.

Whatshesaid:

“Anyone who thinks that

these trade deals are mostly

about tariffs just doesn’t un-

derstand what’s going on.

Look at the NAFTA 2.0.

What’s the central feature?

It’s to help pharmaceutical

companies get longer periods

of exclusivity.”

Thisismostlytrue.While

the drug provisions are not

the core element of the Unit-

ed States-Mexico-Canada-

Agreement (NAFTA 2.0), it is

a controversial provision that

continues to hold up ratifica-

tion of the trade pact. As The

Times reported in March, the

agreement gives biologic

drugmakers 10 years of pro-

tections against other prod-

ucts that would rely on the

data they used to win approv-

al.

That 10-year provision

would raise the timeline in

Canada, where the industry

currently has eight years of

protection, and in Mexico,

where it technically has none.

It would not change current

policy in the United States,

where the standard is already

12 years.

CLIMATECHANGE

The timelines of the prob-

lem are more complex than

two candidates described.

Whatwassaid:

BetoO’Rourke: “I listen to

scientists on this, and they

are very clear. We don’t have

more than 10 years to get this

right.”

MayorPeteButtigieg:

“Science tells us we have 12

years before we reach the ho-

rizon of catastrophe when it

comestoourclimate.”

Bothstatementsaremis-

leading.BothO’Rourke,afor-

mer member of Congress from

Texas, and Buttigieg are refer-

ring to a recent Intergovern-

mental Panel on Climate

Change report that finds coun-

tries have about a dozen years

to keep the rise in global aver-

age temperatures to 1.5 de-

grees Celsius above pre-indus-

trial levels.

At that point the planet will

face severe effects including

worsened droughts, floods, and

heat waves. And since most

scenarios for curbing warming

require halving worldwide emis-

sions by 2030, that means

countries must take serious ac-

tion now. But to claim that

there are 12 or just 10 years

until the point of no return goes

beyond what the panel itself

says.

Compiled by reporters of The New York

Times.

cessful Democratic nominees of
the past like Michael Dukakis
and George McGovern, and
criticized them for promising
“free everything.” Montana
Governor Steve Bullock who
touted himself as the only can-
didate on the stage who won
election in a Trump-voting
state, said Medicare for All “rips
away quality health care from
individuals.”
Even Marianne Williamson,
a self-help guru who attracted
attention for telling Trump she
would “harness” love for “politi-
cal purposes” in the first de-
bates in Miami last month, said
she had “concerns” that em-
bracing Medicare for All “will
make it harder to win.”
The attacks — largely from
candidates at risk of being elim-
inated from the next debate in
September due to low polling
numbers — put Warren and
Sanders on the defensive for the
first half of the night. But both
progressives also seized on the
chance to make the case that
big ideas are needed in order to
motivate Democrats to win in
2020, and pushed back on the
moderates on stage for adopt-
ing policy stances out of fear.
“I get a little bit tired of
Democrats afraid of big ideas,”
Sanders said, adding that Re-
publicans had delivered on big
promises of their own, like the
2017 tax cuts. He called for
Democrats to mount a more ag-
gressive response to climate
change. “So please don’t tell me
that we cannot take on the fos-
sil fuel industry.”
Warren, in particular, found
an opening to offer a concise re-
sponse to the lingering ques-
tions around her electability
and the viability of her progres-
sive policies.
“I took on Wall Street and
CEOs and their lobbyists and
their lawyers and I beat them. I
took on a popular Republican
senator and I beat him,” Warren
said, referring to her defeat of
Scott Brown in 2012.
“We can’t choose a candi-
date we don’t believe in just be-
cause we’re too scared to do
anything else,” she said, before
turning to Delaney and landing
the zinger of the night.
“I don’t know why anybody
goes to the trouble of running
for president of the United
States just to talk about what

uDEBATE
Continued from Page A

we can’t do and shouldn’t fight

for,” Warren said to loud ap-

plause.

Even the candidates not un-

der fire from the moderates

urged the party not to be too

concerned with how policy

ideas will be perceived.

Mayor Pete Buttigieg of

South Bend, Ind., who has tak-

en a more cautious position on

Medicare for All than Sanders

or Warren, also asked his fellow

candidates not to focus on Re-

publican critiques. “It is time to

stop worrying about what the

Republicans will say,” Buttigieg

said. “If we embrace a conserva-

tive agenda you know what

they’re going to do? They’re go-

ing to say we’re a bunch of crazy

socialists.”

At times, Warren and Sand-

ers appeared to tag team while

defending themselves from cri-

tiques from others on stage that

their plans are unrealistic or

will be unpopular, in a show of

unity. Warren interjected her-

self into a moderator-instigated

fight between Delaney and

Sanders over Medicare for All,

coming to Sanders’ defense as

Delaney pointed out that Dem-

ocrats would be taking away

private insurance from some

Americans who prefer it.

“We should stop using Re-

publican talking points in order

to talk to each other about how

to best provide health care,”

Warren said.

Sanders also got testy with

Delaney at times, saying that

just because the former con-

gressman used to “make mon-

ey” from health care in his past

as a businessman doesn’t mean

the current system works.

“These insurance companies do

not have a God-given right to

make $23 billion in profits,”

Warren said.

The moderators also pushed

Warren and Sanders to confirm

that taxes would go up on the

middle class in order to pay for

Medicare for All. Both conced-

ed that, but stressed that lower

premiums and deductibles

would mean middle-class

Americans would have more

money in their pockets overall.

The barrage from the mod-

erates pulled Warren away

from some of her signature is-

sues for the first half of the de-

bate. She instead was dragged

into debates about Medicare for

All, immigration, and the

Green New Deal, and occasion-

ally appeared to fade into the

background as the moderate

candidates sparred with Sand-

ers.

But later in the night, War-

ren reacted with glee when the

moderator pointed out that

Delaney — a multimillionaire —

would likely face her proposed

tax on assets that would fund

much of her policy agenda if

she were elected, and she was

able to describe her overhaul of

the nation’s trade deals in de-

tail.

Warren also defended her

position that border crossing

should be decriminalized in a

testy exchange with Bullock,

who said her support for de-

criminalizing some immigra-

tion violations would encour-

age more migrants to come to

the United States.

“You are playing into Don-

ald Trump’s hands,” said Bull-

ock. “A sane immigration sys-

tem needs a sane leader and we

can do that without decriminal-

izing immigration.”

Warren shot back that the

criminal statute is what em-

powers Trump to separate chil-

dren from their parents at their

border.

“These debates are detached

from people’s lives,” Bullock re-

torted.

Buttigieg argued that the de-

bate should be about immigra-

tion reform more broadly, not

decriminalizing border cross-

ing.

“Americans want compre-

hensive immigration reform.

And frankly, we’ve been talking

about the same framework for

my entire adult lifetime,” said

Buttigieg, subtly contrasting his

age — 37 — with that of the sep-

tuagenarians Sanders and War-

ren standing next to him.

By random chance, the 10

candidates on stage Tuesday

night were all white, but they

spoke forcefully about race in

America in a portion of the de-

bate that was far more unified

than the fights over health care

and immigration. Warren, Butt-

igieg, and others pointed to the

specific plans they have re-

leased to try to ameliorate ra-

cial inequality.

“We need to call out white

supremacy for what it is — do-

mestic terrorism,” Warren said.

Senator Amy Klobuchar of

Minnesota said that many of

Trump’s voters were not racist.

“They wanted a shake in the

American economy, so I would

appeal to them,” she said, be-

fore adding that now, “I don’t

think anyone can justify what

Trump is doing.”

And it was Williamson who

drew a direct connection be-

tween Democrats’ willingness

to meaningfully address racism

and the party’s chances of beat-

ing Trump. She mentioned

Flint, Mich., the majority-black

city northwest of Detroit where

a water crisis has dragged on

for years.

“We need to say it like it is —

it’s bigger than Flint. It’s all

over this country,” she said.

Jess Bidgood of the Globe staff

contributed to this report. Liz

Goodwin can be reached at

[email protected].

Follow her on Twitter

@lizcgoodwin.

CARLOS OSORIO/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Ten Democratic candidates gathered at the Fox Theatre in Detroit for the party’s third presidential debate.

Democrats battle over party’s direction

PAUL SANCYA/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren defended

each other throughout the debate.

FACTCHECK