Democratic presidential primary candidate John Delaney met with voters and discussed his campaign during a pancake breakfast at Sunflowers Cafe in Jaffrey Wednesday morning.
Sponsored by the Jaffrey Democrats, about 30 attendees were greeted at the door by members of Delaney’s campaign team and welcomed inside to enjoy complimentary coffee and pancakes.
The event began with an introduction from Senator Jeanne Dietsch who discussed a budget plan built by the State Senate and House of Representatives that would address major problems in the state such as education funding, the opioid epidemic and child protection. Dietsch encouraged attendees to reach out to Gov. Sununu, who has vetoed the budget and implemented a third big-business tax cut instead.
“We desperately need to make Gov. Sununu aware,” Dietsch said. “He cannot hold our schools hostage.”
After Dietsch’s plea for action, Delaney took to the center of the room to briefly explain his background. Growing up in a blue-collar family in New Jersey, he attended law school at Georgetown University and eventually became the youngest CEO in the history of the New York Stock Exchange.
“Young people today will be the first generation to not do better than their parents,” Delaney said when introducing the issues he plans to focus on in his campaign. “In my opinion, the combination of globalization and the rapid progression of technological innovation caused huge parts of the country to get left behind.”
While discussing his presidential goals, Delaney emphasized his desire to create solutions that are realistic, effective, and that we know can be paid for. Specifically, he highlighted the need for national unity in order to combat major issues like climate change, income inequality, and immigration policies.
“This isn’t about me. I’m not running just to be your president. I’m running to do the job. Let’s start getting America working again,” Delaney said, concluding his initial speech.
The attendees then had an opportunity to ask questions and share their concerns for the future of the nation. One woman, after expressing strong feelings about the issue, asked Delaney what he plans to do about the children being separated and detained at the southern border.
“Law enforcement in these countries are often in bed with gangs that are threatening to kill children, causing the families to come here,” Delaney said. “I want to convene a summit with North and South American countries to develop a plan to build stronger law enforcement in these countries.”
The woman emphasized the need for immediate action after hearing his response. “We should not separate children from families,” Delaney replied.
State Representative Richard Ames was in attendance and asked about Delaney’s plans to address income inequality.
“I want to take a series of initiatives to make sure workers have a living wage,” Delaney said, sparking a discussion about finding practical solutions to nationwide issues. “With everything I tell you I’m going to do, I’ll tell you how I’m going to pay for it.”
As the final question, Delaney was asked about his climate plan in which he proposes making CO2 and fossil fuel-related energy more expensive in order to encourage a switch to renewable energy. He also noted the importance of giving the extra money back to the Americans to help fight climate change.
“We need to get to net-zero emissions by 2050 and the only way to get there is to do something right away,” Delaney said. “I could pass that bill in my first year as president.”
During the event, a green bus displaying large, white letters that read: “The rich must pay their fair share” was parked outside Sunflowers Cafe.
Transporting volunteers to events like this all around the country, the bus is a part of the “tax the rich” tour that was created in 2017 by individuals across the country, all demanding to see President Trump’s tax returns. The goal of the tour is to bring awareness to economic justice issues, executive director Maura Quint said.
Based on polling, the organization found that about three-quarters of Americans believe we need to tax the rich.
“We don’t hear enough from elected officials about these issues,” Quint said. “Whoever holds office needs to understand that this is important to people. We’re demanding elected leaders to address this and take action.”
The tour will conclude later this summer in Detroit, Michigan. For more information, visit www.taxmarch.org.
The pancake breakfast was the first of four appearances in New Hampshire for Delaney. For more information on his campaign, visit johndelaney.com.