Post-New Hampshire Primary Talking Points

From:MirandaL@dnc.org To: MirandaL@dnc.org Date: 2016-02-10 03:10 Subject: Post-New Hampshire Primary Talking Points

2.9.16 Post-New Hampshire Primary Talking Points Topline Message Heading into tomorrow night's Democratic debate in Milwaukee we couldn't ask for a more exciting race. Our two candidates have voters energized and the hard work their campaigns have done at the grassroots has turned out the vote in a big way in both Iowa and New Hampshire. Both Democratic candidates for president have been smart and substantive, and they understand how to build on the incredible progress we've made over the last seven years --- when we've gone from losing 800,000 jobs a month under a Republican to 71 straight months of private-sector job growth and more than 14 million new jobs under a Democrat. By contrast, Donald Trump's victory in New Hampshire should send a clear message - the rise of extreme elements in the Republican primary isn't just entertainment anymore, it has overtaken the GOP. The Republican Party is in disarray. With the first two contests behind us, it's clearer than ever we need to elect a Democrat as the 45th president of the United States. Turnout In Iowa our two candidates, along with Martin O'Malley, turned out 171,000 caucus-goers, compared to the ELEVEN Republican candidates -- who ended up virtually in the same spot at 180,000. We saw that same kind of enthusiasm in New Hampshire. And because we have a state-of-the-art national voter file * every single door that our candidates have knocked on, * every single phone call their volunteers have made, * every voter contact at a town hall or county fair, is now a part of our national database -- and our digital edge over Republicans is getting stronger every single day for whomever emerges as our nominee. The Republicans have a fractured primary and simply won't be able to capitalize on their early contests in the same way. What Trump's Victory Means Donald Trump started his campaign calling immigrants rapists and drug dealers, eventually called for banning members of an entire religion from entering America and recently said he would bring back interrogation techniques "a hell of a lot worse than waterboarding." His dominance is a troubling development in our politics, but it is devastating for the Republican party. The collapse of Tea Party-darling Marco Rubio just days after the Republican establishment tried to pretend he was one of their own is a testament to the disarray in the GOP. Remember, Rubio is an extremist who wants to outlaw abortion even for survivors of rape and incest, and opposed the Violence Against Women Act. The fact is, the Republican field has moved too far to the right. * Even second-place finisher, Ohio Governor John Kasich, is a former banker at Lehman Brothers who gutted women's health protections as Governor of Ohio, opposed marriage equality, and cut food stamps while pushing for more tax cuts for the rich. * The Republican victor in Iowa, Texas Senator Ted Cruz, called the Supreme Court's marriage equality decision "some of the darkest 24 hours in our nation's history," and touts shutting the federal government down as his signature accomplishment. * And former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, who finished fourth last night -- has disparaged the children of immigrants as "anchor babies," said he would have repeated his brother's mistake in Iraq even knowing what we know now, and wants to "phase out" Medicare. Republicans simply don't have any mainstream candidates left in this race. Democrats Know How to Build on 7 Years of Progress Compare that to our Democratic candidates who have been thoughtful, smart, and substantive every step of the way. Democrats understand how to build on the incredible progress we've made over the last seven years. Under Democratic leadership we've had a record 71-straight months of private-sector job growth, creating over 14 million new jobs. We've cut our deficits by almost three-quarters. And, thanks to the Affordable Care Act, nearly 18 million Americans have healthcare coverage they didn't previously have, and no one can be turned away for preexisting conditions. * Tomorrow night in Milwaukee we can expect to see our candidates draw sharp distinctions, but as we've seen throughout... * When our candidates disagree they do so with respect toward each other and the American people... * And their disagreements are about HOW to BEST serve the interests of the hard-working people they're meeting all across the country. Our Democratic candidates in this race have the right priorities -- priorities that match the values, hopes and dreams of the American people, and we're looking forward to seeing them debate in Milwaukee. ###