‘We’ve got real struggles’: Presidential hopeful talks gun reform, healthcare in Conway
Following two mass shootings in Ohio and Texas last weekend that claimed 31 lives, presidential hopeful Cory Booker discussed the power of love, unity and purpose during an appearance in Conway Tuesday morning.
“We’ve had a dark few days in America,” Booker said. “Life is about purpose, not position. I believe that patriotism is love of country, but what we forget is that you can’t love your country unless you love your fellow countryman.”
Following the second round of presidential debates last week, the New Jersey senator made his ninth trip to South Carolina as he vies for the Democratic nomination.
Booker is currently part of a crowded field of Democrats grappling for the presidential nomination that also includes former Vice President Joe Biden and fellow U.S. senators Kamala Harris, of California, Kirsten Gillibrand, of New York, Elizabeth Warren, of Massachusetts, and Bernie Sanders, of Vermont.
Throughout his hour-long appearance before nearly 100 people at the Bucksport Senior Center in Conway, Booker fielded questions from the public eager to know his stance on healthcare, abortion, addiction and gun reform.
When confronted by Elijah Dawson, a young boy from Columbia, about the fatal pattern of school shootings, Booker said he would fight the NRA and corporate gun laws to ensure a nation with common sense gun safety laws. While not looking to disarm American’s of their Second Amendment rights, Booker said enacting gun reform will be a priority if elected, stating how the nation has witnessed a “level of carnage” due to gun violence.
“We live in a distraught present,” Booker said. “We are going to end this nightmare in our country and have the kind of common sense gun safety so that no child in America will ever have to ask a question like that again.”
With healthcare a major topic during the event, Booker pledged to have a Department of Justice that will not only go after the pharmaceutical industry, but hold them responsible for taking advantage of those who need care and medication. Booker noted how pharmaceutical companies use taxpayer dollars to test a new drug, then charge them “100 times” more than other countries for the same drug.
If elected, Booker said he will eliminate a company’s patent if it is found charging Americans more for drugs than others.
“We will win this fight. We will not allow drug companies to make unjust profits off of the pain of people,” Booker said. “We will make prescription drugs affordable in this country once and for all.”
Booker also stressed the urgency to repair the healthcare system, stating how healthcare shouldn’t bankrupt a family in need. He explained a Medicare-for-all program would ensure greater access to treatment, early detection, intervention, rehabilitation and prevention.
“We have a system that has so much profiteering baked in,” Booker said. “Healthcare should be a right for all of our citizens. No one who needs a prescription drug should ever have to put it aside because they can’t afford it.”
Booker said he would spend every day of his presidency expanding healthcare and lowering its cost to increase its viability and accessibility. He also added plans to ensure resources are given to caretakers and women have the right to abortions and access to birth control.
While other candidates, like Harris, have spent their time in S.C. criticizing President Donald Trump, Booker acknowledged how the country has been dealing with issues, such as hatred and racism, long before Trump’s reign. Going into the 2020 election, he said people need a greater ambition than simply beating Trump, stating that removing Trump from office is only one part to combating the nation’s decades-long issues.
“You can’t beat hatred with hatred. This is a time we need to be doubling down on the best of who we are, not the worst,” Booker said. “These challenges in our nation were going on long before Donald Trump was elected.”
Moving forward, Booker encouraged those in attendance to work together to promote civic advocacy and lean on each other to remain united.
“We’ve got hard days ahead of us, we’ve got real struggles, and it’s bigger than just winning an election,” Booker said. “We need to show that our strength is each other. When leaders try to divide us against each other, that is the enemy of the people is when we are not united, because when the people are united, you can’t be defeated.”
This story was originally published August 6, 2019 at 3:25 PM.
