Do 2020 DEM Presidential Candidates Accept Crypto-Currencies?
Politics is not my preferred subject but as Pericles said: “Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn’t mean politics won’t take an interest in you.” So I took some time to browse a web and to summarize what Google knows about DEM’s presidential candidates stance on crypto-currencies at the beginning of 2020 presidential campaign.
I divided all politicians to 4 groups according to the clarity / vagueness of their position regarding crypto-currencies and DLT expressed in main-stream medias.
Group 1: there are three DEM candidates, which public position on crpyto-currencies is assumed by main-stream medias to be well known:
Andrew Yang (entrepreneur): he accepts campaign donations denominated in bitcoin and ethereum (as well as ethereum-based ERC-20 tokens) and (as it is known from his official presidential program) wants to use tech to improve federal government. However, I’ve not found him speaking about adapting BTC as a national US currency or abolishing FRS just “having fun” with crypto ?
Elizabeth Warren (DEM, Sitting Senator (Massachusetts)): an outspoken critic of crypto, stating on several congressional hearings that she thinks US regulators must do more to suppress our fledgling industry.
Tulsi Gabbard (DEM, Sitting Representative (Hawaii)): her tax declaration revealed that she invested in litecoin (LTC) and ethereum (ETC) in 2017–2018. Still, she has never publicly voiced her support / or not for crypto-currencies.
Group 2: there three other DEM candidates (senator, governor and rep), which have indirectly expressed themselves on a subject of blockchain and crypto:
Amy Klobuchar (DEM, Sitting Senator (Minnesota)): on one of hearings she asked a following question, which betrayed her concern with the role of crypto in money laundering and drugs: “ … do you think these drug cartels are going to start going cash free (with crypto-currencies)?”
Steve Bullock (Governor of Montana): he signed House Bill 584 into law, recognizing utility tokens and exempting them from being considered as securities under local rules.
John Delaney (U.S. Representative from MD): he attended the DC Blockchain Summit sponsored by the Chamber of Digital Commerce and said: “We want savvy leaders guiding the country on blockchain.”
Group 3: includes “elusive” candidates, who, obviously, can’t deny to know about crypto-currencies but, for some reasons, have never spoken about its: Joe Biden, whose political action committee has announced it will accept BTC donations; Bernie Sanders (DEM, Sitting Senator (Vermont)), whose campaign thrives among millenials; Cory Booker (DEM, member of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Communications Technology, Innovation, and the Internet), who is supposed to know more than average senator about crypto; Bill de Blasio (Mayor of New York City), whose officials ferociously legislate crypto out-of-existence; Beto O’Rourke (U.S. Representative from TX), who crowed-financed his political campaign.
Group 4: contains the long list of those DEM candidates, which stance on crypto is difficult to deduce after only a superficial search: Tim Ryan (U.S. Representative from OH), Joe Sestak (U.S. Representative from PA), Marianne Williamson (Author, lecturer, and activist), Wayne Messam (Mayor of Miramar), Seth Moulton (U.S. Representative from MA), Kamala Harris (U.S. Senator from California), Michael Bennet (U.S. Senator from Colorado), Pete Buttigieg (Mayor of South Bend, Indiana), Mike Gravel (U.S. Senator from Alaska), Julian Castro (U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development).
What we have as a result is that from 21 above-mentioned DEM candidates: 10 — supposedly clueless; 5 — supposedly elusive; 2 — negative or strongly against; 2 — kinda supports “blockchainm technology”; 2 — kinda do not deny their involvement. Result (a wild generalization): 19% — “for”; 10% — against; 71% — unknown. Well, could be better but also could be much worse.
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Published at Tue, 02 Jul 2019 15:48:08 +0000
