Final Open Presidential Debate ft. United We Stand Festival

The Free & Equal Elections Foundation hosted its Final Open Presidential Debate ft. Music Artists from the United We Stand Festival - Los Angeles Oct. 23. Seven presidential candidates were invited, including Cornel West (Independent); Donald Trump (Republican); Kamala Harris (Democrat); and Claudia de la Cruz (Socialism & Liberation).
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The other three candidates confirmed. They include Randall Terry (Constitution); Jill Stein (Green); and Chase Oliver (Libertarian).

The co-moderators were David Walker, former U.S. Comptroller General, and Free & Equal Founder Christina Tobin.

I ranked each candidate on his/her ability to:
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1. ​Stay on topic
2. Support arguments with evidence
3. Answer the question at hand
4. Provide a solution distinguishable from co-debators

Rebuttal or Expansion not ranked if it veered from the debate topic or was a standalone statement.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING (16:44 - 20:09)
How would you address the current challenge of affordable housing?

1. Jill Stein (Green)
2. Randall Terry (Constitution)
3. Chase Oliver (Libertarian)

STUDENT LOAN DEBT (24:10 - 25:17)
​Do you support the effort to cancel student loans in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision striking down the Biden administration's attempt at lone forgiveness?

1. ​Stein (Green)
2. Oliver (Libertarian)
3. Terry (Constitution)

NATIONAL DEBT (30:08 - 36:20)
In reality, the government has over $125 trillion in total liabilities and unfunded social insurance obligations. Interest is our second-largest expense. It's past Defense and it's past Medicare.... What steps would you take to put our federal finances in order...?

1. Oliver (Libertarian)
2. ​Stein (Green)
3. Terry (Constitution)

NATIONAL DEBT - Expansion | Rebuttal (36:23 - 39:55)

1. Oliver - Expansion/Rebuttal on Stein - next line (Libertarian)
2. Stein - Rebuttal on Terry - next line (Green)
3. Terry - Expansion; Rebuttal on Stein above (Constitution)

SOUTHERN BORDER & IMMIGRATION (43:49 - 50:07)
What steps would you take to strengthen border security, improve vetting of high-risk individuals, while at the same point in time to promote legal immigration... ?

1. ​Stein (Green)
2. Oliver (Libertarian)
3. Terry (Constitution)

SOUTHERN BORDER & IMMIGRATION - Expansion | Rebuttal (50:11 - 53:05)

1. Terry - Rebuttal on Stein above (Constitution)
2. Oliver - Rebut to Terry's rebuttal on Stein - previous line (Libertarian)
3. Stein - Counter-Rebuttal on Terry - 2 lines up (Green)

NUTRITION x FARMING (56:53 - 1:03:10)
Science says our nutrition is increasingly responsible for our obesity and our health crisis. How would you make Americans healthier? And would you limit the use of GMOs, forever chemicals, and toxic farming practices...?

1. Stein (Green)
2. Terry (Constitution)
3. Oliver (Libertarian) ​​

HEALTHCARE ACCESS (1:07:22 - 1:13:28)
The U.S. consistently performs worst in metrics like life expectancy and infant mortality despite higher healthcare spending. What are the biggest challenges of our healthcare system, and how would you address them?

1. Stein (Green)
2. Oliver (Libertarian)
3. Terry (Constitution)

HEALTHCARE ACCESS - Expansion | Rebuttal (1:13:35 - 1:15:43)

1. ​Oliver - Rebuttal on Stein above; Counter-Rebuttal on Terry - next line (Libertarian)
2. Terry - Rebuttal on Stein above (Constitution)

FOREIGN POLICY: ISRAEL (1:19:51 - 1:26:21)
Since last October, the official number of those killed in Gaza is 40,000, with actual casualties rates potentially... several times that. Despite this, the U.S. government continues to send billions of dollars in military aid to Israel .... Do you support Israel as a Jewish state? And if not, how would you keep Jewish people safe?​​​

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