Andy Beshear Embraces Rise of Democratic Socialist Candidates: ‘It’s Time for Big Ideas’

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) embraced the rise of Democratic Socialists in his party and acknowledged that voters want new ideas.

Beshear appeared on CNN on Tuesday morning for an interview with Pamela Brown. During their talk, Brown asked the governor for his thoughts on the recent string of primary wins from progressive candidates. Brown noted that Beshear, a moderate Democrat, doesn’t “share many of the views” of Democratic Socialist candidates, but asked, “Are you willing to consider that democratic voters want new voices and different ideas leading the party?”

Beshear suggested he was open to the ideas presented by the progressives, saying:

I think what Democratic voters want is a country that works for them. Right now, they’re working hard, they’re playing by the rules, but they’re not getting ahead. The average age of first-time homeownership is 40 years old. They can’t take their kids on the same vacation that they went on. And they see a federal government with President Trump that is as corrupt as any we’ve ever seen, enriching themselves at the expense of everyone else.

So I think what voters want is fix the economy, which means bring down prices in the war in Iran, invest in housing, and they want this government fixed, too. So I believe it’s time for big ideas, which many of these candidates are throwing out.

Brown then asked if the progressives could be the “future of the Democratic Party.” Beshear said that the party should be a “big tent party where people can have different ideas on how we solve a problem as long as we agree that that problem exists.” The red state governor also claimed the media was “obsessed” with the rift between establishment Dems and progressives, and accused the media of trying to create a “civil war” between the two factions.

Watch above via CNN

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