Priorities for the Next U.S. President

Session Overview

• The final session of the Milken Institute conference featured four former presidential candidates discussing their platforms and reflecting on their hypothetical presidencies.
• The panel included Jeff Green, Tillman Fertitta, Ellen Townsher (Descher), and Frank Luntz, moderated by Wolf Blitzer and Mike Milken.
• Steve Wynn suspended his candidacy at the last moment; Tillman Fertitta substituted as the second candidate.

Jeff Green's Policy Proposals and Outcomes

• Infrastructure Investment: Proposed a "Rebuild America Bill" allocating $1.2 trillion over three years, funded by a one-time 15% tax on the repatriation of $2.1 trillion in corporate offshore cash.
• Job Creation: Projected the infrastructure bill would generate over 10 million middle-class jobs paying $20–$40 per hour.
• Tax Reform: Implemented a 15% repatriation tax, with a full 15% credit if funds were invested in domestic plant and equipment within one year.
• Education Reform: Introduced the "Great Teachers Bill" making all public school teacher income tax-free and mandated a national school day from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
• Future of Work: Established a bipartisan commission to study a Guaranteed Minimum Income (GMI) for all Americans at age 25, replacing existing welfare programs.
• GMI Funding: Planned to fund the GMI by eliminating existing bureaucracy (covering 50% of costs) and implementing a 5% consumption tax on non-essential goods.
• Eligibility Requirement: Required Americans under age 18 to complete two years of national service (military, Peace Corps, Teach for America) to receive the GMI.
• Foreign Policy Stance: Committed to standing by allies and using technology (satellites, sensors) to secure borders without building physical walls.
• Economic Narrative: Acknowledged wage stagnation over 40 years due to globalization and technology, rejecting the "rigged game" narrative regarding Wall Street in favor of entrepreneurial capitalism.
• Hypothetical Outcome: Claimed the repatriation and infrastructure plan worked "fabulously," resulting in a booming economy and $2 trillion brought back to the U.S.

Tillman Fertitta's Policy Proposals and Outcomes

• Cabinet Appointment: Successfully secured the unanimous 100-to-0 Senate confirmation of Michael Milken as Secretary of the Treasury.
• Healthcare Reform: Repealed Obamacare, replacing it with a system allowing tax credits for the open market, tort reform to limit frivolous lawsuits, and expanded nurse practitioner authority.
• Tax Reform: Implemented a 20% flat personal income tax and reduced corporate tax rates to compete globally, aiming to eliminate corporate inversions.
• Defense Strategy: Vowed to increase the defense budget, reinvigorate the space program, and appoint a data czar to combat electronic data theft.
• Education Strategy: Removed teacher tenure and instituted performance-based pay, claiming U.S. 15-year-olds rose from 24th to 1st in global literacy.
• Trade Policy: Championed free trade, arguing that American competitiveness relies on eliminating foreign trade barriers rather than protectionism.
• Federal Bureaucracy: Proposed privatizing the U.S. Postal Service and eliminating regulatory overreach from the EPA and OSHA.
• Hypothetical Outcome: Reported the greatest economic growth in U.S. history, retiring all federal deficits and achieving a balanced budget.
• Foreign Policy: Stated that Russia, China, and European allies must play a larger role in counter-terrorism and space dominance.
• Conflict: Hypothetical administration saw the "USSR" return as the "United States of Russia," allegedly resolved via CIA assassinations of foreign leaders.

Ellen Townsher (Descher)'s Policy Proposals and Outcomes

• Redistricting Reform: Prioritized passing bipartisan redistricting reform and citizen commissions to end gerrymandering and restore moderate representation in Congress.
• Infrastructure Plan: Proposed a $3 trillion infrastructure bill funded partly by a 15% repatriated capital gains tax, implemented over 18 months in two tranches.
• Labor Relations: Signed the Employee Free Choice Act to protect union organizing rights and increase access for low-wage workers.
• Trade Policy: Supported the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TAFTA) to expand U.S. export markets.
• Supreme Court Strategy: Planned to nominate Merrick Garland and Hillary Clinton as a "twofer" to replace retiring justices Scalia and Ginsburg.
• Climate Policy: Identified climate change as a top priority, intending to pass a climate bill after the 2012 election victory.
• Foreign Policy: Advocated for aggressive anti-terror intervention in Syria and warned of Russian aggression, citing personal experience negotiating the New START Treaty.
• Education Philosophy: Emphasized "local possession" for schools with federal block grants focusing on critical skills (e.g., coding) rather than excessive testing.
• Hypothetical Outcome: Admitted to compromising on the infrastructure plan to get it passed, successfully repatriating $3 trillion over 18 months.

Frank Luntz's Policy Proposals and Outcomes

• Campaign Reform: Outlawed suits and ties, eliminated debate moderators to allow unrestricted candidate answers, and mandated specific, signed policy platforms for candidates.
• Political Accountability: Proposed changing House rules to allow every member to offer amendments, ending the 52% power monopoly.
• Transparency Initiative: Scheduled a three-day closed-door session at Camp David for all Congress members and spouses to be filmed for public accountability.
• Education Reform: Adopted a merit-based pay system where teachers are paid for success rather than tenure, with performance linked to student outcomes.
• Global Education: Launched a "Tony Blair initiative" to sanction nations allowing schools to teach hate or violence, aiming to counter radicalization.
• Civility Mandate: Called for an end to personal attacks and insults in political discourse, demanding civility from nominees.
• Vice Presidential Pardon: Pled to sign a pardon and award the Congressional Medal of Honor to Mike Milken within the first 24 hours.
• Military Reform: Attempted to replace the VA bureaucracy with a voucher system for veterans but failed due to bureaucratic resistance and public backlash over language.
• Hypothetical Outcome: Described his administration as a "disaster" regarding the VA due to an inability to overcome bureaucracy, though claiming success on military support generally.

Panel Discussion and Post-Session Reflections

• Repatriation Success: Green claimed a 15% repatriation tax brought back $2 trillion, while Townsher reported bringing back $3 trillion over 18 months.
• Communication Failures: Fertitta noted that corporate America failed to explain repatriation benefits to the public, leading to backlash described as a "lobbyist boondoggle."
• Political Relations: Townsher described a highly collaborative White House environment, including nightly bipartisan dinner parties that facilitated legislative success.
• National Service: Green stated that the mandatory national service requirement successfully integrated young people into the workforce before the implementation of the Guaranteed Minimum Income.
• Data Security: Fertitta claimed the appointment of a data czar eliminated all corporate and national data breaches during his term.
• VA Reform Conflict: Luntz admitted his attempt to voucherize VA care failed because the bureaucracy resisted the "money should follow the veteran" model.
• Foreign Relations: Green claimed peace between Israel and Palestine and the elimination of ISIS within his first year through diplomatic engagement with Putin and Saudi Arabia.
• Russian Relations: Townsher expressed ongoing frustration with Putin's actions in Ukraine and Crimea, maintaining a stance of necessary cooperation despite geopolitical friction.