Howard Schultz offers few specifics Thursday as he tests hometown waters for White House bid
The ex-
And Thursday's event at the
He said the country is suffering from a void of leadership: "The essence of leadership sits on the foundation of the currency of trust."
He decried the current political system: "There has to be a different way, we have to reimagine the impossible."
And he issued optimistic, yet generic, calls for patriotism: "The promise of the country is you can have access to the American dream."
The event was the billionaire's first public appearance in
Schultz described how he grew up in public housing in
He drew scattered boos and murmurs at times, and Democratic ideas he was criticizing -- single-payer health care and free public college -- drew big cheers, as did Guzman's question: "Why don't you just run as a Democrat?"
Schultz, who describes himself as a lifelong Democrat, said he wants to see President
He says the national debt is the biggest domestic challenge the country faces, but offered no proposals to reduce it, beyond a generic call for "comprehensive tax reform."
Schultz offered almost no policy prescriptions Thursday, and decried a two-party system focused on "revenge politics."
"It's time to stop fighting and work on behalf of the American people," he said.
Schultz, who's been a fixture on cable news and morning shows this week, drew immediate backlash from
Democratic Gov.
"It is a potential fatal disease, if you will, infecting us with
No independent or third-party candidate has won a single electoral vote in a presidential election since segregationist
Schultz repeatedly promised not to be a spoiler. He said he would decide whether to run in the coming months, based on "an intuitive feeling ... that there are millions of Americans that feel the same way."
Outside the theater, about 60 people chanted "Pick a party" and implored Schultz not to run as an independent.
"If he thinks his policies are so great, he should debate them in the primary system," said
"In this presidential election, there are only two sides," said
Even inside the Schultz event, many people weren't eager for a Schultz campaign.
"I like to think he's going to be smart enough not to become a spoiler," Libby said.
"But if he's been a lifelong Democrat, why doesn't he go in and be among the debate of the
"If the
One local group calling itself Ready For Schultz has expressed support for his presidential bid.
The group anonymously registered a website in November and describes its members as "young professionals and students based in the
A Ready For Schultz organizer on Thursday declined an interview request, saying in a Twitter post, "at this time our organization is not willing to identify members of the group."
Staff reporter
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