GOFFSTOWN, N.H. – Presidential Candidates Asa Hutchinson, Vivek Ramaswamy and Dean Phillips gathered at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College on Monday to discuss the future of cryptocurrency.
The discussions came together through the Stand With Crypto Alliance’s New Hampshire Presidential Forum, which featured viewpoints from crypto experts and New Hampshire elected officials such as New Hampshire House of Representatives Majority Leader Jason Osborne (R-Auburn) and State Representative Keith Ammon (R-New Boston).
Following introductory statements from each of the candidates, they took questions from Coin Desk Deputy Managing Editor Global Policy and Regulation Jesse Hamilton and members of the audience.
Hutchinson, the former Republican governor of Arkansas, spoke about the importance of cryptocurrency to help stimulate American innovation and development of computer science education.
In comments to media following his discussion, he also felt that it was important to have clear rules for cryptocurrency created by government, ensure that cryptocurrency is not used to by criminal organizations to launder money and stimulate more affordable energy to help provide the energy for crypto mining efforts.
Hutchinson also stood against efforts by U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) to create an “anti-crypto Army”
“I support the United States Army, not whatever army Senator Warren has,” he said. “Obviously that says that (Warren is) an enemy of innovation, you’re an enemy of technology, and you don’t want to compete with China and you don’t trust the next generation of technologists in our country to develop things that benefit our lives.”
Ramaswamy, a Republican entrepreneur from Ohio, felt that code should be given first amendment protections, there should be limited regulation on digital wallets and he opposed ambiguity regarding any cryptocurrency regulation.
Regarding cryptocurrency regulation, Ramaswamy feared that regulators would establish rules on their own accord in the absence of specific Congressionally-set guidelines. He added that he would aim to lay off a significant number of government employees and would tell those that remain to cease regulating rules that don’t pass the muster of the West Virginia vs. EPA Supreme Court decision.
“I support innovation and boundless growth in the American economy and every arena. And I support cryptocurrency in that vein, in the sense that we should want innovation in a new sector, that is going to be an important part of our future. But I think that the same rules that apply to non-digital assets, should apply to digital assets as well,” he said to media. “I am all in favor of applying anti-theft and anti-fraud laws. I think that in some ways, the existing regime has not done a good enough job of that, but at the same time, I think it is wrong when crypto assets are penalized simply for having a digital modality rather than ordinary world modality.”
Phillips, the only Democratic candidate, had the final discussion of the day. He noted that a lack of action from Washington regarding the cultivation of crypto is a symptom of Congressional dysfunction, where members of Congress spend most of their time talking to people who will give them money for re-election campaigns rather than doing the people’s work. Phillips also believed that the two major parties’ current front runners for the Presidency were ill-equipped to lead the country into the future on subjects like crypto given their entrenched views.
“It’s a great example of something that should have been anticipated years ago and still is without comprehensive regulation, but also a belief in what it can do for our country to save money, transform an economy, if necessary, perhaps serve the basis of testing (universal basic income) as we contemplate how artificial intelligence is going to completely disrupt this economy,” said Phillips to the media. “I am convinced that neither Donald Trump or Joe Biden is in a position at their stage of life to be the one that navigates us to the place we have to go.”
Video of the event can be found at www.standwithcrypto.org