Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat, would not refer to himself as a capitalist during an interview on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" on Friday, saying he does not use labels.
MSNBC anchor Joe Scarborough asked Hickenlooper, who formally announced his candidacy for president Thursday, if he is "concerned" about members of the Democratic Party "embracing socialism."
Hickenlooper, a businessman who founded the Wynkoop Brewing Company, said he has "always loved" that "the Democratic Party is a big tent."
When asked if he would call himself "a proud capitalist," the former governor responded, "I don't know," and said, "I'm not sure any of them [labels] fit," before beginning to talk about climate change.
Scarborough asked Hickenlooper again, "do you consider yourself a capitalist?"
"Well, again, the labels, you know, I'm a small business person, so that part of the system that you would call capitalist, I get it; I understand it," he replied.
Hickenlooper said later, "I don't look at myself with a label. And I certainly think that small business is part of the solution. I think right now the way capitalism is working in the United States, it's not doing what it once did. It's not . . . providing security and opportunity for the middle class and for poor people.
"And I think as a country we need to step back and look at that and say, 'how do we get America back to place it was,' where if you worked hard enough, no matter where you started on the economic ladder, you would have a chance to go ahead and create your own version of the American dream."
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