Pete Buttigieg 2020 campaign megathread

[The Undefeatable Debbie Stabenow]

As an aside, this is a terrible move if he wants to get elected Governor in 2020/2024. The last thing he needs is to be connected to the national party.

It probably doesn't matter considering that I highly doubt he would have a shot at winning the governorship regardless.

[The Undefeatable Debbie Stabenow]

He would be the most attractive president in history.

Uh... Obama? JFK? Clinton?

[The Undefeatable Debbie Stabenow]

He would be the most attractive president in history.

Uh... Obama? JFK? Clinton?

CLINTON!?

I could concede on the former two, even though they're not my cup of tea, but Clinton!?

I mean, it was kinda part of his whole thing back in the day, at least in the eyes of a lot of people. (I never fully got it myself, but still.)

[The Undefeatable Debbie Stabenow]

He should have run for Congress against Jackie w.

This. I'm guessing he knows as well as the rest of us that he has a roughly 0% of even coming close to the presidential nomination, and IN-02 could actually be decently competitive with a good candidate.

Just like how Bullock needs to run for MT-SEN and leave the presidential race alone, both for his own good and for the sake of the party. (Bullock still would fare better in the presidential primary than Buttigieg, but that's not saying very much.)

[The Undefeatable Debbie Stabenow]

The whole police shooting thing is why I'm not really sold on Pete yet. This is probably the biggest leadership test he'll face and it really pales in comparison to the decisions Senators or Governors have to make on a daily basis. His job as Mayor and its scope are just so insignificant, I have a hard time voting for him over other qualified candidates.

And yet he has gone back to South Bend to meet with community leaders and listen to their perspective and has shown a real willingness to mediate healing in that community. Senators don't do that. Governors don't do that. Ask Jay Nixon. Ask Rick Scott.

That’s all well and good, but their original point still stands regardless of how successfully he handles the situation.

[The Undefeatable Debbie Stabenow]

The whole police shooting thing is why I'm not really sold on Pete yet. This is probably the biggest leadership test he'll face and it really pales in comparison to the decisions Senators or Governors have to make on a daily basis. His job as Mayor and its scope are just so insignificant, I have a hard time voting for him over other qualified candidates.

And yet he has gone back to South Bend to meet with community leaders and listen to their perspective and has shown a real willingness to mediate healing in that community. Senators don't do that. Governors don't do that. Ask Jay Nixon. Ask Rick Scott.

That’s all well and good, but their original point still stands regardless of how successfully he handles the situation.

I don't see how a mayor dealing with race relations hands-on in their communities "pales in comparison" to what Senators do. Maybe Governors. We've already established that Pete would have a tough time ascending to a higher office in Indiana, so why should he be thrown to the side for being politically stonewalled (pun somewhat intended) in his home state?

Besides, I think he has a basic level of competence of the job. We've already seen the most incompetent human being to ever serve has President manage to survive thus far due to the (bare minimum) level of competence of the people around him. Are we suggesting that Pete wouldn't surround himself with people capable of filling in the experience gaps if he were elected President?

Senators vote to declare wars that have extreme geopolitical ramifications and lead to the loss of American lives, to alter healthcare policies that affect millions upon millions of citizens and their ability to receive life-saving care, and to confirm judges that will affect the nationally-enforced interpretation of our Constitution for decades. The Mayor of South Bend will never have that reach and influence, period.

It’s unfortunate that, as you say, he’s likely going to have little luck trying to ascend to a higher office in Indiana, but that doesn’t mean we are obligated to give someone with inadequate experience a chance at the presidency just because political realities inhibit them from gathering more experience. It sucks, but that’s how it is. Do I think that Buttigieg would largely surround himself with competent, respectable advisors? I do, and I respect his intelligence and demeanor. But I would rather have someone who has been in higher pressure governance situations, rather than the mayor of a relatively small town. I would prefer there be as little of a need to “fill gaps,” as you called it, as possible.

[The Undefeatable Debbie Stabenow]

Does anybody outside of the BLM Twittersphere or Atlas care about this? I have seen literally zero mainstream coverage of this, although admittedly I haven't been watching cable news much recently.

Seconded, I don’t think this single event really matters. I haven’t seen any coverage of it either, and it’s not like any of the candidates seem very interested in tearing anyone not named Joe Biden down at the debates, so I doubt it’ll be brought up unless a moderator integrates it into a question.