Pete Buttigieg 2020 campaign megathread

[libertpaulian]

https://twitter.com/AP_Politics/status/1193842562731302912?s=19

>female VA director, made in NH
>a certain prominent female, buttigieg-leaning veteran Democrat is about 30 minutes south from where said speech was made

It's like he's intentionally trying to trigger me hahahaha

(But seriously, even if he did pick her I'd trust her with improving the VA - she's solid on the more important issues)

I probably know who this is, but my mind is drawing a blank...

[libertpaulian]

If the next batch of polls confirm the #Buttimentum, he'll definitely be a top target.  I could see Warren and Sanders going after him on economic issues and healthcare, Harris on racial issues, and Biden on experience.

[libertpaulian]

He's rising in the IA and NH polls, and gaining attention in the news again. Will it be a everyone attack Buttigieg or will Warren/Sanders continue to be questioned?

Both will occur.

I agree. There’s too much drama^TM to be mined from pitting low-polling Moderate Heroes like Klobuchar against the lefty front-runners. But I wouldn’t be surprised if near the entire stage hits Pete on his flip-flopping and thin experience.

He really pissed a lot of them off with his comments on it being a Buttigieg-Warren race. I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up being the Romney 2008 analogue, who the rest of the field unanimously dislikes.

Complaining about Pete won’t make Beto any less of a flop.

Bringing up a candidate that I haven’t supported since June and isn’t even in the race anymore doesn’t make Pete any less of a poll-tested, Wall Street phony.

You initially supported Beto, so you can't complain about a candidate being "Wall Street."

[libertpaulian]

I've never seen someone with such contempt for black people.

Really?

Very well. Anyone on the center. Or wherever the **** he wants to be.

Either way, you get my point. Pete Buttigieg only started caring about black people when he ran for president.

I think the #VoicesOfSouthBend would disagree with you there.  As would Jim Clyburn's grandson.

[libertpaulian]

I absolutely agree that it is more than just "blacks don't know him" or "blacks don't want to support a gay candidate." They don't trust him. He has no national record. He needs to go all in on making his case directly to black voters. He needs to have some uncomfortable conversations. If he really believes he can win these voters over, he never will until he gets into the weeds on issues that matter the most to them...by going directly to them.

I think he is doing exactly that. But it definitely takes a lot of time for black voters to be convinced. Once he wins Iowa (necessary if he is to have any chance at the nomination) and is more in the national spotlight, he will have some greater opportunity to take his case to black voters, though it's definitely a tight timeline. It's a tough balancing act when he also has to focus on winning Iowa decisively.

Separately but relatedly, I do think black voters prioritize experience much more than the average Democratic primary voter, which is not really a fixable problem for Buttigieg. Even a candidate like Sanders who had a lot of experience but not experience with which black voters were familiar was a tough sell.

I think in a post-Ferguson era, African-American voters have become a lot more cynical and jaded about politics and "the system" in general.  Yes, they've been distrustful of politicians, police, long-revered institutions, etc. long beforehand, but Ferguson seemed to be the boiling point.  Probably a reason why Hillary lost (she couldn't earn enough black support in the general).

[libertpaulian]

Major props to Lis Smith for turning Pete into a national name.

[libertpaulian]

Wild seeing myself in the background of one of his online ads.

Did he leave a positive impression on you?

[libertpaulian]

Wild seeing myself in the background of one of his online ads.

Did he leave a positive impression on you?

Hmmm.

I'd say so, yeah. He definitely felt a bit artificial but he sure is smart as hell and seems to have a good hold on himself.

Artificial in what sense?  I get the feeling that he's an egghead type like Warren, but he's a bit more "humble Miidwestern" about it.

[libertpaulian]

https://twitter.com/goldietaylor/status/1199153651090149382

This is good writing.

If anything's racist, the actual article is. It's basically just hating him for being whitey.

Yeah, The Root isn't exactly known as an objective source.

It would be like my citing to Reason Magazine as to why all drugs should be legalized, or The Advocate as to why it's good to be gay.

[libertpaulian]

So white people who were lucky enough to have fortunate circumstances in their upbringings aren't allowed to participate in the conversation on how to make this country better? That's cool. I'll just be over here checking my privilege.

That's not the point. The problem is making a statement that clearly is not representative of reality. There are lots of black college graduates who had no college graduates in their family as a role model. The role models to do better are people encouraging their younger relatives to do better than they did and if Buttigieg actually knew what he was talking about he would know that.

You gonna drag Kamala Harris, who said that if black children have at least one black teacher or mentor in their school, their chances of succeeding are higher?

[libertpaulian]

This is good writing.

So white people who were lucky enough to have fortunate circumstances in their upbringings aren't allowed to participate in the conversation on how to make this country better? That's cool. I'll just be over here checking my privilege.

You're purposely ignoring the actual argument being made.  To quote the article:

Mayor Pete’s bullsh**ttery is not just wrong, it is proof.

It proves men like him are more willing to perpetuate the fantastic narrative of negro neighborhoods needing more role models and briefcase-carriers than make the people in power stare into the sun and see the blinding light of racism. Get-along moderates would rather make sh**t up out of whole cloth than wade into the waters of reality. Pete Buttigieg doesn’t want to change anything. He just wants to be something.

This is not just a lie of omission, it is a dangerous precedent. This is why institutional inequality persists. Not because of white hoods and racial slurs. It is because this insidious double-talk erases the problem by camouflaging it. Because it is painted as a problem of black lethargy and not white apathy.

Yes, that's nice, if only Barack Obama, Kamala Harris, and Billary Clinton haven't made similar arguments before.

[libertpaulian]

If this SJWism keeps up, Trump is going to be President for 100 years, followed by either Eric or Junior for another 100.

[libertpaulian]

If this SJWism keeps up, Trump is going to be President for 100 years, followed by either Eric or Junior for another 100.

The thing is, it's Buttigieg who is the SJW in this exchange.  He's the one talking identity politics, cultural inequities, and other such SJW bullsh**t.  His critics are the ones who want to talk about actual economic policies and the very real theft of much needed resources. 

I'm talking about the way #WokeTwitter is treating these candidates.  If these candidates don't grant everyone candy, rainbows, and unicorns, they'll either vote third party, stay home, or leave the presidential slot blank.  Part of the reason we got Trump.

[libertpaulian]

For every Black voter who's not turning out for Pete in the GE, he could win 2 more White voters and therefore the GE against Trump ...

There's a large non-voter pool in the US, where Pete can tap into.

  What evidence is there that he could do this?

He's polling really well in states where the electorate already has a good opinion of him and where he enjoys high name ID.

In Iowa, he's about level with Trump and leads Trump by 7 points in NH. That means he's getting a much higher share among Whites against Trump than Hillary did ...

If Pete can match Trump among Whites next year, only a handful of additional Blacks and Hispanics are needed to win.

True, but high minority turnout is helpful for Senate and House races.

[libertpaulian]

For every Black voter who's not turning out for Pete in the GE, he could win 2 more White voters and therefore the GE against Trump ...

There's a large non-voter pool in the US, where Pete can tap into.

The dumbest strategy ever.

Yeah, agreed.  And I say that as a Pete stan.

The days of a 1996-style electoral map are over.

[libertpaulian]

https://twitter.com/TheRoot/status/1199455549093564417

Here's a follow-up to the last article I posted. Buttigieg himself personally called and asked to listen to his perspective. No defenses, no attacks, no fighting. Just simple dialogue about what brought Harriot to write what he wrote, and what he could do to understand the black perspective.

Major, major props to him. This is how he gets the black community behind him.

The question now is does he internalize what he learned and bend his positions to match this new enlightenment, or does he continue his platitudes and roll forward as if nothing happened, hoping people would remember he listened that one time, and not the lack of follow through. Given his habits thus far, I'm not going to hold my breath.

Still, credit where credit is due.

Yeah, Elizabeth Warren would have sent Pressley to call him, if she even thought of calling him at all.

[libertpaulian]

A warning from AOC

AOC's warning to Pete Buttigieg

Similarly, in 2004 Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry went after Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, who had been doing well in the race, speaking about his opposition to the disastrous war in Iraq. Kerry warned that Dean would be weak on defense after 9/11 and that his candidacy would ensure President George W. Bush's re-election.
Referring to Dean's statement that the US was not safer after Saddam Hussein had been captured, Kerry said: "Someone who talks like this is going to have a hard time convincing the American people that he can keep them safe. This election is too vital for us to lose ... because voters refuse to take a gamble on national security and the steadiness of our leadership." Although Kerry won the nomination, that became the centerpiece of GOP attacks against him.
Democrats who attack from the center don't always think through the potential impact of their words. They operate from a mythical position that they will be able to insulate themselves from the same such attacks if their turn comes in the crossfire. But we have seen from history it doesn't work that way.
The better strategy would be to shore up support for Democratic ideas and policies during the caucuses and primaries, insisting on a debate that centers on those terms rather than Republican points, and not offering the GOP more material going into the fall campaign.
For if they are not careful, the moderates might end up doing exactly what Republicans are hoping for, thereby helping to set up the conditions for President Trump's reelection.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/29/opinions/aoc-warning-to-buttigieg-zelizer/index.html

If College Communist AOC is Pete's biggest threat...lol.

[libertpaulian]

LOL.

This except Kamala's supporters are the online leftists knocking on everyone else's door.

They're amateurs compared to the Bernouts.

[libertpaulian]

I wonder who would be a good running mate for Pete? His two biggest flaws are inexperience and lack of minority support. I can’t think of anyone off the top of my head that would address these issues

Tammy Duckworth.  Her qualities:

1. from flyover country
2. veteran
3. foreign policy knowledge
4. woman
5. minority
6. US Senator
7. fierce debater

[libertpaulian]

I'm pretty convinced pete doesnt actually care about race issues.

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/472548-buttigieg-i-was-slow-to-realize-south-bend-schools-were-not-desegregated


He might actually be the worst candidate in over 20 years

He's a mayor.  He has negligible influence over education policy.

[libertpaulian]

If we want to throw the "flip-flopper" label around, Beto and Kamala have done the same thing.  Both endorsed Bernie's plan until they jumped in.

[libertpaulian]

VoteVets endorses Pete:

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/472968-buttigieg-wins-endorsement-from-votevets-group

VoteVets, the nation’s largest political action committee that supports liberal veterans for public office, announced its presidential endorsement for South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg Wednesday.  

The endorsement, the first in the progressive group’s history, could serve as another boost for Buttigieg, a former Navy officer who served in Afghanistan. The announcement comes as polling shows a fluid race in early voting states with the Indiana Democrat at or near the top in Iowa and New Hampshire.  

“The number one priority has to be beating Donald Trump. In the 13 years VoteVets has been in existence, we have come to see one thing repeated time after time: Veterans can win voters in the purple and red areas of the country that other Democrats cannot,” said Jon Soltz, an  Iraq War veteran and chairman of VoteVets, referring to several veterans who won tight races in the 2018 midterms.

Makes sense, given that he'd be the first post-9/11 war veteran to serve as President.

[libertpaulian]

Beto Syndrome, unfortunately.

[libertpaulian]

https://twitter.com/cmarinucci/status/1234252611546570752

Wow.  My best to Pete.  Thank you for your historic candidacy and for knocking down barriers.