Mayo Pete doesn't have the experience to be President. I'm not voting for someone just because they are gay or because they are female. Pete is an over privileged white guy with no humility. He did a terrible job as mayor in South Bend and the only reason he cares about black people now is because Pete wants their votes. Anybody who supports Mayo Pete is trying to maintain the white status quo.
3
What a phony. If he really had a heart and a soul, he wouldn’t have to copy anybody. He could be his own person. But since he has neither, he is forced to copy Obama. I guess Kennedy is too far in the past to copy. It doesn’t make any difference if he wins or places in Iowa or New Hampshire. He will never be the nominee. We already have a phony in the White House. We don’t need another.
4
The latest polls show Sanders surging. So, Buttigieg needs the same kind of adrenline: he needs to get Hillary Clinton to denounce him. This is a sure poll booster.
1
I don't understand the commenters here. Let voters decide. Period. I support Buttigieg and will be voting for him. I don't need to be voter-'splained by others in some attempt to get me to, let me guess, vote for your chosen candidate? No thanks.
13
“'I’ve had countless meetings with officers, including officers of color,' Mr. Buttigieg replied, noting that some of those reaching out faced accusations of misconduct or were threatening lawsuits. 'When someone threatens to sue you, you make sure they’re talking to a lawyer,' he said."
You see, that's the kind of arms-length, dry response that gets Buttigieg in trouble with a lot of black voters. It's why he still has a problem with blacks in his own city. When someone finds every excuse for why he won't talk to you instead of just talking to you, it's because he just doesn't value talking to you. You've been dismissed. It is indicative of the subtle kind of dismissal born of implicit bias that people of color and women experience all the time. it's easy to be all comforting and sympathetic with someone approaching you in pain, but unchallenging. What's telling is how you deal with those who may be much more contentious.
IMHO, Buttigieg doesn't have the deep empathy it takes to pull warring sides together. He seems like the type who can make an incisively logical argument about why it should happen but never quite get all the subtleties required to actually make it happen. What's more, that type often never understands why the logic failed.
2
@Barry Williams
It would be worrisome if that's all Mr. Buttigieg did, but he has gone above and beyond.
The fact is that over 70% of the minority in South Bend supports Mr. Buttigieg. Please see "Here is a comprehensive list of South Bend’s efforts towards racial justice and equity under Pete Buttigieg" on Medium.com to see his records.
The essence of misrepresentation is cherry-picking facts. Unfortunately this is the standard practice of some "news" outlet like TYT and some "journalists" on the staff of the Intercept -- these are the equivalent of Braitbart for the extreme left. Their purpose is to support Senator Sanders and to a limited extend Senator Warren, not about facts.
13
@Susie Nothing you said contradicts what I said. He may have 70% minority support in South Bend (I wonder how much of that is black - not all minorities fall into a monolithic point of view), but it's important to understand why 30% don't support him. I think the reason correlates with some of the comments he makes that feel somewhat arrogant or dismissive. That worries me. Most of the problems in this country, and most anywhere for that matter, lie in dismissing "the other 30%".
In terms of winning an election, 70% is a big number. In terms of living amongst each other peacefully with a good quality of life, 30% disapproval is a big number which can make life miserable for everyone if they're not satisfied.
No, he can't, and he needs to step aside and back a candidate who has a chance so the Dems can stop falling over themselves and getting in their own way this election.
1
The man is TOO young and TOO inexperienced to be our President. Yes his presentation is prepared and well presented but as a McKinsey guy that’s their forte to cover for inexperience.
4
"Mr. Buttigieg has seized the opportunity to camp out in the state" reported by Mr. Gabriel. I wonder what Mr. Buttgieg would have done differently if his top competitors were not tied up by the impeachment trial... In reports that are less "political," one finds the following:
{Paul Tullis/Wired Magazine) When commenting on the revitalization of South Bend, John Affleck-Graves, executive vice president of Notre Dame, who chaired the finance and business economics department at Notre Dame and spent years studying what other cities had done to revitalize themselves, “You’re given a certain hand, and you’ve got to play that hand,” he said. “It takes different types of leadership—there are people who can get things done and people who can bring others onboard. Pete can do both.”
{Maureen Groppe/USA Today) Santiago Garces, who was South Bend's first Innovation Officer and is now director of innovation and performance for the city of Pittsburgh, found working with Buttigieg exciting but demanding.
“I think he sees governing as a kind of moral activity that requires going back to what is good and bad and trying to reframe the decisions in terms of what is good for society,” Garces said. “As an engineer, sometimes you’re like, `Oh my god man! Would you just tell me what you want!’ But, in the end, you end up betting a better result.”
I think NY Times readers might find such information more relevant.
22
Give us a break! I agree w Amy. No 38 year old woman with so little relevant experience would ever be taken seriously. He is presumptuous and completely unqualified. I cannot imagine voting for him. He needs to get an honest job that fits his qualifications.
3
@Louise
Please give me a break. Disagree with you and Amy. A 37 year old woman with the same level of experience who actually had the intelligence, and political skills of Buttigieg would be winning the primary in this day and age of people seeking great women candidates. She’d be the next coming. Problem is she doesn’t exist. Pete is already a more skillful politician than Amy, Liz and the other women , all decades older than him. If you doubt this hypothesis just look at the “until recently” bartender, AOC at 30, already being talked about for 2024-8. Sexism is real in politics, but so is reverse sexism.
17
@Louise
Senator Klobuchar did women a disservice by reducing a candidate to mere age and gender, and by shifting the discussions away from the future of US to misrepresentation and misinformation. For voters who care to learn about Mr. Buttigieg's record, visit wikipeteia.com, and for his policy proposals, visit www.peteforamerica.com.
Over 700,000 voters have been so impressed by Mr. Buttigieg's experience, skills, and temperament that they have donated to his campaign. The fact is that Mr. Buttigieg has risen from a complete unknown, with 4-person staff and a list of 20,000 potential voters to become one of the top contenders, by running a respectful inclusive campaign, without attacking competitors with misinformation, without dark money, without pandering to voters by promising freebies. He managed to achieve in less than a year. I'd like to see what he could do for our country in the next eight years!
15
Buttigieg has diverse and impressive endorsements that don't get much press. He is the only candidate to have a Congressional endorsement from both Iowa and New Hampshire. He has won the endorsement of the African American mayor of Waterloo, which is Iowa's most diverse city. He has won the endorsement of a long-time African American woman legislator in Iowa. Reggie Love, Obama's body man, has been working hard in South Carolina for Pete along with Miss Black America. He just picked up another state legislator endorsement from NH today, a woman who had previously endorsed Booker. He has over 200 foreign policy specialists from prior administrations endorsing him. These endorsements don't get a lot of attention in the press that would much rather repeat that persons of color do not support Pete, even though he is polling ahead of Klobuchar, Yang, Bloomberg, and even Booker in most polls among Black and Hispanic voters. He has also had far bigger crowds in Iowa than any of the other democratic candidates (1200 yesterday in Cedar Rapids when Bernie and Warren had less than 400 apiece). Whether or not these people will vote for him -- only time will tell -- but the big crowds have received him warmly and given him standing ovations. He's doing a town hall on Fox this Sunday. Nobody has run a better campaign.
27
I would rather vote for him than continue to let people my age run the country in to the ground.
30
According to an article in Atlantic Magazine, millennials do not like Pete which presents a problem for the mayor.
Young progressives on the internet don’t seem to like Pete Buttigieg very much. They’ve called him “the most obnoxious type of Millennial” and “a Boomer wrapped up in a Millennial’s clothing”; a “Build-a-Bear for middling Democrats” and “a candidate seemingly dreamed up by some Democratic National Committee algorithm”; a “baggie full of uncut special interest talking points” and a “grab bag of gifted-and-talented party tricks.” Buttigieg is a young person’s idea of an old person—and, evidently, some sort of bag.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/12/why-young-progressives-hate-pete-buttigieg/603619/
4
Pete Buttigieg is no Barack Obama.
5
@J. Plantagenet You are correct. However, he is a Pete Buttigieg which is pretty amazing and beyond impressive. With the right team, Mr. Buttigieg may far surpass the accomplishments of the Obama presidency.
19
it wont be this time but he will be President one day.
1
I would love to see Buttigieg go the distance, but his campaign has not gotten ahead of the media narrative on the black police chief firing in South Bend. This article includes a picture of the Vice Brown and Black Forum which had a fairly negative introduction to Buttigieg, framed totally by his gay identity. The hosts were passive aggressive and did not hide their dislike. When comments suggest he doesn't have enough experience and should go back to solve problems in South Bend, he is being held to a different standard than the other candidates, none of whom have been mayors in declining cities. And, I can't really think of any mistakes he would make as president, unlike Warren or Sanders.
13
@Cindy Brandeau Also, the constant drumbeat of lack of black support, etc. etc. has been largely championed by Bernie Sanders supporters as a way to attempt to derail his campaign.
13
@Eileen Sorrels. No, it's analysis of his support by demographics. It happens to be true for several reasons, just like saying Bernie does best with voters under 40 and less well with over 64 voters.
1
Why didn’t all the candidates agree not to campaign in Iowa and New Hampshire during the Senate Impeachment Trial? Their surrogates could be allowed.
Where’s the DNC and Nancy Pelosi on this fairness concern?
4
@Joel H did the other cnite top cmpigning when Pete h to go home n eal with a crisis in south Ben?Did the other candidates stop campaigning when Pete had to go home and deal with a crisis in South Bend? It's not unusual for candidates to have jobs they need to attend to. Deal with it.
8
Buttigieg is the Republicans' favorite Democratic party presidential nominee.
If Buttigieg is the democratic presidential nominee trump gets a second term. Can the world survive four more years of trump?
2
@Daisy
My take from Trump and his media is that Buttigieg is the one they are most afraid to face. It sounds like they want to go against Bernie or Warren who their media will denounce successfully as dangerous socialists who will ruin the economy.
17
Better Pete than Joe, for those of you caught in the middle center and undecided. Plus which, your dad called, Pete. He said, “Don’t get lost on those county roads in the winter! Wear a warm jacket. And don’t forget, it’s Antonio Gramsci’s birthday.”
@Area Man His dad died a year ago.
2
The number one priority for Americans is to get rid of Trump.
Who can best do that?
Someone who even Trump acknowledges would be his least favorite opponent: Mike Bloomberg.
Mike's latest move is to run millions of dollars of ads on the impeachment targeted to the states of those GOP Senators who support the psychopath and who may be vulnerable to constituent support.
As usual, he is only using his own money to do this. No donation accepted.
The man is a real patriot.
He is going to be our next and best president.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/mike-bloomberg-shifts-presidential-ad-campaign-to-focus-on-impeachment/2020/01/21/6358d96a-3c5f-11ea-8872-5df698785a4e_story.html
3
I’m a huge Buttigieg fan. I think he’s got what it takes, based on interviews, the debates and his overall policies (readily available on his website.) I also respect who’s endorsed him. And bonus: he’s rational, level-headed and calm. What a welcome change he’ll be as President!
36
“With three of Mr. Buttigieg’s top rivals pinned down at the Senate impeachment trial, and a nasty skirmish between Senator Bernie Sanders and former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. over Social Security grabbing headlines, Mr. Buttigieg has seized the opportunity to camp out in Iowa”
How is this this fair - shouldn’t everyone stop campaigning during the impeachment trial? Looks like the elite are using everything they have to stop Bernie. The wine cave billionaire donors are in control of their puppets in Washington. Just like Obama Buttigieg would install most of Citigroups picks for cabinet members and not jail or hold accountable Wall Street next time the economy crashes.
5
@steve All I hear in your comment is foolish speculation.
Didn’t you hear, it wasn’t billionaires at the wine cave or secret promises being offered, but a large mix of people being told the same things he says in his town halls.
12
Mayor Pete's inexperience is showing. Most Democrats see Trump's attack on Ukraine as the Pearl Harbor of politics and democracy. Can you imagine FDR going to Congress the day after Pearl Harbor and seeking a declaration of hope?
3
@James Ricciardi
Listen to Pete’s post Soleimeni answer compared to Warren and all the other candidates. The only one who actually sounded like a president. Warren and the others mostly speculated about Trump. Constantly attacking others is not a skillful campaigning strategy.
16
Republicans who are supporting Mayor Pete would be wise to follow their choice since Trump today announced he plans to cut Medicare and Social Security since the economy is doing so great.
12
What will be interesting is if Mr. Buttigieg makes a strong 2nd or 3rd place finish in Iowa. Maybe even winning it. With all the talking heads and opinion writers continuing effort to downplay his support, a resounding win might shush the media. For a day or two at least.
49
What will be interesting is if Mr. Buttigieg makes a strong 2nd or 3rd place finish in Iowa. Maybe even winning it. With all the talking heads and opinion writers continuing effort to downplay his support, a resounding win might shush the media. For a day or two at least.
4
Ex-Mayor Pete, whose sole and very modest governmental experience was serving as mayor of tiny South Bend, Indiana, the 301st (!) largest city in the US, is quite a stretch as far as qualifying for President is concerned.
Indeed, from recent NYT articles it seems he should have been spending more time in South Bend dealing with racial issues instead of hobnobbing with the elite donors of Hollywood and Silicon Valley and Wall Street.
Also, while his being gay is a non-issue as far as so many of us urban and Democratic voters are concerned, it may be a significant negative among non-urban and non-Democratic voters, as well as Blacks. The NYT’s earlier opinion piece on whether Pete is “gay enough” was too subtle a point for many; that he is gay at all, complete with husband, may be too much for many voters in fly-over land.
If Pete could successfully run for House or Senate or governor of his state, that would bolster his experience and political credentials and might make him a plausible candidate in a later run for President or Vice President.
Remember that our goal is to defeat Trump in 2020, which means finding an electable candidate who will appeal to a large majority of American voters, especially those who felt their needs and concerns were ignored in 2016.
Failure to do so will inevitably lead to another term for Trump.
11
@Mon Ray
The reason Mayor Pete has passed on running for governor or senator is that Indiana is a Red State. (South Bend is a college town and Blue enclave.) Remember that their governor was Mine Pence who wanted to make discrimination against gays a law.
He was actually questioned about this when asked about his choice to run for president. I guess he could always run for the House representing his Blue district.
If we are lucky enough to elect a Democratic president, I'm sure Pete's impressive performance during the campaign will earn him an offer to go to DC.
11
Buttigieg ran for Indiana State Treasurer and lost by a landslide. So he is running for president of the United States.
1
@Mon Ray
I couldn't have said it better myself. I truly wish him luck but he needs more experience, and - don't hit me - people have to "get used to him." That's simply the reality of American politics today, and reality has a way of crashing parties. If he could be elected to a statewide or national post in Indiana it would do wonders for dems' chances in future elections there, and he could show his effectiveness to a much larger constituency. I hope he doesn't go away.
Pete Buttigieg's age is not the deciding factor, but it helps. I want someone who has an optimism and an aggressive approach to preserving democratic capitalism for the future, because he will be here for it. Trump has improved the economy only to suit his personal financial interests and those of his ilk. If the economy is in such great shape, the things Pete is fighting for - infrastructure, job re-training, lower medical bills and taxes for the middle class, strengthening unions - would already be happening. They're not. Trump has hollowed out the country's finances and the deficit will be a haunting reminder for years to come.
Pete is my choice for the next president.
76
The more I hear and read about Mayor Pete the more impressed I am. After Trump Our Country NEEDS a cool-headed moderate that knows how to THINK before he tweets.
72
Ex-Mayor Pete, whose sole and very modest governmental experience was serving as mayor of tiny South Bend, Indiana, the 301st (!) largest city in the US, is quite a stretch as far as qualifying for President is concerned.
Indeed, from recent NYT articles it seems he should have been spending more time in South Bend dealing with racial issues instead of hobnobbing with the elite donors of Hollywood, Silicon Valley and Wall Street.
Also, while his being gay is a non-issue as far as so many of us urban and Democratic voters are concerned, it may be a significant negative among non-urban and non-Democratic voters, as well as Blacks. The NYT’s earlier opinion piece on whether Pete is “gay enough” was too subtle a point for many; that he is gay at all, complete with husband, may be too much for many voters in fly-over land.
If Pete could successfully run for House or Senate or governor of his state, that would bolster his experience and political credentials and might make him a plausible candidate in a later run for President or Vice President.
Remember that our goal is to defeat Trump in 2020, which means finding an electable candidate who will appeal to a large majority of American voters, especially those who felt their needs and concerns were ignored in 2016.
Failure to do so will inevitably lead to another term for Trump.
4
Someone tell Pete that millions of Obama 2012 voters defected to Trump. I don’t think channeling Obama is gonna help much.
Like the rest of the Dem establishment, he needs to get in touch with working class Americans. Pete still thinks we love our private health insurance and that we don’t mind the rich controlling our political system.
8
@Ed Watters I think someone from South Bend is a lot more in touch with working people than someone from San Francisco. Also, I would like to remind you that Indiana is not the center of gravity for "establishment democrats." I think people who don't like Pete just make stuff up about him for sport. Lets have some integrity people.
10
I would vote for Mayor Pete because he is smart, articulate, moderate, who will unite people. I am tired of the same old same old, we need a new generation with new ideas to lead and unite the country.
73
At this point Mayor Pete is a very smart guy with a resume that has all the key words that hit on a search, and not a lot of hard accomplishments. He is certainly someone to watch in the future, after he has had responsibilities that extend beyond a small fraction of the population of New York City's smallest outer borough. After Trump, I don't see a lot of enthusiasm for anyone who can't hit the ground running and needs to learn from scratch on the job. Last, from the sources I have read, he hasn't caught fire with voters who are under 35. In the future (like 2024) he could be formidable, but at this point even Bloomberg is nipping at his heels in more than a few polls, which likely makes him a player instead of a winner.
10
It feel like his moment has passed - kind of like Warren. A lot of people like both of them, but don;t see them as the person to take on Trump.
Its looking more and more to me like Biden is going to win all the early states and then march in an orderly fashion to the nomination.
Biden's not my first or even second choice. But as president he'll surround himself with good people, serve only one term, and then we'll be able to restart the debate about what's next.
7
@Cousy
I don’t know what purpose is served to give up on who or what one believes in - as one’s fears then become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
The primaries have yet to happen. Voting hasn’t begun (I know early voting has).
There’s plenty of time to ‘settle for’ what we end up with.
People should vote for who they believe in. Not select an answer based on looking at someone else’s work...
30
@Patrician
Agreed - I'm voting for Warren, and I continue to be a monthly donor to her.
But polls aren't meaningless. And the good folks in IA and NH seem to be feeling panicky. I think Biden will do well.
But I always vote my conscience and always will.
6
@Cousy
I hear you on polls.
I don’t see myself as someone who looks at life through rose-tinted glasses. I was disappointed by some polls today (and vented a few choice words at the ‘Rose Twitter’ that childishly and dishonestly propagated the snake emojis recently...) but here’s something I take comfort from: 58% (or so) of those polls haven’t made up their minds.
There’s still time. Let’s keep the faith.
6
The guy isn’t just smart, but disciplined, a listener and reconciler, asking us all to participate in a shared architecture for what the country might look like in 2050, not just next January. I know of no other candidate who understands the need for such a vision so profoundly, and tries to articulate that as skillfully. Underestimate the capacity of this Dark Horse to build bridges between blue and red at your peril.
90
@Daisy On reproductive rights he takes the absolutist position that government should never interfere in the private decision, at any stage. On reparations he thinks it is undeniable that the compounded effects of centuries of discrimintory actions cannot be addressed merely by racially neutral policies, only by substantial monetary investments to repair inequities in housing, healthcare, education etc. On foreign policy he says that we should never intervene except when our citizens or allies are actually under attack, that all authorizations of force must be time-limited to force periodic re-examination of why we are involved, and that much of our military budget is being wasted on "expensive targets." On climate change he calls for a carbon tax across the board, to be rebated back in a progressive manner so that the poor are better off, coupled with expanded research into renewable energy and carbon-sequestering soil management.
Thee re not Repubicn poicie.These are not Republican policies.
12
@raven55 Well said! He is actually trying to preserve this country from a nasty fall-out as well as looking to fix the things that need fixing.
8
I used to like Pete. But he has since become too moderate and too scripted with lack of policy details. Haven't we seen that too many times before?
24
I strongly disagree! Visit his website, his policy details are laid out quite well...
16
@LFK The "no policies" refrain is a tired leftist trope and untrue! His website contains well thought out policies that are often integrated with each other in a way no other candidate has done. Pete's brilliance shines through all of them.
6
With Sanders and Warren seemingly out to get each other and Biden seems stale, the "adult in the room" more and more looks like Pete Buttigieg. This Florida Democrat who will vote in our primary after Super Tuesday hasn't made up his mind as yet, but Sanders and Warren are off my radar. We need a strong candidate to beat Trump and they are not it.
47
The polls don’t look good for Pete. If you are looking to hitch your wagon to a centrist, Klobuchar is a better choice.
5
Are her poll's numbers better?
3
@JWMathews Neither is Pete.
1
I like Pete.
I like that he is thoughtful, calm and intelligent. I like that he is YOUNG and would bring a new perspective.
Pete has worked hard and I find his message hopeful. I believe he has the strength and intellect to bring our country back together again. Yes, I will vote for him.
103
@Pavane What are his policies? He talks a good game but what does he stand for besides a good message here and there.
7
Check out his website PeteforAmerica. It has lots of policies and details...more than any other candidate.
14
@Jacquie Have you listened to his debates? He advocated specific policy proposals in all of them. Have you looked at his website? He has spelled out his proposals in great detail. I find most people who criticize him for having no policy proposals are simply aggravated supporters of another candidate. It's easy to learn the policies he's proposing.
16
Voters and the media need to make the same leap of faith about Pete as they did with Obama. Being young and relatively unknown and inexperienced on the national level does not cancel out unique qualities of intelligence, personal history, character and ability to communicate and inspire. This Boomer and my family made the leap early on and haven’t wavered. We’re ready for the new generation of leadership that Pete Buttigieg represents.
91
@judyb
Obama communicated and inspired only enough to get elected.
He did not have the bold ideas, vision or courage to hold bankers or torturers accountable or to communicate empathy and policies to make life better for ordinary people.
He never "got" their lives and issues.
Buttigieg speaks well and has charisma...
but not the wisdom or experience.
8
@judyb At least we know Mayor Pete won't cut Medicare and Social Security like Trump just announced today.
8
@Lucy Cooke I’m excited to vote for Buttigieg as are many in my part of Ohio/Tristate area. He has a real shot at the nomination—I hope you’ll be on board for voting for him over Trump.
9
So many articles, including this one, mention something about Mayor Pete that I find quite extraordinary -- at every event you're bound to run into people who voted for Trump in 2016 are now seriously considering voting for Mr. Buttigieg in 2020. Mr. Buttieg's appeal to lapsed to disaffected Democrats and current Republicans tells me that Mr. Buttigieg is the right person, at the right place, at the right time, and with exactly the right message and manner to deny Mr. Trump a second term. Democrats of every kind, from far-left to center-right, will crawl on broken glass this fall if it means a one-term Trump presidency. It's not like in the past where Democratic turnout will be an issue (there has never been a more powerful motivator than Mr. Trump), the real question is which candidate is the right candidate to win over the rest of the electorate? In this respect, I find Mr. Buttigieg to be the clear winner. When it comes to "future former Republicans" there is no doubt in my mind that Mr. Buttigieg is our best person for the Democratic candidate for POTUS.
121
@C.S. Well said!
7
@C.S. He will never beat Trump.
3