Tag: Pete Buttigieg

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Pete Buttigieg: I’m Not Obama, Neither Is Biden

Mayor Pete Buttigieg
As the Democratic presidential candidates look to Tuesday’s primary in New Hampshire, former Mayor Pete Buttigieg and former Vice President Joe Biden continue to spar in their fight for the moderate lane of the Democrats. Biden, who came in a distant 4th place in Iowa, told Biden ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos, “I’m saying he hasn’t been able to unify the black community — that’s what I’m saying,” while underscoring his support and endorsements from several black leaders. Responding to Biden’s assertion that he’s “no Barack Obama,” Buttigieg agreed in an interview with Stephanopoulos following Biden. “He’s right, I’m not Barack Obama, and neither is he. Neither is anyone running for president right now. And this isn’t 2008, it’s 2020.” “This election is about where our county’s headed next and of course how to defeat Donald Trump,” Buttigieg continued. “What I’m offering right now, and the reason I think we have been able to succeed so far, is a message that is about building the sense of belonging and pulling together a coalition, a majority, that will not only defeat Donald Trump, but do it by a big enough margin that we send ‘Trumpism’ into the history books,” he added.

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New Biden Spot Mocks Buttigieg’s Experience, Buttigieg Claps Back

L-R Pete Buttigieg, Joe Biden
After former Vice President Joe Biden’s dismal 4th place showing in the Iowa caucuses (and I take no joy in writing that), Biden’s campaign is going on the offensive against former Mayor Pete Buttigieg with a direct, negative ad mocking Mayor Pete’s experience as the mayor of a midwestern city. “We’re electing a President,” says the narrator of the spot. “What you’ve done matters.” The ad goes on to contrast Biden’s experience in the Obama administration with Buttigieg’s tenure as mayor: “When President Obama called on him, Joe Biden helped lead the passage of the Affordable Care Act. And when parkgoers called on Pete Buttigieg, he installed decorative lights under bridges, giving citizens of South Bend colorfully illuminated rivers.”

Shortly after the video was posted, the Buttigieg campaign clapped back. From the Buttigieg campaign:

At this moment, the American people are crying out for something completely different from this classic Washington-style of politics.

While Washington politics trivializes what goes on in communities like South Bend, South Bend residents who now have better jobs, rising income, and new life in their city don’t think their lives are a Washington politician’s punchline.

Pete’s on-the-ground experience as mayor, turning around a Midwestern industrial city, is exactly why he is running for president.

The vice president’s decision to run this ad speaks more to where he currently stands in this race than it does about Pete’s perspective as a mayor and veteran.

Biden and his team have said they expect to lose New Hampshire but hope to regain its footing in South Carolina and Nevada later this month. The current RealClearPolitics average of polls in New Hampshire shows Sen. Bernie Sanders averaging 26.4%, Buttigieg at 22.2%, Biden at 12.6% and Sen. Elizabeth Warren at 12.2%.

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Buttigieg On Homophobic Caucus Voter: ‘My Love Is The Same As Her Love For Those She Cares About’

Pete Buttigieg on The View
During today’s episode of The View, Democratic White House hopeful Pete Buttigieg responded to a video clip of an Iowa caucus-goer who tried to rescind her vote for him after learning he’s gay. Hello? Where has she been? Asked what he thought after watching the clip (“I guess she didn’t get the memo”) Buttigieg said, “I’m running to be her president, too.” He added, “I wish she was able to see that my love is the same as her love for those that she cares about.” Watch Mayor Pete’s remarks below.

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News Round-Up: February 5, 2020

(image via Instagram)
Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: It is #BeefDip Bear week in Puerto Vallarta (above) and our favorite PV spot, Mantamar Beach Club, is where the action’s at. • Advocate: Chicago man arrested for robbing Grindr dates armed with a taser. • Epoch Times: Cute deaf dog adopts cute deaf guy #DogsRule

• The Wrap: The ratings for Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday night were not boffo, down 26% from his first two SOTU addresses. • Instinct Magazine: The man behind the March on Washington, who helped organized multiple bus boycotts, and served as a mentor/advisor to Martin Luther King, Jr. has been posthumously pardoned of his anti-gay arrest charge. • ABC News: Iowa caucus update – with 86% of precincts reporting, former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg had 27% of the vote and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders had 25%. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren had 18%, former Vice President Joe Biden had 16% and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar had 12% of the vote.

(graphic via ABC News)

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Partial Iowa Results (It’s All We Got) Show Buttigieg With Slight Lead

Partial results from the Iowa caucuses show former Mayor Pete Buttigieg leading the pack with 26.9% of the vote followed very closely by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) with 25.1%. From CNN:

Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, held a narrow lead in the Iowa caucuses on Tuesday night, according to a partial release of a majority of the results by the state Democratic party a day after an embarrassing organizational breakdown that marred the biggest night of the election year so far. Buttigieg was trailed closely by the Vermont senator Bernie Sanders and the Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren with former vice-president Joe Biden in a distant fourth place, based on a tally of 62% of the precincts reporting. Iowa awards only 41 delegates, who eventually nominate the Democratic presidential candidate at the party’s national convention in July, which represents around just 1% of the national total.

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With No Results From Iowa (Still) Candidates Go For Positive Spin

Pete Buttigieg in Iowa (screen capture)
The day after the rather inauspicious ‘first in the nation’ Iowa caucuses, there’s still no results to point to. The app that was created for precincts to report their results failed to work, and so folks in charge attempted to phone-in results to the Democratic party powers-that-be. And the phone lines jammed. The party says the delay is due to “inconsistencies.” So, everyone is waiting…and waiting. As the candidates move on to New Hampshire, Iowa loses its chance to crown an emerging victor and candidates lose their moment in the sun. Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Mayor Pete Buttigieg, according to several sources, did well but with no official tallies, they kind of got robbed of their moment. If anything, former Vice President Joe Biden (who we hear might not have had such a great night) lucks out with the waters being so muddied. And, folks took umbrage with Buttigieg telling his supporters “We are going on to New Hampshire victorious!” My take is: Iowa is about setting a narrative, and so since Iowa Dems couldn’t get it done, Mayor Pete was setting his own by putting a positive spin on the night. Let’s face it – a year ago, no one expected Pete to be ranked at the top of the competing Dems. So, if he ends up in first, second or third place in terms of Iowa, he’s certainly surprised a lot of people. Here’s his speech to supporters last night.

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Final Iowa Poll Cancelled After Polling Mistake

L-R Sen. Bernie Sanders, Mayor Pete Buttigieg
Bernie Sanders supporters, of course, believe it’s a conspiracy against a Bernie. From USA Today: A highly anticipated release of the Iowa Poll, one of the most respected political surveys in the nation, was canceled Saturday night  ahead of the Iowa caucuses after Pete Buttigieg’s campaign complained that his name had been omitted by a poll interviewer. “The Iowa Poll was founded in 1943,” Carol Hunter, executive editor of the Register, said in an interview Saturday. “It’s built its reputation over many decades for accuracy, and we feel the utmost responsibility to uphold that reputation.” CNN did an internal investigation and found that an operator had enlarged the font on their computer screen, cutting off Buttigieg’s name, which had been at the bottom.  

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Pete Buttigieg Endorsed By Equality California And Silver State Equality

Equality California, the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ civil rights organization, and its Nevada-based affiliate Silver State Equality announced their endorsement of Mayor Pete Buttigieg for President of the United States on Thursday. The decision was reached unanimously by the groups’ joint presidential endorsement committee following a lengthy process that included a detailed questionnaire, thorough evaluation of the candidates’ viability and policy positions, staff engagement and interviews with the candidates.

“From his comprehensive plan to end the HIV epidemic by 2030 to his commitment to make our schools safe and supportive for LGBTQ students to his specific funding and policy priorities to protect and empower the transgender community — especially transgender women of color, who face an epidemic of violence and persecution — Mayor Pete Buttigieg has the boldest, most comprehensive agenda to achieve full, lived equality for all LGBTQ people of any presidential candidate in the nation’s history. “While we did not endorse Mayor Pete simply because he’s gay, the historic nature of his candidacy has already had a transformational impact on the LGBTQ community. Electing the first openly LGBTQ president will send a message to millions of LGBTQ youth across the country that no dreams are too big and no leadership position is too high.

For the first time, California’s primary will be held on Super Tuesday in March, and California voters will begin casting mail-in ballots on Monday, February 3, the same day as the Iowa Caucus. The 2020 Nevada Caucus will be held on Saturday, February 22. (via press release)

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Guest Post: Belonging With Buttigieg

Pete Buttigieg on the campaign trail (all photos – PeteForAmerica)
Guest post by Joshua Grotheer At a time when it’s “us” vs. “them” or left vs. right or red vs blue, I’m tired. I’m tired of the fighting. I’m tired of the hate. I’m tired of the divisiveness of politics. I’m tired of losing friendships over who someone voted for or supports. I’m tired of hurtful conversations while sitting in the church pew or around the family table. As the gay son of a United Methodist preacher and raised with Fox News on the television, I’ve always felt that I didn’t belong. I didn’t belong in my church, in my own home or in my Southern conservative community. Thankfully I attended a performing arts high school that celebrated those of us who were different. In college, I knew that my social and political beliefs were different from my family. I also knew it was okay to be different. Now, at 32 and a self-proclaimed “recovering United Methodist” I am drawn to a candidate for president who has built his entire campaign around inclusion and belonging. You see, Pete Buttigieg knows what it’s like to be different. An out gay man who is also deeply religious isn’t something I ever thought possible, much less presidential. He sees the differences in humanity and is celebrating our differences by uniting us with shared values. If the last three years have taught me anything, it’s that I’m ready for a breath of fresh air in Washington.
Pete and Chasten Buttigieg
I’m ready for something different. I’m ready for an outsider who understands the marginalized. I’m ready for a president that leads with values. I’m ready for a president that acknowledges that God does not belong to a political party. I’m ready for decency to return to the White House and to the Office of the President. I’m ready for someone better. I’m ready to vote for a 38-year old Naval Intelligence officer who is a devout Episcopalian from the Midwest who makes me feel hopeful. I’m ready to vote for someone who is uniquely positioned to bridge the divides tearing this country apart. I’m ready to vote for Pete Buttigieg for President.

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Follow Joshua Grotheer on Twitter @joshuagrotheer

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Pete Buttigieg Calls ‘Bullshit’ On NY Times Journalist

Pete Buttigieg (screen capture via NY Times)
In advance of announcing its endorsement for the Democratic primary this coming Sunday, the editorial board of the New York Times sat down with White House hopefuls Sens. Bernie Sanders, Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar, former Vice President Joe Biden, former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, former Mayor Pete Buttigieg, and business executives Tom Steyer and Andrew Yang. In this clip from the roughly 80 minute interview with Buttigieg, he’s asked why he doesn’t seem as emotive or angry as other young people. The question comes from Binyamin Appelbaum, a leading writer for the board on the subject of economics. In framing his question, Appelbaum asserts that Buttigieg has been “on the front lines of corporate price fixing,” prompting Mayor Pete to call ‘bullshit.’

You can read the full transcript of Buttigieg’s 80-minute interview here. But below is the excerpted transcript with the Times’ annotations in italics.

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Binyamin Appelbaum: If I can put this question in a slightly different way, you’ve been on the front lines of corporate downsizing. You’ve been on the front lines of corporate price fixing. Buttigieg: Whoa, whoa whoa, that’s, that’s, I’m sorry, that’s —— Appelbaum: You’ve been on the front of our misadventures in foreign policy. You’ve had direct experience in many of the things that make a lot of young people very angry about the way that this country is operating right now. You don’t seem to embody that anger. In 2003, Mr. Buttigieg — then a junior at Harvard — spoke at an antiwar rally in Cambridge, Mass., protesting the invasion of Iraq. More than a decade later, in 2014, he served seven months in Afghanistan as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy Reserves. Buttigieg: So the proposition that I’ve been on front lines of corporate price fixing is bullshit. Just to get that out of the way. Appelbaum: You worked for a company that was fixing bread prices. Buttigieg: No, I worked for a consulting company that had a client that may have been involved in fixing or was apparently in a scandal. I was not aware of the Canadian bread pricing scandal until last night. Mr. Buttigieg’s campaign has maintained that he only recently heard of the bread price-fixing scheme and while he was working with Loblaws focused on price cuts more broadly across the grocery store chain.

BA: Do you feel the anger that many young people feel about the state of ——

Yeah, of course, because it destroyed my city. I grew up surrounded by crumbling factories and empty houses.  My city lost 30,000 of its 130,000 people, largely before I was born.

South Bend had an unemployment rate of 13 percent in 2010. Under Mayor Buttigieg, it fell to 3.2 percent, though it rose back to 4.3 percent in 2018.

So I’m under no illusions about the problems that are present in American capitalism generally and were unleashed beginning with the Reagan era specifically. And while I may not be as emotive sometimes about my sense of anger or frustration or injustice — and I would argue that some people are given more room to be emotive than others — I would not be doing any of this if I were not propelled by a level of passion.

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The editorial board’s pick to be the nominee will be revealed on the January 19 episode of “The Weekly,” The Times’s television show on FX and Hulu.