Pete Buttigieg seems to have irked a lot of his Democratic opponents since the day he entered the 2020 Presidential race, but the dam has broken in terms of to what degree they’re willing to keep that mostly to themselves.
The surprisingly long phase of the race in which Buttigieg defined himself through criticism of both Sanders and Warren, with little to no pushback from either, is clearly over https://t.co/WZ7pD8MpcC
— Alex Burns (@alexburnsNYT) December 6, 2019
Both Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders have called Buttigieg out this week for some questionable policies and practices. Warren criticized Buttigieg’s private, media-free fundraising events, telling reporters, “I think that Mayor Pete should open up the doors so that anyone can come in and report on what’s being said. Those doors shouldn’t be closed, and no one should be left to wonder what kind of promises are being made to the people that then pony up big bucks to be in the room.”
Similarly, a coalition of immigrants rights groups has called on Buttigieg to return donations connected to McKinsey & Co, a company that has reportedly played a major role in aiding ICE to carry out the Trump administration’s inhumane immigration policies (and where Buttigieg worked more than a decade ago).
As for Sanders, he challenged Buttigieg on tuition-free college. Buttigieg has attacked the idea of universal college, saying that not everyone wants to go to college (that’s fine, no one is forcing anyone) and that we shouldn’t have to pay for the children of millionaires.
Not only is it off-putting to hear Buttigieg try to defend things like trade schools given the fact that so much of his own appeal is based in his academic accolades, but his arguments are common Republican talking points.
This is a GOP talking point used to dismantle public systems, & it’s sad to see a Dem candidate adopt it.
Let’s talk about why Republicans are wrong on this.
Just like rich kids can attend public school, they should be able to attend tuition-free public college.
Here’s why. https://t.co/pWprP0qrhG
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 29, 2019
That’s not the only GOP talking point Pete has been throwing out. At a recent event in New Hampshire, he told the audience that Democrats are “not known for worrying about deficits.” That is, as MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell noted on his show Thursday night, just not true.
“Both of those lines are lies,” he said. “They are Republican lies that, for some reason, Pete Buttigieg decided to tell today.”
Lawrence went on to say that “Pete Buttigieg literally doesn’t know what he’s talking about when he talks about Democrats and the deficit. Or he’s deliberately lying. And I’m sorry, but those are the only choices.”
Thank you @Lawrence for calling out @PeteButtigieg for continuing to use this REPUBLICAN LIE about the deficit. It’s about time that the media vetted Pete. He is a Republican in Democrat’s clothing.pic.twitter.com/Z6FIrNnOIi
— Ryan Knight 🏳️🌈🗽 (@ProudResister) December 6, 2019
Buttigieg has built his campaign so far on attacking more progressive Democrats in the field as being unrealistic and it’s nice to see them push back.
As the first openly gay major Democratic candidate as well as the first millennial candidate to run in a Presidential primary, Buttigieg initially positioned himself as an exciting force for change. But then he uses GOP lies to bash his opponents while defending his lack of interest in Medicare for All or universal free public college and it’s hard to see what sort of change that could possibly be.
It’s especially frustrating as we have to watch bolder, more experienced candidates either drop out of the race or struggle in the polls. Meanwhile, Mayor Pete is still going strong.
I know the photos are two years old, but still, I can’t help but wonder if Mayor Pete just looks at what LGBTQ activists have been working on for years and then chooses to spite it (e.g. Salvation Army, Chick-fil-A, queer media in general, etc.). https://t.co/zSYzlRLrOX
— Zack Ford (@ZackFord) December 4, 2019
Still no matter what you think of Pete Buttigieg, I think we can all agree on one thing: Never be this guy. This guy is the absolute worst:
This is what Black folks who support Pete experience all the time on Twitter. White men, grabbing the mic, insulting us, calling us “uppity” “purchased” and “tokens” all in support of certain white male candidates. Careful YOUR racism is showing. https://t.co/XfqrLQQp2m
— Nina Smith (@ninasophia81) December 5, 2019
(image: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
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Published: Dec 6, 2019 02:35 pm