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America Is Getting Serious About Pete Buttigieg
A New York Times/Siena College poll released on Friday is "full of alarming signs" for Joe Biden.
The survey - which grabbed headlines primarily because it suggested Biden's candidacy may be in serious jeopardy despite national polls which show the former vice president still leading the pack - finds Joe in fourth place in Iowa, with just three months to the caucuses.
"His comparatively weak position in the earliest primary and caucus states now presents a serious threat to his candidacy", the
I think Pete’s candidacy is a ruse to sink Medicare for all. If he was serious he wouldn’t be fundraising in the Hamptons while ignoring constituencies he needs to win. Pete doesn’t even have the LGBTQ vote. 4-way contest, I don’t think so.
I think the vast majority who have a problem with the idea of a gay president were going to vote for Trump anyway.
Pete will face two big hurdles, not just one: he is also the son of the English language authority on Antonio Gramsci, and anyone who thinks that doesn’t matter should think again. If Trump is the nominee there is no bend too low to stoop, and it does matter anyway: Gramsci’s thinking is sadly misapplied by the “woke” generation, as Obama has recently emphasised without naming the Italian. PB will presumably have thought this through beyond saying “that was my dad, not me”, though the media seems not to want to ask the questions.
Yet in terms of policy, the kind of Marxism that’s involved is more sophisticated than the epigone seem to believe. The reason PB is “centrist” seems not so much in terms of promises but in terms of attitude: he is a manager more than a promiser, and will make his policy on what can be managed through the political process. That’s redolent of Clinton more than Obama, or for that matter LBJ, or Joe Slovo! It doesn’t speak well of the political situation that wanting to achieve things rather than promise them is considered “centrist”. His platform is fuzzy for the most part, so far as it’s easy to see from New Zealand; that’s not bad.
Achieve what? Mayor Pete is Obama Part II. Very bright men breaking down barriers who seem to believe being the smartest guy in the room is enough to convince Republicans in Congress to work with him and make grand compromises on the issues of our time. To be less subtle, they bring knives to a damn gunfight. Republicans are going to fight tooth and nail to hold onto their slowly waning brand of racial politics. Warren seems to grasp that–she certainly gets it from the Wall Street perspective (holding onto their money). Mayor Pete, more than any of the other contenders, seems to have no clue.
I am very disappointed that Klobuchar is essentially out of the running.
The last debate did not bring me any closer to Warren in fact her opponents made me very cautious of her.
Granted I am no democrat and being an independent that is angry and disgusted with republicans beyond recovery does not really qualify me to judge the democratic candidates.
All i ask is that they field a winner!
I am starting to get worried about that.
Buttegieg? He may be a great guy. He just seems like the guy that wins the business meeting but is not selected to manage the account.
Look back to the last election when no one thought Trump had a chance. Klobuchar has already qualified for both the Nov. and Dec. debates. Go Amy!
If you go back and look where Trump was polling in the Republican primary in November 2015 versus where Klobuchar is polling right now, you’re not gonna like that comp. anymore.
Pete might not be the most radical candidate in the 2020 field, but he would be the most progressive president the US has had in decades if elected – not to mention the smartest. A Rhodes scholar who speaks seven languages. And just having someone in the White House who understood the issues and could appoint competent cabinet members would be refreshing.