Mayor Pete's Strategy for Beating Trump: Target Vice President Mike Pence

[babylonsister]

Mayor Pete’s Strategy for Beating Trump: Target Vice President Mike Pence
The intensity of Pete Buttigieg’s critiques of the vice president speaks to a long history, both political and personal—and the young mayor’s deep disdain for hypocrisy.
Scott Bixby
03.31.19 9:31 PM ET


Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s message for fellow Democratic hopefuls is a straightforward one: It’s not enough to just attack the president—no matter how loathsome you might find his words, actions and policies.

The vice president, on the other hand? It’s a little more complicated.

“It just felt like every few months, there would be some fresh embarrassment,” Buttigieg told The Daily Beast, in a conversation about his time as mayor of South Bend, Indiana, under then-governor Mike Pence. “We had to deal with this kind of rotation of blunders that really made our entire state look silly.”

Other Democratic candidates have occasionally criticized Pence on the campaign trail: Sen. Kamala Harris called Pence’s past remarks about his refusal to dine alone with women without his wife present “outrageous,” and former Vice President Joe Biden was forced to backtrack after calling Pence “a decent guy” during a speech in Iowa.

But the frequency and intensity of Buttigieg’s critiques of the vice president speaks to a long shared history, both political and personal—as well as the young mayor’s deep personal disdain for perceived hypocrisy. Pence’s outspoken religiosity, the mayor said, is in direct and irreconcilable conflict with his position in the Trump administration, and with Buttigieg’s belief in the importance of “good faith.”

“That’s one of the biggest things that scripture councils us to avoid,” Buttigieg, a churchgoing Episcopalian, told The Daily Beast. “It is galling… it’s just a real affront to see that happen.”


more...

https://www.thedailybeast.com/pete-buttigieg-mayor-petes-strategy-for-beating-trump-is-to-target-fellow-hoosier-and-vice-president-mike-pence?source=articles&via=rss

[50 Shades Of Blue]

1. K & R

[elleng]

2. Maybe, maybe not,

more 'not' imo, as ATTACK doesn't appear to be Pete's way of doing business.

[babylonsister]

3. Yes, wrong word, but no love lost at all.

Pete doesn't like him obviously; neither do I.

[elleng]

4. Obviously!

[customerserviceguy]

7. The OP

only used the word 'attack' once, as an example of what not to do.

Target is more nuanced, and Pence is worthy of zeroing in on.

[elleng]

9. Policy is worthy of zeroing in on,

that and positive accomplishments, all of which are Pete's things, imo.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

5. Out of that article, I like this quote:

"We do have to confront what is wrong about this presidency… but it’s not enough to just talk about what you’re against,” Buttigieg said. “We don’t need to dwell on it that long, because I think most people have made up their minds about that already. What you need to do is show how you’re going to do something better.”

[elleng]

10. Yes

[USALiberal]

14. That is so true, people want action for the future. Nt

[Qutzupalotl]

6. That would undermine the Republican excuses for supporting Trump.

Well, not the judges part, but the getting-Pence-near-the-White-House part.

Republicans are willing to overlook Trump’s flagrant disregard of what they claimed were their own values in order to have a theocrat ready to take over. To question that theocrat is to erode Republicans’ core strength, the enthusiasm of “values voters.”

Attacking your opponent’s apparent strengths rather than their weaknesses is a strategy Rove used against John Kerry. We might as well use it too.

[karynnj]

12. Except Mayor Pete is calling into question the FAKE piety of Pence, Kerry really was a war hero

who had the integrity and character to risk never having the political career he dreamed of to speak truth to power. The Rove and SBVT attack was a dirty trick to have a group of vets, many who never met Kerry, lie about his service - rather than just question his protests.

Nothing Mayor Pete has said of Pence distorts or lies about his actions. The only thing in common is that what is being questioned was an important element of defining each man's character. In Kerry's case, the comments of who he was under fire as a 25 year old spoke to his real leadership, compassion and character. There had been a powerful Iowa primary ad with some of them and his family speaking about him that could have been used more than it was.

[Qutzupalotl]

13. Yes, I wansn't suggesting we distort as the swiftboaters did.

And yes, Rove had to lie to smear a hero. Apart from the deceitful nature that Rove can’t help but exhibit, there was a sound strategy of not attacking the opponents obvious flaws, since that just entrenches resistance, but going after the opponent’s perceived strengths. In Kerry’s case it was his stellar career, and of course they had to make up stuff to attack him. For Pence, it’s his obvious hypocrisy and smarmy sanctimony. It’s actually just a paper tiger, and we don’t have to make up stuff to point that out. Thanks for helping me clarify.

[nycbos]

8. I am a secular jew from New York city.

Mayor Pete has showed me again and again why Episcopalians are my favorite kind of WASPs

[Honeycombe8]

11. Sounds like he's running for V.P. Hmmmm. He might be a good V.P. nt

[IndianaDave]

15. Nah - Pete's Explicating a Strategy to Win the Presidency

He's not modifying his ultimate goal. But that was a nice try, Honeycombe8! And amusing, too.

[Honeycombe8]

16. Nope. Mark my words. You'll see.

He has almost no chance of winning the nomination. So he's running to get a national profile, and get picked for the V.P. slot, if he's lucky.

He's all but said that himself. That's he's a long shot...and wouldn't it be great strategy to go after Pence. It's all there...in writing...on wall.

[IndianaDave]

17. We will ALL see what happens this election cycle. I'm not quite so cynical about Pete's intention.

A good friend of mine in Indiana Democratic politics knows Pete, and says Pete is in it for the long haul. So I'm not inclined to accept speculation about his intentions.