Democratic Primaries
In reply to the discussion: Pete, what were you thinking? [View all]IndianaDave
(612 posts)First, for eight years, Pete has been the mayor of a city with a large African-American and Latino/Latina population (over 40 percent, I believe) who re-elected him by over 80 percent. The population has a median income of about $20,000. His policies have consistently been oriented toward helping those people. To call him a racist is a complete mischaracterization of him, personally, and the policies he has promoted.
Second, in regard to his troubling comments in the Washington Post article, my best theory is that -- in those very early days of the presidential campaign -- he was probably amazed that he -- the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and often referred to as "fly over territory" by folks from large, coastal cities -- that he was actually being interviewed by people from the Washington Post. They probably asked him some questions he hadn't prepared for, like "Why do you think Trump was elected?" And he just pulled a couple undeveloped ideas out of his sleeve, and here we are today, baffled by his comments.
Third, although he may have used poorly-considered language, it sounds to me like he was reflecting on his own city's situation, and expressed it badly -- but can we agree that there is economic inequality in our country for women, for people of color, and so forth? Can we agree that many of our citizens experience voter suppression; that the electoral college has made a mockery of one person - one vote, and majority rule, and that Gerrymandering negatively affects our democracy? Can we agree that there is too much corporate influence in our political system, and money plays far too great a role?
And I don't accept that Pete was "bashing" Hillary. Like practically everyone I respect, Pete voted for her -- as I did. What I'm convinced Pete was trying to say is a version of what President Obama often said, that we need to work toward a more perfect union. That our country is wonderful, but is also flawed and in need of reform. In that brief moment, Pete latched on to a phrase Hillary used, "America is already great." And, if you ask him today if he regrets the 35 or so words that make up that awful paragraph, I would bet that he does.
I refuse to write off Pete Buttigieg for a couple poorly worded remarks, just as I refuse to write off Joe Biden for some bad decisions at the Anita Hill hearings, or Kamala Harris for some criticism of her prosecutorial positions, or Kirsten Gillibrand for her stance on Al Franken, etc., etc. I respect all of these candidates, and you who support them.
We don't have any perfect candidates, but we have a hell of a lot of good to great ones, and I still firmly believe that Pete Buttigieg is one of them. He continues to have my confidence and my vote. Please continue to listen to him and learn about him. He's really a good guy, even though he has made a couple mistakes.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden