The other Democratic candidates hate Mayor Pete!

They're jealous of him.

Was Obama disliked like this?

"Beto's just pretending to hate him in order to mask their love affair. What do you think 'weather vane' was a reference to? Well?"

--The DL

According to the article R2, he was, at least initially.

Obama was a US senator r2. Pete is a mayor of bumfuck nowhere.

I neither love nor hate MP, but I never, ever picture him with his pants off, the way I do Beto whenever I see a pic.

Obviously Beto thinks he's better than him and is shocked to learn everyone else disagrees.

R6 your loss

Angry, bullying dyke can't stand friendly gay man.

What a surprise!

“He got 9,000 votes in a college town that last voted for a Republican in 1964,” Mr. Bullock said.

He's not waiting in line, he's not a haughty taughty U.S senator, he didn't make a big splash in 2018 like Beto and yet he's a better candidate than any of them.

[quote] During the 2008 Republican primary, Mitt Romney was so disliked by his rivals that only Ron Paul would speak with him backstage before debates. Barack Obama wasn’t popular among his rivals at the beginning of his 2008 race.

That's all the article had to say about Obama. Sounds like Buttegieg is slightly less popular.

I like his public option position, but I'm not sure what else he stands for, other than unity.

He doesn't need to make a "big splash". He's gay. He let that do it for him.

Now more than ever: Jealous, bitches?

Oh, I think so.

It's my turn! How dare you oppose me! I'm the God!

r13 He does have policy positions, Medicare for all who want it for example, granted he's not stupid enough like Warren to have specific numbers guaranteeing a general election defeat.

Bernie and Peter have cults. They don't need their rivals to like them.

Cannot read the full article, but I'm not surprised about the attention he is getting now. They may get snarky. They should be careful though. He has a bit of the Obama swag, so bitchiness may not work on him. Besides - the mayor is not afraid to throw some pretty clever shade himself.

Nobody throws shade like a gay man!

R17, yes, I'm aware that his health care position is a public option. I'm just not sure about any of his other positions on anything.

He's basically Biden but young, maybe. Makes sense all the centrist and business interest money is flowing to him.

OP The Sense of entitlement of the other candidates is staggering. They are all part of the game the same click right across politics and it makes such a difference to bring in a breath of fresh air. Take Obama for instance.

I’m sure there’s also an underlying dislike of him as a gay man. If he’s pissing them off he’s clearly doing something right.

Swag? Mayo Pete on White Bread? Please. All you have to do is have him face an angry black woman and he'll wilt like a hothouse flower.

OP The Sense of entitlement of the other candidates is staggering. They are all part of the game the same click right across politics and it makes such a difference to bring in a breath of fresh air. Take Obama for instance.

I’m sure there’s also an underlying dislike of him as a gay man. If he’s pissing them off he’s clearly doing something right.

He's a Restoration candidate. Nothing revolutionary. I'm fine with that.

As long as he doesn't raise taxes on capital gains and income up to $1 million. Also, no financial transaction tax please.

[quote] Klobuchar also can't stand him, seemingly.

Who cares what the salad comb eating bitch thinks? I can't stand HER.

R24, other than Biden, none of them have a sense of entitlement to the nomination itself. They do, however, feel entitled not to have to run with someone as inexperienced as Pete, which isn't great, but I'd probably feel the same way I'd worked decades longer, putting in my dues for the party.

They also probably resent all the cool kids (media, Hollywood) being so into him.

[quote]They do, however, feel entitled not to have to run with someone as inexperienced as Pete, which isn't great, but I'd probably feel the same way I'd worked decades longer, putting in my dues for the party.

Exactly. Their feelings toward him are completely predictable and understandable. It's human nature.

Come sit by me Joe.

What are presently his top two legislative priorities?

Is the conventional wisdom that an adminstration usually only has a reasonable chance of pushing one big piece of legislation per session of Congress, or per four-year term?

One sees the same annoyance with Pete here on DL.

Eldergays comfortable with fellow old Biden like with an old shoe are forced to revaluate, confronted with a smarter younger man.

Women comfortable with a political arsenal of successful campaigns like #metoo that have been building recently against a pussygrabber are required to rethink faced with a gay man.

Progressives of the Bernie school see victory being snatched away by a centrist who appeals to many progressives but also has down home creds unlike political supermachine Hillary.

Tough shit. It's obvious why it's tough shit.

Things that stand out that I like:

- More nuclear power

- Boost the defense budget

- No Medicare for All

Things I don't like:

- Studying reparations (same as everyone except maybe Bloomberg)

Decriminalizing illegal border crossing

R31, so who's for him?

FF OP for not posting the article in the thread

I was listening to Pete being interviewed on NPR the other day. He comes across as kind of smug and very intellectual and cerebral, like the Ivy League/Oxford scholar he is. Obama was Ivy League too but he could talk the language of the working class when he chose to, as can Biden. I just can’t see Pete connecting to Black or white non-college working class voters, unfortunately.

Which is reflected in his poll numbers.

Are there any better tools like this?

Pete's strength is that he's the most normal and relatable in a field of political superstars.

On Chasten's playlist

I will post the article in the thread. Everyone please F&F OP for failing to do so.

WAVERLY, Iowa — Joseph R. Biden Jr. was mingling with a handful of mayors backstage at a conference in Washington when an uninvited guest appeared.

It was Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind., who’d launched an exploratory committee for his presidential run the day before, stopping by to say hello. Mr. Biden turned to greet Mr. Buttigieg, a man less than half his age.

“Hello, Mr. President,” Mr. Biden said, in a voice dripping with condescension.

In the still-crowded Democratic presidential field, one man has triggered an outpouring of resentment and angst.

It’s not Donald Trump.

As Mr. Buttigieg, the millennial mayor of a town smaller than a New York City Council district, rises in the polls, he has struck a nerve with his Democratic rivals.

Many of their campaigns have griped privately about the attention and cash directed toward Mr. Buttigieg. They say he is too inexperienced to be electable and that his accomplishments don’t merit the outsize appeal he has with elite donors and voters. His public punditry about the race has prompted eye rolls from older rivals who view him as a know-it-all.

And in a field where most candidates find themselves strapped for cash, they snipe at his ability to raise more than anyone else in the primary field except for Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

More than a dozen participants in the Democratic campaign — including rival candidates and campaign aides — spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss their views about Mr. Buttigieg candidly. They conveyed an annoyance at the McKinsey consultant certitude with which Mr. Buttigieg analyzes and makes pronouncements about the primary.

Recently, though, some of the aggravation has spilled out into the public.

Last weekend, on the Showtime program “The Circus,” Mr. Buttigieg declared that the presidential contest is “getting to be a two-way” race between him and Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.

The remark, which Mr. Buttigieg later kinda-sorta apologized for, unleashed a flood of pent-up vitriol from his opponents.

“Who’s it two ways?” Mr. Biden said. Told Mr. Buttigieg said it would be himself and Ms. Warren, Mr. Biden smirked as he ducked into a waiting SUV and said, “Well, good, I hope they do well.”

Senator Kamala Harris of California, whose fall in public polling has come at the expense of Mr. Buttigieg’s rise, called the comment “naïve” Sunday during an interview on CBS.

It’s an annoyance that has been building slowly since the summer. Asked in June about Mr. Buttigieg’s qualifications to be president relative to the female candidates in the race, Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota was unsparing in her assessment.

“Could we be running with less experience than we had? I don’t think so,” she said. “I don’t think people would take us seriously.”

Campaign aides acknowledge privately that Mr. Buttigieg triggers some of his rivals. But they dismiss the criticism as little more than sour grapes. Over last weekend in Iowa, he drew crowds of several hundred people in towns that numbered just a few thousand.

“This is not a contest for who is the most established, it’s a contest for who is the most convincing,” Mr. Buttigieg said during an interview aboard his campaign bus in Waverly. “The better we do, I imagine the more we’ll feel some heat, but that just means we’re doing well.”

Mr. Buttigieg emerged from near-political obscurity to become a leader in the race, surpassing a flotilla of far more experienced governors and senators in the process. He now holds a commanding position in Iowa, one of the biggest bank accounts in the primary race and a string of field offices in the early voting states that is among the most of any candidate in the field.

Even if Mr. Buttigieg fails to capture the nomination, he’s already won himself a coveted place in the political universe — as even those supporting other candidates acknowledge.

“I hope he doesn’t enter the realm of dreamland and thinks he actually can get the nomination,” said Mitchell Draizin, a donor backing Mr. Biden, who has met with Mr. Buttigieg several times. “He could end up being the big winner out of this whole thing even though he won’t be president.”

That’s part of what infuriates his rivals, who acknowledge Mr. Buttigieg’s political talent but also see him as benefiting from certain advantages.

Over the summer, a simple mention of Mr. Buttigieg’s name during a conversation in the Senate chamber between Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey and Ms. Klobuchar was enough to make Ms. Klobuchar extremely agitated, according to witnesses.

Ms. Klobuchar, during an interview last weekend in Iowa, declined to answer when asked if Mr. Buttigieg is qualified to be president. Instead she pointed to his electoral record, which she said shows no signs he could beat President Trump in a general election.

“I think it’s important to look at someone’s track record to see what’s happened when they’ve run statewide,” she said. “There’s got to be some value put on someone that has been able consistently to show that they can bring people with them. Not in one fluke race, but every single time.”

In his only run for statewide office, a 2010 bid for Indiana state treasurer, Mr. Buttigieg lost.

It’s not unheard-of for one candidate in a large presidential field to become unpopular with the others. In 2004, established Democrats made no secret about their dislike for Howard Dean, the relatively unknown governor of Vermont who said he represented “the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party.” During the 2008 Republican primary, Mitt Romney was so disliked by his rivals that only Ron Paul would speak with him backstage before debates. Barack Obama wasn’t popular among his rivals at the beginning of his 2008 race.

“It is a natural thing when a young candidate comes along and has success for other candidates who feel like they’ve toiled in the vineyards to resent it,” said David Axelrod, the chief strategist for Mr. Obama in 2008. “I think they’d like him better if he weren’t doing as well.”

While Mr. Buttigieg rose from a total unknown to a fund-raising colossus, frustration about his strength in the race grew. His campaign’s say-yes-to-everything media strategy won him attention others craved, which led to him posting field-leading fund-raising totals while senators and governors found themselves begging for $1 contributions just to qualify for the party’s debates.

Former Representative Beto O’Rourke of Texas, another younger candidate with limited government experience, was particularly aggrieved by Mr. Buttigieg, whom he viewed as “a human weather vane” that represented the worst of politics, according to an O’Rourke aide. Mr. O’Rourke, who raised about a third as much money as Mr. Buttigieg, dropped out of the race last Friday.

Julián Castro, the former housing secretary, has taken the most direct public aim at Mr. Buttigieg. He said Mr. Buttigieg isn’t trusted by minority voters who comprise a vast portion of the Democratic Party’s coalition and suggested the South Bend mayor is reverse engineering political positions to fit the moment.

“It is very risky to nominate a candidate that can’t attract black and Latino voters,” Mr. Castro said during an interview. “He’s going by the old playbook of following the focus groups, going by what political consultants tell you. If we’ve learned anything from Donald Trump, unfortunately in a bad way, it’s that focus grouping and poll testing ain’t the way that you’re going to win.”

As he’s increased his national profile, Mr. Buttigieg has taken care to cultivate important Democratic donors, party officials and strategists, an effort helped by his failed bid for the chairmanship of the Democratic National Committee in 2017. Many former Obama staffers, including Mr. Axelrod, have heaped praise on Mr. Buttigieg. Some donors and strategists who are backing Mr. Biden say they’re keeping a close eye on Mr. Buttigieg, as well.

In recent weeks Mr. Buttigieg has grown more aggressive in his attacks on his rivals, further angering them. Around Labor Day, he began defining himself as the centrist alternative to Ms. Warren and Mr. Sanders. Then during the October debate in Ohio, he attacked Ms. Warren on health care, Mr. O’Rourke on gun control and Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii on foreign policy.

His supporters said it was about time Mr. Buttigieg adopted a more aggressive posture.

“It’s probably helped him a tiny bit to stand his ground against the others,” said Ed Menuey, 65, a retired John Deere computer programmer from Waterloo, who came to see Mr. Buttigieg in Waverly. “If you’re going to be president you’re going to have to stand up and say what you really think.”

At the Iowa Democratic Party’s Liberty and Justice Celebration last weekend in Des Moines, Mr. Buttigieg drew the coveted first speaking slot, when the 16,000-seat arena was mostly full. He used the opportunity to describe Ms. Warren as a divisive character more interested in fighting than in achieving progressive policy outcomes.

Ms. Warren responded minutes later with a line interpreted as a shot back at Mr. Buttigieg and his campaign operation.

“I’m not running some consultant-driven campaign with some vague ideas that are designed not to offend anyone,” she said.

By the time Gov. Steve Bullock of Montana spoke, last on the program, only Mr. Bullock’s supporters remained. Speaking to reporters afterward, Mr. Bullock suggested Mr. Buttigieg was incapable of building a winning coalition, and dismissed his mayoral triumphs in South Bend.

“He got 9,000 votes in a college town that last voted for a Republican in 1964,” Mr. Bullock said.

On the bus in Waverly, Mr. Buttigieg said his rivals had been unfailingly polite to him in their private interactions, though he acknowledged that his success may have irked those who have seen years of presidential campaign planning tossed aside by his rise.

“I’m not going to comment,” he said, “on the emotions of my competitors.”

[quote]Obama was Ivy League too but he could talk the language of the working class when he chose to

R35, I disagree with this. I think Obama was almost always cool and cerebral. It's one of the things I liked about him. He sounded like a member of the intellectual upper middle class, which is what he was. On the other hand, he sounded fake and ridiculous when he tried to talk like a so-called man of the people because he wasn't one.

I don't think most voters need or want someone just like them. They want someone who will stand up for their interests, which is not the same thing at all.

You're right about Biden, though. He does have the common touch. If he were 20 years younger, he'd be the obvious choice ... but he's not.

Yes I love Obama, but he always came off as an intellectual (which isn't a bad thing to me!). Pete also comes off as the intellectual he is.

Bill Clinton is a much better example of someone who is very intelligent, but good at speaking like a common man.

You can't complain about him getting insane media coverage while you're shunning interviews from anyone but the most elite outlets. That goes for many candidates, not just the one famous for being inaccessible to the press.

His campaign opens the door to just about everyone, including student journalists earlier today.

You're right about Biden, though. He does have the common touch. If he were 20 years younger, he'd be the obvious choice ... but he's not.

___ Biden took the wrong fork in the road during Anita Hill. He did not stand up for her and forever relegated himself to genial second banana at best.

[quote] All you have to do is have him face an angry black woman

I was that little angry black woman.

Well, half-black woman, but y'all know what I means sistahs!

--KH desperately trying to be relevant

I love this comment someone made: "This is a presidential primary, not The Real Housewives of Des Moines." This is such highschool drama and I can't believe it's being reported by the NYT. Pete is right - voters (beyond DL) don't give a shit about any of this.

Buttiplug’s strength in the Midwest is due to his being one of the tribe. With the exception of Chicago with its demographics similar to a large Northeastern city, the Midwest is very clannish and insular. They love this overconfident local boy talking down to the East and West Coasters.

50 replies and not one of you fashion types commented on the black leather jacket he's wearing in the second photo in the article?

Are you kidding, r48? Pete and his cult love pieces like this because it takes focus off his plans to tax and give away free childcare, free tuition and whatever other "free" things he wants to make others pay for. Free, free, free! Oh, he won't be paying for it. You will.

Fuck off back to Breitbart r51.

The black leather jacket is his bad boy look!

The reason Trump did so well in the Midwest is because he blew smoke up their ass, as Buttigieg is doing. They believe they are “the real America” and know better than everybody else.

I like Amy Klobuchar. I like her pinched face. I like her “fuck no, get busy” attitude towards millennial staffers. I like that she expects her workers to get results. She reminds me of the no-nonsense nursing supervisors of my youth who plowed right through the bullshit of “Nyah, Nyah, she’s mean to me & I works so hard” & “No SHE’S the mean one, not me.”

[quote] haughty taughty

Oh dear

r55 Sure demand the work be done but she has no right to throw things at her workers, nobody likes a crazy bitch of a boss.

R18, I'm not a cultist. I'm a pissed off Midwesterner. So let's see. Which candidates sat by in their cushy offices for decades while this part of the country got systematically hollowed out? Which candidate is actually talking about this issue at long last? Which candidate actually has walked the talk on a local level to fix this shit?

Please kick their geriatric asses, Pete.

The danger to Pete will come from the DNC. It is rightwing, GOP life, wedded to the status quo, has a lot of powerful people who do not abide outsiders but anoint their own.

Dean and Pete know this. They destroyed Dean. They will destroy Pete and Warren. They are putting up Bloomberg.

R2, Hillary certainly did

The birther claim that Trump made his political name with started with clinton in 2008.

Bill Clinton commenting on Obama's presidential run, 1-7-2008-

[quote] “Give me a break. This whole thing is the biggest fairy tale I’ve ever seen.”

[quote]I like Amy Klobuchar. I like her pinched face. I like her “fuck no, get busy” attitude towards millennial staffers. I like that she expects her workers to get results. She reminds me of the no-nonsense nursing supervisors of my youth who plowed right through the bullshit of “Nyah, Nyah, she’s mean to me & I works so hard” & “No SHE’S the mean one, not me.”

Nah. You're just a lesbian and an abuser. You respect and admire her because she too is an abuser.

Other than the Clintons, were there other Dem candidates who expressed dislike for Obama?

Pete is going to win. The banks, health insurance companies, and pharmaceutical companies are backing him. That makes him unstoppable.

[quote] Sure demand the work be done but she has no right to throw things at her workers,

She didn’t. She threw a binder up in the air in disgust and it “almost hit a bystander.”

Other candidates might not have expressed publicly their dislike of Obama because of the racial consequences. But they for sure were jealous.

R64, they're backing all centrist candidates including Biden and Kamala.

When she's not throwing office equipment, she's reenacting scenes from "Frozen."

It's no wonder Beto fans are so hateful and petty. They take cue from their horse faced favorite.

R65, in 2016, I had a choice between two candidates with obnoxious personalities. It would be nice if the same did not apply in 2020. I can't stand "tough-as-nails" types unless they can successfully conceal their toughness with a veneer of geniality.

"I will post the article in the thread. Everyone please F&F OP for failing to do so."

I pay for the Times online, why should I hand it over to you for free?

R66, just as none of them will come right out and say, "if Buttigieg were straight, he would have been laughed off the stage by now", but they're all thinking it. Probably especially Booker, who might be rethinking his lifelong strategy at this point.

I will always love Michelle's infamous burn of Hillary.

"IF SHE CANT TAKE CARE OF BUINSESS JN HER OWN HOUSE THAN SHE CANT HANDLE THE WHITE HOUSE".

Or something like that, lol

Obama may not have talked in the language of the working class, but I think he could speak the language of the basketball court, if that makes sense. I don't mean that in a racial sense. Think middle aged, middle class-type guys who exercise by playing pickup games. Obama could fit in with a crowd like that. Pete's a little more stilted and "student council president" than that, which I say as a fan of his.

He's like Tracy Flick. He's been gunning for this his whole life.

Among the centrists, he not only has the banks and drug companies, but Hollywood as well. Excellent combination.

I do think it's legit particularly for someone like Klobuchar, who's won statewide three times in a purplish state and built a substantial record in the Senate, to question someone like Pete who falls far short of both those standards.

I also think it's too bad that Gov. Bullock is not doing better. He seems sharp and likable.

[Quote]"if Buttigieg were straight, he would have been laughed off the stage by now",

It's true though, the novelty factor of him being a gay presidential candidate definitely led to a lot of media attention and made him more interesting to a certain segment of the Dem coalition.

^ I think that's undeniably true, and you know his rivals think that too. Interesting it's not mentioned in the Times story, I suppose they decided it would get them in trouble to say it.

[quote] made him more interesting to a certain segment of the Dem coalition.

In a puppy fashion, sure. Isn't he cute? Our token gay guy. "He'd be a good vice president pick to show our diversity!" No one expected him to bite.

R28 perhaps but not necessarily acceptable.

Is it hate hate or envy hate?

....

Fuck them. Go Pete. You are the superstar this country needs

R76, the issue isn’t whether Klobuchar is qualified on paper, the issue is whether people want to vote for her. In some way, they’re all qualified. But Klobuchar saying, in essence, it’s my turn, doesn’t sound any better coming from her than it does coming from Biden, Bernie or anybody else.

In the end people will vote for whoever they like. And nothing Buttigieg does or says is the reason people don’t like Klobuchar.

One thing about her resentment of Buttigieg that bothers me, is that there are so many stories of her being a bitch to staff and being disliked by them. She has anger management issues. And her campaign trail “my dad was an alcoholic, but I forgive him and I’m fine with it now” doesn’t ring true when you see the barely repressed anger boiling over at random people over her career.

Klobuchar is already known for running roughshod over people. Gaining the authority of the office of President could turn her into a bad tempered monster. And somebody without a Presidential temperament doesn’t “deserve” the presidency no matter what else they’ve done. And that has nothing to do with Buttigieg, and I really don’t think he’s got anything to do with people feeling cautious about her.

Her lack of self realization connected to her temper isn’t good either.

The article is under a paywall. Cant read it.

Mayo Pete is smug and condescending. The Tracy Flick of the 2020 campaign.

He has try-hard apple-polisher written all over him. I’ve always been bothered by his military background and public declarations of Christian faith. He’s a Republican at heart. He is also, as noted in the article yet rarely mentioned by the fawning new media, not ready to be President. He ran a sleepy small town no one ever thinks about. He and his wooden and smug personality are not ready for the world stage, and may never be. Pete would make a good cabinet member or possibly a Senator or Governor. His appeal is outside of billionaires and gay neoliberals is too narrow and regional for the Presidency.

There was an article I read about how he is the "Boomer candidate" and it makes a lot sense. He makes people feel like they are progressive, without actually being progressive. Boomers like to feel with it and now here is this young millennial to shake things up, but in fact is actually maintaining the status quo. Which is what they really want. The appearance of change without actual change.

Maybe most of America just want a moderate. Haters gotta hate.

[quote]I’ve always been bothered by his military background and public declarations of Christian faith.

Yes, let's purge our ranks of anyone who's served in the military or believes in God. That'll work well for us.

I like that he's a Christian because it is sticking it to the Trump Christians who are full of hate.

Yes, people do want a moderate. Not a radical in moderate clothing. After reading an article about his proposal of free childcare, free tuition and other free things, a lot of the commenters appear to be disillusioned with this phony. Of course, we still have a lot of low information voters in this country. Of course, these type of silly, meaningless articles are designed to distract from all in his pie in the sky solutions.

r88 Someone who wants to abolish electoral college, abolish filibuster, supports reparations, wants to pack Supreme Court is a status-quo candidate ? Moron

I believe every word of that NYT article. Pete comes off as a know-it-all who tries way too hard. Not only is the smartest person in the room; he knows it, and he wants to make sure that you know it too.

I find his personality a real turn off and I will not be voting for him.

Besides he's just too damn young.

r87 Ofcourse it's billionaires and gays who are responsible for Pete polling at number 1 in Iowa.

Make that "Not only is he the smartest person in the room" above.

Damn, I hate typos!

Yes, r93, the guy who is the favorite of silicon valley CEOs does represent the status quo. Throwing a few radical ideas to spice up his policy page doesn't change that he is status quo on the big issues that affect Americans. And I've known a lot of people who are losing faith in him based on more of these revelations.

r97 Warren received more in donations from silicon valley tech executives than Pete but go ahead with your delusional assumption, dipshit

Here you go, sweetheart. Now, go crawl back up into Pete's very widened asshole, where you belong.

The ideological progressive/centrist divide among the Democratic candidates probably matters less than we think. People are drawn to Pete as they see him as an authentic, unifying, normal, forward thinking, healing, nice guy. Most voters don't overthink it.

Well, of course. Most Americans are low information voters. Once they see he is not that different from other Dems who are into giving away "free" stuff, many will drop him. There are already many who have said he has lost their vote, once he unveiled his "free stuff" plan. Of course, the gullible and the gays will stick with him no matter what.

I need a free stuff

I don't like him either. The persona he's adopted is cloying, everything he says and does looks like a preplanned valedictorian speech. Also colder and more calculated than his fans want to see.

[quote]He does have policy positions, Medicare for all who want it for example, granted he's not stupid enough like Warren to have specific numbers guaranteeing a general election defeat.

So how is he any different or better than Kamala Harris or Any Klobuchar...who are much more experienced on the national stage as Senators, and who have the exact same policy positions??

[quote] I need a free stuff

There is no free lunch. Well, actually there may be an inter-generational free lunch where boomers continue to eat "free" by running up the charge card and then leaving the debt to the kids when they die.

[quote] The persona he's adopted is cloying, everything he says and does looks like a preplanned valedictorian speech.

things like this make me realize why america voted for trump.

HE'S RUNNING FOR POTUS, not hosting some shitting fucking reality TV show like drumpf did.

Gay people in the public forum are accepted generally until they gain strength. Then the non-gays start resenting and marginalizing them. It happens all the time. They go from being novel to threatening.

same could be said for all minorities

R108...Very true!

R32: The defense budget needs to be CUT, not expanded. What do we do with nuclear waste from the power plants? It has a 1000 year lifespan. We need a national health care system of some sort in this country and reparations should be studied as generational wealth has been denied black and Hispanic people in this country since day one.

I think you're in the wrong party, dear....

R104, demeanor is a valid trait whether you’re shopping for a President, a juror sitting in a trial, or anywhere else.

All Democrats have some policies in common. Nobody votes for anybody based 100% on policy, and they shouldn’t.

If you want to know why temperament is a big deal, try looking in the White House at that thing in there. You might as well say Melania is exactly the same in quality as all other First Ladies, because they all had a vagina.

R110, back here in reality, Russia is attacking the United States and you want to cut the military budget. No Congress with Republicans in it is passing any bill for reparations, and if Democrats vote for it they will lose their seats.

Every candidate on the Democratic ticket has some policy for eventually covering everyone in the U.S. They just have different ways of going about it.

Suggesting that we should destroy our military right in the middle of an organized, ongoing attack by Russia is exactly what a Russian would say.

R111... so Pete is the best candidate because of his "demeanor" and "temperament"? That's the best reason to vote for him??

Yeah...no. I'm looking for strong policies and experience.

R112, Russia isn't attacking us militarily, nor will they. They're attacking us in cyberspace, with targeted disinformation, with targeted attempts to raise discord. None of this is covered by the defense budget which should, in fact, be cut, if only to better counter those other attacks.

Also, a big "Mary" for your drama queen, pearl-clutching pretense that cutting our defense budget would "destroy our military." Get real.

[quote]What do we do with nuclear waste from the power plants?

Arkansas.

R114: Buddha bless and keep you and let no evil befall you. These trolls who are trying to get Dems to adopt right wing policies because "Russia" are something else.

R112: Un-clutch your pearls and shove them up your ass. It will calm you. And by your troll logic, since Congress will ALWAYS have Republicans in it, we should do nothing because they won't vote for anything Democrats want. Or you could just learn English and how to express yourself on an English speaking forum so such mistakes won't happen in future.

R115: I'm not opposed, but seriously, this was a huge issue for Yucca Mountain, NV, years ago. States fight to make sure the waste is not stored in their borders. It's a problem that no one who supports more nuclear seems to even begun to acknowledge.

Klobuchar on CNN making the point that a woman with the level of experience that Buttigieg has would not be on a presidential debate stage

For people who have a problem with Pete's religion, what do you want him to do? I'm an Atheist and I think it's all bullshit, but if I were running for office, I'm not telling the American public that I'm Atheist. Personally, I don't think Pete is some holy roller, but I do believe that he gets some kind of comfort from faith. More power to him.

Klobuchar on CNN making the point that a woman with the level of experience that Buttigieg has would not be on a presidential debate stage

I agree that women are held to a higher standard, but these days it’s impossible to say that. Especially if it’s a Republican.

I live in Nevada and Yucca Mountain is a big deal, in part, because the trucks that would carry the waste would be constantly traveling down a freeway that has houses built just a few feet away. In Las Vegas, zoning was done very haphazardly, and houses were built right up to the freeway border. There’s a fence, a small berm, and then somebody’s house, for miles on end. One truck accident and all those houses would be unlivable. Plus, there’s a concern about radiation exposure for those homeowners that have those trucks going by them every day. Cumulative exposure is a thing. And there’s not any rail yards here, so there is no other way.

People in this area grew up hearing stories about people in Utah, downwind from the Nevada nuclear testing, having deformed or dead babies. That went on for years after the testing stopped. I read somewhere that the large Mormon families often had a child with deformities, and it took years to realize why. So people here don’t want Nevada to become the dumping ground for defective kids and cancer patients. They’ve seen it happen to their neighbors already.

In the Fifties, they didn’t have good alternative technologies, now we have solar. There’s no excuse for not expanding it.

The idea that trying to pass bills that are totally impassable, is “doing something” is idiotic. Remember what Nancy Pelosi said when they asked her how she could be so sure she would be elected Speaker again? “I can count.” Nancy’s not putting anything on the floor that can’t pass. That’s her job. And there are Democrats in purple states that can’t vote for pie in the sky bills and keep their jobs, so they won’t. We need them in their seats more than we need them to give their jobs away to hard right Republicans that will undermine everything Congress tries to do, and put even more Nazi judges on the bench.

In a democracy, some people are conservatives. And there’s nothing you can do about it, so win the battles you can. Beating your head against the wall doesn’t make you look smart. And Nancy Pelosi has been very effective being a realist, so don’t assume “nothing” is being accomplished.

[quote]The idea that trying to pass bills that are totally impassable, is “doing something” is idiotic.

Actually, that's not at all true. All of the bills that Pelosi and the House Democrats have passed have died in the Senate. Was Pelosi being an idiot by passing those bills? Or was she making a point?

In any case, you're conflating two different things: governing and campaigning. Candidates routinely campaign on things that are not likely to pass, at least not in that form. What the candidate is doing is not proposing specific legislation, necessarily, but rather presenting a vision for the future. The discussion about that vision can be an effective tactic in moving the electorate, if not immediately, then over time.

Yes, that time can be years, or even decades, but it all starts with the vision.

Looks like their afraid of real competition!

A very large segment of the population, across all parties, is against reparations. It hasn’t got a snowball’s chance in hell. Why burn your credibility promising something you can never deliver?

It would be far better to offer something people can get behind, like scholarships, loan forgiveness for low income people or first time college grads in the family, job training for older people.

The idea of training and educating low income people and getting them off welfare could get past Republicans with the right selling techniques. Giving free money to poor people will never sell.

He initially was very progressive. He moved to the center when he saw the opening.

R123: Hence the term STUDYING it. The recommendations may very come back with what you've stated. No one is offering free money except Andrew Yang and his uncircumcised Wang. You're tilting at windmills here.

R120 shows why nuclear should not be expanded. It's not the 1980s anymore. Also, cut the bloated defense budget and set up some form of national health insurance or health care.

If Buttigieg is opposed to all these things, then he is not the candidate for me.

Buttigieg is not opposed to universal care. I’ve read his reasoning, and why you can’t understand it is a mystery to me. He thinks telling people that have good private health care that he’s going to take it away could flip the election, and he’s right. Lots of people are terrified to have their choice taken away.

He thinks the answer is to provide a public option, let people see for themselves that their neighbor has it and it’s fine. The people who trust the public option will take it and be the guinea pigs for the more skeptical ones. He thinks in a few years, the skeptical ones will gradually see nothing bad happened to the others and join in. Eventually primary private healthcare will be phased out for most.

Many will continue to have supplemental plans, as Medicare users do now and people in the UK often do now. That makes it affordable to put those that need it most, on a public plan in short order. This way he can tell the public, if you like your plan you can keep it.

Many people got angry with Obama when he said that and they lost their doctors. If they are given an option to keep everything the same, those people don’t have to fear. Healthcare is a really big deal to most people. And moving every person to a public plan immediately is very expensive, would be full of bugs at first, and just gives Republicans fodder. There’s nothing wrong with smoothing out the bugs with a smaller number, then others joining in as they see it works.

How this translates to “mean Pete Buttigieg won’t let ME have a public option health plan” is beyond me.

Pete’s way of letting people choose when they’re ready to transition over, rather than Big Brother forcing them to, is more palatable to the American psyche.

Americans don’t want some authority from on high to tell them they “have to” do something. They’ll do it when they’re damn well ready, and he takes that into account, which I think is smart.

[quote] Personally, I don't think Pete is some holy roller,

he converted to High Anglicanism, the gayest thing that ever gayed

all you KaWeens are counting angels on heads of pins, the truth of the matter is Dems don't vote, GAY dems don't vote. but if they did, any democratic candidate would win

[quote] Yes, let's purge our ranks of anyone who's served in the military or believes in God.

Not remotely what the post you reference was saying, strawman.

Fear and envy. That is all.

Let's be real: you'd be pissed too if some random 37 year old small town mayor suddenly became the "It" candidate without actually doing a whole lot of anything.

Pete's secret sauce with the sort of people I work with and went to school with is that he shows a lot of common sense--his solutions are often the obvious ones and he never appears to be pandering.

If I had ten dollars for every person in the above two categories who told me "he always seems to say exactly what I've been thinking", I could use it to buy you all a very nice dinner.

Question is whether he can move beyond that world.

[quote]he converted to High Anglicanism, the gayest thing that ever gayed

What tha fuck is "High Anglicanism"???

[quote] his solutions are often the obvious ones and he never appears to be pandering.

If you don't think he's pandering, you're not paying attention.

He's a snotty Millennial and that turns off a lot of people.

Gay people vote at the same rate straight people do r129. The reality is hoping that 100% of gay people would vote is as unrealistic as hoping that 100% of straight people would vote.

I like Pete because he is a common sense moderate who is smarter than smart and who doesn't feel the need to make a bunch promises for free stuff that we can neither afford nor get through Congress (even a Democratic Congress).

I haven't heard anyone else say this but me.

If you really think about it, Mayor Pete is the Dan Quayle of the Democrats in 2020.

"The idea of training and educating low income people and getting them off welfare could get past Republicans with the right selling techniques. Giving free money to poor people will never sell."

They'd rather give free money to billionaires and farmers

"all you KaWeens are counting angels on heads of pins, the truth of the matter is Dems don't vote, GAY dems don't vote."

Where is the evidence that gay people are less likely to vote than straight people? The article you posted didn't offer any evidence of that.

You know who else was hated in his day? Jesus. Pete's in this race for us, and I hope that one day we all realize and thank him for his sacrifice before it's too late.

He finished the day by blaming Obama for Trump. This guy really is a cunt

[quote] He finished the day by blaming Obama for Trump.

???

[quote] He's a snotty Millennial and that turns off a lot of people.

Oh goodness stop pinning everything on “millennials.” This is just silly. You sound bored.

Millennials don’t even like Pete since they are by and large progressive & he is not. They’re aiming for Sanders, Biden & Warren.

Liberal homophobia at its finest. Fuck them. They can't stand to see a homo be the most intelligent guy in the room. Pete 2020. Fuck you all. I'm doing this for Harvey Milk.

r143, Biden is progressive?

R145, I got too excited. Scratch that.

My point is while he may be a millennial, millennials aren't necessarily attracted to him.

While I personally don't agree with his policies I am genuinely happy he is there. He's paving the way for a lot of people to come and I do hope we see more of this in the future.

Biden is a progressive, R143? All of Biden 's positions are to the right of Pete's. Please explain in which way Biden is more progressive than Pete. Thanks in advance.

[quote] Millennials don’t even like Pete since they are by and large progressive

All Boomers were hippies who got rich in the 80s and became Yuppies.

All Xers were Slackers who got screwed by multiple recessions and became MAGAts

Twitter is the best guide to how people are going to vote in the election.

I can go on...

What's not to hate about the guy? Nothing, that's what.

[quote]If you really think about it, Mayor Pete is the Dan Quayle of the Democrats in 2020.

meaning he's form indiana? listen, bunky, he's a rhodes scholar, did a tour in Afghanistan in the navy, is multi-lingual and a proficient enough pianist to solo with the south bend symphony, clearly a community boon. you're just an insecure queen who has too much time on her hands.

[quote]All Xers were Slackers who got screwed by multiple recessions and became MAGAts

I know not ONE member of my generation who voted for trump or supports him. you are a fool and a blowhard. go away

He is NOTHING like Harvey Milk. How dare you.

R141 & R142, he got misquoted by a reporter that was interviewing him at a noisy rally. He never mentioned Obama. It’s been retracted and the tape and transcript are available online.

Shitty journos

He's definitely articulate, relaxed and poised. That goes a long way. He needs a new husband and a better sense of humor, though, to appeal to the masses. He does come across as a hot head when cornered. I don't like that.

R154, Chasten is one of his best assets. What's your problem with Chasten?

I guess running this gauntlet is a good if unnecessary thing. What doesn't destroy him will only leave him stronger.

I think Chasten is awesome. What a brilliant supporting role he is playing, like no other spouse. The great thing is its not a put on. Both guys come across as genuine. No number crunching or policy papers can buy that. People are responding to that.

Yang doesn't hate anyone.

Not only is Chasten awesome and an asset, Pete has a great sense of humor, R154. He rarely even defends himself at the countless and baseless attacks he's been facing from jealous candidates who don't have a chance in hell. You know absolutely nothing about him.

Oh yeah, what a barrel of laughs Pete is. Shut up, r159. People are entitled to their own opinions about him and his annoying husband, regardless of what you think.

R138...The idiot never ran for president. Yes, they are both males. Nothing else in common.

I don't like that he came out just 5 years ago. And that he's been a gunner his whole life.

Oy weh. Poor you

[quote] People are entitled to their own opinions about him and his annoying husband, regardless of what you think.

You’re not entitled to opinions without consequences, chump

The moron at R138 can't see the difference between a gay, genius-level Democrat and a straight, retarded-level Republican. I think you may be the Dan Quayle of the DL, R138.

He won one election for mayor of a small Indiana college town.

No previous analogies work with Pete. His meteoric rise from obscurity is unprecedented.

R166, he won two elections. Second one with 80% of the vote after coming out in the local newspaper.

South Bend: city of 101,000, metro area of 318,000.

Vermont has a population of 626,299 as of 2019.

The population of Los Angeles alone is 4 million. So why isn’t Kamala beating the pants off Bernie?

Could it be that where you come from isn’t as important as where you’re going?

Siena College/New York Times polls get an A+ from FiveThirtyEight.

11/8/19 Siena College/NYT polls for Buttigieg among registered Democrats:

Arizona: 5%

Florida: 5%

Michigan: 3%

North Carolina: 1%

Pennsylvania: 4%

Wisconsin: 5%

That said, Quinnipiac University, on 11/6/19, released polling results showing him at a very impressive 19% among registered Democrats, just behind Warren (20%).

However, if he wins in Iowa, but doesn't win elsewhere, please don't claim that the votes were rigged unless there's concrete evidence. His campaign has poured massive resources into Iowa to achieve this result, whereas others are popular in other states without having needed to pour resources into them.

He must win Iowa and/or NH.

fascinating

I just read the poll R171 is referring to. Kamala is doing even worse than Pete in those states.

I read several other recent NYT polls. There was a mention that a significant percent of Democratic voters don’t like Warren or any woman. Some female voters interviewed were saying all women candidates were unlikable, and called Warren a Hillary clone and “cold.”.

They also said a majority of Dem voters wanted a moderate and preferred Biden. The progressives were split between Bernie and Warren.

Kamala isn't even an issue anymore.

[quote] a significant percent of Democratic voters don’t like Warren or any woman.

I'm sick of this fear and pandering to people because they won't vote for someone because of ageism, he's gay, she's a woman, etc.

You're either going to vote for the Democrat or you're going to get Trump!

Kamala is still in it in her own mind.

There’s so much emphasis on the black vote, but the two black candidates are not getting any traction, even among blacks. Sure, people like the idea of a black candidate, but put a specific one in front of them and none of these are doing the job.

R175, there’s far too many people who say it’s my way or the highway. Either we nominate a left handed blue eyed llama rider or they won’t vote. Some of these people are just bluffing. But I think a lot of the anti woman voters may not be. Some people just don’t like women in power, and four years of Trump bashing all women politicians that don’t kiss his ass is not helping.

In other news, Nikki Haley said she thinks it’s “unconstitutional” for the President’s staff to disagree with him or advise him to stop (breaking the law).

I'm tired of the misogyny argument. People use it as a smokescreen. Only speaking for myself, I will gladly vote for a woman. I supported Hillary and did what I could to help in her campaign. I like Amy Klobuchar and would be happy to vote for her, but she hasn't gained any traction.

But just because I don't like crazy, nutty Warren and Kamala "I have no idea why I'm running Harris and I don't think either one of them should be anywhere near the White House does not mean I'm a misogynist.

If either one is the nominee, I will happily vote for them. But neither has a made compelling case as to why I should support them.

Silly article- silly sentiments. The fact is that he is more articulate and less condescending toward constituents than any of them. He is big talent, they know it, and some are jealous.

Totally ridiculous

Pete Buttigieg narrowly tops Biden and Warren in new Iowa poll – live Poll shows Buttigieg attracting support of 22% of the state’s likely caucus-goers, compared to Biden’s 19% and Warren’s 18%

Now the DNC knives will flash.

The media seems to hate him.

Oh, gods, this next debate... Doubt Amy will go for the experience angle again, after she got that spanking from the veterans. I fully expect both Kamala and Booker to hit him on race. "I was that little body camera" etc etc etc...

But you know what, that's what the debates are for. Voters want to see a fighter who can both give and take, while still remaining presidential throughout. I'm just happy that wormy Castro won't be around anymore. Such scummy behavior on Twitter lately, from both him and his staffers. 😒

He is going to be target number one at the debate. I’ll bet even Warren will pile on.

Warren will be the first in line! She's already adopted Beto's "consultant-driven" attack and she recently backed Amy in saying he's privileged because he's a man. She's trying hard to land a hit, although you'd think it would be more about the policy issues with her. But seems like she's not above personal attacks either.

Beto hates him because he took Beto's place. Not sure about the others.

Pete better pray Tulsi roundhouses Warren at the next debate before she go on the offensive against him.

Warren is good at letting others do the bulk of the attacking so she doesn’t seem like a bitch.

Mage was also good At letting Bernie be the punching bag when everyone was going after the progressives, while she stayed above the attacks.

She’s much more strategic than she comes across.

r185 Even saying he "took Beto's place" makes it sound like Beto was predestined for this position until foiled by Pete. That makes me cringe. Pete - and many other candidates still in the race - simply ran a better campaign; that's all there is to it.

[quote]Even saying he "took Beto's place" makes it sound like Beto was predestined for this position until foiled by Pete.

Beto was born for it.

Yes, the vultures will be circling next Wednesday... some with the help of their canes and walkers. Pete, you better be hitting those debate flash cards HARD.

Pretty sure his debate prep team is going to gay bash him several times in the coming week, with the vilest below-the-belt attacks imaginable. He'll be ready for anything. The question - as always - will be if his rebuttals manage to convince the audience and if he is successful in not getting rattled by any of it.

If Warren is going to try the “anyone with a penis has an unfair advantage” argument, she is going to alienate half the population. Most men don’t believe that. Especially not since she’s running for President and doing pretty well. Poor baby.

The majority of the candidates are men, Bernie and Biden are men. Is she going to try that with all of them in turn? Quickest way to turn people off. Especially since Biden called her out on dishing it out but not being able to take it last night.

A few might be offended by that, but she’s not the fucking queen. These guys have a right to fight back.

[quote] If Warren is going to try the “anyone with a penis has an unfair advantage” argument, she is going to alienate half the population. Most men don’t believe that.

What about Pete and his pledge to put in affirmative action quotas for women? I think that makes him a bigger enemy to men.

[quote]If Warren is going to try the “anyone with a penis has an unfair advantage” argument, she is going to alienate half the population.

She's not going to try that. She's a frontrunner and doesn't need to resort to the desperate personal attacks that Kamala and Amy do.

[quote]If Warren is going to try the “anyone with a penis has an unfair advantage” argument, she is going to alienate half the population.

Well, she kinda previewed that at the LGBT town hall when she made fun of homophobes. But I think she'll hold back at the debates.

r193 It really doesn't. Find me a Dem male voter who'll object to the cabinet being at least 50% female. This just isn't an issue on the left anymore. We're behind the times and everyone recognizes that. Misogynists will vote for Trump, anyway.

Biden has to defend himself at the town hall last night for hitting back when she slammed him. He said he was defending himself, not attacking her.

[quote] Find me a Dem male voter who'll object to the cabinet being at least 50% female. This just isn't an issue on the left anymore.

I would be surprised if moderate and independent men think it would be fair to give powerful positions to women based on quotas and not merit.

r197 The two can go hand in hand - you can fill that quota with supremely qualified women. Shouldn't be that hard to find enough of them in a country of 330 million.

Nice try, r198. We all know what quotas are and at best they cheat equally qualified people out of a position and at worst, they are a cynical ploy to capture votes.

Erm, what now? The global human population is roughly 50/50 male/female, and both are required to continue the species. If you have an issue with this most basic biological fact being reflected in the composition of the president's cabinet, I think that tells me all I need to know about you.

And I'm just talking about the male/female quotas here, not other kinds, which are certainly not universal across the planet and the human history.

[quote] If you have an issue with this most basic biological fact being reflected in the composition of the president's cabinet, I think that tells me all I need to know about you.

What is that? That I'm a thinking, rational human being who believes jobs should be attained based on merit, not a slot to fill. And it's an insult to women that Pete thinks they can't attain power without a man handing it to them.

[quote] you can fill that quota with supremely qualified women.

If they you can fill it with "supremely qualified women" then you wouldn't need a quota.

Oh, and he never stated they would be "biological women", which means that Pete can include transwomen in his cabinet and still live up to his stupid pledge.

I like most of his key positions, but I don’t think your average non-college educated white male is going to vote for him

[quote]Pete can include transwomen in his cabinet and still live up to his stupid pledge.

Beto promised that transwomen of color would be directing policies in his administration. Can Pete pledge the same?

[quote] I'm sick of this fear and pandering to people because they won't vote for someone because of ageism, he's gay, she's a woman, etc

The poster wasn’t “pandering.” Just stating a simple fact which we know is true thanks to the 2016 election.m

Someone called Warren a jumped up Okie. Sounds about right. I hate her.

i LOVE the nightlife