[Closed] Pete Buttigieg

"I saw a dark haired man in military uniform trotting on a  horse down Pennsylvania Avenue towards the Inaugural platform.  I didn't see him on the platform being inaugurated, but he is  going to make progress."

Thanks for sharing that again, Jeanne. Really interesting. I wonder if seeing Pete Buttigieg riding towards the inauguration on a horse could be the "dark horse" metaphor, and not necessarily mean he won't be inaugurated. Is there a thread summarizing who people see winning in 2020?

I'm not in love with Biden or Sanders for various reasons, but most compelling to me is age. At 56 myself, and having cared for our parents in their declining years, I'd rather see someone younger in the role. Both Sanders and Biden would hit their 80s while in office. I like Harris and Beto as well as Pete.

I've been following Pete pretty closely since watching his announcement speech. I'm very involved with the LGBTQ community, so I heard about him just before he announced.  I picked up the audiobook of his book "Shortest Way Home," which he reads himself, and was very impressed with his education, military service, and some of his innovative ideas as mayor. Mostly, he just seems to genuinely speak from a good heart and committment to service.

I think the best interview I've seen is the one done by Jonathan Capehart. Here's a link: https://www.facebook.com/92ndstreetY/videos/were-live-join-mayor-pete-buttigieg-in-conversation-with-jonathan-capehart/453137265462243/

Has anyone thrown cards or done a chart on Buttigieg and have any thoughts or predictions on his chances in 2020 and his long-term career? I'd be really interested to hear that. A lot of people are saying that, regardless of what happens in 2020, he'll be a dem to watch in the future.

That's an amazing prediction already, just predicting his place in the race before he was even on the scene. Wow! 

I need to go scour the threads for more stuff on 2020. I've been thinking alot about it lately. Look forward to the Jun 6th report.

As of today, Buttigieg's up to 3rd place (behind Biden and Sanders) in the national poll and last week he was also 3rd in Iowa and NH. It's definitely getting interesting.

My intuition agrees with Lawrence. I don't see T getting a second term. And I feel like he might not even make it through the election. I don't think his ego could bear a defeat, so he might bail before that can happen. It likely depends on what his poll #'s are as we get closer to the election, how confident he is that the Russians can hack the vote, who the dem nom is, and what other factors/scandals have come out from congress to drop his ratings. 

I feel like having to go head-to-head with Buttigieg would be much scarier for Trump than going head-to-head with Biden. Because, on stage, the difference between their respective youth, vitality, honestly, and intellect would make Trump look very bad. 

Trump is also looking very unwell, like at that "prayer" event he went to in his golf clothes.  https://slate.com/human-interest/2019/06/trump-david-platt-prayer-pastors.html

But this may be wishful thinking on my part. I didn't think Trump would last this long and obviously, I was wrong.

Did anyone happen to see Chris Matthews' town hall with Mayor Pete in Fresno yesterday evening?  If you can find it on the internet, it's worth watching.  I almost wasn't going to watch because Matthews can drive me crazy with his rude interruptions.  Fortunately Matthews behaved himself.  The town hall was wonderful.  Buttigieg handled some tough questions very thoughtfully and honestly.  The more I hear from Mayor Pete, the more I like him.  At one point I looked at my husband and said, "He makes me feel so peaceful."  Similar to the way I felt when Obama was in office.  As Jeanne stated, "Mental illness would drop just on the basis of a more peaceful manner in the WH."  Of course, you could say that about any of the Dems who are currently running, as well as the Republican Bill Weld.  

Yes, that MSNBC town hall was very good. I know I have seen links around today.

Below is the moment that defined him for me, though. Interviewer Jonathan Capehart asks Pete what he would say about the call Franklin Graham made for him to repent for his gay marriage. It's at 55:30 at the link below. Such a grounded sense of ease in who he is and genuine emotion and spiritual thoughtfulness.

https://www.92y.org/archives/mayor-pete-buttigieg-with-washington-post-jonathan-capehart

@JHolmes, thanks for that link.  I just watched the part you cited, and I agree with you.  Pete is so grounded in his humanity and spirit that he is able to freely and generously extend himself to others.  I also like Capehart, and plan to watch the entire Buttigieg interview.

How much I miss that thoughtfulness and compassion!

How much I miss that thoughtfulness and compassion!

Yes! I miss Obama so much. I love especially the pics of him with kids. He has such a kind spirit. Pete reminds me of that. It's so sad that Fox News managed to brainwash nearly half of America into thinking that Obama "did nothing" and was a terrible president. And Mitch McConnell stonewalled everything he tried to do. I can only hope that whichever Dem gets into the WH next (assuming there is one), they are blessed to have a fairer shake. 

That whole Capehart interview with Pete is terrific!

The use of the term "dark horse" made me take notice. Interesting.

http://blkcosmo.com/is-pete-buttigieg-black-voters-2020-presidential-dark-horse/?fbclid=IwAR1xfaCSLQ80xFSSSNwoQ1nQ0w3Ai9z8Wr2SBOzlIR2J1KM4PTsDiEuvqfA

Cool article from Black Cosmo re calling him a "dark horse." Thanks for posting that Saibh.

Pete recently gave a comprehensive Foreign Policy speech. It talked about a lot of things, but one of the things that resonated the most with me was that idea the world needs a strong US that can lead by example on human rights, climate change, and a host of other issues--but only if we first clean up our own house. 

Here's the speech: https://www.c-span.org/video/?461635-1/pete-buttigieg-delivers-speech-national-security-foreign-policy

Pete has such a pure heart. I don't know if he can take the nomination. He's in it to win it for sure, and he's crazy talented, but it's hard coming from zero name recognition and with all the forces out of his control. He already has the Russian bot army slinging dirt against him on social media. I pray for him. It seems to me this is a soul who could do enormous good if given the opportunity.

I would love to see a Warren/Buttigieg ticket if it were up to me.

me too, TriciaCT.  Smart down to earth comman sense.  Both seem to really care about this country.

Yeah, that would be awesome. I also like Buttigieg/Abrams.

I agree that either Warren/Buttigieg or Buttigieg/Abrams would be a great ticket.  I'm not even concerned about the order (i.e., Pres/VP), although I would like to finally see a woman President.  

I'm actually a little sorry that so many qualified people are running -- kind of insane for a debate stage!  Although I am looking forward to watching the debates two weeks from now. 

Whoever ends up getting the Dem nomination should be a fearless warrior, with that pure heart you've described, to clean up the icky mess.   

Has anyone in this group looked at the horoscope or laid cards for Buttigieg or Warren? Curious to see the influences.

I tried to find the birth times for each, but can't.  Buttigieg, though, has a particular *vibration* and there is something special about him.  The feeling with Warren isn't the same.  Without the birth time and place, one can't draw an accurate chart.  So, it's kind of like reading in a newspaper with just the sun signs.  I'm not surprised that Buttigieg is in politics at a young age, and he seems to be piquing people's interests.  He has an energy that will help him in his life.  But without an accurate birth time, one can't read the chart accurately.  :(

I'm sorry for the length of this. But something big has been cooking inside me for awhile, and I decided to just go ahead and post it. 

I truly believe--you can call it a prediction--that Pete Buttigieg is going to win the presidency in 2020. So I'm just going to put that down for the record right now.

I'm gonna lay out my reasons. I don't expect anyone to believe me, but I just want to document why I think so. Not only that he WILL win, but that he DESERVES to win, and that he'll be one of the best presidents we've ever had.

1. IT BEGAN AS GUT INTUITION. When I watched his announcement video in April, I felt such a wave of joy and peace I actually cried. It was as like, holy shit, there you are. I have been moving between rage and despair since the night of the 2016 election, and it often felt hopeless. How could people follow this maniac? How could America NOT be the place I thought it was?  What the hell was going on?

And then, suddenly, there was person stepping up to lead who was amazing, and I felt a clear sense of hope. Literally, it was a Road to Damascus moment. I felt not just hope, but pride--pride that we, the USA, could produce a candidate so gifted and genuine. And I felt a sense of relief like it was going to be alright. The world was going to right itself. We wouldn't be in this darkness forever. A bright future was already on the way. That feeling has not left me. It's grown particularly strong in the past week (which I'll explain below). It's like I just know.

I don't want to sound cult-like or anything, but I've only felt that strong of a visceral gut reaction a few times in my life. One was when I met my husband. We went to lunch together and there was this spark. Then we kept running into each other in town everywhere--at the gas station, ATM, grocery--as if the universe were throwing us together. I had this huge sense of something momentous inside me that did not fit, logically, the fact that we'd just me. This feeling about Buttigieg was like that.

Nevertheless, I have tried to be logical and look at facts. But the more I've looked and listened, the more impressed I've become.

2. OVERCOMING A DOWN CYCLE. Initially the media was all over him. And then he had setbacks with that shooting in South Bend. For a few weeks, there was a heaviness around him that actually hurt my gut. The media sort of went dark on him. His poll numbers dropped. But I continued to be active online and his dedicated supporters were still there. There was a lot of digging down into his record in South Bend and sharing it on SM, seeing how hard he's worked for years to improve racial inequality and policing there, but the MSM just wanted the easy headline. It was frustrating. And I wondered: Would this potential good energy be snuffed out before it really got started? 

By the way, there have definitely been dark forces pushing the negative stories on Buttigieg. By that I mean clear Russian bots on Twitter, Maga types, and fans of other candidates (especially Bernie and Beto). Early on, they even attempted to pin a sexual assault story on him that, thankfully, failed. Now voices were trying to amplify the message of racial unrest in South Bend. I really didn't know what would happen. But, again, for a few weeks I felt very heavy and anxious. I wanted to believe and I wanted to hold on to my hope, but the doubts that anything really good could come about in this horrible climate of politically savagery and meddling-- those doubts crept back in.

3. THEN IT LIFTED. This past week I've felt a growing sense of release and happiness--of having come through a rough spot to the other side. Even giddiness at times. Buttigieg released his Douglass Plan for black America, gave a speech on it at Jesse Jackson's Rainbow Push Coalition, and has done a myriad of other things to show his commitment to attacking the racial inequalities in our country. More facts on his record have been released that show he's been working to improve that in SB for years .  South Bend residents who support him are speaking out. It feels like he managed to shift that negative and inaccurate perception of him. I imagine this won't be the only rock in his path. There will be others. He will have lots of people who want to stop him. But seeing how these forces were not able to permanently derail him, and that he's come out of this stronger than before, I believe nothing will be able to hold him back. 

4. EXCITEMENT IS BUILDING. This past week he gave speeches in Kansas City and Nashville--there were over a thousand people at each event (these were paid grassroots fundraisers where the cheapest ticket was $25). In the videos, the energy is electric and people are chanting. Then he gave a speech yesterday at the Young Democrats Convention in Indianapolis and he brilliantly talked about his vision for the future.  (Here's the Nashville event. )

Buttigieg also raised more last quarter than any other nominee, beating even Biden by raising $24.8 million. He outraised Kamala Harris in CA. In SC he outraised everyone, including Trump. In Iowa, where 10 candidates spoke at a Corn Fest event, he was the only one to get a standing ovation and people in the crowd were dressed in Pete gear.

He's getting stronger day by day. You can see it in his speeches as he gets used to the national spotlight. He's becoming a president. I don't know quite how to say it, but that's what I see. I saw on Twitter today three different talking head shows were back to talking about him in glowing terms. The energy around his candidacy has just shifted or slotted back into place where it's meant to be. I feel he's poised to skyrocket in the next few months. Like, Obamapalooza skyrocket.

5. AN ASIDE ABOUT WARREN AND HARRIS. I know a lot of women want a female president. I am female (obv) and I get it. I was a huge Hilary stan. When Obama came on the scene, I couldn't stand the guy. I was really pissed when he took the nom. But it was Obama's moment, and he was just that talented. And I think it's going to happen this time too. Warren and Harris are both great. But yet, I feel this is Pete's moment. Below I list why I think he deserves to be the nom, why his message and vision are so important that his presidency can't wait...

6. CLARITY/ HIGH VIEW. He's the only person I'm seeing who is really able to the core root of our problems, identity them with laser focus, and come up with pragmatic solutions.

Trump is one example. All the MSM talking heads talk on and on about Trump all day. This outrage and that outrage. It's 24/7 coverage of the Trump circus. All Trump has to do is say one stupid thing, and the media run in circles for days and ignore whatever it is he's distracting them from. You know who wins when that happens? TRUMP. The other dem candidates are also fixated on the outrage show. It's all Trump, Trump, Trump. Buttigieg isn't. He says "We can't go on his show.  If we go on his show, we lose. Any attention we give him, even negative, feeds the beast. So we're going to change the channel." He talks about forward-thinking ideas and policy. He talks about what it will be like under his admin, and in 50 years time. When Trump insults him or does something awful, Buttigieg will give a terrific one-line comeback and then go back to talking about his own agenda. This is not just smart, it's the only way to beat Trump. You have to take the energy away from him. You have to make him IRRELEVANT.

Our democracy. Buttigieg is the only one saying that his number one priority is fixing our democracy. Get rid of gerrymandering and voter suppression laws. Shore up our cyber security against foreign attack. Get money out of politics. Abolish the electoral college. He's not afraid of proposing bold ideas because he's not mired in DC think. He's a practical millennial--is something a good idea or not? And he's right! Unless we can fix our democracy, nothing else matters. No other candidate sees it like that.

I think this is because he's so incredibly intelligent. He can see the deep structural issues and has a pragmatic approach to solving them--rather than seeing the same old bandaid fixes. And he's charismatic enough to sell others on his ideas in a way that is non-threatening. 

He has this "high view" on many issues like climate change, education, healing our country's divisions. He has introduced a new policy on a National Service Project. He talks about how divided we are as a country. The only want to begin to heal that is to get young people out of their SM bubbles and into situations where they can work side-by-side with people of other races and backgrounds on a common goal. He wants to have a million paid national service jobs for youth by 2024, expanding the Peace Corp and Americorp but also creating a Climate Corp, one to work on the opiod crisis, and a another to work with the elderly.

Another way he talks about healing our divisions is The Douglass Plan ( https://peteforamerica.com/douglass-plan/ ). He says if we don't heal the racial divisions in our country it will 'destroy the American project'. He points to how Russia has been able to exploit racial tensions. His Douglass Plan is a form of reparations, with everything from promoting minority-owned businesses and traditionally black colleges to overhauling the justice system. He calls it the "Douglass Plan" because he compares it to the "Marshall Plan" for rebuilding Europe after WWII. Only, in this case, what we need to rebuild are the minority communities that have been systematically held down in this country for decades. Unless we take on this work and heal this deep, national wound, we won't be able to truly prosper. This is by no means pandering. He deeply believes this and he's implemented a number of the ideas in South Bend on a small scale. There are old videos of him from 2015 and earlier talking about these same ideas.

I think as Mayor of a racially diverse city like South Bend, he has seen these racial issues first-hand and tried to solve these things in his city with some (but certainly not absolute) success. I think this is exactly the kind of leader we need, someone who has seen these issues first hand, and been held responsible for solving them, and is enough of an overachiever to be determined to fix them. Not someone who has been insulted from them and puts them on a back burner or gives them lip service.

7. HE REJECTS/REIMAGINES OUR POLITICAL LANGUAGE. Although he will say, if pressed, he is a progressive, he really dislikes the "conservative"/"liberal" boxes. Why not just do what is right and just and fair and also get things done? He has a millennial mindset in that regard. He just wants to fix things and make people's lives better. I've already seen pundits and other candidates pick up his ideas. He is changing the conversation. I think he's going to have a huge impact on our political life for the foreseeable future. Like, Reagan/FDR kind of impact. He studied politics and philosophy at Oxford. There are videos of him discussing political philosophy with professors. (like this one ). He has a very deep political instinct that is rooted in intellectualism and yet he has the pragmatism of a mayor who "eats what he cooks". He's not limited by the same old DC mindset. I feel like we need that type of vision to break the morass of disfunction that's been going on in DC.

8.  HE APPEALS ACROSS THE AISLE. This is huge. I see quite a few Republicans and Independents on SM who are for Pete. And a number of people have converted their conservative relatives. Yes, I know he's gay, and there are some who will never accept him. However, he "reads" like a nice Midwestern boy, he's clean-cut, sharp, even-keeled and is a gifted speaker.  He can win over nearly anyone who really listens to him because he's so clearly brilliant and speaks from the heart. A lot of conservatives love him. Chris Wallace and Hugh Hewitt on Fox News are fans. 

This is critical in this election, because there are going to be some percentage of Republicans who either never were on Trump's camp or have abandoned him. We need a candidate who doesn't scare them so much they'll vote for Trump anyway--which I think Warren and Sanders might. That's why people have gone for Joe Biden--he's moderate. But Joe Biden really is just too old. He's been campaigning poorly  and he didn't show well in the last debate. I don't think he's going to last. Pete, by comparison, comes off as young and vital, full of energy and bright ideas. Pete will take Biden's place. In actually, Pete is really pretty progressive, but he's also pragmatic. He's not going to promise things he feels he can't deliver like "free college for all." And he simply comes off as more conservative than he actually is.

He also is very interested in reaching out to conservatives. He doesn't dismiss them like many Dems. He did a town hall on Fox. Recently in Nashville, he reached out to a country music station and did an interview there. His language is "It's ok if you voted for Trump. I get it. People in DC let you down. But let's talk about policies that can actually make your life better." This is important. Ultimately, he's a healer, not a fighter, and I don't see any other candidate who is a healer like that. 

9. HE CAN WIN THE MIDWEST. He will take Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. Maybe Wisconsin too. We can't win the election without these states. Those states might, *might*, go to Biden, but voter turn out, especially with the youth vote, won't be great if voters are uninspired. They likely will never go to a "Coastal elite". It is what it is.

10. HE'S GOT A MILLENNIAL'S CAMPAIGN & SOCIAL MEDIA. He and Chasten have the most followers of any candidate on Twitter and Instagram. Their team produces lots of memes and short and fun Instagram videos. Like this one: ( https://www.instagram.com/tv/BzWKje0HcPe/ ) He's done dozens of podcasts. He goes on every show/interview he can find. And none of this comes off as disingenuine like it does with older candidates because of his age. This is just who he and Chasten are. This is gonna reach a lot of young voters.

11. HE TALKS LIKE THE FUTURE. One of the things he emphasizes, which we emphasize on this site, is the future importance of the LOCAL. That's one of his goals for the National Service Program, to have local communities apply for grants for national service workers to work on local projects. And he talks about a "Pittsburg Accord" for climate change, impowering mayors and cities to step up and be part of the national discussion and solution. He wants rural America to be part of the climate change solution with soil management techniques. This is where we eventually need to head, and I think everyone here know that. But most politicians don't see it. I mean, ffs, you had me at CLIMATE CORP.

12. STRATEGY. He may be young, but he's no neophyte to politics. With his cash haul, he is building a formidible team. He's up to 250 staff now. He's gotten some of Obama's people on board, very major hires. They are putting a lot of boots on the ground, especially in the early states. They're playing to win, and they're uber smart and funded. It's been said he's been running his campaign like a high-powered start-up.

13. "HE'S THE REAL DEAL." This is the phrase I hear people say about him over and over, people from all walks of life from people who just discovered him on Facebook, to his old friends in interviews, to major pundits. Why do they all use those exact words? It's almost spooky. I remember back in 2015 hearing people talk about Trump -- "He tells it like it is." That same phrase over and over, from a grocery store in Arizona to the midwest. I have no idea what that correspondence means, or if it means anything at all. Only I think Buttigieg strikes a chord in people, and it's the same chord from person to person. He's genuine, his smarts and his decency are bedrock, and people can see that. 

14. BELLWEATHERS. His Q2 fundraising is a big deal. There was an article today about how the candidates who raises best in Q2 has usually ended up the nom. Also, Business Insider just moved Buttigieg up from #5 to #2 in their "power broker" list of who is likely to win the nom. That's based on their assessment of his fundraising, his team, and his favorability/poling in relation to how well-known he is.  He's also according to another report, sold way more campaign merchandise than anyone else. That's a good measure of the excitement of his fan base.

Let's not forget that he announced 3 months ago. In April no one knew his name. Now he's solidly in the top 5 and has outraised every other candidates in Q2 including a former VP.

I could go on, but I've already written a novel. I think beyond all the logical reasons, for me, it's mostly gut. I feel JOY about this. Maybe the storm is still outside my window, but now I have a date when I know it will lift. I KNOW IT. And not only will it lift, but I truly believe we are in for 8 years of tremendous progress under a President Buttigieg (and his VP, which will almost certainly be a woman of color).

Maybe Trump's purpose was to expose all the deep flaws in our system so someone like Buttigieg could come in and fix them.

Not only do I think Buttigieg will win, I think he will win in a landslide and maybe even have the coattails to take the Senate. Not sure about that last part, but I feel certain he will win.

I get this image in my mind of David and Goliath. I think we are going to live out that story!

It's also possible that by the time 2020 election comes, Trump will be diminished by scandal (Epstein/tax returns/etc) or even gone by then (I would love to see Pence vs Buttigieg). But I'm not counting on that. Nothing has gotten Trump out yet. But the election will--if he's still in office.

BONUS: The Young Democrats speech from yesterday.

@jholmes

Thank you, Jholmes! I haven't been following Buttigieg as closely as you have, but he the only candidate that I feel excited and happy about. I was just talking him up to a new neighbor yesterday!

JHolmes, I've felt the same way since the moment I first heard him speak. Despite him trailing in the polls, and thinking intellectually that he can't win, I can't shake the feeling he's the next president. I hope it's not just wishful thinking.

@jholmes. . Ultimately, he's a healer, not a fighter - jholmes

Thank you for your post.  I am inspired by every word you wrote. The campaign video had me in tears.  The Business Insider ranking article was also helpful to get an overview.

At the Read the Future night, I was surprised to see him in my mind's eye, together with Harris, when I asked people to see who would take the nomination. I am not at all sure my vision is final. I feel Warren is rising as well right now.  I feel I was seeing a horse race in progress and could pick up who is gaining and who is falling behind, even as polls show something different. 

Mayor Pete is a healer, he  makes me smile when I watch him speak. He gives me hope for my country.  I'm glad you see him doing so well.  

After I read JHolme's eloquent post about Buttigieg, I took a brief look at his numbers. In short - he's a 4 birthforce(very hard worker, grounded) and a 5 destiny(progress is very important to 5's and he can handle more than one task at a time- smooth talker-natural salesman). He has an 11/2 heart (spirituality is very important to him, and he's a good negotiator and peacemaker). He's currently in an 8 essence (power/money is comes to him and is a karmic time for him), and he's in a 5 personal year (change, and it correlates with his destiny!). Next year he'll be in a 2 essence (peace maker, good negotiator) and a 6 personal year (love, balance and harmony). I hope J Holmes is correct as Pete would have the ability to bring harmony and peace, which will heal our our country, especially after all the chaos and disruption the Orange Turd has wrought upon us, our country and the world.