Democratic Primaries

babylonsister

(171,070 posts) Sat Oct 19, 2019, 06:51 AM Oct 2019

Can Pete Buttigieg, cool and cerebral, connect with voters?

Originally posted in GD/my bad.

Can Pete Buttigieg, cool and cerebral, connect with voters?

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/can-pete-buttigieg-cool-and-cerebral-connect-with-voters

Can Pete Buttigieg, cool and cerebral, connect with voters?
Politics Oct 18, 2019 10:48 AM EDT

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — John McAnear, a 77-year-old Air Force veteran, stood in an audience of hundreds in suburban Des Moines with an oxygen tank at his side, wheezing as he implored Pete Buttigieg to protect the Veterans Administration.

The Democratic presidential hopeful offered a respectful, if perfunctory, “thank you for serving” and skipped any attempt to bond over their mutual military service. Instead, Buttigieg offered a list of proposals to fix the VA.

Of the many ways the 37-year-old mayor of South Bend, Indiana, is different from his better-known rivals, there is this: his ingrained emotional restraint in a show-all-tell-all era.

“You don’t really get the warm fuzzies from him,” said Lisa Ann Spilman, a retired Air Force officer who attended Buttigieg’s event. “But I really like how intelligent and down to earth he is.”

As Buttigieg, whose campaign appears better positioned organizationally in Iowa and financially overall than former Vice President Joe Biden’s, attempts to climb into the top tier of Democrats, voters will be taking a measure of him in all ways, including whether he can make the kind of personal connection they have come to expect, at least since Bill Clinton showed he could feel their pain.

Buttigieg chafes at being labeled an emotionless technocrat, and his supporters cite his intellectual agility as his main draw, particularly against someone like President Donald Trump, whose strained relationship with the truth is so frequently on display.

more...

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/can-pete-buttigieg-cool-and-cerebral-connect-with-voters

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

9 replies

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Highlight:

Can Pete Buttigieg, cool and cerebral, connect with voters? (Original Post) babylonsister Oct 2019 OP

Can, Yes. Sherman A1 Oct 2019 #1

I think the difference between Pete and others, pangaia Oct 2019 #2

Very nice explanation about genuine feeling Hav Oct 2019 #4

I like smart and cerebral. Pete has a very bright future ms liberty Oct 2019 #3

Who calls him an emotionless technocrat? The GOP, I assume. And we fall patricia92243 Oct 2019 #5

I so dislike this type of article. kacekwl Oct 2019 #6

It won't hurt him. BootinUp Oct 2019 #7

He's doing his best, but isn't getting a lot of traction, I'm afraid. MineralMan Oct 2019 #8

Here's what I want to say about this article BootinUp Oct 2019 #9

Sherman A1

(38,958 posts)

1. Can, Yes.

Reply to babylonsister (Original post)

Sat Oct 19, 2019, 06:54 AM

Oct 2019

Will ? Time will tell......

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided

pangaia

(24,324 posts)

2. I think the difference between Pete and others,

Reply to babylonsister (Original post)

Sat Oct 19, 2019, 07:04 AM

Oct 2019

as far as I can tell, is he is more "emotionally mature."

I find him to be the most 'self-conscious,' that is, the most consciously aware of himself.
This is why he may 'seem' to be an "emotionless technocrat," to some. But it is not true at all.

I would dare say, he has the most genuine 'feeling' of them all. He can call forth 'intentional' human feeling, not just reactionary "automatic" emotion. There is a difference. It may appear to be subtle. It is not.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided

Hav

(5,969 posts)

4. Very nice explanation about genuine feeling

Reply to pangaia (Reply #2)

Sat Oct 19, 2019, 07:52 AM

Oct 2019

I was surprised about this thread at first but I also see that he is careful how he words things and thinks before talking (both a plus in my book) and that this restraint and his intelligence might make him appear disconnected.

I think Pete is really good at presenting his personal approach to certain topics, making other people understand where he's coming from. This openness and also the way he combines emotion and intelligent reasoning to make his point is a good way to form a connection to other people.
I don't think I could name many who can similarly speak to people's hearts like he does if it's a subject that he feels strongly about and it doesn't seem fake at all.
But most topics don't require that. In those instances his analytic side might dominate.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

ms liberty

(8,580 posts)

3. I like smart and cerebral. Pete has a very bright future

Reply to babylonsister (Original post)

Sat Oct 19, 2019, 07:47 AM

Oct 2019

No matter the outcome of this particular contest. I hope we see him on the national stage in some capacity, although I don't think he'll be our nominee this time.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

patricia92243

(12,597 posts)

5. Who calls him an emotionless technocrat? The GOP, I assume. And we fall

Reply to babylonsister (Original post)

Sat Oct 19, 2019, 08:07 AM

Oct 2019

for it and spread the idea just by repeating it.

He talks about his religion - a lot. He talks about dating and loving his husband. He talks about how afraid he was in Afghanistan. Those are all strong emotions.

I suppose the GOP want him to cry on stage to "prove" whatever they say is lacking. Disgusting!

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

kacekwl

(7,017 posts)

6. I so dislike this type of article.

Reply to babylonsister (Original post)

Sat Oct 19, 2019, 09:36 AM

Oct 2019

About Pete or anyone. Are they to cool and calm ? Are they too loud too animated too emotional too smart. Just a waste of paper (figuratively) IMHO.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

BootinUp

(47,165 posts)

7. It won't hurt him.

Reply to kacekwl (Reply #6)

Sat Oct 19, 2019, 10:34 AM

Oct 2019

Pete is not someone who can be painted, not for long anyway.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

MineralMan

(146,317 posts)

8. He's doing his best, but isn't getting a lot of traction, I'm afraid.

Reply to babylonsister (Original post)

Sat Oct 19, 2019, 10:46 AM

Oct 2019

It looks like he's going to finish out of the running at this point. That's my sense of it, anyway.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

BootinUp

(47,165 posts)

9. Here's what I want to say about this article

Reply to babylonsister (Original post)

Sat Oct 19, 2019, 10:51 AM

Oct 2019

It’s just incorrect. He is not without emotion at all. But it comes out naturally it’s not faked and so less frequently. Pete makes me feel like he’s a close neighbor or friend. He doesn’t project an ego.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden

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