peaking. This is a long, drawn out process. The front runner at this stage in 2016 election was the fast rising Gov. of Wisconsin! I'm watching the debates and will then decide who best can defeat rRump.

the smartest one in the whole bunch.

I truly beleive he will emerge in dem top three within a few months. Media loves him. He is the only dem candidate right now who is able to appeal directy to midwestern trump voters due to his unmatched eloquence and respect for all voters even trumpers. There is no question that he can’t answer! I was early supporter of Harris but he is so much more erudite, knowledgeable and eloquent that I switched my support to him. IMO, he is not even competing with Warren, Harris, Beto, Booker, etc. He is competing with Sanders and Biden. He can take both down in midwestern states primaries. He is our Obama 2020, radical change of politics we need.

Obama was an incredible orator. Mayor Pete, nice guy, is not. There's nothing radical about his politics.

I've seen him in different formats, and he's really dynamic, especially when interacting with people. I think the structure of the telephone link, staring into a TV camera in an empty studio, and answering random questions on a slight time delay hampers his ability to present himself at his very best.

In spite of all that, his answers were relevant, coherent, and easily understood. You're certainly entitled to your own opinion, but my perception was that he did very well. Wait until you see him in town hall meetings or at the debates!

with "fresh" ideas but with a vulnerability as big as Texas that would assure trump a second term if he somehow gets the nomination.

Come on, people. Our country is at stake.

A temporary flirtation with a feel-good candidate is one thing but if we want to win in 2020 we have to nominate an electable candidate.

Let's look at 2020 with a unsentimental, discerning eye and nominate someone who can win and is not a feel-good, makes-us-smile-at-the-newness and freshness of the 180 degree difference of an anti-trumpster. Just as in 2018 we have to run on our issues, not on an antithesis of trump.

We've seen that movie before. McGovern was the 180 degree, anti-Nixon and we got burned horribly.

sad.

He is the anti Trump in many ways but in terms of lack of experience he is more like Trump than not. Unfortunately, being gay may be a problem and it may not we have no real way of knowing. We get near 100% of the black vote, some percentage of blacks are anti gay (I don't know what number but it isn't 0 nor even single digits). What would those voters do? I don't think they would vote for Trump but I don't think they would vote for him either.

many like to knock him. Doesn't figure. I heard Pete on Lawrence's program tonight and he didn't even mention health care or climate change as being most important issues of our time. I hope he has elsewhere.

conversations which show depth and knowledge. i'm sure if you want to discuss climate change or health care with him that he will have a lot more to offer than a few empty lines from sanders.

not to mention that he got the young voters enthused. Bernie's contribution to the Democratic party was making Democrats Democrats again.

Last edited Tue Apr 2, 2019, 08:04 AM - Edit history (1)

From Grist's article "Mayor Pete: 2020's stealth climate change candidate"

"...As a presidential candidate, Buttigieg has called for billions’ worth of investment in research and development to lower the cost of solar and other renewable technologies. He also wants every American home to be a “net zero” energy consumer, with each roof lined with solar panels. “Uncle Sam is gonna mail you a kit,” he told Yahoo News (that’s assuming he manages to get elected).

“The broader thing is to make it clear that there are opportunities, especially for working people and industry, that lie in the possibilities of dealing with this issue in the same way that the arrival of World War II was part of what made it possible for America to lift itself out of the Great Depression,” he told me.

“It shouldn’t require a war for our country to mount that level of effort,” he said. “Unlike something like the Great Depression or World War II, this time we see it coming. Shame on us if we don’t find a convincing solution and act with great urgency and national unity..."

the poster is coming from. Have Americans evolved to the point where voters base their decisions on the issues and the personal lives of the Democratic candidates are irrelevant? My guess is no. Note that the same does not apply to Trump. He could parade his latest extramarital conquest across the White House lawn and the MAGATS would be fine with it.

he was divisive. Pete is this year’s Obama with immense charisma and broad appeal. He is the most unique candidate in his approach to politics. When he says presidents win on vision, not policies, he is 100% right and no one else seems to get it. Congress legislates, presidents lead.

what happened to not bashing our candidates? Bernie expanded the Democratic base by getting young voters to vote.

As did twice as many Canadians in the last primary for Americans abroad. To say he is unlikable is really a stretch. You get a taste of that good 'policies for the people' lifestyle, and the argument is pretty much over.

Actually it is less. Gay president in 2020 is MUCH more acceptable than black president in 2008. I may be in the minority here, but I am convinced Biden will lose to Trump should he get the nomination, therefore, I’m supporting Pete.

Last time we were in a situation like this, we picked Kerry who was considered "electable." By the time the RW meme machine was done, our war hero lost to a lying chicken hawk.

If there is one thing the Democratic Party is bad at, it's figuring out who is "electable."

Good on issues, good candidate. He's part of the future of the Democratic party.

he is the real deal, and he will go far.

...She called me two months ago to sound me out about the Presidential field; at the time, she was working to draft Sherrod Brown into the race.

I don't know enough about his stances etc.

here is a good article (with a podcast in it as well) and a video

Pete Buttigieg makes the case for “democratic capitalism”
The rising Democratic candidate on everything from his vision for the economy, military interventionism, and the role of gender in the 2020 campaign.

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/3/28/18283925/pete-buttigieg-mayor-pete-interview-capitalism