Pete Buttigieg Speaks Progressive with a Moderate Accent
As the United States lurches toward impeaching the most corrupt President in the modern era, can any of the 2020 Democrats prevail in November’s election? I believe Pete Buttigieg is the only candidate who can reach enough voters–from progressives to future former Republicans–to cobble together a coalition that can beat Trump. In South Bend, the city’s only Republican Councilmember, Jake Teshka, addressed Mayor Pete Buttigieg in the mayor’s final Council meeting. “I think you have a platform, now more than ever, to take this message of America first, over Republicans and Democrats. We should be united. As long as we come to the table, as you have with me, without contempt … we can come out the other side actually healthier than when we came in. I pray that you’ll use this platform to unite us as a country, and I’ll leave you with that charge.” (italics mine)
Can He Reach Voters without Alienating Them?
As we each determine whom to support in the 2020 Democratic Primary, we must consider the fact that the country will be even more polarized than it is now when Trump leaves office. We will not snap back after his presidency, as if waking from a nightmare. We will need a leader who can reach the largest number of Americans and alienate the fewest. If we’re going to save this country from even a fraction of the damage done by the Trump administration and its GOP supporters, we have to be able to bring as many people together as possible to save our democracy.
Pete Buttigieg’s rhetoric and policies focus on the values at the center of the American project: democracy and freedom. His policy proposals are progressive and pragmatic. While there are other candidates with progressive policy platforms, Pete stands apart in the way he talks about the country’s common values. He speaks about democracy as a shared value, rather than just a political system. He discusses climate change, health care equity, systemic racism, and other topics in a way that invites Americans from across the political landscape to be part of the solution, rather than blaming them for the country’s problems. He doesn’t use the left’s language of outrage that motivates partisans yet alienates the broader community. Buttigieg speaks to the public with humility and respect, and offers the promise of belonging to folks who have been marginalized for too long.
Pete Buttigieg possesses the temperament to lead in these fractious times. Preternaturally calm, he doesn’t lash out in temper and can’t be baited into saying anything he hadn’t planned. He disagrees with others on policy, but doesn’t launch ad hominem attacks. He thoughtfully answers every question put to him by reporters, or children, or supporters, or detractors. And he listens…just as he listened to Michael Harriott of The Root in both a phone call and a detailed on-camera interview in Montgomery. When Buttigieg is wrong, he owns it, apologizes, and corrects his course. And though other Democrats howled at him to break his McKinsey NDA, he honored his promise, secured McKinsey’s approval to disclose his clients, and did so within a day. When necessary, however, as he ably demonstrated in the November debate, he can withstand attacks and throw his own sharp elbows.
He also demonstrates wisdom and judgment gained from years in the military intelligence community. I have no fear that if when (not if) a national security crisis arrives, he will calmly assess the situation, understand the options, and quickly decide on his approach. And I have absolutely no concerns about him controlling the nuclear arsenal.
But Can He Win?
Buttigieg’s rising poll numbers in Iowa and New Hampshire demonstrate that he’s more than the flavor of the month. Obviously, front runners draw criticism from other candidates looking to gain ground. However, the recent attacks from the far left have been both petty and vicious, not to mention patently false. We cannot forget that we are ultimately fighting Trump, who has a tremendous advantage in this campaign. He has vastly more money than any of the Democratic candidates, and is running virtually unopposed in the general election battleground states while the Dems duke it out in the primaries. When Democrats shiv each other over early career jobs, transparency, or who has the most donations from billionaires, they forget that the real adversary is busy trying to dismantle NATO and compel Ukraine to interfere in the 2020 election.
Beating Trump must be our first priority — not proving which Democrat is the most pure, or the most revolutionary. We must secure our democracy if our country is to survive. Before any revolution can take place, we need to rebuild our sense of nationhood and come to a refreshed shared understanding of our core ideals and our place in the world.
Buttigieg has inspired a vast network of supporters in every state who are dedicated to seeing him in the White House. Supporters from 50 states traveled to Iowa for the Liberty and Justice Dinner and are planning to travel to New Hampshire on December 14 for another day of action. I’ve read story after story of Republicans leaving the GOP to vote for Pete. I’ve read other stories about people convincing their deep red Republican parents to vote for Pete, when they had never voted for a Democrat in their lives. Pete’s African American supporters want to demonstrate that he indeed has support in the African American community in a way that will change the narrative about his Black support. There are groups of Introverts for Pete, Empaths for Pete, Republicans for Pete, College Students for Pete, Farmers for Pete, and Red States for Pete. There are nurses, feminists, LGBTQ+allies, and Chasten stans (pretty much all supporters adore Chasten). He strongly articulates his progressive policies, spoken in terms of American values in a way a larger segment of America can accept — with a moderate accent. He is animated by a desire to create a stronger America where even the most marginalized belong. And his reasoned intelligence, sharp common sense, and strong moral center fires up his supporters across the political spectrum and the wide geography of America.
We supporters see #PresidentPete, and we invite the rest of the nation to share our vision.
