# Who is Pete Buttigieg? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [March 12, 2019, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032 "2019-03-12T21:59:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 29
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2019, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/561 "2019-12-16T14:57:36Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > Maybe someone has mentioned this, but South Bend is not a small town, it has 100K people and the metro area has 720k people. And it’s 90 miles from Chicago. > > However I agree that he needs more experience to be president. He should spend some time in Congress/Senate or as governor before I think he is qualified. True, but from what it sounds like, there has been a serious disconnect between his own idea of his performance and some members of South Bend’s community. It also brings to mind something that I think is an inherent blind spot of white progressives: they think that just because they have progressive ideas that they necessarily connect and identify with people of color, and that is just not the case. Bernie Sanders had the same problem in 2016, and to his credit, whereas I think he kind of blew the criticisms off back then, he has made more of an effort to understand his critics. I don’t consider myself a huge Bernie for Prez guy, but I respect him for that. Mayor Pete needs to go through a similar process, I feel. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2019, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/562 "2019-12-16T16:09:45Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > True, but from what it sounds like, there has been a serious disconnect between his own idea of his performance and some members of South Bend’s community. It also brings to mind something that I think is an inherent blind spot of white progressives: they think that just because they have progressive ideas that they necessarily connect and identify with people of color, and that is just not the case. Bernie Sanders had the same problem in 2016, and to his credit, whereas I think he kind of blew the criticisms off back then, he has made more of an effort to understand his critics. I don’t consider myself a huge Bernie for Prez guy, but I respect him for that. Mayor Pete needs to go through a similar process, I feel. I am shocked, SHOCKED, to find out there are people in a city that criticize the mayor. And, of course, this goes double for a mayor that’s running for president and some of the city activists prefer other candidates. ---
**Author:** ![Unreconstructed\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/76d3ee/32.png) [@Unreconstructed\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unreconstructed_Man)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2019, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/563 "2019-12-16T18:43:28Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > I see that as a moment of reflection and introspection – good qualities to have. > > I repeat that I like Mayor Pete as a person, and I think he has a future in politics, but he is way too assuming to believe he should be president or anything remotely close to it at this stage in his career. And his supporters are just channeling their “none of the above” energy that seems to be prevalent in our system today. He’s only five years younger than JFK was when he got elected. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2019, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/564 "2019-12-16T19:28:44Z")
And look how he ended up. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2019, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/565 "2019-12-16T20:04:17Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > And look how he ended up. But Reagan was also the target of an assassination as the oldest president. I’m not a doctor so I don’t know if JFK would had access to medical technology from 1981 if he would have survived. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_stamos_left_ear/32/3198_2.png) [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Stamos_Left_Ear)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2019, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/566 "2019-12-16T23:17:04Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > Maybe someone has mentioned this, but South Bend is not a small town, it has 100K people Ship them all to Michigan Stadium and you have 15,000 empty seats. Not small by some standards but maybe not the best experience for jumping to the White House. Sent from my SM-G935P using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_stamos_left_ear/32/3198_2.png) [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Stamos_Left_Ear)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2019, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/567 "2019-12-16T23:31:50Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > I am shocked, SHOCKED, to find out there are people in a city that criticize the mayor. And, of course, this goes double for a mayor that’s running for president and some of the city activists prefer other candidates. I am shocked, SHOCKED, that someone who supports Mayor Pete would dismiss the feelings of those who know him best if those feelings weren’t all sunshine and puppies. Sent from my SM-G935P using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2019, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/568 "2019-12-17T00:17:53Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > I am shocked, SHOCKED, to find out there are people in a city that criticize the mayor. And, of course, this goes double for a mayor that’s running for president and some of the city activists prefer other candidates. But we’re not just talking about a few people who criticize the mayor; it seems that a significant number of Black residents in South Bend have unanswered concerns, and now that Black Americans are getting a chance to dig into his record, a number of them appear to be not as impressed with him and his record either. That doesn’t mean he can’t change their minds. As I pointed out previously (either here or on another thread), Bernie Sanders had a similar problem with Black voters in 2016, and the evidence is that he seems to be running a much less tone-deaf campaign now. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2019, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/569 "2019-12-17T12:10:50Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > I’m not a doctor so I don’t know if JFK would had access to medical technology from 1981 if he would have survived. Even with today’s medical technology, “shot through the brain” is usually instantly fatal. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2019, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/570 "2019-12-17T15:34:25Z")
Reagan’s White House staff doctor wrote a book awhile back, discussing presidential assassinations and who might’ve been saved with modern medical care. Lincoln, probably not, IIRC; Garfield and McKinley, almost certainly yes; JFK, definitely not. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2019, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/571 "2019-12-28T22:38:02Z")
[Pete Buttigieg, 2011:](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/pete-buttigieg-once-boasted-he-helped-mckinsey-turn-around-fortune-500-companies-not-anymore/2019/12/27/032888b4-2347-11ea-bed5-880264cc91a9_story.html) > [@](#): > > “I am the only candidate with experience working on billion-dollar decisions, helping to turn around major companies around the country and around the world,” Buttigieg said then. “I am the only candidate who has, not only a great degree in economics, but on-the-ground experience doing economic development in some of the toughest neighborhoods in the world: Baghdad, Kabul, Jalalabad.” > [@](#): > > During [his mayoral] campaign, he continued to play up his McKinsey work, but began noting that he had been “part of billion-dollar decisions made by Fortune 500 companies,” starting in his announcement speech. > > Unlike in his state treasurer run, Buttigieg also highlighted that he had “worked in business as an adviser to senior decision-makers, helping to turn their companies around and create jobs,” And in 2010: > [@](#): > > “I did math for a living around economics: the economics of energy, and the economics of stabilizing very tough places around the world in order to make sure there’s less violence there,” Buttigieg said at the group’s Meet the Candidates Night. “But I got to thinking, ‘If I’m any good at stabilizing economies, maybe I ought to try to help stabilize the economy right here in Indiana.’ And so the premise of my campaign is the State Treasurer’s office could be doing more to help our economic life.” And now: > [@](#): > > “I released a summary of my work at McKinsey even though it was my first job out of school where I had little decision making authority,” What a phony. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2019, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/572 "2019-12-29T03:20:33Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > [Pete Buttigieg, 2011:](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/pete-buttigieg-once-boasted-he-helped-mckinsey-turn-around-fortune-500-companies-not-anymore/2019/12/27/032888b4-2347-11ea-bed5-880264cc91a9_story.html) > And in 2010: > > And now: > What a phony. How cute. I assume you’ve never written a resume? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_stamos_left_ear/32/3198_2.png) [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Stamos_Left_Ear)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2019, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/573 "2019-12-29T04:56:52Z")
How cute. You don’t know that some people, not even the politicians, have been forced to quit jobs or been fired because they lied on their resume? Sent from my SM-G935P using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2019, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/574 "2019-12-29T07:05:15Z")
He didn’t lie. He pumped up that his work informed decisions and made clear he wasn’t in charge of shit when he started going for the big job. I’m not a Buttigieg booster but the Warren sponsored peanut gallery is pretty full of shit. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2019, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/575 "2019-12-29T08:21:49Z")
> [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](#): > > How cute. You don’t know that some people, not even the politicians, have been forced to quit jobs or been fired because they lied on their resume? > > Sent from my SM-G935P using Tapatalk Then why don’t you define lying? Let’s start with Native American ancestry, shall we? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_stamos_left_ear/32/3198_2.png) [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Stamos_Left_Ear)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2019, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/576 "2019-12-29T23:32:33Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > Then why don’t you define lying? Let’s start with Native American ancestry, shall we? How cute, you change the subject. No, let’s keep talking about how much Mayor Pete sucks. That’s the subject of this thread. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_stamos_left_ear/32/3198_2.png) [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Stamos_Left_Ear)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2019, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/577 "2019-12-29T23:34:52Z")
To recap: 2011: “I am the only candidate with experience working on billion-dollar decisions…” 2019: “I had little decision making authority.” Both are true because neither is a lie. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2019, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/578 "2019-12-29T23:52:56Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > But we’re not just talking about a few people who criticize the mayor; it seems that a significant number of Black residents in South Bend have unanswered concerns, and now that Black Americans are getting a chance to dig into his record, a number of them appear to be not as impressed with him and his record either. That doesn’t mean he can’t change their minds. As I pointed out previously (either here or on another thread), Bernie Sanders had a similar problem with Black voters in 2016, and the evidence is that he seems to be running a much less tone-deaf campaign now. I agree that Buttigieg is making no headway at all among black voters. But he’s hardly alone. An Emerson poll this month had Biden with 52% of the African American vote. I guess you could say that Sanders is doing better than he did last time (19%–in 2016 he received about 24% if memory serves, with fewer candidates of course)–but it’s not an impressive showing and it’s not as though African Americans are flocking to him. Warren is not attracting black voters at all (the poll has her at a pretty dreadful 7%), and Klobuchar, Steyer, and Yang don’t even appear in the poll summary. –Obviously you’d rather be in sanders’s position, or for that matter Warren’s, than be in Buttigieg’s shoes where AA voters are concerned. Still, it’s notable that no one other than Biden is really making any headway with African Americans, and I would agree that if that Biden support falls apart the mayor could certainly be one of the beneficiaries. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/579 "2019-12-30T00:32:47Z")
> [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](#): > > How cute, you change the subject. > > No, let’s keep talking about how much Mayor Pete sucks. That’s the subject of this thread. Pete doesn’t suck. Warren has shown herself to be a liar. As much as I want her out of this race, I know the #1 enemy is Sanders and while they’re both in, they can Canablize the votes of the ‘true progressives’ ---
**Author:** ![John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_stamos_left_ear/32/3198_2.png) [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Stamos_Left_Ear)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2019, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/580 "2019-12-30T02:20:06Z")
Nah. Pete sucks. Sent from my SM-G935P using Tapatalk [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032.md?page=28) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032.md?page=30)