Nearly 60 mayors across the country endorsed South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s bid for president in a USA Today op-ed on Wednesday.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=1249238
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=1249238
Wow. 60 huh?
There are 19,429 municipal governments in the United States.
Many small towns use the council-manager system (most counties are run this way) and those that don’t, have a weak mayor-council system. Almost all large US cities have strong mayor systems.
Towns with populations of 5,000 or less (varies between states) are not allowed to incorporate and are overseen by the county government.
So, 60 is not much of a number. Even this early, when almost nobody is granting any endorsements at that level.
Full Disclosure: I happen to like Mayor Pete a lot and hope he does well in the Primaries.
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It isn’t much of a number, but if these are mostly larger city mayors, it’s not a bad thing.
The guy is making his bones with this campaign. Maybe he gets a role in a Democratic cabinet, who knows? He’s a good guy and he has to start somewhere. If he’s smart, when his campaign is over, he gets out on the stump for whomever is the Dem candidate and continues to make his bones.
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If he’s the nominee, I will vote for him with relish! And a little mustard and mayo. Hold the ketchup.
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I like him, but for this campaign in 2020, he’s a little too light-weight.
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“For mayors, politics isn’t a blood sport,” they wrote.
Two words: Mayor McCheese.
That tell-all book Officer Big Mac wrote dished some pretty greasy tales of Machiavellian corruption in the city waste-hauling business involving Hamburglar and Captain Crook.
(And don’t even get me started on the horrific murder and dismemberment of Grimace after he turned state’s evidence.)
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If he doesn’t win the nomination himself, I have no doubt that he will stump overtime for whoever does win the nomination.
ETA: He may not win the nomination, but I also don’t think that he’s a lightweight.
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Because he’s not a lightweight, he’d make a great Veep to the eventual nominee. On the job training, as it were.
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South Bend has a population of 102,000 which is maybe why big city mayors haven’t endorsed (NYC, SF, LA, Chicago, etc). Governing in these places is a whole different ball game even considering they’re all racially diverse.
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I agree. Nothing lightweight about him, even if it’s early on his journey. He is unveiling a lot of good character traits that qualify him for V-P or for a solid cabinet post.
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Don’t forget about The Fry Guys and their “Shamrock Shakedown” protection racket.
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Grimace had it coming.
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One thing I especially like is the way he actively listens and gives a clean, unequivocal response to most questions. He seems unafraid of the truth, and willing to dine on consequences. That’s something I’m guessing he learned at home and had reinforced by his military service. I saw a video where a bunch of his friends from high school through college said essentially the same of him.
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In the face of the Harris’s and the Warren’s, I believe he is, but to each their own.
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I wonder how many of these mayors are current. Betsy Hodges signed as mayor of Minneapolis, but Jacob Frey is current mayor.
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Buttigieg strikes me as the leading Dem candidate for the 2024-2028 timeframe. At that point I hope and believe that he’ll be sufficiently matured to be a truly first-rate President.
Right now, my feeling is that he’s just a bit too inexperienced on the national stage, and a bot too young, to work at his full potential when in office. And, just to be clear, I’m a big fan of the guy.
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I initially supported Pete. Still do. But, I’m in any democrat 2020 mode, at this point. Are there candidates I’d like to see win? Sure. Pete, Liz, Booker…but, if it’s Biden or Bernie…so be it. I am a one issue voter this time around. Beating that orange tub of sh!t. That’s all I want. Everything else, in terms of the issues I support, for example, climate change, health care for all, helping our developmentally disabled and mentally ill community, will fall into place (hopefully)
But, none of that will have a chance if Tubby is “re-elected.” And by “re-elected” I mean foreign countries help him win again.
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He is as good, maybe the best, I’ve ever seen at the town hall format. That’s because of everything you cited. Active listening, and no equivocations. Also, he doesn’t pivot if he doesn’t like the question or fears the answer. He tackles it. There’s a lot to like about Pete. I’m excited to see how his future plays out.
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I guess you haven’t taken a moment to read his coherent, cohesive, comprehensive plans (as opposed to just “policies”) that all have a common theme in that they all offer realistic solutions that involve local public and private engagement rather than relying solely on federal help. Also perhaps you might consider him less than lightweight if you go to YouTube and listen to his foreign policy speech at the U. of Indiana. Just a thought…
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Don’t mess with the Irish mob!
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