What People Are Saying About Pete Buttigieg’s Strong Performance at Tonight’s Debate
“Pete Buttigieg is astonishingly good” … “Pete Buttigieg is very smart” … “Speaks with a unique credibility about America’s role in the world” … “At his absolute best in this debate”...”Levity in a debate defined by people shouting at one another” … “Good zingers and create moments” … “Line of the night” … “Went out of his way to talk to African American voters”... “If voters were looking for a Sanders alternative who looked like he could be commander in chief in this debate, Buttigieg made a very good case for himself”
Chris Matthews: Buttigieg, very tough on Bernie tonight. He had a lot of good points. He went after him on the Castro stuff, very strong, which I was surprised nobody else did. [...] It thought that was really very strong. He was really ready to go.
Gloria Borger: The person we haven't mentioned is Buttigieg. And I thought there were times for me when he seemed to be kind of a truth teller there, saying, "Look at what we're looking at." The American public is worried about a Trump-Sanders contest because he said they want to turn on the TV and have their blood pressure go down and not up. [...] And then he said that Trump was stuck in the 50s and Bernie was stuck in the 60s. That's a pretty good line too.
Victoria DeFrancesco Soto: What a couple of candidates did tonight which was so effective -- I think Pete Buttigieg was one of the best at this -- is he said 'we need to come together because here's the real deal: Congress and the courts.
CNN: WINNERS Pete Buttigieg: “The former South Bend, Indiana, mayor was at his absolute best in this debate. He found several occasions to make direct contrasts with Bernie Sanders -- most notably on the dangers for Democrats of nominating a democratic socialist and the differences in their health care plans -- which is a win in and of itself. Buttigieg also flashed a sense of humor when plugging his website to encourage donations, which was a welcome moment of levity in a debate defined by people shouting at one another at very close range. If voters were looking for a Sanders alternative who looked like he could be commander in chief in this debate, Buttigieg made a very good case for himself.”
NBC News: “Buttigieg came armed with a litany of attack lines against Sanders, and delivered them one by one. He said Sanders' health care math doesn't work and that it ‘adds up to four more years of Donald Trump, Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House.’ Democratic candidates who captured the House, he said, ‘are not running on your platform, they are running away from your platform as fast as they can.’ He joined Warren in knocking Sanders on the filibuster: ‘How are we going to deliver a revolution if you won't even support a rule change?’...He went out of his way to speak to [African American Voters], remarking on issues like the black-white gap in life expectancy in this state.”
Boston Globe: “Buttigieg did himself some good. Without any arrows being shot his way...the former mayor was given space to pull off some good zingers and create moments...His performance tonight did no harm — and might have done some good — in positioning him as a moderate alternative to Sanders.”
Chris Cillizza @CillizzaCNN: My debate rankings tonight: 1. Buttigieg 2. Klob 3. Biden 4. Bernie 5. Warren 6. Steyer 7. Bloomberg
Fabiola Santiago @fabiolasantiago: @PeteButtigieg is terrific: young, energetic, pragmatic, knowledgeable & strong. He should be leading. Why aren’t young people embracing him instead of grandpa B? #DemocraticDebate
Robert Shrum @BobShrum: Pete Buttigieg is winning this debate if that matters.
Steven Dennis @StevenTDennis: Buttigieg's line of the night: "We're not going to win these critical, critical House and Senate races if people in those races have to explain why the nominee of the Democratic Party is telling people to look at the bright side of the Castro regime”
David Freelander @freedlander: If the metric is pure political talent, Pete Buttigieg is astonishingly good
Claude Taylor @TrueFactsStated: Buttigieg is the only one who has figured out the Sanders as nominee is what’s going to re-elect Trump and decimate the down ballot.
Amanda Becker @Amanda Becker: “You might want to check” with the Democrats running for Congressional seats, Buttigieg tells Sanders #DemDebate
Leah Daughtry @LeahDaughtry: .@PeteButtigieg Major with the clapbacks tonight. #DemDebate
Jim Wallis @jimwallis: Thanks to Mayor Pete for lifting up racial voter suppression and saying how all issues are connected to race and that the only solutions are to listen and turn to black voices to solve the problems.#DemDebate
Black Women Views @blackwomeviews: "How are we going to deliver a revolution if you don't want to support a rule change?" <-- Pete has some great zingers and he delivers them without sounding hysterical and desperate. #DemDebate
Max Boot @MaxBoot: Killer Buttigieg line about Trump nostalgia for social order of 1950s vs Sanders nostalgia for revolutionary politics of the 1960s. Right on. #DemDebate2020
Jessica Taylor @JessicaTaylor: Buttigieg seems to be the only candidate who's landed any real hits at Sanders tonight, with most others still turning their fire on Bloomberg
Lynda Tran @Lynda_Tran: .@PeteButtigieg is very smart
Sal Albanese @SalAlbaneseNYC: @PeteButtigieg is the smoothest orator on stage
Stephen Wolf @PoliticsWolf: Buttigieg says we need a "21st Century Voting Rights Act." Amen. A Dem congress would make this a top priority if Democrats flip the Senate & White House
Maura C. Sullivan @maurasullivan: As a @USNavy veteran, @PeteButtigieg knows that the weapons of war that he trained on to serve in Afghanistan, & that I & many fellow Marines trained on to serve in Iraq- have no place on the streets of the United States. @PeteForAmerica @votevets
CNN @CNN: “How are we going to deliver a revolution if you won't even support a rule change?” Pete Buttigieg hit Bernie Sanders for not supporting a proposal to end the Senate filibuster. #DemDebate
Jason Grill @JasonGrill: Mayor @PeteButtigieg brought his A game to #DemDebate tonight in SC. Succinct, timely and focused when challenging Bernie Sanders on what he has done in his political career or said tonight while at the same time weaving it into a positive message for what he will do. #DemPrimary
Chiraag Bains @chiraagbains: Pete is right that we’ll never achieve progressive change so long as voter purges and suppression target black voters. Every candidate should be saying this. #DemDebate2020
Chris King @ChrisKingFL: As the only veteran on the stage, @PeteButtigieg speaks with a unique credibility about America’s role in the world. Thank you for your service, Mayor Pete! #DemDebate
Igor Volsky @igorvolsky: So happy to hear @PeteButtigieg argue that military-style weapons don't belong on our streets Gun industry began marketing & selling such firepower to civilians to *increase their profits* They're selling weapons of increasing lethality each year We *must* crack down on this!
Eduardo Arosemena Muñoz @EArosemenaM: Hands down, @PeteButtigieg won this debate. Not a scream or a brag. Not a self serving fact or a untenable promise. Just clear, rational, concise and relatable ideas. Wits, heart and soul. Congratulations, Mayor.
Hugh Hewitt @HughHewitt: Dems are in heck of a jam. If you were a disinterested observer —I’m trying here but I’m not— I don’t see how you don’t pick @PeteButtigieg if your only concern is beating @realDonaldTrump. Generational change. Unflappable. Appears moderate. Stayed calm amid the chaos tonight...
