What People Are Saying About Pete’s Debate Performance Last Night
“Really Good Lines Tonight...Such a Good Messenger...Winner of the Night...Terrific...Had a Good Night...Won The Day 1 Debate...One of the Big Winners Tonight”
“Really Shining...Resonated So Powerfully...Impressed By [His] Intellect, Specificity & Temperament...Memorable...Line of the Night...Presents So Well...Took It Right to Republicans”
On TV:
Claire McCaskill on Morning Joe: I think he had a good night last night. I think he is making progress, his Douglass Plan is strong.
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One of the things he's done that I think is remarkable, and important, and I hope other candidates pay attention -- and that is using his faith to support the values he is going after in this campaign. I thought, not only was his moment strong when he looked at the camera and challenged my former Republican colleagues to get a spine, and you know, pay attention to how history is going to judge them, but when he talked about minimum wage in the context of the scripture. When he talked about, you know, not recognizing that a living wage is something that is embodied in Christianity, I thought that was -- he's done this a number of times in the campaign -- it's sometimes startling I think, for Democratic voters, because we are not used to having candidates use their faith, but I think it's terrific. And I think it relates to voters across the ideological spectrum.
Andrew Gillum on New Day: Pete Buttigieg said this, I think, cleverly last night -- they are going to brand each one of the candidates and whoever the nominee is as a socialist and extreme
Patrick Murphy on MSNBC Live: Mayor Pete came out and said with clarity, that we need to bring these troops home -- we need to refocus why we are there, we need to repeal and replace the Authorization for the Use of Military Force, which Congress has punted. They are not even touching it. It is time for a new generation of leaders
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We all know it's a show there. Ten years ago, you had President Trump, who was like, Celebrity Apprentice Season 7. And ten years ago you had Mayor Pete, who was Lieutenant Pete Buttigieg in the Navy, embedded with Marines, in Afghanistan leading men and women. What kind of more of a contrast do you need? He is a man of action … He has the energy. He has the vision.
David Axelrod on CNN LIVE: I thought Pete Buttigieg had a good night. I think he was solid. He presents really well.
Brian Williams on MSNBC Live: Buttigieg, the moment we played prior to going to the break, he took it right to the Republicans
Joy Reid on MSNBC Live: I think if you think about who stood up there and sounded like somebody you want to be led by, who attempted to portray a president on stage, that was the challenge tonight [...] I thought Buttigieg did a good job with that
Adrienne Elrod on Morning Joe: Mayor Pete brings something very unique, very special to the race. He's such a good messenger. You know, so many people do say that he reminds them of the spirit and the, you know, the positive nature that Barack Obama brought to the race in 2008 and of course ultimately became president. There's a lot of reminiscing, a lot of that feelings people have toward Mayor Pete in that regard. You look, he may end up being the nominee, we'll see.
Philippe Reines on MSNBC Live: Watching the mayor last night, boy would I love to see that matchup with Donald Trump. First of all, you've got a almost 35-year age difference, and the mayor was very compelling and sobering when he said we're coming up on a point where we'll have the first casualty in Afghanistan of someone who was born after 9/11. And him being able to speak from firsthand knowledge and the way he put it against a guy who faked a disability, boy would that be a great contrast to watch.
In Print/Digital:
Vox: Pete Buttigieg had the most important answer at the Democratic debate
“What’s different about Buttigieg is his insistence that he would prioritize political reforms over policy wins ... This is what Buttigieg gets: To make policy, you have to fix the policymaking process. Some of the other candidates pay that idea lip service, when they get pushed on it. But he’s the one who places that project at the center of his candidacy.”
Buzzfeed: Mayor Pete Has A Plan To Address Systemic Inequality For Black Americans
Buttigieg has warned against buying into easy fail-safe policy prescriptions, such as the use of body-worn cameras for police officers, and he has sought to frame many of the most troubling racial problems facing black Americans as problematic for Americans of all backgrounds. [...]
The campaign is proposing new investments in health care, education, as well as an overhaul of the criminal justice system, highlighted by a goal to reduce the American prison population in half. Buttigieg has spoken frequently about the plan, which the campaign had been working on for months before its official rollout.
Buttigieg assumed a thoughtful, even-keeled posture when asked by CNN moderator Don Lemon Tuesday night to address how he could successfully convince black voters that he could be the nominee with a record weighed down in part by acute challenges in his own community.
New York Times: Pete Buttigieg on Gun Violence: ‘I Was Part of the First Generation That Saw Routine School Shootings’
“Mayor Pete Buttigieg ...spoke in stark terms about how the epidemic of gun violence had personally affected them [...] Mr. Buttigieg, who supports universal background checks and banning assault weapons and has endorsed a national gun licensing program, described the difficulty he has faced in helping families who were victims of gun violence in his city.”
CNN: Buttigieg says Republicans are enabling Trump's 'naked racism'
Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg on Wednesday asserted that congressional Republicans are enabling President Donald Trump's ‘naked racism,’ arguing they are not outspoken because they're afraid Trump may hurt them politically.
The New Yorker: “Age was an image that Buttigieg deployed again and again, often deftly, sometimes as a metaphor, sometimes as a practical yardstick … he said that the particular vision he cared about candidates having was “one that can win,” which for him meant that it could not be “back to normal.” A sentence later, he used age to get at the related matter of legacy.
[...]
“And Buttigieg used his lifespan as a measure of the passage of time and the extent of political failures....In other words, it was alarming to him that he had grown older than the problem; his own generational displacement only heightened the urgency of instituting at least minimal common-sense measures, such as effective universal background checks.”
CNN: “He reminded viewers why he has had such a meteoric rise in the polls”
Washington Post: “A quiet, measured tone can be more effective than hollering, as Buttigieg demonstrated … Conveying confidence without cockiness and toughness without nastiness is key to a strong performance.”
Vogue: “In one of the more memorable moments of the evening, Buttigieg suggests that it is time to stop worrying about what the Republicans will say.”
New York Times: “Mayor Pete Buttigieg drew applause with the prediction that Republicans would brand the eventual Democratic nominee as a wild-eyed extremist no matter what policies that person endorsed.”
Bloomberg: “Pete Buttigieg warned his fellow Democrats that Republicans would attack them as ‘crazy socialists’ regardless of the positions they take and, right on cue, President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign leveled just that attack against the candidates who appeared on the Democratic debate stage Tuesday night.”
On Twitter:
Maria Cardona @mariatcardona: .@PeteButtigieg is for sure one of the big winners tonight.
Jen Psaki @jrpsaki This is why people like @PeteButtigieg
Ben LaBolt @BenLaBolt Nailed it @PeteButtigieg
Abby Hunstsman @HuntsmanAbby: Winners of the night so far: @PeteButtigieg @chrisbharrison
Susan Glasser @sbg1: Pete Buttigieg seems like a real grownup on the stage amid a very shouty debate so far.
Zac Petkanas @zac_petnakas: Mayor Pete really shining in the 2nd half of the #demdebate.
Kurt Bardella @kurtbardella: Hands down @PeteButtigieg wins the "Commander-In-Chief" test in the #DemDebate. Haven't heard any candidate hold Congress accountable the way #MayorPete just did. #PeteButtigieg is right - if our troops have the courage to serve, Congress shoulld have the guts to vote
Howard Fineman @howardfineman And @PeteButtigieg’s calm, sunny reasonableness is a tonic — and makes him a contender. He really does seem like someone with the type of personality to bring people of all kinds together.
Jesse Lehrich @JesseLehrich: this was one of the best riffs of the #DemDebate RT [Evan McMurry @evanmcmurry: Mayor Pete Buttigieg to GOP lawmakers: "When the sun sets on your career...of all the good and bad things you did in your life, the thing you will be remembered for is whether in this moment, with this president, you found the courage to stand up to him."]
Ashley Pratte @AshPratte: Mayor @PeteButtigieg is shining tonight #DemDebate
Brian Tyler Cohen @briantylercohen: The line of the night so far by @PeteButtigieg
Zerlina Maxwell @ZerlinaMaxwell: Very very good RT [Jess McIntosh @jess_mc: “Within cheating distance of the White House” is a GOOD line Mayor Pete.]
Jess McIntosh @jess_mc: “Within cheating distance of the White House” is a GOOD line Mayor Pete.
Harry Litman @harrylitman: Mayor Pete has a way of crafting sound bites that don't sound like sound bites--they sound original, smart, not trite. He also very rarely fails to say something worthwhile and interesting -along with Warren the highest % there. And he never loses his cool. Really impressive.
Arianna Huffington @ariannahuff: Buttigieg righteously — and rightly — drops some Proverbs: "Whoever oppresses the poor taunts their Maker.” #DemDebate
Elex Michaelson @elex_michaelson: Analysis: @PeteButtigieg may be the winner when it comes to swing voters in swing states...you know...the people who determine who wins the presidency.
Adrienne Elrod @adrienneelrod: This debate has not been heavy on Trump contrast (totally fine) but when a candidate rises to the occasion and draws contrast with trump like @PeteButtigieg just did on race, it’s effective and becomes a moment. #DemDebate
Jane Lynch @janemarielynch My god this moment resonated so powerfully. It literally caught my breath. He’s something this @PeteButtigieg
Ron Elving @NPRrelving: Pete Buttigieg may be youngest person on stage but often seems the most mature.
Terie Norelli @TerieNorelli: TY @PeteButtigieg - you did not let the moderators suck you into "the fray". You spoke clearly and respectfully about the issues in a way viewers could relate - like here. #DemDebate RT (March For Our Lives @AMarch4OurLives: We agree @PeteButtigieg. Pimples, algebra and 8 A.M’s. High school is hard enough without worrying about whether or not you’re going to get shot. #DemDebates)
Ezra Klein @ezraklein: Pete Buttigieg's answer on structural reform is far and away the most important answer of the night. If you want to get *any* of this stuff done, you have to start with structural reform so that popular majorities can make policy. Otherwise it's all going to die in the Senate.
Gretchen Carlson @GretchenCarlson: Agree with you @PeteButtigieg — kids shouldn’t have to worry about being shot while they are at school. #CNNDebate
Steve Grossman @SteveGrossmanMA: Mayor @PeteButtigieg’s eloquent use of biblical quotes as he did tonight to demonstrate moral leadership and his profound commitment to compassionate presidential leadership will earn him a lot of support in faith communities everywhere. #faith #DemDebate #PeteButtigieg
Wajahat Ali @wajahatali: Buttigieg is making a strong and smart point that Republicans, no matter what, will paint them all as radicals and they shouldn't play to them. I hope all the Dem candidates take heed. #DemDebate
Jake Miller @politicalmiller: Man is Pete Buttigieg having one hell of a night. Fully deserving of his top-tier status. #DemDebate
Jane Lynch @janemarielynch: @PeteButtigieg the courage to stand up to this president. Yes. Yes.
Vala Afshar @valaafshar: I continue to be impressed by the intellect, specificity and temperament of @PeteButtigieg.
Max Burns @themaxburns: We revere leaders like FDR and Bobby Kennedy because they don't just talk about the challenges we face as a nation - they stir our belief that we can overcome any challenge. They empower us to achieve momentous things together. @PeteButtigieg did that tonight. #DemDebate
Maura Barrett @MauraBarrettNBC On @PeteButtigieg's performance, voter Tyler Higgs: "I think Mayor Pete is a really good speaker, I think he's his messaging is really good. And I'd like for a lot of the other candidates kind of take notes from him."
Steve Grossman @SteveGrossmanMA: THE stunning moment of the debate:
Pete’s challenge to Republican Members of the House and Senate: When your story is written, do you want to be known as an enabler of a racist president or did you stand up to him? @PeteButtigieg #DemDebate #PeteButtigieg
Kenneth Baer @KennethBaer: Optimistic, inclusive, patriotic always wins. Nice closing by
@PeteButtigieg.
Jim Gray @JimGrayLexKY: .@PeteButtigieg is laying out bold policies that reflect our country's highest values—like Freedom, Security, and Democracy. That was his message tonight at the #CNNDebate.
Shervin Jones @ShervinJones: Mayor @PeteButtigieg comes with a fresh perspective that was needed on the stage, and he also speaks with such confidence in his response. He won the day 1 debate in my book. #DemDebate
Jess Mcintosh @jess_mc: “Pretending to be disabled” is a really great way of describing Trump’s bone spurs. Mayor Pete has had some really good lines tonight.
Charles M. Blow @CharlesMBlow: Like Buttigieg’s answer on constitutional change. That was strong. #DemDebateby far.
David Rothkopf @djrothkopf: @PeteButtigieg best answer on border
Clint Watts @selectedwisdom: Best opening speech goes to…@PeteButtigieg
