Pete Buttigieg says Bernie Sanders may lack the "novelty" to win in 2020

[brooklynite]

Axios

Mayor Pete Buttigieg said in an interview with the New York Times that "people were refreshed by the novelty" of the progressive proposals that Sen. Bernie Sanders brought to the 2016 election, but that he doubts the 77-year-old Sanders can bring together the "coalition" necessary to beat Trump in 2020.

Why it matters: 2020 Democratic candidates have been largely hands-off with one another so far, focusing primarily on Trump and their individual candidate pitches. Buttigieg, who has surged into the double digits in recent early state polls, has repeatedly drawn parallels between Sanders voters and Trump voters for their anti-establishment, blow-up-the-system style of populism — though he clarified to CNN that he views the two men as "stupendously different."

Buttigieg also said he doesn't see himself "as competing against any one" of the others Democratic candidates, but the Times notes that many voters view his appeal as overlapping with Beto O'Rourke's in "something of a parallel primary."

[Cha]

1. ".. but that he doubts the 77-year-old Sanders can bring together the "coalition" necessary to beat

Trump in 2020."

Good on him!

[cwydro]

14. Yes indeed. nt

[vsrazdem]

2. I'm sure he'll soon find out what novelty really is.

[Go Vols]

19. lol,yep

[aidbo]

3. Just another way to call him old. Mayor Pete is a novelty.

[jalan48]

4. Mayor Pete sounds good but what's his voting record in Congress or even the State of Indiana on the

issues? Oh, that's right, the only office he's ever held is mayor of a city of 100,000 people. Pretty novel that he's suddenly a candidate for the highest office in the land.

[mtnsnake]

5. If novelty is so important, we should resurrect Norton Nork & pursuade him to enter the contest

[Nanjeanne]

6. Novelty? Oh yes. That's definitely my top priority - way before policy, consistency and compassion.

[lapucelle]

7. Interesting interview.

In an interview, Mr. Buttigieg said Mr. Sanders’s left-wing proposals were no longer as provocative as in 2016 — “people were refreshed by the novelty of that boldness” — and expressed skepticism that a self-described democratic socialist in his late 70s could win a general election.

snip======================================

Voters wanted to “blow up the system” in 2016, Mr. Buttigieg said. “Which could lead you to somebody like Bernie and it could lead you to somebody like Trump. That’s how we got where we are.”

snip========================================

“I have a hard time seeing the coalition ultimately coming together there,” he said.

[Freethinker65]

8. Ease of bringing together a coalition to beat Trump will be determined by how unhinged Trump gets

If Trump goes completely off the rails (and we have fair and honest elections) any opposition candidate should win. If Trump moderates and tones it down a bit while continuing to lie to his voter base and helping his corporate buddies, it will be harder. Novelty of the candidate as a factor will be long gone part way into the primary season.

[Kahuna7]

9. If it comes down to a choice between Bernie and Mayor Pete....

I gotta go with Mayor Pete.

[comradebillyboy]

17. If it comes down to a choice between any Democrat and Bernie

I will take any Democrat ahead of BS.

[BlueFlorida]

10. Buttigieg is right

What President Obama called "the shiny new thing" is neither shiny nor new anymore.

[dogman]

11. I guess he's to far left for the Buttigieg family.

Link to tweet

[David__77]

16. I don't think this was a reference to political spectrum.

I think it was a reference to his dog who came from his left.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pete-buttigieg-on-the-presidency-as-a-moral-office/

At first, it appeared to me otherwise.

[Sherman A1]

12. That's nice

isn't he charming.........

[karynnj]

13. Not just novelty, 2016 precludes him as a uniter of Democrats

Regardless what you believe of the impact of his actions in 2016, it is clear that there is a large segment of the Democratic base that will never be comfortable with him as our nominee. There is no need to relitigate 2016 as to whose version is accurate, it is enough that there is a large group of Democrats who will never change their sharply negative opinion.

However, one legacy of his run might be that it pushed the 2016 platform to the left of where it otherwise would be. Only time will tell if that shift was real and if it was helpful. However, that is easily OVERSTATED because it was very much the trend the party was already happening.

Consider two major issues - healthcare and climate change.

The ACA was a huge accomplishment and it was the very most that could be passed in the 2009/2010 high water mark in our control of the Congress. If you look at the vote counts, there was no wiggle room in the Senate and very little in the House. Any Democrat winning in 2016 or in 2020 will work to improve that bill - hopefully adding a public option to put pressure on the private plans. Differences in 2020 positions will - like the differences in the 2008 positions dissolve into what the House and Senate can pass. Remember the long arguments about mandates? The key is ANY democrat will fight to expand ACA, while Trump and almost all Republicans will continue trying to kill it.

On climate change the Obama administration made unprecedented strides -- but not with legislation, where they faced Democratic opposition from coal state Senators. However, through the EPA, Obama enacted meaningful new regulations - that will almost certainly be reinstated by any Democrat. In addition, Secretary Kerry was given the opportunity by Obama to negotiate the US/China agreement and the Paris Accord. Any Democrat would rejoin both. In addition, many of the efforts initiated then AND those started when Trump pulled us out will be joined by a Democratic President. Here, you can credit both those in the Obama administration (Kerry, Moniz, Gina McCarthy, Holdren and the many scientists backing them) and people like AOC and Markey with the Green New Deal both trying to develop solutions and working to make this issue a voting issue.

These two issues and several more will provide some enthusiasm in 2020 especially if we have a nominee who can speak to the entire base. It is not just a woman or man who we are electing as President, but an agenda -- and this time the contrast between agendas will be as great as the contrast between the nominees of both parties .. no matter who we choose. This may suggest we want someone who can lead a team, learning from experts or people who have experience on a given issue, being willing to hear multiple sides or suggestions and having the ability to then make decisions. The good thing is that I could see many people running with the depth, vision and character to be that person. I am still undecided, not as in 2008 where I had qualms about all of them - the least being wanting to see more of Obama because he was still relatively new, but because several could be very good choices.

One person I do not think it could be is my Senator, Bernie Sanders.

[David__77]

15. He didn't say Sanders had novelty.

He said that his "boldness" did. I see a distinction between those two things.

I wish that transcripts of these types of interviews were released rather than quotes. I don't know, for instance, if Buttigieg was truly addressing the general election when he said "I have a hard time seeing the coalition ultimately coming together there." I think he could have been referring to something else, like the primary election.

[MineralMan]

18. Personally, I think he may lack the "novelty" to get the nomination.

With 20 other candidates in the primary race, there are plenty of ideas, proposals and progressive concepts being bandied about. This time, Sanders is just one of many who have ideas that go beyond the basic Democratic platform.

Some of those competing are young and energetic. Some are women. Some are both. There's also a likable old smart political guy who used to be Obama's Vice President.

The competition is much tougher and much more numerous than the last time.

I think Bernie just may end up out of the running pretty early this round.