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Another one bites the dust: Mayor Pete out of race
The New York Times is reporting that Mayor Pete Buttigieg is ending his campaign for the Democratic Party presidential nomination. He barely won in Iowa, maybe. He came second to Senator Bernie Sanders in New Hampshire, then underperformed in Nevada and South Carolina, while Joe Biden suddenly became relevant again, winning convincingly, as he said he would, in South Carolina. Mayor Pete ended up following on the heels of billionaire businessman Tom Steyer, exiting after South Carolina. So what does this mean going forward?
Mayor Pete’s campaign Twitter account paints the picture. Instead of heading to Texas for planned rallies, Buttigieg went back to his home town and gave a speech to his campaign supporters Sunday evening at 8:30 pm, Eastern Time.
It was a well crafted speech, showing loyalty to his party while painting himself as the real leader of leftist change. He claimed that he and his supporters made history in Iowa. That could only be true if his primary identity was as a homosexual man, introduced in this final campaign appearance by the man who would have become First Gentleman, and embracing again as he ended his campaign suspension speech. He tied the politics of sexual identity to the unique history of blacks in America, invoking Selma.
On the other hand, he rousingly delivered a call for the political agenda of the progressive core of the Democratic Party. There was a loud round of chants for “2024, 2024!” Oh, he answered with a pledge to help elect a Democrat this year, and called on his supporters to work for that end. Mayor Pete did what he needed to do, and salvaged his future as best he could. Perhaps we will see him running for governor, almost certainly we will see him working to be a stronger, leading presidential candidate in 2024.
How will his exit affect the race? Conventional wisdom suggests Mayor Pete voters may shift towards Biden, but might they take a look at Bloomberg? I suspect that neither Biden nor Bloomberg will greatly benefit from Mayor Pete, the first man to run for president with a man as his wife. There were young people who volunteered for this campaign as a statement, as with the first Obama campaign.
Because of the evil of massive mail-in and early voting, it is not clear how many votes for Buttigieg can move to Biden, so it may well be, with Bernie Sanders leading the polls strongly in California and Texas, that Sanders will be nearly unbeatable, if voters’ ballots determine the issue.
There were people who wanted to make a statement about sexual politics and our society loud and clear. They were rudely reminded by black and Latino voters that their intersectional virtue was not indisputable. Why, then would these activists turn their enthusiasm towards an old straight white man?
I suspect that we will see a bit of fall-off in participation by younger voters who are not already Bernie supporters. Expect Warren and Klobuchar to stay in through Super Tuesday. Meanwhile, the path is clearer for a longer, bruising battle between Biden and Sanders. We will see what Bloomberg’s billions actually can buy, but I think he will get a very poor return on investment, starting in Texas.
Published in Elections
Headline should have been:
Buttigieg Backs Out as Campaign Peters to an End
Ugh.
I think he is hoping to be named VP by Bernie. That would put him in a good spot if Bernie won but he won’t. Even so, it would give him a leg up to run for governor or the Senate.
The former mayor of South Bend, IN is an excellent example of a perennial in American politics–the “empty suit,” and comparisons to Trump’s predecessor are very apt. Qualifications:
He’ll definitely be back, possibly from a different state.
Nonterm presidents, you mean.
Hmmmmmm . . . this sounds like you want Biden to win.
LOL I realized “bad taste in the mouths of many” was a double-entendre right after I hit the button.
The word “acceptance” tends have a meaning which implies a favorable circumstance. I don’t believe we’re there yet. I think a better word is “tolerance” which implies something less than favorable, but allowed. This is in line with the Golden Rule. However, the LGBT activists don’t tolerate straight folks and the social norms associated with them. Put another way, “You will be made to like me, by force of law if necessary.”
LOL
Watching my friends from the Left, a lot of the Bernie inclined think he’s
I tend to think this is a smart move. Most people voting for him Tuesday already have. War chest to run for Governor or Senate. Delegates to clog up the works at the convention
the non-Bernie energy is with Warren in my feed. The types who think they’re smarter than everyone else. Most of them were Liz from the get go and can’t understand why she’s losing.
So you’re telling me that John Smith might be lying to the guy from Gallup because he’s afraid it might get back to his boss? I can’t prove you wrong but I have my doubts.
There are a lot of places I could go with this, but I will not. Because #CoC…
I thought he’d come out of the cabinet?
Against Trump? Absolutely.
Amy Klobuchar just dropped out and endorsed Biden.
Back in the day, you strongly suggested that dementia was an issue for Trump. Yet you prefer someone who just told us he’s running for the Senate?
… and that 150,000,000 people have died from gun violence since 2007?
“Hey Joe, you need a woman on the ticket.”
150 million. That’s like 10 times the number as World War I.
You’d think it would have been in the papers or something.
Another one bites the dust
Another one bites the dust
And another one gone, and another one gone
Another one bites the dust
Hey, I’m gonna get you, too
Another one bites the dust
They are droppin’ like flies.
Why do I get the feeling the DNC has been going ’round leaving horse heads in the beds of all the so-called “moderate lane” candidates to clear the field for Biden?
I been all the way up
I been all the way down
Round about the middle there’s some common ground
But nothin’ lasts forever
Nothin’ lasts forever
So while you’re sittin’ pretty
Got some money in your hand
Better get yourself an alternative plan
That’s her alternative plan, as Delbert might say
The opportunities for double-entendres, puns, and jokes with this guy are insane.
It’s so ridiculous, I can’t help but think his whole candidacy was a trap to label anybody who accidentally said something as a “homophobe”.
And sure enough, humorists, professional and amateur, have been holding back.
Good grief, his name is…
If only the Republican Party had done that. Only Walker got out at the appropriate time. Jeb, Christie, Rubio and especially Kasich did not.
Per Drudge, Buttigieg is set to endorse Biden.
Trump’s successes must be killing you guys!
FIFY
And that he got arrested in Soweto. Honestly, he seems to have good days and bad days. I can’t help doubting that the ratio of one to the other is likely to improve over four years.
Let’s elevate the tone here a bit, it isn’t the PIT.
Yea, I can’t help noticing the democrats are looking more disciplined than we were.
Buttigieg Backs Biden; VP Hails Former Rival as “Huge Asset”