What People Are Saying About Pete's Standout Debate Performance
“Winner … Impressive … Moving And So Authentic … Had Best Argument Against Getting Rid of Private Insurance for Medicare-for-All … Buttigieg is Routinely and Unfailingly Prepared … Very Good … Has A Magic To Him … Winner of The Night… A Resonating and Defining Moment for The Evening … History Still Has Its Eye on You, Mayor Pete”
Yahoo: Democratic debate: Buttigieg slams Trump treating 'troops as props'
The Advocate: Pete Buttigieg Makes History With 'Coming Out' Story on Debate Stage
LGBTQ Nation: Mayor Pete ‘made history’ by talking about his coming out at the Democratic debate
Associated Press: Buttigieg jabs Trump over no deal with China
The Hill: At debate, Warren and Buttigieg tap idealism of Obama, FDR
Wall Street Journal: Afghan Vet Buttigieg Pledges Troop Withdrawal as Candidates Denounce Endless Wars
TV Highlights:
Jonathan Karl on ABC: “If I were to pick a winner I'm going to go out on a limb and I'm going to say Mayor Pete. [...] I think he had a really solid debate. [...] he kind of rose above it in that moment when they were all fighting [...] he made an appeal to Democratic unity.”
Andrea Mitchell on MSNBC: “This was so different from anything we had heard before from a candidate in a national debate, it was moving and so authentic. Clearly, this is such a talented young political leader.”
Christine Quinn on Fox’s Good Day New York: "I thought Pete Buttigieg's closing was the winner of the night. It was a message about hope and faith in America, and we need to be reminded of that every second of every day."
Van Jones on CNN: “There's a concern about the disunity -- the people who are speaking to it best, we just heard one of them: Pete Buttigieg. He has a magic to him ... He is a blessing to this party, and I thought his closing statement, I just want to say, his closing statement talking about coming out was a beautiful moment.”
Senator Claire McCaskill on MSNBC: “When [Pete Buttigieg] said, "I trust Americans to make a choice." That's the essence of this debate. Are you going to give Americans a choice? Are you going to say the government's going to decide for you and you cannot have insurance at work? ... There's a whole lot of Americans out there in both parties that want to hear that their government trusts them to make a choice.”
Joe Lockhart on CNN: “The public opinion polls are very clear — it is very unpopular and very controversial to eliminate private insurance … When you ask people, do you believe in say, what Mayor Pete is for, Medicare for those who want it, that remains popular.”
Chris Matthews on MSNBC: “Mayor Pete, you know, I thought you were good, and I'm allowed to rate people. I thought you were great tonight ... I thought you both made a very strong opening appeal for unity and sort of a quiet admonition -- let's not go so far that even if we win, we divide the country.”
Morning Joe on MSNBC: Joe Scarborough: I've got to say, of the best of the lines, I've got to say the Mayor Pete line saying, "I'd like to see Donald Trump make a deal with Beijing."
Mika Brzezinski: That was not planned; that's why it was so good.
Joe Scarborough: That was very good.
Excerpts:
Washington Post: “Buttigieg has been solid and even impressive at basically every debate … He had perhaps the best argument against getting rid of private insurance for Medicare-for-all, saying, ‘If we’re right as progressives that the public alternative is better, then the American people will figure that out for themselves.’ … the crowd loved it when he said that on public education, he’d “appoint a secretary of education who actually believes in public education.” They might have been prepared lines, but they didn’t come off as such. Buttigieg is routinely and unfailingly prepared. And his closing answer on coming out as gay came off as genuine and had a real point behind it.
The Advocate: “Pete Buttigieg’s coming out story on the Democratic Presidential Debate stage on Thursday proved to be a resonating and defining moment for the evening.”
South Bend Tribune: “Buttigieg … landed some lines that drew praise from analysts afterward, especially his closing statement, which came in response to a question about resilience from moderator George Stephanopoulos… Buttigieg also won plaudits for taking aim at Trump’s trade war with China, saying Trump has no strategy.”
LA Times: “Buttigieg’s closing statement — a rousing personal tale prompted by a question about professional setbacks experienced and resilience gained — deserves to be remembered … History still has its eye on you, Mayor Pete.”
WNYC The Takeaway Host Tanzina Vega: Buttigieg’s moving personal account of being a soldier during the era of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and his subsequent coming out, felt like an authentic moment younger voters in particular might empathize with.
NY Times Columnist Mimi Swartz: He acquitted himself extremely well — gravitas with a sense of humor.
FiveThirtyEight: “In terms of raw debate grades… Warren, Buttigieg and O’Rourke did best.”
NBC News: “Buttigieg talked up an immigration-related accomplishment Thursday night … South Bend’s “Community Resident Card” program was the result of Buttigieg's desire to coax the city’s 4,500 undocumented immigrants out of the shadows without jeopardizing their well being.”
Additional Highlights From Twitter:
Mike Morrison @mikesbloggity: Something you might not realize is that when you come out, you risk everything. You risk your friends, your family, your career. You risk everything just so you can be yourself. It's terrifying. Pete Buttigieg's story is like so many and I'm inspired that he's sharing it.
Jon Cooper @joncoopertweets: Mayor Pete ‘made history’ by talking about his coming out at the Democratic debate
"I was not interested in not knowing what it was like to be in love any longer."
Mayor Nan Whaley of Dayton, OH @nanwhaley: Temperament matters. America, let’s be adults again. #MayorPete
Mayor Bill Wild of Westland, MI @WestlandMayor: Mayor Pete’s final comments are worth listening to. May have been the most Presidential moment of the evening. Note the body language and visible respect from the other candidates. This is how President’s used to speak; calm,confident, measured and from the heart. @mayorsforpete
Amir Farokhi @AmirForATL: Yes. @PeteButtigieg’s clarity of purpose in how he sees politics isn’t misplaced idealism, it’s the fundamental basis of democratic governance. When our leaders stop living it, democracy fails.
Ameshia Cross @AmeshiaCross: @PeteButtigieg set himself apart last night. I can't wait for my sit down interview w/ him tomorrow. The challenges we face as a nation are great & heading into 2020 we need leaders who exemplify strength & strategic vision. Stay tuned to hear what he has to say #PeteButtigieg
Maureen McFadden @MMcFaddenTV .@PeteButtigieg slammed his final statement. THAT was presidential!
Billy Eichner @billyeichner: A beautifully written closing statement from @PeteButtigieg last night that I found very moving. Pete has already changed the game for the future of LGBT politicians in this country and I’m genuinely inspired and grateful. He’s also smart AF. Worth watching.
