It was a quiet Sunday morning. Until I read this…
Outsider Buttigieg plays a skillful inside game, deftly positions himself for the future
His smooth debut has taken on greater significance as Democrats confront tough questions about the future of the party leadership. Biden says he intends to run for reelection, but as he nears his 79th birthday, that is no sure bet for many Democrats. Vice President Harris, Biden’s heir apparent, has had a rocky first few months on the job, prompting some Democrats to question her ability to pick up the baton.
“As [Biden] nears his 79th birthday, that is no sure bet for many Democrats.”
“Some Democrats question [Harris’s] ability...”
Yeah. That’s about as subtle as a sledgehammer to the head.
Buttigieg’s networking is unfolding against that backdrop. He has struck a bond with the famously irascible Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) and joined Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) on a bike ride. He visited House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Peter A. DeFazio (D-Ore.) on his houseboat, bringing a bottle of liqueur for his host. He was spotted grabbing tacos with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).
Oh look! He’s networking with “irascible” Republicans! And he had tacos with a Latina representative! Yay!
But it gets better.
In the eyes of some Buttigieg allies, the transportation job positions him well by giving him a big role in the infrastructure package, a centerpiece of Biden’s presidency. They also think it can help him shore up his biggest weakness as a candidate — his struggles among voters of color — by enabling him to showcase public works projects in diverse communities.
Well then. I guess “voters of color” will now become Pete Buttigieg fans because, you know, infrastructure.
Then the reporters just drop all the subtlety and say the quiet part out loud.
Many are hopeful that Buttigieg will run again, and his name routinely comes up in conversations about future elections.
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When Buttigieg ran for president, he assembled an impressive roster of wealthy donors, and many of them remain in regular contact with each other, hoping for another national Buttigieg campaign.
“Many of us are still in touch,” said Alex Slater, a Buttigieg fundraising bundler who founded a public affairs firm. “I hope we’ll be able to maintain it as he changes gears.”
“Many...many...many” UGH. I can’t believe 4 reporters worked on this and didn’t have an ounce of shame in proudly putting their names on it. It’s openly ageist, subtly sexist and impugns the reputation of a Black and Asian woman. And one of the reporters is an Asian woman which I find even more disturbing given the slant of this piece is that a young White man might be better than a Black South Asian woman whose ability is being questioned.
I know with President Ashraf Ghani fleeing Afghanistan and the latest COVID numbers surging thanks to the unvaccinated, this is small potatoes and a low priority. And I’m a dyed-in-the-wool Kamala Harris supporter so no, I cannot claim to be unbiased when it comes to Presidential politics.
But this puff piece on Buttigieg implying Biden and Harris should quit in 2024 so another young White man can run really ticked me off. We are only 7 months into the Biden administration! And already the mainstream media is running feature articles highlighting ageist, sexist and racist views on the merits of the current President and Vice President while praising the skills of a much younger white man? He’s too old and we really should “question her ability” because she “had a rocky first few months.”
Did these so-called journalists just conveniently forget Buttigieg’s disastrous meetings with Black residents of South Bend? I’d like to know why his “rocky first few months” in 2019 are completely ignored while those of a Black, South Asian woman are being talked up as a permanent failure to be held against her forever.
I don’t know the politics of the reporters involved. (That would be Tyler Pager, Sean Sullivan, Seung Min Kim and (additional reporting by) Paul Kane.)
I did try Googling them and didn’t find any slant in terms of obvious connections to the Republican Party or any conservative news outlets. Caveat: Tyler Pager did used to work for Bloomberg.
Buttigieg declined to comment to the reporters so I’m not blaming him. But I’d love to give all 4 of those reporters a few choice comments of my own.
