Video of Buttigieg praising the Tea Party in 2010 surfaces

[Chambi]

Let's just say this is not going to help. Here is what mayor Pete said in 2010:

“There are some, especially in my party, who think that the tea party is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Republican Party,” he continued. “But there are many others who believe that the tea party is motivated by real concerns about the direction of our government, and the responsiveness of our government to citizens, and above all the frustration with business as usual. That is what motivated me to run. And so while we may come from often very different perspectives, I believe we might find that we have a lot in common on that front.”

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/henrygomez/pete-buttigieg-tea-party

[pfeiffer]

1. Oops...

[guillaumeb]

2. His statement by itself is correct.

But the context of the rise of the Tea Party, and how it was controlled and inspired by GOP operatives in large part in reaction to the Obama Presidency, shows that the rhetoric was all a smokescreen on the part of the GOP.

I know a few Tea party GOP people, ands the ones that I know are openly racist.

[question everything]

59. Agree. After all, in 2016, both Sanders and Trump appealed to the same

sentiment and earned many followers. Sanders still does and Warren somewhat. And yes, it evolved into anti Obama and anti any action by Congress. The former Republican Congressman who supports impeachment- don’t remember his name - started there.

[msongs]

3. they believe in what they do, he believes in what he does. their beliefs are different however nt

[redqueen]

4. Yeah, I was wondering if this would be reported.

I've seen a few people refer to it on Twitter.

[oldsoftie]

5. So there ARENT any democrats who are concerned about business as usual...

....and out of control spending.

[emmaverybo]

6. Did people think because he is gay he would conform to progressive ideals in every way? How

utterly stereotypical and politically superficial a notion!

[Chitown Kev]

37. Well...we know that he is gay now

the clip is from 2010...when he hadn't come out...your point still kinda sorta stands, though

[emmaverybo]

38. Don't have time for crisis of faith politically much less sudden awareness of black people, wow,

with Frederick Douglass plan. He has been through personal and political seismic changes. Good. Now take a breath, process, and decide who you are, where you are, how you want and need to act in the world. Then get back to us.

[BootinUp]

7. damn faint praise to me. nt

[Cha]

8. Well, I didn't believe for one second that

the tea party was anything but a Koch funded racist party for assholes including ginny Thomas.. wife of the big Asshole on the SCOTUS.

Where's the fucking tea party with trump?

[mopinko]

26. on the impeachment committee- jacketoff jordan.

[TwilightZone]

9. Perhaps he was unaware of the origins of the TP.

It was, of course, created by Big Oil, Big Tobacco, and the Koch brothers*. They were certainly concerned about the direction of our government, but their perspective and vision have nothing in common with ours.

I get the point he was trying to make, but I see the TP as nothing but a front to push the GOP to the right.

*https://time.com/secret-origins-of-the-tea-party/

[certainot]

11. TP was a bunch of dittoheads coordinated for those you mention but also for putin

and maybe mostly for putin.

it was right after limbaugh revolted from GOP establishment. and after being used in 2008 to force palin onto mccain, then selling 'climategate' in 2009, he also tried to get the US to default in 2011 - not something US billionaires would want

and now trump

[dalton99a]

35. They wanted to kill Obamacare:

[Demsrule86]

53. Right and don't you think those who support M4A are attempting to destroy the ACA? I do.

And my fear is M4A will fail and we will be left with nothing. I am sure these efforts on the part of some candidates have not gone unnoticed by SCOTUS who will decide if the ACA should be done away with this year... might make SCOTUS rule in favor of destroying the ACA because they believe there will be few consequences.

[certainot]

10. the tea party was talk radio-coordinated, just like the trumpers, and may have been russian

influenced, one of their first social media successes, following on using talk radio for getting palin chosen and then selling "climategate"

let's hope he figured it out

[Aaron Pereira]

12. The rest of us might see a room filled with RW bigots.

Maybe he saw a group of disenchanted people who could be convinced or educated. Pete should address this incident but I'm hoping Dems can keep it in perspective.

[betsuni]

13. Well, he was trying to get votes. Politicians have to do that.

[LovingA2andMI]

14. Oh Damn...

Really Damn.....

[Celerity]

18. no, not at all, it's a bullshit post where the OP disingenuously changed the headline & selectively

only posted one tiny part. One day old account with multiple attack Buttigieg OP's.

the OP left out almost all of the article

including THIS

Buttigieg’s comments at the 2010 forum were “nearly identical” to comments Obama made about the tea party around that time, when the then-president said there were “a lot” of people involved in the movement with “very real and sincere concerns” about government spending and reach, rapid response director Sean Savett tweeted.

Link to tweet

[madaboutharry]

27. Thanks for your post.

it is especially galling when there is purposeful manipulating of what someone said or did.

After reading the article it was clear how disingenuous the OP is.

[Thekaspervote]

36. And yet this is very mild compared to how posters here have bashed Biden!!

It was naive on mayor pete’s Part .....no malice I’m sure of it. Having said that, this more than any other reason is why I could never support him for the presidency.

He has a very bright future, but not as 46. Mayor Pete, run for congress or gov, get some real political accomplishments first. He’s not ready for the national/international stage

[Celerity]

43. how many times are you going to keep saying the same thing on permanent repeat??

Mayor Pete, run for congress or gov,

it is getting so tiresome and like I have said, MULTIPLE times (and often to you):

[madaboutharry]

44. It was 10 years ago.

He was 28. And he had a good explanation as to why he was at the event. And the OP misrepresented his words.

That is why you say you could never support him?

Whatever.

[cwydro]

57. Thank you for this.

You said it better than I could.

[Celerity]

15. welcome to DU, day old account, already dropping spun up bombs, and you left out most of

the article

including THIS

Buttigieg’s comments at the 2010 forum were “nearly identical” to comments Obama made about the tea party around that time, when the then-president said there were “a lot” of people involved in the movement with “very real and sincere concerns” about government spending and reach, rapid response director Sean Savett tweeted.

Link to tweet

[babylonsister]

17. Boom!

I do believe there are people out there that don't have Pete's best interests at heart.

[FM123]

20. Boom!

(Said the Boomer, lol)

[Celerity]

22. lol, nice one!

btw, I personally have never used the OK Boomer meme in reference to any person directly

and I am a Zennial (Border Gen Z/Millennial)

[FM123]

24. I just couldn't help myself - I loved your Boomer post the other day, it was great!

(I have GenZ and Millennial kids so while they don't actually say OK Boomer to me, their eye rolls sometimes do)

[Celerity]

28. I am tempted to say it to my wife (we are born 4 days apart, so both 23) at times as she

acts like my gran at times, lololol

She gets argy bargy if I wear a pair of dirty socks (I just threw on because it is already cold here in Sweden) and walk on the wood flooring, ffs. It isn't like I am walking around in muddy trainers or scuffing the polish it with my stilettos (well I do do that, ssshhhhh)

[FM123]

45. Stay warm in Sweden, both of you!

[crimycarny]

21. Oh snap!

Thank you for posting! First of all, when I read Buttigieg's statement I thought "so?". I'm sure there were some people that were drawn to the Tea Party out of real concerns about spending, why is it so outlandish to think some were drawn by the message--despite what the Tea Party truly turned out to be underneath. I'm sure some average Americans heard the message and didn't see the hypocrisy until later (if at all). Love that you posted the quote from Obama that said much of the same. Purity tests...hate them.

[FreeState]

23. Thank you n/t

[SouthernIrish]

30. Yep

Already posted 27 times in 1 day. Going after Pete, Yang, Sanders. Call me suspicious. Hmmm?

[TidalWave46]

42. Well done. NT

[demmiblue]

65. Chambi has left the building. n/t

[NYC Liberal]

68. Bernie said similar things too:

Link to tweet

?s=21

[evertonfc]

16. who gives a shit

It was 10 damn years ago. I get so sick of this foolishness. There isn't a candidate in our group that hasn't done or said somthing that they regret or that was taken out of context. This won't change one vote. Let's keep our eye on the prize and stop trolling for decades old clips or sound bites that make our candidates look less than the good and decent Democrats they are.

[Chambi]

29. So he changed his opinion since?

I'd like to hear it from him.
(At the end you called the video "decades old,". It's not.

[Celerity]

34. they did not call THIS video 'decades old' and this OP is bollocks

You changed the article title and only posted a very small part designed for maximum smear impact

your have attacked multiple of our great candidates in the one day that you have been here

so colour me sceptical at best

you completely left out THIS from the article

Buttigieg’s comments at the 2010 forum were “nearly identical” to comments Obama made about the tea party around that time, when the then-president said there were “a lot” of people involved in the movement with “very real and sincere concerns” about government spending and reach, rapid response director Sean Savett tweeted.

Link to tweet

are you going to now have an outrage Wurlitzer symphony on Obama and Biden too????

[TidalWave46]

41. You should read posts before responding to them.

This is what trying too hard looks like.

[zaj]

31. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Democrats respecting the humanity of GOP voters who have been suckered into thinking the GOP can meet their "little guy" needs!

"And so while we may come from often very different perspectives, I believe we might find that we have a lot in common on that front.”

The HORROR!

[Chambi]

32. They're Obama-hating birthers

Lest we forget.

[Demsrule86]

50. Some of whom helped give us the midterms in 18...and the Virginia legislature in 19, and the

governorship's of Louisiana and Kentucky...also some legislature seats in Louisiana as well. We need to remember that in order to win the Senate and the presidency we must compete in red and purple states...I would say that Buttigeig understands this. He is not my candidate but this is an attack and an unfair IMHO.

[The Valley Below]

33. No kidding! Who is writing these BS stories?

We will build a strong and unbreakable majority coalition if we win back dissatisfied people who have been hoodwinked by the right.

Pete is on the right track IMO.

[NCLefty]

39. The Tea Party motivated him to run? O.o

the tea party is motivated by real concerns about the direction of our government, and the responsiveness of our government to citizens, and above all the frustration with business as usual. That is what motivated me to run

Zoinkers! :p

[TidalWave46]

40. I can't imagine someone having a problem with this comment.

I wonder why something like this is being labeled as a negative. Small minds being driven by the agenda of others. That’s my guess.

Go Buttigieg!

[Demsrule86]

46. Come on...I am not a Buttigeig fan but it was 2010 and he was in Indiana...Doesn't your candidate

have some accomplishments you can write about instead of putting out these attack posts against Buttigeig and other Democrats?

[Demsrule86]

49. No, my theory is that it was 2010 in Indiana a red state...those who don't live in the Mid West or

red states don't understand the situation; I live in Ohio... Democratic candidates must thread the needle in order to win anything. I find the constant attacks on other nominees by Warren supporters discouraging...doesn't your candidate have positive issues that you all can post about? I honestly don't think this benefits you candidate... I saw a saying to day...it was about women, but it kind of fits if you tweak it a bit.

" I don't need to unscrew another woman's light bulb in order to shine." Don't know who said this originally but it wasn't me...

Change to...

"A candidate doesn't need to unscrew another candidates light bulb in order to shine."

[Demsrule86]

56. Oh please...he has no reason to retract anything...this is total BS. I am not a supporter of

Buttigieg, but I appreciate honesty myself...say what you mean and mean what you say...one of the reasons I am a Biden supporter.

[BeyondGeography]

47. The only thing wrong with what he said is he's not about business-as-usual

He’s very much about that.

[dalton99a]

52. He is the most corporate-friendly candidate among the bunch

Great media PR, but also very lobbyist-friendly behind the scenes

[demmiblue]

51. Meh. n/t

[ExciteBike66]

54. This isn't really "praise" of the Tea Party...

We all know that while Repubs and Dems are opposed to one another legislatively, there are many in Congress who are friends on a personal level with those of the opposite party.

Buttigieg's "praise" is of this sort. Nowhere does he praise their policy ideas or ideology, beyond the bland references to general issues with every government (and indeed the general complaints of any "outsider" to that government).

[nycbos]

58. Time for him to go home.

He is the FORMER mayor of a small town.

[USALiberal]

62. Lol, nice try! Nt

[Turbineguy]

60. The Tea Party

has done a lot of damage to the republican party and the country as a whole under the guise of "concern for the direction".

I think the Tea Party is an outgrowth of a KGB operation started during the Brezhnev years.

[jalan48]

61. Two years removed from George Jr and the biggest financial disaster since the Great Depression and

Buttigieg was worried about the direction of government under Obama and the Democrats? How about acknowledging the Democrats saved the country's ass after the Bush/Cheney debacle Pete?

[BannonsLiver]

63. It's interesting

A lot of the same people calling this a forgivable nothingburger are the same people foaming at the mouth to re-litigate stuff from other candidates that goes back 30-40 years. I detect a double standard.

[demmiblue]

64. Quelle surprise: Posting privileges revoked. n/t

[Renew Deal]

66. Which part is the praise?

[Initech]

67. The Tea Party took our government and flushed it down the toilet.

Now we're stuck with an asshole president and and even bigger asshole as the Senate Majority Leader. Fuck the Tea Party.

[Celerity]

69. good thing no one praised the Tea Rarty, the now-banned account put up a shit, disingenuous smear

OP.

The now-banned account changed the article title and only posted a very small part designed for maximum smear impact and confusion.

The OP attacked multiple of our great candidates in the one day or so that they were on the board.

They also completely left out THIS (from the article)

Buttigieg’s comments at the 2010 forum were “nearly identical” to comments Obama made about the tea party around that time, when the then-president said there were “a lot” of people involved in the movement with “very real and sincere concerns” about government spending and reach, rapid response director Sean Savett tweeted.

Link to tweet

[SKKY]

70. There is ZERO wrong with what he said...

...he’s basically calling for folks to cooperate across political divides. How is that bad?