Black South Bend leader endorses Biden, rebukes Buttigieg

[highplainsdem]

https://www.politico.com/news/2019/11/22/black-south-bend-leader-endorses-biden-over-buttigieg-072885

The longest-serving African American man on the South Bend, Ind., Common Council is endorsing Joe Biden for president, a rejection of Pete Buttigieg that highlights the South Bend mayor’s struggle with black voters.

Council Vice President Oliver Davis told POLITICO that while it’s nice to see someone representing Indiana in the Democratic presidential primary and bringing national attention to South Bend, Biden is more experienced.

“When you’re flying in the middle of a storm, you want to make sure you have steady, experienced leadership,” Davis said. “I believe that Vice President Biden has demonstrated throughout the years by having a steady hand, he can help lead us through these times, and with all of the challenges we face nationally and now even internationally, he has the relationships, has the skills, and I think he can bring us together in different ways.”

But Davis also scolded Buttigieg, saying the mayor’s woes attracting support from communities of color “is not a new problem for him.”

“For us, this has been a consistent issue that has not gone away,” Davis said.

Asked if Buttigieg could win a general election, given his current low levels of support from people of color in the Democratic presidential primary, Davis said: “I doubt it. I sincerely doubt it.”

In addition to Biden’s strong support from African Americans in current Democratic primary polls, Davis also said that Biden “has an understanding of the Midwest,” having been on the Democratic ticket in 2008 when Barack Obama turned Indiana blue, a result he believes Biden can repeat in 2020.

-snip-

Much more at the link.

[pfeiffer]

1. Thanks for this! :)

[LakeArenal]

2. Thanks Oliver Davis.

As much as I love Pete, it comes to me that brilliance and spirit might not be enough.

[TidalWave46]

3. This isn't a rebuke of Mayor Pete. At All.

Politico is damn near nothing but a bunch of bullshit artists.

Headline is a bunch of malarkey.



The only significance of the endorsement is for articles like this to be written.

[highplainsdem]

7. Did you read the entire article, not just the excerpt?

[TidalWave46]

9. I did.

Rebuke is a really strong term for what was really said. Some of it personal in nature and all of it leading to the idea that Buttigieg is less experienced.

[Cha]

16. I was thinking the same until I read down further..

it is kind of a "rebuke" talking about his relationships with POC.

[TidalWave46]

22. I think rebuke is harsh.

This seems pretty mild and he attached most of it to his main argument of experience.

Biden got a good but obscure endorsement. Buttigieg never owned the endorsement to lose in the first place.

That said, I Hope Buttigieg reads this closely. There are some easy lessons to learn from this wisdom.

[Cha]

24. It's an excellent endorsement for Biden.. and

not sure how "obscure" it is coming from Oliver Davis in South Bend, Indiana.

[TidalWave46]

30. This is how obscure.

“not sure how "obscure" it is coming from Oliver Davis in South Bend, Indiana.”

[Cha]

31. I don't think it's "obscure" at all.

[phandancer917]

4. OK....can we talk about the elephant?

The black community is not going to endorse a gay man.

Buttigieg is a great candidate with no real reasons for this animus other than his sexual nature.

This is bigotry.

[highplainsdem]

6. What you just said about the black community shows bigotry, and I hope you'll open your mind.

I like Mayor Pete, and it doesn't bother me at all that he's gay, but I think he's too young and too inexperienced for this 2020 run.

[phandancer917]

8. Would you disagree...

...that in the black community (very church oriented) there is more of a bigotry towards gay folk?

Perhaps that can be considered bigotry on my part -- I have the same bigotry against anyone that uses religion to oppress gay folk.

I mean -- can we point to any issues that Mayor Pete espouses that would NOT be inline with Democratic ideals? Or any reason why it only seems to be Pete that is labeled as being unable to attract black voters?

[highplainsdem]

10. Links to a couple of articles, including one in the Advocate:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/this-is-why-black-voters-dont-trust-mayor-pete-buttigieg

https://www.advocate.com/commentary/2019/11/04/homophobia-isnt-reason-black-voters-dont-pete-buttigieg

[crazytown]

13. Sgt. Ryan O'Neill shooting Eric Logan dead on June 16 had nothing to do with homophobia

but significantly hurt Pete's campaign with AA voters. That's a fact.

[Blue_true]

40. O'Neill was apparently a raging racist who was sued several times for violence against

Black suspects. Buttigieg had to be part of the approval loop for the monetary settlements, why didn't the fact that the same guy showed up more than once with the same type of problem be a flashing warning light for Buttigieg?

[stopdiggin]

12. it is the black community and black people themselves

that are telling us the community has a problem.
(which is not to say that other communities and churches DON'T have issues .. let's not go down the "whataboutism" path)
But the black community has been slow in coming around. And many in the community recognize the issue.

[dalton99a]

41. +1. "If you don't vote for Pete, you're a stupid person and a homophobe"

That ought to win hearts and minds

[TidalWave46]

11. That is the case for some.....

But this person clearly outlines his reasons for "animus" toward Buttigieg which is really just his explanation of why he is going with Biden over Buttigieg. It's pretty mild but they are solid arguments.

[Celerity]

19. it goes far beyond simple animus

Oliver Davis, Henry Davis, and a small cadre of other SB local small officials with various prejudices and other far from openly disclosed reasons (such as Regina Williams-Preston) have been working in consort to try and destroy his POTUS campaign (with aid from the far left TYT/BoBer/Sirota/DSA/Jacobin crowd) every since Pete announced his candidacy. Almost every single very critical piece on Buttigieg (especially the outright TYT-style shit hits) uses the same recycled names over and over. It really is quite extraordinary, I have been tracking it since March and April.


see here

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1287356020#post18

[TidalWave46]

23. I believe my comment to be accurate..

About the content of the article in the op.

Thanks for the additional information.

[LuvNewcastle]

37. Thank you..

A lot of this 'problem' Buttigieg has with black people is a manufactured self-fulfilling prophecy. In politics, if you keep saying something over and over, it takes on a life of its own and becomes a fact, whether or not any evidence for the problem ever existed. Trump knows this trick very well, which is why he tweets and says his little slogans all the time, like "fake news." No matter what Buttigieg does or says seems to affect this perception, either. It's a real shame to see someone propagandized and sabotaged like that, but politics is a blood sport. The good news is that this game can be played right back at the people who started it all. Why, I heard the other day that X has a problem with Latinos.

[Docreed2003]

51. +1

While we may live in a meme driven society, but it's still shocking and sad to see so many folks here fall for manufactured memes about candidates. This gentleman could have made his endorsement without the "rebuke" of Mayor Pete. But no, the endorsement wasn't enough so we have to slam another candidate who happens to be doing well in early state polling. If you look hard enough, you can see similar memes about each of the candidates, even Biden about different areas where they are "vulnerable". We haven't learned anything from 2016.

[SaschaHM]

43. What has he done to earn that endorsement?

He's the soon to be former mayor of a city that is 26% African American, and yet the only stuff to enter the atmosphere about his relationship with the black citizens of his own city are usually negative. If there are some positive ones, then it's his campaign fault for not centering them and pushing them front and center before now. I know more about his educational history than I do about his efforts among black voters in South Bend. That's a problem. Maybe he'll start putting out ads highlighting the things that he's done, but it may just be too little too late.

Also, he's not the only one polling terribly with black voters, yet his supporters constantly attribute it to homophobia as if black voters are supposed to be as amazed by a 37 yr old mayor over candidates that they know and trust more.

[FloridaBlues]

52. Perhaps not so much bigotry as limited experience

[JonLP24]

54. It is white people with this Focus on the Family nonsense

It is possible Buttigieg's controversial record with tapes & policing as to why he hasn't made much inroads.

[Sloumeau]

5. highplainsdem, thank you very much for this informative posting! :)

I hope that you are having a fantastic day.

[Gothmog]

14. This will not help Mayor Pete win the African American vote

Link to tweet

The longest-serving African American man on the South Bend, Ind., Common Council is endorsing Joe Biden for president, a rejection of Pete Buttigieg that highlights the South Bend mayor’s struggle with black voters.

Council Vice President Oliver Davis told POLITICO that while it’s nice to see someone representing Indiana in the Democratic presidential primary and bringing national attention to South Bend, Biden is more experienced.

“When you’re flying in the middle of a storm, you want to make sure you have steady, experienced leadership,” Davis said. “I believe that Vice President Biden has demonstrated throughout the years by having a steady hand, he can help lead us through these times, and with all of the challenges we face nationally and now even internationally, he has the relationships, has the skills, and I think he can bring us together in different ways.”

Story Continued Below

But Davis also scolded Buttigieg, saying the mayor’s woes attracting support from communities of color “is not a new problem for him.”

“For us, this has been a consistent issue that has not gone away,” Davis said.

[Cha]

17. Mahalo, Goth! Retweeted!

[Cha]

15. Can't deny that.. Joe Biden is "more Experienced" and

with invaluable qualifications!

Thank for this, hpd.. and Thanks to VC Oliver Davis! What a strong Endorsement.. great find!

In addition to Biden’s strong support from African Americans in current Democratic primary polls, Davis also said that Biden “has an understanding of the Midwest,” having been on the Democratic ticket in 2008 when Barack Obama turned Indiana blue, a result he believes Biden can repeat in 2020.

[Celerity]

18. No shock here, Oliver Davis is one of his long-time political foes & is anti LGBTQ, he was crushed

in the Democratic 2019 South Bend mayoral primary (he got only 6%) by the Buttigieg endorsed candidate. He and another SB councilman (now ex) Henry Davis (they are not related) have both been anti LGBTQ for ages, Henry Davis viciously so (as I will show below).


South Bend Council Members Henry Davis Jr. & Oliver Davis Do Not Support Equal Rights For GLBT?

http://bilerico.lgbtqnation.com/2009/06/sb_councilmen_henry_davis_jr_oliver_davi.php

Many in South Bend are praising Mayor Steve Luecke for his executive order issued Wednesday that bans GLBT discrimination of city employees and prospective workers. However, council members Henry Davis Jr. (district 2) and Oliver Davis (district 6) are not. In 2006 the Common Council considered a similar proposal which would have banned GLBT discrimination city-wide but the measure was defeated by "one vote". Council members Henry Davis Jr. and Oliver Davis were not on the council in 2006 so it is not clear how they would have voted but their initial reaction to Mayor's executive order sheds light on how they might vote in the future.

Mayor Luecke's motive for issuing the executive order:

The City of South Bend is a progressive community that believes in freedom and equality of opportunity for all. We treat everyone with dignity and respect," Luecke said. "This order ensures that my administration will not tolerate discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity in employment decisions, including hiring, firing, promotion, compensations or other terms and conditions of city employment.

The executive order seems pretty straight forward. A person will be judged solely on the basis of individual merit. Everyone deserves to be treated respectfully and with dignity. If you do a good job you should be promoted and if you are a qualified person you should be hired. Not "special rights" just the "same rights" as everyone else.

Why would anyone object to this?

Council member Henry Davis Jr. had this to say to WSBT:

"This is going to come back to the council at an extreme time and give us more work rather than focusing on the budget," said council member Henry Davis, Jr.

First of all this isn't going to cost the taxpayers a dime. Second of all, is council member Henry Davis Jr. implying an area as important as insuring equal rights for all is too "inconvenient" for him to take time to deal with? Well, this is not the first time he has found something too "inconvenient" to deal with.

snip




This next part I am posting to show what Buttigieg has had to go through with some on the council (there are others too) who get megaphone amplified, initially by the TYT/Sirota/JD/DSA/Jacobin crowd who have camped out in South Bend since April digging up dirt and shit stir, and they then pass it on to the MSM if necessary (via twitter trolls). Again Henry Davis Jr. was Oliver Davis's long time SB city council ally. Here is a perfect example of Oliver Davis (the one in the OP) being used as a weapon for the who knows how many time by TYT with a real shit hit piece.


so now for Henry Davis......... (Oliver Davis btw, supported and campaigned for Henry Davis against Pete for Mayor in 2015 AFTER the shite below went down)



Background on one of the most virulent South Bend Buttigieg critics, Henry Davis, Jr. (this is NOT Oliver from the OP, although they were long time allies on the city council)

This bloke has been all over the press for months slagging off Buttigieg, just saw him bashing Pete again on telly yesterday, which piqued my interest, as I knew I had seen his name before.

example and an outright lie

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/450090-buttigieg-under-pressure-as-tensions-rise-in-south-bend

“We’ve been talking with Pete for years about the problems within the police department,” said Henry Davis Jr., a former city councilman and a Democrat. “We’ve argued with him. We’ve pleaded with him to take care of these issues and he’s done nothing but close his eyes and turn his head and say all is well. This is the fruit of his labor.”


well.......

it goes a bit deeper than that

Henry Davis is a raging homophobe and a failed mayoral candidate against Pete in 2015


https://politicalfails.wordpress.com/tag/henry-davis-jr/

OCTOBER 13, 2015

Henry Davis, Jr.


The South Bend, Indiana Councilman got himself into trouble for posting an “explicit picture” of a man having sex with a dog…while discussing his opposition to LGBT people serving openly in the military. Yes, that actually happened.

https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:2IsIWK-V15YJ:https://politicalfails.wordpress.com/2014/01/31/south-bend-in-councilman-posts-explicit-picture-of-man-and-dog-to-facebook/+&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=se

In the aftermath of this fail, Davis ran for Mayor – unsuccessfully. He was also arrested for operating a vehicle while under the influence. Davis remains a member of South Bend Common Council.

snip

[phandancer917]

20. Thank you!

Those that deny these biases only make themselves look foolish.

I am happy to talk all about White privilege and the inherent racism in many of my white compatriots. The Black community (and liberal whites) need to recognize this bigotry and discuss.

[cwydro]

25. Doesn't do Biden any favors to get an endorsement from a homophobe.

Ugh.

[Gothmog]

28. I trust the Washington Post

See post 27

[Celerity]

29. it isnt a matter of 'trust' at all, that is a false frame

Oliver Davis is a long time political foe with a very problematic stances on LGBTQ issues and support for outright rabid homophobes. He also is far from a political neutral as well when it comes to his own personal history in SB electoral politics, as backed up by that very same WaPo article that you are trying to infer is somehow a rebuttal. Davis and a small cadre of other agenda-ed local SB pols, has been attacking Buttigieg since he announced his candidacy, often amplified by the far left social media sphere.

[Gothmog]

32. CNN is covering this story the same way

Link to tweet

The vice president of the South Bend, Indiana, Common Council on Friday endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden for president, and criticized South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg as the city's mayor faces more questions about his appeal to black voters.

Oliver Davis is one of the longest-serving black South Bend council members, according to a news release by the Biden campaign, and was previously the president of the South Bend Common Council. Davis ran for mayor in South Bend this year and lost to James Mueller, whom Buttigieg endorsed as his preferred successor. Buttigieg has been mayor of South Bend since 2012, and did not seek reelection.

"In times like these, when the political winds are fiercely blowing across our country, it's important for us to have an experienced leader who has been through the diverse storms of life to guide our country. That's why I am very pleased to support Vice President Joe Biden to be our next President of the United States of America," Davis said in a statement provided by the Biden campaign.

Davis told Politico that Biden is more experienced, and said he doubted Buttigieg could win a general election given his low level of support among black voters. Davis told Politico that Buttigieg's problem attracting support from communities of color "is not a new problem for him." He said: "For us, this has been a consistent issue that has not gone away."

No one is buying your spin in the real world

[Celerity]

35. Complete non sequitur

Davis is anti LGBTQ and has supported rabid anti-LGBTQ bigots like Henry Davis Jr. against Pete, even after Henry Davis was exposed as a purveyor of hate. Both Davises have a history of attacks on Pete and have personal agendas and reasons to do so, including being personally defeated politically by Pete.

[Gothmog]

44. The coverage has been fair and consistent

Link to tweet

[Gothmog]

46. Call the NYT and complain

Link to tweet

[Celerity]

47. Again with yet another non sequitur, neither of those articles

refutes anything I said. In fact it strengthens my case.

And.....

Bonus questionable language from Oliver Davis about Buttigieg in the NYT piece:

“

But when I saw his zipper down, I told him,” he added.

Smdh

[Gothmog]

48. You are losing this argument in the real world

Link to tweet

[Celerity]

49. I saw that, and it is not a win or lose when it comes to my posts, it is simply a matter

of placing Oliver Davis within a more fully fleshed-out construct that helps to explain his long history of hostility to Buttigieg that is now simply coming to the fore in the present day.

[Gothmog]

53. Here is yet another article

The mainstream media is doing a great job on this story

Link to tweet

[Corgigal]

36. My my my.

Explains what’s his issue.

Thanks.

[Gothmog]

21. BIG! South Bend Councilman Oliver Davis Endorses @JoeBiden

Link to tweet

[cwydro]

26. See post 18.

Oh my.

[Gothmog]

34. All of the major media sources are covering this story the same way

See Post 32

[FreeState]

38. SO that makes it right?

Serously - the guy is a homophobe - doesn't matter what the press reports.

[Celerity]

50. +1

[Gothmog]

27. Biden snares black leader's endorsement in Buttigieg's town

From the Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/biden-snares-black-leaders-endorsement-in-buttigiegs-town/2019/11/22/a80c9b44-0d5e-11ea-8054-289aef6e38a3_story.html

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden sent a message Friday to Mayor Pete Buttigieg with three endorsements from black Indiana leaders, including one from the South Bend mayor’s hometown.

The moves underscore the 37-year-old mayor’s trouble connecting with black voters even as he’s surged to the top of polls in the first-caucus state of overwhelmingly white Iowa. For the Biden campaign, they emphasize the 77-year-old former vice president’s strength among black Democrats, despite his otherwise uneven campaign that leaves some establishment party figures, particularly wealthy, white donors, nervous about his long-term prospects.

Biden’s new endorsers are South Bend Council officer Oliver Davis Jr. and two state representatives from metro Indianapolis.

“When the political winds are fiercely blowing across our country, it’s important for us to have an experienced leader who has been through the diverse storms of life to guide our country,” Davis said in a statement explaining why he’s behind Biden.

[The Mouth]

33. An honest question-

Do you think that if Biden was *not* the nominee, that fewer African Americans would go to the polls in the general?

I'm kind of scratching my head here; I understand any group wanting to flex their power, especially when they are a loyal voting block, and even more when there is a specific candidate they have long been comfortable wit, that makes sense. But wouldn't the African American community vote *AGAINST* Trump no matter who the Democratic candidate was?

It's one thing to have a candidate you love in the primary, but something else to shoot yourself in the head in the general by staying home.

[Cha]

39. Tweet pic of Oliver Davis!

Link to tweet

Goth!

[oasis]

42. I'm sure Mayor Pete has good intentions, but Joe's what we need now.

[Gothmog]

45. Full release from the Biden campaign from Dr. Oliver Davis, of the longest-serving African American

Link to tweet

[Cha]

55. Another great endorsement from

Oliver Davis in South Bend

[BuffaloJackalope]

56. TIL all black people are homophobic & even the smallest criticism of Buttigieg is gay-bashing.

Not.

Getting endorsements from the people that know him best - the Democrats in the city he has lead for going on 8 yrs - should be a slam-dunk no-brainer. The fact that he has difficulty with it is a really big problem.

The more I see stuff like this, the more I see that Buttigieg's bonfides are paper-thin, and the more I think he needs better friends.

[Gothmog]

57. For this thread

Link to tweet

[Gothmog]

58. It's so exciting how many african american hoosiers are coming forward to support Joe Biden!

Link to tweet