Mayor Pete Weaponizes Biden's Attack Ad Against Him

[denem]

Mayor Pete Weaponizes Biden’s Attack Ad Against Him

“Americans in small, rural towns and industrial communities and yes, in our biggest cities, are tired of being reduced to a punchline by Washington politicians,” Buttigieg said.

MANCHESTER, New Hampshire—Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of a Midwestern city with just over 100,000 residents, wants voters gathered here in Manchester, a city with a population of approximately the same size, to know that he has something in common with them.

He also wants them to know that Joe Biden does not.

“I know some are asking, what business does the South Bend mayor have seeking the highest office in the land,” Buttigieg started, addressing Biden without mentioning him by name. “You don’t have an office in Washington, you don’t have decades of experience in the establishment, the city you are the mayor of isn’t even the biggest city in the country.”

“It is more like Manchester, New Hampshire,” he said, to applause.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/bidens-attack-ad-on-mayor-pete-backfires-in-manchester

[Mike 03]

1. "Weaponizes" is too strong a word. Mayor Pete just hit back, and

I don't see why he shouldn't?

[denem]

2. I just posted the headline as is.

Weaponize, under the circumstances, would be responding with an attack ad.

[Devil Child]

7. Everything becomes "weaponized" by journalists

One of their favorite buzz words.

[redqueen]

8. Yep. Shit's not gonna stir itself.

I hope more and more people stop clicking on bullshit like this and only engage with respectable journalism. Ad $ is literally all they care about.

[PatSeg]

19. Much too strong

The media is creating more conflict than actually exists.

[highplainsdem]

3. Pete's off the mark there. Biden wasn't reducing anything to a punchline. But he was very

accurately pointing out that Mayor Pete's experience isn't equal to that of his rivals in this campaign.

Especially Biden's.

For Pete to suggest that's somehow an attack on Americans in general is about as bizarre as Trump trying to turn every criticism of his own actions into criticism of all Americans, or at least all his supporters.

I wish Pete would defend his own record rather than trying to pretend Biden was attacking the entire country because he's a "Washington politician."

That tactic should be beneath Pete.

I like Pete. But he's desperately trying to spin that ad into something it wasn't.


See reply 4 below for what I think Pete should have done.

[highplainsdem]

4. You know what Pete SHOULD have done in defending himself? He could have

pointed out that projects like those are important to the success of the community.

He could have pointed out that he hasn't been president or vice-president yet, but hundreds of millions of Americans haven't, and no one holds those positions until they're elected.

He could have pointed out that it was also a step up for Biden.

He could have pointed out the endorsements he has, including from people who worked for the Obama admin.

But instead, in a ridiculous spin, he tried to turn it into Washington-politicians-versus-the-rest-of-the-country, with Biden as some sort of villain.

[BlueWI]

9. Biden's ad oversimplified personnel decisions

and trivializes the work of local electeds. A number of mayors and other officials, like the mayors of Dayton, OH and Parkland, FL that recently faced a mass shooting along with decades of deindustrialization in Dayton's case, have spoken out about this. My spouse is an elected official as well and found the ad trivializing, as the ad obviously is with its coy Parks and Rec attempt at irony.

It's totally fair for Biden to speak about his experience and how that qualifies him for office. But this ad goes far beyond that into implied racism about personnel decisions (which Obama couldn't do - remember the Beer Summit - but Biden can due to white privilege).

I don't support either Biden or Buttigieg in the primaries. But the ad is clearly problematic, and it's mainly Biden partisans that can't see why.

Your candidate's campaign is lurching toward panic mode, and since Biden is still the favorite, there's no reason for this. Focus on lessons from experience and future plans and that would help the campaign and help all Democrats in case Biden becomes the nominee.

[Laelth]

11. Well said. n/t

-Laelth

[BlueWI]

21. Thx. eom

[LeftTurn3623]

5. Great response

To that awful dirty attack ad by Biden. No wonder he is beating him like a drum

[Celerity]

6. +1

[UniteFightBack]

14. Oh yes...'years ago' all the way back to 2016. And it's about beating DUMP not anything else!

Lots of folks ARE NOT GETTING THIS.

[UniteFightBack]

16. Isn't that adorable...if you think that's dirty just you wait. nt

[UniteFightBack]

12. If you don't want to be a punch line then stop acting like one. nt

[denem]

13. Cute

but meaningless.

[UniteFightBack]

15. Oh yes you just described me to a T

[denem]

17. More like one of my ex's

[UniteFightBack]

18. One of them???

You rascal you!!!

[denem]

20. the long and winding road