Buttigieg's first scandal: "all lives matter"

[Gato malo]

Pete Buttigieg said 'all lives matter' in 2015, and the context doesn’t help.

Because the mayor said ”all lives matter” in a speech where he minimizes the importance of police officers selling T-shirts with the words.”Breath Easy”, mocking the death of African American Eric Garner.
Buttigieg was also refusing to release tapes where police officers allegedly used racial insults against a black police chief whom Buttigieg fired.
The black police chief was fired for recording his subordinates’ tapes.

CNBC (4-3-2019): Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg in 2015 addressed two local police controversies in South Bend, Indiana, by saying in an official speech that "all lives matter," a comment that could land him in hot water with his party's increasingly energized progressive base.

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/03/pete-buttigieg-on-police-controversy-said-all-lives-matter-in-2015.html

In his State of the City speech in question, Buttegieg said this about the t-shirts:

And so for all the good reasons that our men and women have to be proud of that uniform and the service and sacrifice it represents, it also remains the case that the uniform has a lot to overcome.
That’s why such bitter disagreements have arisen over something as seemingly minor and symbolic as T-shirts.

http://southbendvoice.com/2015/03/11/full-text-mayor-buttigiegs-state-of-the-city-address-2015/

[Tipperary]

1. Fascinating. You join du two days ago and already tearing a Dem candidate down.

Ha. Enjoy your stay.

[Gato malo]

3. Please address the article

Issues about other candidates are being discussed here.
We are not Republicans, who worship one guy and are terrified of criticizing him.
We are debaters.

[Tipperary]

6. No. We are not republicans. And I will not help you tear down other Dem candidates.

I am done. Good luck and happy stay “gato Malo.”

[SWBTATTReg]

34. Absolutely. I won't put out a post and then title it 'first scandal' like like this person did,

among their first postings...makes me wonder about their true motive / objective.

I am with you Tipperary, we don't knock other democratic contenders for the highest office in the land, all of the contenders are excellent candidates. All of them.

And by the way, I won't waste my time by reading the so called article provided by gato Malo for I'm sure that they picked that particular article of all of the thousands of articles I'm sure that are out there on Mayor Pete, for some reason, of their own. Which means I don't trust them or their posts since they are not being upfront w/ us or offer any 'full disclosure', other than being a Biden supporter as noted by their signature line.

[Tipperary]

43. Thank you.

[marble falls]

38. Good riddence.

[Celerity]

14. +100000

[RLG]

2. The hits just keep on coming!

First, it was his remarks on Gaza, then that long story about what he wrote in his book, now this.

Welcome to Politics 101, Mayor Pete!

[Celerity]

16. what remarks on Gaza?

unless you are referring to his being attacked by anti-Semitic, jew-baiting sites like Mondoweiss



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mondoweiss

Between 2010 and 2011, Tablet magazine published three articles, in which Mondoweiss, along with some other blogs, were thoroughly criticized. These articles characterized Weiss as a "Jew-baiter" and "intensely anti-Israel", saying his site is "obsessed with Israel and the machinations of the U.S. Israel lobby", and laden with "sweeping and unsubstantiated rhetoric".

Weiss responded to allegations in Tablet, by stating that the magazine had "smeared" him and several other bloggers as Jew-baiters.[44] Walt questioned the article's premise by stating that Smith's article contained "not a scintilla of evidence" that "Weiss, or I have written or said anything that is remotely anti-Semitic, much less that involves 'Jew-baiting'. There's an obvious reason for this omission: None of us has ever written or said anything that supports Smith's outrageous charges."

In 2012, The Algemeiner Journal characterized Mondoweiss as "Purveyors of Anti-Semitic Material". Also, Armin Rosen, a Media Fellow with The Atlantic, criticized Peter Beinart's blog, Open Zion (which appears in The Daily Beast) for publishing an article by Alex Kane because he is Mondoweiss's "Staff Reporter". Rosen wrote that "Mondoweiss often gives the appearance of an anti-Semitic enterprise."

[grossproffit]

17. Thank you for setting the record straight.

[Beakybird]

4. This would deter me from voting for him. We do have lots of choices.

No one is perfect, and there are many more flattering stories about Mayor Pete than unflattering.

I like Warren and Booker the most so far. In last place, I have Tulsi Gabbard and Bernie.

[brush]

5. If true his meteoric rise is done.

Certainly won't get the votes of AAs, a crucial segment of the Democratic base.

[Gato malo]

9. The tapes are worse than I thought

In the OP I will wrote that the tapes allegedly have racist insults from police officers. But there is more:

“The contents of the conversations have never been publicly disclosed, but a former police employee has said they include racist talk and even discussion of committing illegal acts.”
https://www.southbendtribune.com/news/publicsafety/after-negotiations-fail-south-bend-police-tapes-case-to-drag/article_21af3e28-e8b1-564c-a8a4-d4dac1f08703.html

Buttigieg certainly has a lot of explaining to do.

[Celerity]

22. outrageous bogus attack trying to smear him as racist or abetting racism

from that very article you posted

Attorney Daniel Pfeifer, who represents the officers, said Tuesday the two sides had recently reached what he called a “tentative agreement, subject to council approval” over the tapes. But on Monday, the council voted 9-0 to reject any settlement agreement that may have been reached in mediation.

Pfeifer said he was “still scratching his head” over the council’s unanimous vote, because one council member and the panel’s legal counsel were involved in negotiating the tentative agreement.

Council President Tim Scott declined to comment on the vote or the negotiations, citing a policy not to discuss litigation.

snip


here is the South Bend council

https://southbendin.gov/department/common-council/

[Tipperary]

11. Oh please, read the article.

This poster’s agenda is clear.

[Gato malo]

13. You haven't said a word about the article

Yet you tell others to read the article.

[DavidDvorkin]

7. Oh, I suspect that won't be a problem

https://www.ebony.com/exclusive/is-pete-buttigieg-black-voters-2020-presidential-dark-horse/

[Gato malo]

10. That's an opinion piece before this article came out

It is the opinion of an author wondering if maybe Buttigieg could be a “dark horse” among African American voters .
Hardly an indication that he will do well among black voters.

[sfwriter]

39. That "opinion" piece cites nine sources and appears in Ebony.

It is better sourced than the actual piece you linked to. I'll bet he gives them a full interview over this and even more African Americans hear his response than would have ever heard of his state of the city speech. Like he said to Ebony on why he was appearing in black churches, "“Anyone who takes the Black vote for granted is making a mistake,” Buttigieg told me. “And, anyone who neglects the Black vote is making a mistake.”"

[Tipperary]

12. Thank you!

This op is pretty funny actually.

[workinclasszero]

8. Everyone gets "vetted" around here

Step up to the plate, Mayor Pete!

[Devil Child]

20. Ain't that the truth workinclasszero!

No Democratic candidate will escape the media outrage factory spotlight.

[workinclasszero]

23. For sure!

👍

[sfwriter]

40. "everyone gets vetted"

Why is that so hard to understand?

The Biden threads got nasty and this was only the first of seven crisis Biden will face by my count. The hits will keep on coming.

[cwydro]

15. Oh dear.

Maybe try harder.

[Celerity]

18. that article, btw, links to screed by a known Clinton hater (Nathan J. Robinson) as 'evidence'

http://superpredatorbook.com/

SUPERPREDATOR
BILL CLINTON'S USE AND ABUSE OF BLACK AMERICA

[sfwriter]

37. ouch... good catch

[Devil Child]

19. I'd really have to stretch my imagination to call this a "scandal"

If this counts as "vetting" I'm sure Buttigieg will do just fine.

[cwydro]

24. Ikr?

Funny.

[marylandblue]

21. I like Buttigieg because I think he can respond well to things like this.

We will see if I am right.

[RussBLib]

25. has Pete addressed this yet?

I tend to miss a lot of news these days, and things happen very quickly.

[marylandblue]

31. He just did a short time so you aren't too far behind

https://www.democraticunderground.com/128753536

[PeeJ52]

29. I haven't committed yet, but one factor of Buttigieg I am impressed with is his admittance of ...

learning from his mistakes, and in a lot of cases, making up for them. I don't really mind these revelations either, if they are true and not just thrown out there by some conspiracy site. Someone is going to dig them up. It's best to get them out there early and get them addressed.

[sfwriter]

36. He said a friend told him, mistakes aren't good, but

...it is to your credit not to make the same ones.

His response shows this: "“It should enhance — not diminish — the value of a good police department when we assert what should go without saying, but in these times must be said clearly and again and again: that black lives matter,” Buttigieg said. “So, a national agenda on criminal-justice reform means not only enhancing policing in a more racially just way — not only challenging discriminatory practices and existing laws — but addressing the harm done by things like the decade-long war on drugs. It means reversing and recognizing the harms of mass incarceration.”"

[Freethinker65]

26. Not even close to a scandal, but nice try

[jezebel321]

28. the fear is so strong isnt it? and obvious. nt

[Blue1963]

27. It's ony a scandal if..

Shaggy pulls off his mask and it's Kuchner or Jr.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

30. That's a scandal?

Watergate was a scandal. Iran-Contra was a scandal. Teapot Dome was a scandal. Monica Lewinski, Donna Hart and the Access Hollywood tape were scandals. This is picayune bullshit.

[Moostache]

32. FFS...this is another hatchet job pitch in the dirt...

I am NOT buying that Buttigieg is some kind of closet bigot or racist, period. Those who clutch the pearls and have themselves an attack of the "purity vapors" over this kind of non-scandal are everything wrong with America in a nutshell - or they are disingenuous posers.

Don't like a particular primary candidate? Good. Move on to SUPPORT one you do.

This constant flow of attacks to tear down EVERY SINGLE CANDIDATE (Biden's too touchy....Sanders is hiding his taxes....Warren is not really Native American.....Gabbard is a closet member of something.....Klobuchar is too mean to her staff....Pete is (allegedly?) some kind of openly gay racist because THAT makes sense) is GOP rat fucking at its core. I no longer care to hear from ANY DU'er if the only thing that they do is muck-rake and help the GOP wittingly or unwittingly install Trump for another 4 years.

If we wait for a 100% bulletproof, flawless saint of a candidate to emerge, we'll all die from the effects of catastrophic climate change, or from our pre-existing medical conditions, still waiting. In the end, if you cannot say RIGHT NOW that your vote in 2020 is already decided and it will be for the Democratic candidate, what the hell are you doing here then?

[elleng]

33. is no scandal.

[sfwriter]

35. It doesn't appear you read both the article AND the second link.

He was giving the police no cover and mentioned the T-shirt, sold by a single officer according to the article, as a distraction to the real work of making the police more accountable. I'm sure he will address this eloquently and thoughtfully. Oh, look, he already has:

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/04/pete-buttigieg-addresses-all-lives-matter-controversy.html

"“It should enhance — not diminish — the value of a good police department when we assert what should go without saying, but in these times must be said clearly and again and again: that black lives matter,” Buttigieg said. “So, a national agenda on criminal-justice reform means not only enhancing policing in a more racially just way — not only challenging discriminatory practices and existing laws — but addressing the harm done by things like the decade-long war on drugs. It means reversing and recognizing the harms of mass incarceration.”

Looking around, I did a google search for the phrase "all lives matter" in 2014 and 2015. What I found was a lot of debate and education on why that phrase would be racist, isn't necessary, or at a minimum would be patronizing. No political candidate had yet been called out on it.

I can find no evidence it was even pointed out to him at the time.

The full context of the original statement:

http://southbendvoice.com/2015/03/11/full-text-mayor-buttigiegs-state-of-the-city-address-2015/

""Once again, this is not only a challenge for South Bend but for all of America. The last year has thrown our whole country into a needed but often painful dialogue about how we can live together as one, especially when it comes to the relationship between communities of color and law enforcement. This past weekend’s 50th anniversary of the Selma march was a powerful reminder of how far we have come, but also of just how much we have to overcome. There is no escaping the fact that the most grievous injustices experienced by minorities in American history were often served at the hands of police officers. And every police officer today, even the most forward-thinking among them, even police officers who are themselves African-American, is forced to deal with the fact that even if they had nothing personally to do with those injustices, the uniform did. And so for all the good reasons that our men and women have to be proud of that uniform and the service and sacrifice it represents, it also remains the case that the uniform has a lot to overcome.

That’s why such bitter disagreements have arisen over something as seemingly minor and symbolic as T-shirts. And that, let’s face it, is why there will be divisions in our community related to the controversy over police department tape recordings, no matter what the courts decide, and no matter what anyone does or does not get to hear from the conversations of others. This is not about T-shirts and it is not about tapes. This is about trust. And we won’t get anywhere as a community until we learn how to build trust, the hard way — by taking on the roots of this challenge directly, by resisting the urge to go back to what divides us, by coming together to make this a better place.

Building a more diverse police department is one step, and it’s a step we’re taking. That’s part of why new recruitment incentives went into our budget for this year. And it’s why I have publicly committed to engaging services of professionals with a proven track record of helping American cities improve diversity and inclusion in their hiring in public safety and beyond. It’s why we are exploring new ways of elevating the voice of the community in the practice of law enforcement in South Bend. But the biggest steps will have to draw on our community as a whole.

It’s time for South Bend to begin talking about racial reconciliation. That means honest, frank discussions that allow city leaders, law enforcement, and community members to face the mistakes of the past and establish shared ground for the future. We cannot reach our full potential for community-oriented policing until we have made it the norm that all residents feel and know that we have every reason to be both pro-minority and pro-police, at the same time.

There is no contradiction between respecting the risks that police officers take every day in order to protect this community, and recognizing the need to overcome the biases implicit in a justice system that treats people from different backgrounds differently, even when they are accused of the same offenses. We need to take both those things seriously, for the simple and profound reason that all lives matter."

This gives him a great opportunity to be heard by African Americans. He speaks well on the necessity of Black Lives Matter.

[demmiblue]

41. Posting privileges revoked

Nice try! Most of us knew exactly what you were doing.

[aikoaiko]

42. Back then there two types of people who said, "All lives matter"

The first was the person who couldn't stand the thought of black people getting attention to help solve endemic racism -- especially the kind of racism that led to dead black people at the hands of cops. This person will generally keep saying All Lives Matter even when the problems are explained.

The second was the well-intentioned person who was trying to communicate that black lives should be treated with the same respect as white lives because all lives should matter the same. This person will generally not keep saying all Lives Matter after learning the problematic nature of the phrase.