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As the Democratic National Convention unfolds, The NewsHour will meet prominent party members.We started with Pete Buttigieg, former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, who was competing with former Vice President Joe Biden for the Democratic presidential nomination for just a few months.Buttigieg joins Judy Woodruff in talking about Biden’s intuition to heal, to divide.”
Judy Woodruff:
So, this week, we’ll get in touch with some prominent Democrats, adding Pete Buttigieg, former mayor of South Bend, Indiana.
And he joins me now.
Mayor Buttigieg, welcome back to “NewsHour”. It’s to see you.
You know, so long ago, you were on the polls, and I looked at this, portraying Joe Biden as the one who spoke enthusiastically of the same Washington playbook, recycling the old Democratic Party arguments and reducing Americans in small towns to a punchline.
So what’s changed?
Pete Buttigieg:
Well, we had a crusade between many Democratic candidates and Joe Biden won, won decisively.
And I’m not just doing it because of the importance of ending the Trump era and cruelty, department and incompetence, but also, I can’t wait to see what this country will look like under a Biden/Harris administration.
You have in Joe Biden someone who believes in uniting other people, someone whose first intuition is to heal that divide.And that’s more appropriate and what’s at stake in this election has become more vital since I left the electoral crusade around six.Months ago.
Judy Woodruff:
Then, before they take office, he’ll have to be elected.
And we just talked about the center of this country. What do Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, want to do to convince these, frankly, largely white Midwest voters, like those in their home state of Indiana, that they once held commercial jobs? – Many of them left – and opted for Donald Trump last time?
Pete Buttigieg:
Well, I think the most important thing is with all parts of the country.
That’s a component of why Milwaukee selected it as the site of this convention.And even if we do not meet physically, it will be vital to communicate with other people in that component of the country, which, by the way, is also a very varied component.of the country, more than we deserve.
But the message is simple: we’re no better off than we were 4 years ago, let alone.The productive sector was already in recession even before it hit the pandemic.
You look around a position like Wisconsin or other parts of the Midwest, farmers die, dairy farms close and go bankrupt day after day, because the president of the United States doesn’t care, he doesn’t care about any of us.
In addition to all the policies that want to replace, the undeniable fact of wanting a more competent leadership in the White House, the undeniable fact of having a president who cares about us, I think, is the biggest replace we can make..
And we have a historic opportunity to cross some of those old party lines, to have success with other people who would possibly be used to voting Republicans, almost just for a generation.
But listen, if you’re conservative because you’re decent, if you’re conservative because you have fiscal responsibility, if you are conservative because you’re a user of faith.If you’re conservative because you’re concerned about national security, Donald Trump has nothing for you.
So this is the best time to incorporate a combination of progressive, moderate and many of what I’d like to call long-term former Republicans to turn the page in this country before it’s too late.
Judy Woodruff:
Well, I’m asking this because even in polls that show Joe Biden with a really broad national advantage, there’s more electorate right now that says Donald Trump is better at managing the economy.
There’s a Wall Street Journal/NBC ballot that was released on the last day or so, that has President Trump 10 issues ahead of Joe Biden when he asked other people, who is more productive in managing this economy?
Pete Buttigieg:
You know, Donald Trump is smart for many, but one thing he’s been very smart about is claiming credit for Obama/Biden’s economic recovery, whose tail hit and controlled for about 3 years not to ruin.
Now we’re where we are. Now the economic figures, in some respects, are the worst since 1876, and there is no sugar.
Look, this is where we’re headed as a country.It’s about how we’re just going to dig in that hole, but also build, as the vice president says, rebuild better.
And if we’re talking about jobs here in the commercial Midwest, if we’re talking about unrest affecting rural Americans, not just farmers, by the way, but things like postal service, which is disproportionately in rural America and under attack through this president, we just have the most productive message.
Now it is our task to make sure, over the next 80 days, that no one can miss this message, that we are doing our homework, even if we have to do it in new ways.We make a crusade as we are used to. We want to get this message out to everyone.
When we do, we’ll win. And let’s remember, we won. Donald Trump loses this election.That doesn’t mean it’s guaranteed. We still have to earn it.But right now, Joe Biden is beating Donald Trump, and rightly so.
Judy Woodruff:
And he still has to face Donald Trump’s election campaign.
Once you said you have to deal, I think the words for that goal, you have to treat President Trump almost like the crazy guy in the closet.You said you couldn’t play his game.
Would you like to see Joe Biden respond to this, the kind of thing President Trump still says today?
Pete Buttigieg:
Well, when you go crazy or it’s designed to get our attention, you take care of it, put it back in place and then goes straight to the message.
I mean, for example, Donald Trump tried to revive fatherhood to distract us, so it’s very vital to temporarily identify that it’s a lie, which is a racist lie, and then without delay to come back to let us know what didn’t need us.to communicate, that is, the economic disaster that is unfolding around us in this country.
And I think I hear a lot of annoyance as to whether Vice President Biden provides enough.Again, he wins, not because he creates the same kind of arm and look noise that comes out of this president, but because it has a greater impact.message, it’s regular, it’s consistent.
And I believe that stability and coherence are precisely what Americans want at a time like this.
Judy Woodruff:
And little question.
Should Biden’s crusade this week seem too leftist?
Pete Buttigieg:
Well, now Biden’s crusade and the Democratic Party are more aware of the American people.
We have a big tent. And we’re proud of that, that is, the fact that there are people from Bernie Sanders, Republicans like John Kasich and everyone else, all united right now around the urgency of this moment and, again, not just for what we’re facing, that will be a sufficient motivation, but so we have the chance to be Array , who is an intelligent leader whose first intuition is to heal, not to divide.
It’s anything you don’t want to be a Democrat with for a long time, in fact, that’s where most Americans are already.
Judy Woodruff:
Former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Pete Buttigieg, thank you very much.
And he’ll do it this week at the Democratic National Convention.
Thank you.
Pete Buttigieg:
Thank you. Great to be with you.
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