After A Massive Performance At CNN Town Hall And A Vice Feature, Can US Presidential Candidate Pete Buttigieg Build Momentum?
Maltese-American candidate for the Democratic Presidential nomination Pete Buttigieg looks to finally start building serious momentum after stealing the show in a CNN town hall meeting last Sunday and being the focus of a Vice News feature.
Buttigieg, who is considered to be a long shot to actually get the nomination, used a mix of sharp attacks and charm at the town hall to steal the spotlight from better-known candidates in an already highly-competitive field.
While currently polling at just 1% and his Maltese surname still problem to pronounce (Butter-Jig), Buttigieg’s witty criticism of US Vice President Mike Pence, a former Indiana governor, may just turn his fortunes around.
“How would he allow himself to become the cheerleader for the porn star presidency? Is it that he stopped believing in scripture when he started believing Donald Trump?”
Within 24 hours of the CNN town hall meeting, Buttigieg raised more than $600,000 from over 22,200 donations.
“I have rarely seen a candidate make better use of televised Town Hall than @PeteButtigieg is on @CNN tonight,” tweeted David Axelrod, a former adviser to President Barack Obama and a senior political commentator at CNN. “Crisp, thoughtful and relatable. He’ll be a little less of a long shot tomorrow.”
In the Vice feature, Buttigieg uses the opportunity to dismiss any criticism levelled at the millennial generation, insisting that the demographic is ready to become the focus of the national conversation.
He also stresses the importance of reclaiming words like “freedom” and “family” from the Republican party and using them as a springboard for progressive policies.
“These are American values,” he said.
“You are not free if you cannot start a new business because leaving your job means losing your healthcare. You are not free if consumer protections has been erased so that you can’t sue a credit card company even after they get caught ripping you off. And in my personal experience, you are not free if a county clerk can decided who you can or cannot marry because of their interpretation of the scripture.”
Buttigieg also calls for a change in direction for policy, saying that it was vital to develop values and philosophy before detailing policy. He is expected to produce some white papers on issues in the coming weeks.
His charm seems to be working for now, with one visitor even telling him that she was starting to fall in love with him.
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