Jane Holmes
Nov 7 · 5 min read

There’s so much wrong here, but I’ll start with the spirit of the piece, which is mean, bitter, and highly inaccurate. I hate to see any of us treat other Dems like this. I understand the urge when your candidate is suddenly threatened by another candidate you don’t think is worthy. Hell, I thought Obama was all “smooth manipulative talk with no substance” too in 2007 and couldn’t stand him. Hillary was SO much more qualified.

She was. But I was wrong about Obama.

Now to the substance of your argument.

Pete Buttigieg does not form his policy based on pressure from donors or polls. He has been literally talking about the same stuff since 2012 or, in some cases, since college! His thoughts on what it means to be a Democrat, on how we should lean into our core values to appeal to a broader range of people, was part of his message when he ran for DNC Chair. He’s on video talking about M4AWWI since February. I’ve been following him closely since then, and I haven’t seen him pivot on a single issue. Is he *talking more* about M4AWWI now? Absolutely. He obviously sees that as a key distinguisher between himself and Warren/Sanders and he’s emphasizing that. That’s what candidates do in a race.

Pete talking about M4AWWI in Feb — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nldx3r7h3Cg&feature=youtu.be&t=1588

HE WILL ACTUALLY GET A LOT DONE WHEN HE’S PRESIDENT.

We know this because he has his entire life. Do you think it’s easy to get into Harvard? To become a Rhodes Scholar? To go to Oxford and study a challenging area (Politics, Philosophy and Economics) and achieve a first? Become mayor at 29? He’s the definition of over-achiever and someone who gets shit done.

In South Bend, he managed to unite enough of the city — including Republicans and Indies — to implement serious change. Putting in roundabouts and bike paths through downtown, making over a huge old factory and bringing in new businesses, setting up an Office of Diversity and Inclusion and setting new guidelines city wide, doing quite a lot to reform the PD. Here’s a full list of 44 initiatives Pete pushed through just in the area of lifting up minorities in SB:

And here’s an older profile on him that shows how he saved South Bend economically:

If you think pushing through that kind of change in a city government is easy, you don’t know how moribund such institutions are. “But we’ve always done it this way” is the cry of the land.

In South Bend, he campaigned on promises and fulfilled them. He campaigned on removing 1000 empty and abandoned houses that were an eyesore in the city in 1000 days. He achieved it.

So do I believe he will do what he’s promising in this campaign? Yes, yes I do.

HIS POLICIES ARE CLEAR, SUBSTANTIVE, AND PROGRESSIVE

Anyone who thinks otherwise has not looked at his policies. All of his policy plans are well thought-out, attack problems on a systemic level, and are integrated with each other. Here are some policy points:

  • Commits to having 50% women in his cabinet and judicial appointees. Companies required to make pay transparent to end gender pay gap. Pledged to sign the Equity Act. Pledged to appoint justices and do whatever it takes to protect a woman’s right to choose.
  • Carbon neutral by 2050, rejoin Paris, set up local “Pittsburg summit” groups in US to tackle climate change on a local level, make tackling climate change a national project akin to the moon landing and subsidize farms to help them become carbon neutral. “Climate corp” of youth in national service (paid jobs) to help with the initiative.
  • $15 min wage, enormous fines on companies that prohibit unions, allow workers to unionize across companies like a “fast food worker union”, for gig workers provide federal bennies like healthcare, parental and sick leave. Pete’s huge on unions due to his industrial midwest past. He believes that’s the way to bring back a robust middle class.
  • Shift federal spending to at least 25% minority-owned businesses (huge $). Federal support for HCBUs, credit to minority entrepreneurs, homestead act which helps low income people afford and keep their housing, commits to a cabinet that reflects the diversity of the US in equal measure, health equity zones in minority areas. Many more points in The Douglass Plan.
  • Help rural communites with dying populations by offering special visas to highly-skilled immigrants (like doctors) to move to these areas for a fixed number of years to earn citizenship. Broadband to all areas — this helps bring telecommuters into rural areas where housing is cheaper. Address lack of rural health centers with telehealth. Initiatives for farmers including helping train and subsidize farms to be part of the climate solution.
  • End incarceration for drug possession and free prisoners in prison for that charge (huge). Fund re-entry programs for ex-cons and immediately restore their voting rights. End isolation in prison. End the death penalty. End private prisons.
  • Gun safety —red flag laws, ban assault weapons and ammunition, background checks — all the things Moms Demand Action and other organized anti-gun groups are asking for.
  • Democratic reform (my #1). End gerrymandering, new voting rights act to end voter suppression tactics. End the fillibuster. Supreme court reform to depoliticize the supreme court. End the electoral college. Give DC and PR statehood (if PR wants it). Protect our elections from outside interference with cybersecurity.

These are just a few points. Pete’s policies promises are clear, measurable, and HIGHLY progresssive.

HE WILL ACTUALLY UNIFY

Pete’s ideas of unifying a broad coalition is realistic. He already has a lot of followers who are Republican or ex-Republican, Independents, Libertarian, or undeclared voters. I see it constantly on Twitter and reddit. They appear at his rallies. At a recent stop in rural Iowa, he got a crowd of 1000 in Waverly, a community that went to Obama and then Trump. Crowd pics and comments from residents at the link below.

He is reaching out to disaffected conservative voters, voters who can’t stand Trump. Why would we Dems NOT take this unique moment in history to do that? Pete is able to talk to people in a way that does not immediately make them defensive or shut them out. Sure, we can hate on anyone who voted for Trump and call them names, but what does that really buy us in the end?

Personally, I prefer the olive branch, as long as I know my president is truly progressive and will follow through on his promises.

    Jane Holmes

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