Klobuchar says a woman with Buttigieg's experience would not make it to debate stage

[left-of-center2012]

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said Sunday that women in politics are held to a higher standard than men, arguing that a female candidate with South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s experience probably would not make it to the presidential debate stage.

Klobuchar’s comments mark the latest instance of a 2020 presidential contender taking aim at Buttigieg, a newcomer on the national political stage whose ascent in the fundraising race and in polls for the Democratic nomination has taken many by surprise.

In the third quarter of the year, Buttigieg raised $19.1 million for his presidential bid, a haul that put him third behind Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who raised $25.3 million, and Warren, who raised $24.6 million. Klobuchar raised $4.8 million in the same period.

Recent polls show Buttigieg gaining ground on Biden, Warren and Sanders, particularly in Iowa, whose caucuses in February mark the first nominating contest of the 2020 primary race. Klobuchar has remained in the single digits.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/klobuchar-says-a-woman-with-buttigiegs-experience-would-not-make-it-to-debate-stage-because-of-different-standard/2019/11/10/cf191e00-03e1-11ea-8292-c46ee8cb3dce_story.html

[George II]

1. I love Amy Klobuchar, but that wasn't a very wise comment.

[Salviati]

8. She's not wrong though.

[pnwmom]

17. It's true. If Pete was Petra, a gay small-city mayor, she wouldn't be doing as well. nt

[dsc]

48. actually lesbians and bisexual women have done much better at the ballot box than gay man

Both LGBT US Senators are women, one of the two governors, and the first one elected, is a woman. The big city mayors and mayoral candidates have mostly been women (Houston, Chicago, and NYC for example).

[judeling]

21. I see it as pretty wise

It will be one of the obvious lines of attack on Mayor Pete. But, She delivered at peak Bloomberg.

That is one heck of a multi-layered attack delivered is a way and in a place that hurts her very little.

[efhmc]

2. There is still such a divide here. I wish this old feminist could not say it's true.

This is why I do not think EW can beat DJT. Not because she is not a great candidate but because we are still such a backward country.

[brush]

51. You're right, misogyny is still out there which could cost EW...

votes, but there's also that she advocated for MFA without allowing for people to keep their own insurance if preferred.

I do understand she has walked that back now with a transition plan which would allow exceptions. That might be too late though.

[Gothmog]

3. I agree with Amy

[nycbos]

4. She is not wrong.

Pete seems like a good guy but he is a small town mayor. He couldn't even convince the DNC members to make him party chairman and now he things he can be president.

[apcalc]

5. She's right.

[WheelWalker]

6. If that is true of Buttigieg, surely it is true of Yang is it not?

[dsc]

44. But yang is straight so it's ok

[TheFarseer]

7. Marianne Williamson made it to the debate stage

Proving her wrong. Also the HP lady in the Republican debate.

[WheelWalker]

11. I knew there was someone relevant to this discussion I had forgotten. Thank you.

[rpannier]

14. I would argue that is more because of her 'cult-like' following

The people who buy her books and turn to her for advice
As to the "HP woman", the Republicans did not have the same criterion in 2016, that the Democrats have for 2020
Just about everyone running got into the Republickkan debate if you had a minutia of support pulse

[TheFarseer]

25. Didn't the R's in 2016

Have a “kid’s table” debate? We could have done that. As many Republicans as there were in 2016, there were even more Democrats in 2020. It’s just so many people you don’t even know what to do at some point.

[rpannier]

26. You are correct

Top half debate and bottom half debate

[dsc]

45. She made the top debate stage at least once

[pnwmom]

18. That doesn't prove her wrong. Marianne hasn't been doing nearly as well as Pete. n/t

[TheFarseer]

22. Once you make it

To the debate stage, it’s up to you to woo the voters.

[pnwmom]

23. Not true. So much is dependent on media attention OFF the debate stage.

And the only reason Williamson got anywhere is she already had a non-political platform.

[TheFarseer]

28. Your first sentence

“So much is dependent on media attention off the debate stage”. Unfortunately, a solid debate performance can be talked down by a panel of talking heads or a bad performance talked up, but debate viewers still can be impressed in the moment and look into a candidate on their own. The worst thing the media does is completely ignore candidates. I’m not disagreeing with you, I just don’t think it’s 100% either thing.

Btw, I’d never heard of her before the debate and was pretty sure she was, let’s just say unelectable after.

[redstateblues]

34. She had no business being in that stage with serious candidates

[Cha]

37. Exactly, redstateblues!

[TheFarseer]

47. That's true

And neither did Buttigieg just based on jobs they’ve held but they both made it and that’s my only point.

[aikoaiko]

56. But she got there on her own terms. twice

[customerserviceguy]

54. There's a difference

Pete makes sense when he talks.

And that "lady" is no lady, Carly Fiorina is poison wherever she goes. Even my GOP'er acquaintances back in NY acknowledged that to me. One was livid when Ted Cruz chose her as a running mate just before the California primary. He had been quite the fan of Cruz until that happened!

[RLG]

9. No lies were told.

nt

[emmaverybo]

10. I like her, but this is a bad road to go down as it was when Geraldine Ferraro traveled it, with

much more spite admittedly and a racist dog-whistle.

It always takes an extraordinary person to be the first. No one gets there by grumbling about the stacked deck. Obama and surrogates never did.

Ageism, racism, homophobia, misogyny, and plain old custom and tradition erect hurdles for all.

Claiming to have the highest hurdle does not help the jump.

[LakeArenal]

12. Love Amy but an unnecessary comment.

Neither are going to win the primary.

Serious quality staff or possibly VP potential.

Pete doesn’t have the experience of Amy but he sure has qualities that make him a very viable candidate for any position. I like him.

Both of them have so much potential. Build up yourselves and don’t worry so much about the other one.

[msongs]

13. envy is such an ugly emotion nt

[Skittles]

15. holding women to a higher standard is SOP

women have to bet twice a good to be considered half as good

[mcar]

16. She is correct

Klobuchar, Warren and Harris have much more experience than does Mayor Pete, and 2 of them are virtually ignored by the media. A female mayor of a small city wouldn't be given the time of day by the media or the DNC.

[pnwmom]

19. Right. And a female lesbian mayor of a small city would be given even less serious attention. nt

[mcar]

20. You got that right

I've got nothing against Mayor Pete. I just think it's too soon for him, and he's getting all this attention to the detriment of much more qualified candidates.

He got 8000 votes in his last election and is running for president. Harris, by example, got 7 million. But she is ignored by the media.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

24. He's getting all this attention because he has worked for it.

If the "more qualified" candidates aren't getting this level of attention, perhaps they should be working harder.

[pnwmom]

31. Yeah, right. n/t

[hay rick]

29. Even if she was a Rhodes scholar and had done a tour in Afghanistan?

[pnwmom]

30. Even if. nt

[Eric J in MN]

38. Marianne Williamson never had a government job

...but she was in a debate and was in the recent “Presidential Forum on Environmental Justice” in SC.

[evertonfc]

27. oh please

The guy has accomplished more at his age than anyone on stage. He is a combat veteran, ridiocusly educated, speaks 5 languages and a mayor. Come on. The debate stage is determined by voters...

[33taw]

32. Any republican that bitches can all Sarah Palin. Mayor to a small town.

[Eric J in MN]

39. Sarah Palin was also governor of Alaska. NT

NT

[democrank]

33. Pete Buttigieg earned his spot on the debate stage.

I’m sure Amy Klobuchar’s poison darts weren’t the first ever aimed at him.

[underthematrix]

35. I refer everyone to the FIRST interview

Rachel Maddow did with Mayor Pete. Then read his wiki page and pay close attention to his background.

He worked for McKinsey and Company as a consultant and was a NAVAL INTELLIGENCE reserve officer with a tour of duty in Afghanistan.

He has a very interesting background but I find it more than puzzling that he would think he has the qualifications AND executive network to be president.

He never got on my short list, mostly because of the Maddow interview.

[Eric J in MN]

40. What was the big deal with that interview? NT

NT

[Celerity]

43. I assume you will have issues with Chelsea Clinton and Susan Rice

as they are ex McKinsey employees too?

As for experience he has 8 years as an executive (and in a strong mayor system to boot) overseeing a budget and staff that dwarfs a Senator's or a Representative's. His academic background is as close to ideal for a future president as one can get, including an ultra rare 'Oxford First' whilst a Rhode Scholar in their extraordinary rigourous Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) programme. His military experience is also a large plus, as is his ability to speak 8 languages, as this shows not only great cognitive skills, but also gives him perspective on the world at large in terms of neuro-linguistic vision and conceptualisation of the world at large.

To say that a lesbian version of Pete would be getting less attention is playing what if games, as there is no lesbian version of Pete to do a valid comparison to. As for women and our Party's nomination, look at who won in 2016, and look at who is the clear second place candidate nationally (and clear leader in IA and NH overall.)

Finally, take away the Obama VP role from Biden, and he would never have gotten within 100 miles of even running again for POTUS, let alone being the national leader, after his 2 previous failed runs. Taking that away is not possible, however, just the same as speculative interjections of some mythical lesbian version of Buttigieg.

I support Buttigieg because I find him to be extraordinarily gifted and I truly believe he would make the best POTUS out of the current group running. Nothing more, nothing less.

[SidDithers]

36. Why not say something positive about your candidate?...

Sid

[BlueMTexpat]

41. While I may concur generally

with what Klobuchar said, it is comments like this as well as her taking lots of gratuitous shots at Warren that have dropped her from my top three in my ranked-choice voting.

My first two choices remain the same, although my #2 Harris seems to be struggling more than I thought that she would. But Buttigieg has replaced Klobuchar in my RCV.

Just my two bits!

***********
ETA: I just recently saw what I consider to be a gratuitous slur from Buttigieg against Warren: a paraphrase = fighting for fighting's sake.

That's one that I've noticed and now I'm watching more carefully.

[zaj]

42. Uh, Tulsi Gabbard says "Hi"... from the debate stage

[hay rick]

50. LOL.

[Renew Deal]

46. Buttigieg isn't successful because of biography.

He is successful because of message and contrast with an otherwise elderly field.

[dansolo]

49. Umm... Are we forgetting Marianne Williamson?

She made it to the debate stage with no experience whatsoever.

[exboyfil]

52. The military service gains him a lot of credibility

He is more qualified that Beto who should have run for Senate again.

I don't think she gains anything by tearing down other candidates in that way. I may need to reconsider my support for her in the Iowa caucus.

[boomer_wv]

53. She's not wrong?

Marrianne Williamson made it to the stage. How is she more experienced than PB? Tulsi Gabbard is on the stage, she's a 38 year old 3 term representative with nothing of significance in her record. As a mayor he's atleast had to make executive decisions that actually effected people directly.

[aikoaiko]

55. I think Marianne Williamson making it to the debate stage blows up that claim.

I'm also sure that Stacey Abrams would have made it deep in the party nomination process (multiple debates) had she thrown her hat in.

Her political success is on par with Buttigieg.