Buttigieg, in His Push for Iowa, Sounds Echoes of Obama

[question everything]

CRESTON, Iowa—As a 25-year-old, Pete Buttigieg knocked on doors here in Union County as a volunteer for a Democratic presidential candidate with a relatively thin political resume and an uncommon name. Twelve years after he played that small role in helping Barack Obama win the 2008 Iowa caucuses—a victory that launched the then-junior senator from Illinois on a path to the White House—Mr. Buttigieg is back, drawing parallels between himself and the former two-term president.

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The comparisons the mayor draws with Mr. Obama are designed to bolster the notion that his candidacy is also historic—he’d be the first openly gay man to occupy the White House—and that voters shouldn’t shy away from him just because he doesn’t have years of Washington experience. Mr. Buttigieg holds leads in the most recent polls in Iowa and New Hampshire, the two states that hold the first nominating contests in early February. But his inability so far to attract support from black voters is hurting him in another early state, South Carolina, and it is one of his biggest challenges. While the eventual first black president trailed then- Sen. Hillary Clinton among black voters early in the race for 2008, African-American support surged after he won Iowa. Building that enthusiasm is likely to be more of a test for the mayor, who was criticized over his handling of a police shooting of a black man in South Bend earlier this year.

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There are other clear similarities between the Obama and Buttigieg White House bids: Midwest ties, an overt outreach to Republicans, presentations that can be professorial at times and calls for generational change (Mr. Obama was nine years older during his campaign than Mr. Buttigieg is now). When Mr. Buttigieg talks about being “impatient” for changes in Washington, that is reminiscent of the “fierce urgency of now” Mr. Obama talked about in 2007 and 2008 as he cited the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

There also are distinct differences. Mr. Obama in the race for the 2008 nomination had won a statewide contest in Illinois and had gained a national profile. Mr. Buttigieg leads the fourth-largest city in Indiana and was much less prominent when he launched his campaign. Mr. Obama, who listened to rap music and won a Grammy for narrating his own memoir, also attracted young voters, while Mr. Buttigieg has seen his greatest strength in most early-state polls from those middle-aged and older. Voters interviewed this week in Iowa said that they see the same sort of intelligence, cool composure, pragmatism and positive energy from both men.

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Mr. Buttigieg hasn’t shied away from comparisons to Mr. Obama all year, but he has leaned especially hard into them in recent weeks. “The first time I came to this state was as a volunteer to knock on doors for a presidential candidate, a young man with a funny name,” he said during a closely watched speech at a party fundraising dinner this month in Des Moines.

More..

https://www.wsj.com/articles/buttigieg-in-his-push-for-iowa-sounds-echoes-of-obama-11574859608 (paid subscription)

[Cha]

1. I'll kick it.. he's obviously not my candidate but

at least he's not dissing President Obama which is more than I can say for a couple of them.. who shall remain nameless in this text.

[question everything]

2. Indeed

[Cha]

3. ...