Pete Buttigieg in 8th Democratic Primary Debate
On Drugs:
Fewer arrests than US, but more black arrests for pot
Buttigieg sidestepped a question about why the number of marijuana possession arrests among black residents in South Bend increased under his leadership. Rather than answer the question directly, Buttigieg instead said that that category of arrests was
lower in his city than the national average. He then pivoted to discussing racism more broadly, before being called out by the moderator for deflecting.When asked if Buttigieg's response was substantial, Warren replied simply, "No."
Source: CNBC.com excerpts of 8th Democrat 2020 primary debate
Feb 8, 2020
On Health Care:
2018: Medicare-for-All; 2020: only for those who want it
Sen. Amy Klobuchar accused Buttigieg of flip-flopping on support for Medicare for All, citing a 2018 tweet in which Buttigieg said he supported it "indubitably" and "affirmatively." Buttigieg does not support the Medicare for All plan proposed by
Sanders, but Buttigieg maintains that his plan to offer Medicare as an option in the Affordable Care Act exchanges would put the U.S. on a "glide path" that leads to "a Medicare for All environment."At the time, Buttigieg was the mayor of South Bend,
and not yet a candidate for president. As a candidate, Buttigieg has proposed a more centrist health care proposal than some Democrats. He does not support the Medicare for All plan proposed by Sanders, which would expand Medicare and create a
new universal, single-payer health care system in the United States. Rather, Buttigieg is proposing what he calls "Medicare for All Who Want It." It would essentially allow people to buy into Medicare through the Affordable Care Act exchanges.
Source: FactCheck.org on 8th Democrat 2020 primary debate
Feb 8, 2020
On Welfare & Poverty:
Dow Jones doesn't measure performance of economy
Buttigieg made a case for an administration that takes a broader view of the country's economic health, making a reference to Trump's measures of the state of the economy. "Now we have a president who says the economy is fantastic because the Dow Jones
is looking good," Buttigieg said. "And I'm sure if you've got a building with your name on it close to Wall Street, then that really is the same thing as the economy to you. But the problem is we've had an economy grow and not be able to lift up those
most in need or even so many in the middle."Buttigieg said that if elected president, he would measure the performance of the economy "not by the Dow Jones, but by the income growth of the 90 percent, because a good economy is one where
children are being lifted out of poverty."
"We need to recognize that the time has arrived for a different kind of politics to turn the page--leave the politics of the past in the past and deliver a better future before it is too late," he said.
Source: Washington Post excerpts of 8th Democrat 2020 primary debate
Feb 8, 2020
On Crime:
Systemic racism has penetrated into police departments
On my watch, drug arrests in South Bend were lower than the national average, and specifically to marijuana, lower than in Indiana. But there is no question that systemic racism has penetrated to every level of our system, and my city was not immune.
I took a lot of heat for discussing systemic racism with my own police department, but we've got to confront the fact that there is no escaping how this is part of all of our policies.
Source: 8th Democrat 2020 primary debate, St. Anselm College in NH
Feb 7, 2020
On Crime:
Legalize pot and help those incarcerated unfairly
I am calling for us to take up reforms that end incarceration as a response to possession and make sure that we legalize marijuana and do it retroactively with expungements to correct the harm done in so many cases of incarceration,
disproportionately of black and brown Americans where the incarceration did far more harm than the offense it was intended to deal with.
Source: 8th Democrat 2020 primary debate, St. Anselm College in NH
Feb 7, 2020
On Drugs:
Accountability for drug producers; treatment for users
What I'm calling for is that we end the use of incarceration as a response. This does not mean that it will be lawful to produce or distribute those kinds of harmful drugs. We've got to make sure that there is accountability for those who suppressed
evidence about the addictiveness of those substances. Even while we're also coming to recognize that these kinds of addiction are a medical issue, not a moral failure on the part of somebody battling that addiction.
Source: 8th Democrat 2020 primary debate, St. Anselm College in NH
Feb 7, 2020
On Government Reform:
End political battlefield of Supreme Court nominations
What I've called for is not only reforming the number of justices on the bench, but structural reform so that some of the justices are not appointed through a partisan process. We cannot allow the
Supreme Court to continue to become one more political battlefield as we are seeing today. Also remember that the founders gave us the power to amend the Constitution for a reason and we shouldn't be afraid to use it.
Source: 8th Democrat 2020 primary debate, St. Anselm College in NH
Feb 7, 2020
On Health Care:
Don't command, it should be Medicare for those who want it
There is now a majority ready to act to make sure there is no such thing as an uninsured American and no such thing as an unaffordable prescription.
Just so long as we don't command people to accept a public plan if they don't want to. That's the idea of Medicare for All Who Want It.
Source: 8th Democrat 2020 primary debate, St. Anselm College in NH
Feb 7, 2020
On Health Care:
Don't command, it should be Medicare for those who want it
There is now a majority ready to act to make sure there is no such thing as an uninsured American and no such thing as an unaffordable prescription.
Just so long as we don't command people to accept a public plan if they don't want to. That's the idea of Medicare for All Who Want It.
Source: 8th Democrat 2020 primary debate, St. Anselm College in NH
Feb 7, 2020
On Principles & Values:
This is a time for belonging, not exclusion
We need to put together the majority that can decisively defeat Donald Trump. And in order to do that, we need a politics that is defined not by who we reject, but how we bring everybody into the fold. I will not pursue politics
by telling people they can't be at our side if they're not with us 100% of the time. This is a time for addition, not rejection, for belonging, not exclusion.
Source: 8th Democrat 2020 primary debate, St. Anselm College in NH
Feb 7, 2020
On War & Peace:
Taking out a bad guy is not always a good idea
It's also the case that if we learned nothing else from the war in Iraq, it's that taking president has moved us this much closer to the brink of war. This is not an episode of 24. This is a situation that requires that you evaluate the entire
intelligence picture. This president has insulted the intelligence community, but they put their lives on the line to gather the I don't think he even reads it.
Source: 8th Democrat 2020 primary debate, St. Anselm College in NH
Feb 7, 2020
On War & Peace:
Biden made wrong decision on Iraq War
I believe that I have the judgment to help us get through these situations where obviously the vice president made the wrong
decision when it came to such an important moment in our foreign policy. It's not just about dealing with the aftermath of the war in Iraq, it's about preventing a war with Iran.
Source: 8th Democrat 2020 primary debate, St. Anselm College in NH
Feb 7, 2020
On War & Peace:
Biden made wrong decision on Iraq War
I believe that I have the judgment to help us get through these situations where obviously the vice president made the wrong decision when it came to such an important moment in our foreign policy.
It's not just about dealing with the aftermath of the war in Iraq, it's about preventing a war with Iran.
Source: 8th Democrat 2020 primary debate, St. Anselm College in NH
Feb 7, 2020
On Welfare & Poverty:
Measure economy by poverty levels, not by Dow Jones
We have a president who says the economy is fantastic because the Dow Jones is looking good. The problem is, we've had an economy grow and not be able to lift up those most in need, or even so many in the middle.
When I'm president, we're going to measure the performance of our economy, not by the Dow Jones but by the income growth of the 90%, because a good economy is one where children are being lifted out of poverty.
Source: 8th Democrat 2020 primary debate, St. Anselm College in NH
Feb 7, 2020
On Health Care:
2018: favored single-payer Medicare-for-All
Q [The People's Summit]: Not once have you tweeted support for MFA/SP or #HR676. We checked your handle & every possible hashtag or term.A: [@PeteButtigieg]: Buh? When/where have you ever heard me oppose Medicare for All?
Q: We never said that you
opposed it, but where did you say that you support #SinglePayer?
A: I've been on the record on this one since 2004: [Article in The Harvard Crimson, 3/8/04]: "We could finally see a single-payer health care system that closes the gap between the US and
other nations when it comes to medical treatment."
Q: You wrote that article 14 years ago as a student. I don't think you were a politician 14 years ago. Can you affirmatively say that we need #MedicareForAll now and that insurance does not belong in
healthcare?
A: Gosh! Okay: I, Pete Buttigieg, politician, do henceforth and forthwith declare, most affirmatively and indubitably, unto the ages, that I do favor Medicare for All, as I do favor any measure that would help get all Americans covered.
Source: Twitter posting on 8th Democrat 2020 primary debate
Feb 18, 2018
Page last updated: Mar 23, 2020