South Bend, Indiana Mayor and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg speaks during a forum hosted by the Tea Party-affiliated group Citizens for Common Sense in October of 2010. (Photo: Screengrab/Citizens for Common Sense)
'Disqualifying': Buttigieg Faces Backlash for Praising Right-Wing Tea Party Movement in Resurfaced 2010 Video
"I believe we might find that we have a lot in common," Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg said during an event hosted by Citizens for Common Sense.
South Bend, Indiana Mayor and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg is facing backlash over a resurfaced video from 2010 in which he offered words of praise for the right-wing Tea Party movement and expressed a desire to find common ground.
During an October 2010 forum in Indiana hosted by the Tea Party-affiliated group Citizens for Common Sense, Buttigieg--then a candidate for Indiana state treasurer--told the audience that "there's some, especially in my party, who think the Tea Party's a wholly owned subsidiary of the Republican Party."
"But there are many others who believe that the Tea Party's motivated by real concerns about the direction of our government, and the responses of our government to citizens," Buttigieg said. "And above all a frustration with business as usual. That is what motivated me to run. And so while we may come from often very different perspectives, I believe we might find that we have a lot in common."
Watch:
Buttigieg's remarks went viral Monday night after self-described progressive activist Ryan Knight and others posted a clip of the 2010 speech on Twitter.
"Here's Pete Buttigieg speaking at a Tea Party event during Obama's presidency and praising them for their concerns about the 'direction' of the country," Knight tweeted. "The Tea Party is the racist movement that rose up after Obama was elected. This video is disqualifying."
Journalist Walker Bragman noted that billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch were a major financial force behind the Tea Party movement, which emerged in 2009 during the Wall Street crash.
"They pumped millions of dollars into electing race-baiting, right-wing fringe candidates willing to deregulate their businesses and lower their taxes," Bragman tweeted.
Sean Savett, rapid response communications director for the Buttigieg presidential campaign, pushed back Monday night against criticism of the South Bend mayor's remarks.
"Pete's comments in this video are nearly identical to what President Obama said about the Tea Party's concerns three weeks later," Savett tweeted. "They're also similar to what [former] Vice President [Joe] Biden said earlier that year."
Urgent. It's never been this bad.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just four days to go in our Spring Campaign, we are not even halfway to our goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
South Bend, Indiana Mayor and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg is facing backlash over a resurfaced video from 2010 in which he offered words of praise for the right-wing Tea Party movement and expressed a desire to find common ground.
During an October 2010 forum in Indiana hosted by the Tea Party-affiliated group Citizens for Common Sense, Buttigieg--then a candidate for Indiana state treasurer--told the audience that "there's some, especially in my party, who think the Tea Party's a wholly owned subsidiary of the Republican Party."
"But there are many others who believe that the Tea Party's motivated by real concerns about the direction of our government, and the responses of our government to citizens," Buttigieg said. "And above all a frustration with business as usual. That is what motivated me to run. And so while we may come from often very different perspectives, I believe we might find that we have a lot in common."
Watch:
Buttigieg's remarks went viral Monday night after self-described progressive activist Ryan Knight and others posted a clip of the 2010 speech on Twitter.
"Here's Pete Buttigieg speaking at a Tea Party event during Obama's presidency and praising them for their concerns about the 'direction' of the country," Knight tweeted. "The Tea Party is the racist movement that rose up after Obama was elected. This video is disqualifying."
Journalist Walker Bragman noted that billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch were a major financial force behind the Tea Party movement, which emerged in 2009 during the Wall Street crash.
"They pumped millions of dollars into electing race-baiting, right-wing fringe candidates willing to deregulate their businesses and lower their taxes," Bragman tweeted.
Sean Savett, rapid response communications director for the Buttigieg presidential campaign, pushed back Monday night against criticism of the South Bend mayor's remarks.
"Pete's comments in this video are nearly identical to what President Obama said about the Tea Party's concerns three weeks later," Savett tweeted. "They're also similar to what [former] Vice President [Joe] Biden said earlier that year."
South Bend, Indiana Mayor and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg is facing backlash over a resurfaced video from 2010 in which he offered words of praise for the right-wing Tea Party movement and expressed a desire to find common ground.
During an October 2010 forum in Indiana hosted by the Tea Party-affiliated group Citizens for Common Sense, Buttigieg--then a candidate for Indiana state treasurer--told the audience that "there's some, especially in my party, who think the Tea Party's a wholly owned subsidiary of the Republican Party."
"But there are many others who believe that the Tea Party's motivated by real concerns about the direction of our government, and the responses of our government to citizens," Buttigieg said. "And above all a frustration with business as usual. That is what motivated me to run. And so while we may come from often very different perspectives, I believe we might find that we have a lot in common."
Watch:
Buttigieg's remarks went viral Monday night after self-described progressive activist Ryan Knight and others posted a clip of the 2010 speech on Twitter.
"Here's Pete Buttigieg speaking at a Tea Party event during Obama's presidency and praising them for their concerns about the 'direction' of the country," Knight tweeted. "The Tea Party is the racist movement that rose up after Obama was elected. This video is disqualifying."
Journalist Walker Bragman noted that billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch were a major financial force behind the Tea Party movement, which emerged in 2009 during the Wall Street crash.
"They pumped millions of dollars into electing race-baiting, right-wing fringe candidates willing to deregulate their businesses and lower their taxes," Bragman tweeted.
Sean Savett, rapid response communications director for the Buttigieg presidential campaign, pushed back Monday night against criticism of the South Bend mayor's remarks.
"Pete's comments in this video are nearly identical to what President Obama said about the Tea Party's concerns three weeks later," Savett tweeted. "They're also similar to what [former] Vice President [Joe] Biden said earlier that year."