November 9, 2019

This cluster of headlines on the front page of the NYT seems to be saying a lot about the meaning of Michael Bloomberg in relation to Pete Buttigieg.

Screen shot from a little while ago:



Bloomberg threatening to get into the 2020 presidential race is something new, and that justifies the big, serious picture along with 2 articles, one about his potential candidacy and another looking back on how he did as New York mayor. It's that other article that catches my eye, right under the somber, flattering photograph of New York City's former mayor, the one about the little city's mayor, Pete Buttigieg: "Why Pete Buttigieg Annoys His Democratic Rivals."

Pete Buttigieg is annoying! I'll have to read the article to see what this annoyingness is all about, but the headline, standing alone, makes him seem like a little twerp. A pest. The next thing I think of is maybe what you want is someone who annoys his antagonists. That has clearly worked for Trump. He's dreadfully annoying to the people who want him out of there. But he's in there, and he looks like he's going to stay. You might want to fight annoyingness with annoyingness. Read that headline again: Why Pete Buttigieg Annoys His Democratic Rivals. He's annoying to his rivals.

That's a good thing, I'd say, if I wanted to push Mayor Pete as the one to go up against Trump. You want your candidate to be the one who IS annoying, not the one who gets annoyed. Remember when Trump was able to annoy Hillary Clinton just by slowly moving around on the stage in the background while it was her turn to talk? She proceeded to lose the election and to write a book in which she expressed regret that she hadn't lost her cool, cast herself as a victim, and snapped, "Back up you creep, get away from me!"

She wished she'd been even more annoyed. I'm suggesting you might want to fight annoyingness with annoyingness. But is Buttigieg really so annoying? As I run through the other Democratic candidates in my head, they all seem pretty annoying. To lean into annoyingness is to throw off the civility bullshit, to forgo the argument that X should replace Trump because X displays a cool, rational, respectful demeanor all the time. X is "presidential," like no-drama Obama.

When I look at that NYT front-page arrangement, I see Michael Bloomberg offered up as that X — the un-annoying, civil, serious candidate they've been waiting for.

But why pick on Buttigieg as the one to knock out of his way. Because Buttigieg is occupying the "mayor" niche? Because Buttigieg, like Bloomberg, is 5'8" and we might mix them up if we encountered them in a dark hallway?

Okay, I'll read the article now. Do I really care what's in the article? Not much! Okay, here's the thing. It's mostly about how the other candidates think he doesn't deserve the money and the attention he's getting because he doesn't have enough experience to justify running for President. To lack experience is not to be annoying. He's not annoying. They're annoyed.
More than a dozen participants in the Democratic campaign — including rival candidates and campaign aides — spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss their views about Mr. Buttigieg candidly. They conveyed an annoyance at the McKinsey consultant certitude with which Mr. Buttigieg analyzes and makes pronouncements about the primary....
There's no link on "McKinsey consultant certitude" — no link and no explanation, like it's a well-known term. I'm reading the Wikipedia page on McKinsey & Company and not getting very much about its reputation for certitude. That wasn't a helpful reference! Very insider-y. Presumably, the NYT knows it so well they assume we all get exactly what "McKinsey consultant" adds to "certitude." Me, I'm just hearing "certitude." Is Buttigieg doing too much certitude? Maybe he's making things simple and straightforward, like Trump. That might be what's best in political speech.

But the certitude in question is about one specific thing that Buttigieg said — that it's "getting to be a two-way" race between him and Elizabeth Warren. Of course, that's annoying! It was meant to be, and well-played. He's getting us all to visualize the primary race as a choice between him and Warren, and once we jump forward to that, the great majority of us will heartily embrace Buttigieg.

103 comments:

whitney said...

I think you covered this and all future post of this type in your previous post by saying "they are hacks".

rcocean said...

Excellent analysis. Of course the Commie millionaires who own and read the NYT's, don't want Warren, she might actually implement all the Left-wing economic policies. Imagine that! So, its Bloomberg to the rescue. And annoying Mayor Pete has to get out of the "Moderate lane" and stop splitting the "stop warren" vote.

Of course, the idea of a Bloomberg Presidency is insane - a rich 78 y/o Jewish NYC Mayor as President. We just don't like New York Mayors as President. Sorry Mike. We didn't want Ed Koch or John Lindsey or LaGuardia or Dinkens. And we don't want you.

rcocean said...

Of Bloomberg may be unstoppable. He has all the charm of Harris, the youthful vigor of Bernie, and the experience of Mayor Pete.

Mike Sylwester said...

Michael Bloomberg's entry to the race will put the stake through the heart of Joe Biden's campaign.

I recently watched Bloomberg on Firing Line. He indicated that the US Government should control immigration and that illegal immigration is bad for our country.

Bloomberg also expressed skepticism about the impeachment effort. He said he is waiting to see some evidence to justify an impeachment.

In other words, Bloomberg seems willing to act reasonably and even to adopt some of Trump's issues.

I think Bloomberg would beat Trump in the 2020 election.

Limited blogger said...

Why does everything the democrats do have to be decoded?

Why can't they come out and say what they mean?

Wince said...

I'm reading the Wikipedia page on McKinsey & Company.

Perhaps it isn't about McKinsey & Co. at all.

Instead, maybe McKinsey is a term of belittlement, like "McMansions"? As in Mc-Kinsey?

Kinsey Scale: The Kinsey scale, also called the Heterosexual–Homosexual Rating Scale, is used in research to describe a person's sexual orientation based on one’s experience or response at a given time. The scale typically ranges from 0, meaning exclusively heterosexual, to a 6, meaning exclusively homosexual.

Maybe it is all about "experience"? Have you ever been experienced?

Okay, here's the thing. It's mostly about how the other candidates think he doesn't deserve the money and the attention he's getting because he doesn't have enough experience to justify running for President. To lack experience is not to be annoying. He's not annoying. They're annoyed.

Nichevo said...

But why pick on Buttigieg as the one to knock out of his way. Because Buttigieg is occupying the "mayor" niche? Because Buttigieg, like Bloomberg, is 5'8" and we might mix them up if we encountered them in a dark hallway?


I think that your experience of 7 Minutes in Heaven in a dark closet with Mike Bloomberg would be different from your experience with Peter Buttigieg.

robother said...

Trump is a shrewd judge of political talent. "Mike doesn't have the magic" nails it. But it sure sounds the death knell for Joe Biden.

Paco Wové said...

"I think Bloomberg would beat Trump in the 2020 election."

Maybe, but by all accounts I've read he's doing pretty poorly in his current job of being mayor.

Nichevo said...

In other words, Bloomberg seems willing to act reasonably and even to adopt some of Trump's issues.

I think Bloomberg would beat Trump in the 2020 election.


I won't snark, but I will observe that President Trump would also take his measures, and I think that you would find they would be effective.

Also, I wonder how you feel that Bloomberg's efficacy on hot-button issues like immigration would be more effective then PDT's. Would the Chamber of Commerce suddenly stop wanting the cheap labor? Would the Democrats suddenly stop wanting the demographic shift? Would the bureaucracy suddenly decide it was not their business to stymie a democratically elected President?

mccullough said...

Bloomberg wishes he was 5’8”

Michael K said...

I think Bloomberg would beat Trump in the 2020 election.

Nope. Too much a gun nut. Might do better then the other lefties.

Big Mike said...

Remember when Trump was able to annoy Hillary Clinton just by slowly moving around on the stage in the background while it was her turn to talk?

What I remember was Hillary Clinton deliberately walking in front of Donald Trump as she was speaking. Given that we’re talking about Hillary Clinton, it was surely a scripted move, but he turned it around on her right there on the spot by upstaging her, which was the obvious countermove. She might, in retrospect, wish she had “cast herself as a victim,” but there are two reasons why she couldn’t: (1) she is Hillary Clinton so she doesn’t do “spontaneous,” she only does pre-scripted; and (2) he was behind her so she couldn’t see him. It’s also true that (3) rational people don’t vote for victims for President.

Big Mike said...

@rcocean, Hell, we didn’t even want Giuliani!

Yancey Ward said...

"I think Bloomberg would beat Trump in the 2020 election."

If he ran the way he spoke in that Firing Line clip, yes, maybe (but I still doubt it). Bloomberg's problem is that he has practically no chance of winning the nomination. He and Biden are in the same lane politically, and it is unlikely that Biden departs the race before he has given it a go through the southern and midwestern states where his appeal is going to be strongest- so Blooberg will find it near impossible to win any delegates outside of New York itself. If Bloomberg really is skipping Iowa and New Hampshire, then he is just conceding the failure of his campaign.

Tom T. said...

"Why does everything the democrats do have to be decoded?”

The question is, who is planting the article? Or rather, whose camp?

tim in vermont said...

On top of the 52 Trillion dollar medicare for everybody who can get here, Warren is now promising $200 a month for everybody on SS.

Elizabeth Warren @ewarren
Under my plan, all Social Security beneficiaries will receive at least $200 more per month. And every future beneficiary will see at least a $200-a-month increase, whether you're 60 or 20 years old. Click here to see how your Social Security benefits will increase under my plan

Kevin said...

As Bloomberg’s New York Prospered, Inequality Flourished Too

Seriously? Big Gulps were outlawed and everyone was forced to drink from similarly-sized cups of soda.

Show me one thing any Progressive has done to make us "more equal".

Kevin said...

Bloomberg: Cups with billions of molecules of soda should not exist!

Big Mike said...

Presumably, the NYT knows it so well they assume we all get exactly what "McKinsey consultant" adds to "certitude."

McKinsey, and other companies in that space like A D Little, Deloitte, Accenture, and Mitre (which to my knowledge mostly does its consulting with the federal government) have a way of presenting their finding as though these findings have come down from Mt. Sinai etched in stone by the Lord God Jehovah. Their findings might be the result of a cookie-cutter analysis and be way off-base, but the consultants, even when they’re wrong, are never uncertain.

Ken B said...

I agree with Althouse,that if the choice is Warren or Buttigieg I would pick Buttigieg in a heartbeat. Not that I think him qualified, or like him much. I don’t think I’d support him for mayor against a random name from the phone book actually. But I will pick him over Warren without hesitation.

Kevin said...

the great majority of us will heartily embrace Buttigieg.

Once again the Party goes for the man who few know and whose name you can't pronounce over those who've been running the party for decades.

Even Democrat voters can't stand their incumbents!

rhhardin said...

Scott Adams says Bloomberg won't run but means to cut off Biden donors so as to get rid of Biden.

Narayanan said...

Is Bloomberg Big City Mayor :
Success or Failure?

Dave Begley said...

Pete is an annoying little twerp. I met him.

He ain’t going to be President. Now or ever.

AlbertAnonymous said...

Serious question for the commentariat...

Would Mayor Pete have less, more or the same apparent support if he were not gay?

Ken B said...

Yancey
I don’t quite agree. Bloomberg is not giving up if he skips 5he first two. Those don’t matter in terms of delegates, just publicity. I think he will get enough of that anyway. He would not be conceding,but *betting on Sleepy Joe collapsing*. I think the chances Joe implodes is pretty high. He might call Harris “clean”. More might come out about Ukraine. He might wander off the debate stage mid-answer to sniff hair.

Lurker21 said...

Pete Buttigieg is the Preacher's Kid - the one who is so moralizing and pious, showing up the other kids and trying to please the adults at the other kids' expense. He's Eddie Haskell or Alfalfa or Elmer Gantry. No wonder the other candidates are annoyed. All the more so since Pete's actual father wasn't a preacher but a Marxist intellectual.

Politics requires a lot of pandering. Some people aren't that good at it. Julian Castro, for example. Maybe it's his face. He always looks a little smug and self-satisfied. In any case, the wires get crossed. The true believers don't really believe him, while the skeptics and cynics think he's completely in earnest. Something similar may be true for Mayor Pete. Gays may love him, but the straight woke see a goofy, privileged White guy, and the unwoke straights see Apocalyptic political correctness and the end of Western Civilization.

And Poor Joe. He walks out on stage, looks around and thinks: "Who here gets me? ... Who can I have a real man-to-man locker room guy talk with? ... Pretty slim pickens. ... I know. The kid from Notre Dame. ... He'll get me. ..." Alas, Mayor Pete was anything but a football player and it just isn't meant to be.

Francisco D said...

Bloomberg will be the only plausibly "moderate" Democrat in the primaries. Judge Judy has endorsed him, so he has got to be the least worst of the lot. However, he will have to veer to the Left to get any traction.

The Media will market the Dem POTUS nominee in a very flattering light. They will portray him as a better, more humble version of Trump.

I wonder which parts of the Democrat coalition will lack enthusiasm for a short, old Jewish billionaire.

Ken B said...

Holy hell https://trendingpolitics.com/bombshell-schiff-s-star-witness-admits-his-only-source-was-the-new-york-times/?utm_source=realjack&utm_medium=twitter

ga6 said...

"
In other words, Bloomberg seems willing to act reasonably and even to adopt some of Trump's issues.: right up to 24 hours after the votes are certified...

Narayanan said...

Pete's actual father wasn't a preacher but a Marxist intellectual.
______&&&
Other than where they speak and need to take up collection I see no difference

Wince said...

AlbertAnonymous said...
Serious question for the commentariat...
Would Mayor Pete have less, more or the same apparent support if he were not gay?


I think Mayor Pete's appeal has little to do with his sexual orientation, it's just a plus factor.

He's appealing for one of two reasons: (1) you're sold on his folksy technocratic competence, or (2) you believe his that folksy technocratic delivery is the best Trojan horse to deliver on a leftist agenda.

Darrell said...

Bloomberg has a low-set earhole, like Buttigieg. The freaks are having a pissing contest. We reject both.

gilbar said...

Bloomberg?
Pete Buttifuc?
Lizzy Harris?
Jo Biden?

WHY are All These RUSSIAN ASSETS trying to STEAL Hilary's Nomination?

Temujin said...

Petey has the ability to sound normal. Not his specific policies (which remain lefty looney), but style and word usage. He comes off as not crazy. Elizabeth does not have the ability to sound normal, and often she just sounds flat out crazy.

Petey against Trump could happen.

Birkel said...

Most of those on the Leftist Collectivist side will embrace whichever Democratic is Left standing.
The country will prefer policies that do not hinder income growth for the middle classes.

Yancey Ward said...

Francisco D asks the right "question":

"I wonder which parts of the Democrat coalition will lack enthusiasm for a short, old Jewish billionaire."

Jewish, male, white, old, and a guy who made billions on Wall Street. There is a reason he changed his political affiliation to Republican when he ran for Mayor of New York, and it is the same reason he won't win a single delegate outside of New York. Had he never changed back to Democrat, he might have plausibly run a third party candidacy that could hurt Trump in 2020, but he is a Democrat for life now.

Ken B, that publicity matters. You and I know who Bloomberg is (we aren't normal), but I guarantee you that 90% of the voters in the primary don't, and couldn't pick him out of a line up.

And one last point, Mccullough is correct- I have stood next to Bloomberg before- he ain't 5' 8". 5' 6" maximum, and likely closer to 5' 4" these days.

rcocean said...

"I recently watched Bloomberg on Firing Line. He indicated that the US Government should control immigration and that illegal immigration is bad for our country."

Sigh. Bloomberg has been an open borders supporter his entire life. A year ago he was complaining that his golf course needed illegals to keep running. Of course, Bloomberg's willing to engage in "Campaign Rhetoric". Expect him to say: "Just build the dang fence" next.

@Big Mike - Yeah, how could I forget Rudy?

Seeing Red said...

Nanny Bloomberg is annoying. He’s also way too rich. He doesn’t walk his talk.

wild chicken said...

"in Heaven in a dark closet with Mike Bloomberg"

Yeah I hear he's got quite a track record.

Nice said...

Wiki didn't tell you that McKinsey is where Chelsea Clinton worked. That whole big scandal about how she even got that cushy job. McKinsey is like some kind of "Think Tank" where the kids of rich people bide their time till something better comes.

h said...

Remember in I am Charlotte SImmons when Adam was explaining to Charlotte his life plan, which was to be a "bad ass" or "aristomeritocrat".

"“It’s like anything else you want to do. There are strategies… and there are strategies.” ….if you’re a bad-ass, you have a specific goal. You want to get a Rhodes scholarship. That’s the goal. … If you get one … it’s like magic. Every door opens. You can go into politics like Bill Clinton or Bill Bradley… There’s no conventional role, no existing codified role for a bad-ass. There’s no existing slot for the new aristomeritocrat. …. That’s why some bad-asses go into consulting for like McKinsey. That’s the one they shoot for, McKinsey.”

This describes Buttigieg to a tee.

Browndog said...

Libs are already whining-

The Patriarchy strikes back!

Can't have a strong woman leading the polls, so the old rich white man jumps in to take her down!

Media will hype Bloomberg to death, and I couldn't care less. Beto 2.0

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

There’s another kind of annoyance. The kind where you’re faced with an emergent problem and you’re on the verge of panic trying to concentrate on a solution. The trivial, ignorant, and the unresponsible make obviously dumbass suggestions and you dismiss them with a snarl. I think that’s the kind of annoying the NYT is talking about. Most of us grow out of it, reaching a kind of magisterial level-headedness, but when you’re stuck in perpetual adolescence, that kind of annoying never goes away.

chickelit said...

I'm annoyed by the cynical senatorial route to the Presidency. Give it a rest, Democrats. Each of the Senator candidates needs to back off of the impeachment issue for conflict of interest. The most egregious and annoying example of this conflict of interest is Senator Kamala Harris.

David Blaska said...

An old journalistic trick. You want to knee cap your disfavored candidate? Ask his opponents what they think of him.

Lurker21 said...

Notice the article snippet in the corner:

As Bloomberg's New York Prospered, Inequality Flourished Too

NYT is hedging its bet on Bloomberg. He could either sway the party back to the center and help unite it and increase its chances of winning, or else tear it apart, depending on how he treats the other candidates in the debates. Given his apparent milquetoast demeanor, he's likely to very gently prod the other candidates and give the party a centrist face. It's not entirely impossible that as an old man with nothing to lose, he'll burn the place down, but I doubt it.


n.n said...

bombshell-schiff-s-star-witness-admits-his-only-source-was-the-new-york-times

Political incest. Fourth party hearsay. April Fools!

What could possibly motivate this unprecedented, multinational cover-up.

PhilaGuy said...

Mayor Pete was a McKinsey consultant before he was mayor. So he come by his "McKinsey consultant certitude" honestly.

Mr. Majestyk said...

AlbertAnonymous said...
"Serious question for the commentariat...

Would Mayor Pete have less, more or the same apparent support if he were not gay?"

Mayor Pete wouldn't be running if he weren't gay. So less support, as in ... none.

narciso said...

He believes in gun control, the skydragon, nearly full moloch, and against free speech.

narciso said...

Other news:


https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1193199263720845312.html

n.n said...

Politically-oriented life is like a soap opera.

MD Greene said...

We have to get over this "short" crap. Mitch Daniels was, and is, short. He also was an excellent governor in Indiana but his "lack of verticality," (as Bill Walton said once of a point guard) made Daniels ineligible for the presidency. Now he is doing a great job at Purdue, the only school in the country that hasn't had a tuition increase in the years since he took over as as president -- beat that!

Mitch and Bloomberg tower over Beto and Biden in all the ways that count. Also Mr. Clinton and LBJ.

Yes, Bloomberg was a scold about sugary drinks, and, yes, he has been irrationally angry about Trump's lack of self-discipline. (As a personal matter, I prefer healthy beverages and low-key people myself.)

As mayor, Bloomberg tried, heroically, to fix the public schools and allowed the expansion of charter networks to give poor families better options. Would the Hudson Yards project be what it is shaping up to be without him? He's a pragmatist and, unlike the current president and his predecessor, a genuine no-drama type.

I hope he runs.

Alan said...

The reason for the reference to McKinsey is probably that Pete worked for McKinsey after he finished his Rhodes Scholarship studies.

TML said...

Oh! Golly gee!!! Pete's "record in government" is of concern to these absolute jackasses. Well, then, he'd better drop out! And I don't even like Pete that much. But I loathe most of the others. What preening, smug, incompetent assholes. I'd take a mayor over a senator any day.

The McKinsey thing was funny. It was definitely a swipe at Pete and probably a little at the consultant class, too.

Zach said...

Presumably, the NYT knows it so well they assume we all get exactly what "McKinsey consultant" adds to "certitude."


McKinsey hires people right out of school (Ivy League, naturally) and immediately farms them out as consultants telling large companies what to do, at high prices. Think McNamara and his "Whiz Kids" running the Vietnam War, with an added plutocratic element. As with the Whiz Kids, the quality of the advice is variable.

And here's Buttigieg, with no relevant experience, trying to tell *everybody* what to do, about everything! It's arrogant in the same way that McKinsay is arrogant. And naturally, Buttigieg is a McKinsey alum.

iowan2 said...

I recently watched Bloomberg on Firing Line. He indicated that the US Government should control immigration and that illegal immigration is bad for our country.

Bloomberg also expressed skepticism about the impeachment effort. He said he is waiting to see some evidence to justify an impeachment.

In other words, Bloomberg seems willing to act reasonably and even to adopt some of Trump's issues.


That is salesmanship 101. Differentiate yourself in the market place. If he got the nomination, he will shift and differentiate himself from POTUS

narciso said...

so was david Cameron, before he was a wet tory as prime minister, you note Mario Draghi of the European Central Bank, and others that come to mind, are Goldman Alum, like those that were part of the Deutsche Bank fraud, for Banc Santo Peschi, Miss Tymochenko, hails from a prominent Chicago law firm,

tim in vermont said...

"Mayor Pete wouldn't be running if he weren't gay. So less support, as in ... none.”

Right, what else does he have? Not wholey beloved burgermeister of South Bend?

PB said...

Not good for Hilary to call Trump a creep when she's married to "the big creep".

Bay Area Guy said...

This is classic NYT misdirection. and disinformation. Bloomberg's late entry into the Dem primary doesnt impact America's favorite gay Mayor Pete. Geez. The impact will be on "moderate" front-runner Sleepy Joe Biden. In essence, it means that a big chunk of Dem money guys think Biden is weak, and Warren/Sanders are both walking disasters.

Can you imagine how the NYT woulda reported this had Bloomberg declared to run third party? The NYT woulda been frantic and hostile.

Zach said...

The other thing about McKinsey is that it's sort of a post Ivy League halfway house.

People who have been elite their whole lives but don't have a firm sense of direction sometimes go into consulting as a way to stay elite without really having to commit to a direction in life. The chances to move up are very small, and a lot of the consultants end up getting hired by the companies they consult for, so it often works like a job placement service.

Choosing to run for mayor of a small town *is* a direction in life, but it's one at the bottom of a steep pyramid.

Obviously, the voters get to choose for themselves, but with his age and experience level, a congressional campaign would make a lot more sense than a Presidential run.

NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...

They want Buttigieg out because they don't want him as a possible VP candidate. If the DemocRATs try to de-escalate from being the fringe party with Bloomberg, Buttigieg would look like a logical choice for VP. He hasn't been too fringe because he's got automatic gravitas with the Left since he's a gay man. They are worried that he would alienate a lot of older black voters who might not be comfortable with a homosexual who's married to another man on the ticket.

tastid212 said...

Smart thing he said about a 2-way race. It makes you run down the list in a process of elimination: Joe, no way he lasts; Bernie, fuggedaboudit; Kamala, ppffft. Amy and the juiceless others don't register at all. Yang (known only by his last name) is the only other one with any mindspace. So yes, it really is a two-way race now. And that's why Bloomie sees a viable opportunity.

Warren has a strong emotional following. You think about all her "plans" and how they (don't) add up; that doesn't matter to her followers. She's just a projection of their anger and hopes (like anyone else we know?).

Mayor Pete's followers are basically driven by emotions but think they're really intellectual. He's cool, dispassionate, articulate -- a short, whiter, gayer Obama. If he gets close to the nomination, he'll be attacked/revealed as a house of cards.

That creates the slim opening for Bloomberg ("Mayor Mike", the richer mayor?) Appealing only to the practical mind, he's a smaller version of the Tin Man, that hard-shelled fellow without a heart. (no inner sweetness, nor any in outlawed big gulps.) But despite his late veer into nanny land, he really was a good mayor - a meritocratic bureaucrat.

And the winner goes up against Trump, the rich guy who who stimulates neither mind nor heart, but the lizard brain, the amygdala.

Didn't they make a series of movies about this a while back? "Alien vs. Predator" anyone?

Marc in Eugene said...

I wondered about the McKinsey business in the article too (actually read it instead of reading only the headline because it just seems so weird and unlikely, this Bloomberg into the fray nonsense: someone's pulled some string somewhere). Still; am not reading up on any of their biographies until one of them wins the nomination. They're all willing to condone the murder of children in the womb-- fie on 'em. Mr Trump may or may not have any less obnoxious views on the matter in private but he is at least politically committed to significantly less bloodshed.

narciso said...

well there is an interesting tie between buttigeg and hunter biden, they were both part of something called the Truman project, I think either Stephen McIntyre, or his german counterpart han manke, discovered this, it also ties to fmr? Obama administration officials like janet Napolitano,

Seeing Red said...

Nanny Bloom is a gun-grabber.

And he doesn’t walk his talk. He’s still rich.

narciso said...

Buttigeg mistakes Catholicism, with Wahhabism, the latter mandates the stoning of his kind, he's all for the green nude eel, he was associate with that german butcher, klopfer,

gilbar said...

Skylark asked about Mayor Pete Buttifuc...
Right, what else does he have? Not wholey beloved burgermeister of South Bend?


Well, as Al Smith would say; Let's take a look at the Record
He was a REMF in the Navy Reserve
In 2014, he took a seven-month leave during his mayoral term to deploy to Afghanistan.[42] While there, Buttigieg was part of a unit assigned to identify and disrupt terrorist finance networks. Part of this was done at Bagram Air Base, but he also worked as an driver for his commander on more than 100 trips into Kabul. Buttigieg has jokingly referred to this role as "military Uber,"

Also, his dad was not just a member of a promarxist fan club.
not just a founding member of a promarxist fan club
BUT! THE FREAKING PRESIDENT of a promarxist fan club
I think the word we're looking for, it red diaper baby

narciso said...

yes the maltese translator for the works of Italian Marxist, Antonio Gramsci, the counterpart to alinski in Europe, he recommended in his prison notebooks, that institutions be taken over in order to further the revolution, a task that has been accomplished through the efforts of bill ayers among others,

Pat said...

Buttigieg seems to be the ultimate "resume" candidate, perfect for the credentials-oriented millenials. Of course, he's about a decade early; he really should be running for governor, but you know that's not likely to work out in Indiana.

Bilwick said...

If you really want to see Hillary get MORE annoyed, wave copies of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and The Wealth of Nations behind her while she's yammering.

Automatic_Wing said...

Bloomberg has zero appeal to the Dem primary electorate. None. The fact that he's attempting this is a tribute to the persuasiveness of campaign consultants and the delusions of old billionaires.

TJM said...

Mayor Pete is a credentialled idiot and almost as big a phony as LieAwatha.

He is the failed mayor of South Bend, a town of about 100,000. The blacks hate him, the police hate him, and 20% of South Bend's adults travel to Republican controlled Elkhart, Indiana each day for a job.

tim in vermont said...

that’s right! Pete’s father was a leading scholar of Gramsci in the US. A guy who advocated methods of destroying western culture in order to destroy capitalism. So Buttigig v Warren ls Gramsci vs Cloward Piven!

bandmeeting said...

How old will he be at the end of his third term. He does have a history of staying in office longer than he’s supposed to.

narciso said...

of course, there was that incident when he insisted, he had listened in on police bands, but mostly likely he was conversant in Arabic, not a Somali dialect which is most likely,

https://www.judicialwatch.org/press-releases/judicial-watch-white-house-visitor-logs-detail-meetings-of-eric-ciaramella/

Narayanan said...

Trick Q:
Ask noncoastie candidates how much they speak for flyover deplorable?

Lazarus said...

A Washington Post writer called Pete "the Anti-Trump." Donald Trump was elected because voters didn't believe in politics or politicians. Pete wants them to believe in politics and politicians, and people who still want to believe in government want to believe in Pete. I believe reference was made to Parks and Recreation, a show about local government in Indiana and Amy Poehler's character Leslie Knope, who is enthusiastic about government. Pete is supposed to be the boy scout, the (not quite so) straight arrow who would restore people's faith in politics and fealty to government.

But that was how Seth Moulton, the tree that fell in the forest when nobody was there to hear it, the candidate who generated so little enthusiasm that he left the race before it had even started, got into Congress. He was supposed to be the outsider, the clean, untainted boy scout, the Jimmy Stewart character in a Frank Capra film who would get people believing in government again. And he went nowhere. So maybe it's true that Buttigieg has only gotten as far as he has because of the gay thing. Moulton didn't give people any reason to look at him or listen to him or give him any money. Pete had the gay thing.

Leora said...

Chelsea Clinton was a McKinsey consultant.

Robert Cook said...

"Of course, the idea of a Bloomberg Presidency is insane - a rich 78 y/o Jewish NYC Mayor as President."

Hahaha! Nothing can be called insane anymore, after our having elected as President a shady NYC real estate developer known for stiffing his employees and contractors on their pay and fees (respectively), for going bankrupt on his casinos (among other businesses), and whose tweets and spoken communications never rise above the level of narcissistic brags and taunts typical of a 12-year-old boy.

Narayanan said...

Yancey Ward said
I have stood next to Bloomberg before- he ain't 5' 8". 5' 6" maximum, and likely closer to 5' 4" these days
______&&
Raid on Melania shoe closet could trans-pult him!

mockturtle said...

No, he'd never get the nomination because the Party wouldn't allow it. Same with Tulsi. Not that I put them in the same, sane category, as Bloomberg has shown himself to be quite insane at times. But neither suits the DemProg agenda. Of course, Trump didn't appeal to the GOP regulars, either, but the GOP party is somewhat less corrupt than the Dems, at least based on my experiences working in both parties at different stages of my life. The Party decides, not the primaries nor the caucuses. I think that's the Dem motto.

Narayanan said...

Blogger Nice said...
Wiki didn't tell you that McKinsey is where Chelsea Clinton worked. That whole big scandal about how she even got that cushy job.
___''&&
Over under on Chelsea consult on Clinton Foundation Project !?

traditionalguy said...

Hold it. What about the African American vote? The Dems live or die by it.The Hispanics already like the courage of the real man, Trump.

Milwaukie guy said...

So Buttigig v Warren ls Gramsci vs Cloward Piven.

Skylark is on fire today. Must have had Wheaties for breakfast.

rcocean said...

"Hahaha! Nothing can be called insane anymore"

Bloomberg is going to find out that Trump is sui generis. Its not enough to come from NYC, or be a Billionaire. You gotta have Big Time Political Skills - and Bloomberg doesn't have them. Bloomberg got elected NYC Mayor (barely) by being a sane Liberal. In NYC that means you sorta of enforce the laws - and put crooks in jail - and you don't go Full Commie and institute Stalinism.

Bloomy hits the sweet spot in NYC, but in the rest of the country he'll be a complete bust. A Globalist who'll support gun-grabbing and everything liberal - But won't tax Billionaires or economically help the working class. Rich Guy Communism.

tim in vermont said...

NY Times says that Trump’s outreach to black Americans has nothing to do with record low unemployment for blacks and Hispanics, but is just a way to make white suburbanites feel better about voting for him. I am not shitting you. Disinformation is the New York Times main product. It’s what Carlos Slim pays for.

Robert Cook said...

Oh, I don't think Bloomberg will win (if he's really running). But it's certainly not "insane" for him (or for anyone, at this point) to run. That shark has been jumped.

Unknown said...

Is Buttagig still using Pence as Buttabait to win the lefties?

Golly, he sure doesn't like the Pence of his imagination.

tastid212 said...

re "McKinsey consultant certitude"

the Professor's post was in part about certitude. Couple of thoughts here. 1) read my earlier post 12:57pm about why this was a right move for Mayor Peter. 2) "Certitude" reinforces the intellectual and perhaps moral appeal of Peter.

Allow me to riff:
1) The media want a horse race. Duh.
2) McKinsey is being paid huge bucks for their research, insight and opinion so, yes, they fucking better have "certitude".
3) Long time ago I was president of a NYC nonprofit and worked with several groups of young McKinsey consultants. It was part of their job - the senior partners required them to help out pro bono nonprofits. We always met on Thursday evenings bc they'd be flying in from the paying clients they lived at Mon-Wed. Some of these kids would fly in from Germany or England or Boston for our pro bono 3-hour meetings and they were still the sharpest and smartest folks I've ever worked with. Kudos to them.

Unknown said...

The blacks don't back Peter Eater.

Their homophobia counters the other primary voters homophilia.

Unknown said...

Bloomy! should borrow an idea from Jeb!

I'd wear Blue Boomy! hat

or an OK Bloomer greaser shirt.

M Jordan said...

The article said “certain things” annoyed other Dem candidates about Pete. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say it’s his being gay that annoys them because he’s obviously leveraging it to his advantage ... but not in the way Dems want you to play the game. He’s barely mentioned it and he doesn’t seem gay. That’s what annoys them. The identity politics game is directed by the White Libs at the top and you’re supposed to play it the way they want you to. And the way they want gays like Pete to play it is just gay enough to assure he will never get the nomination.

M Jordan said...

Bloomberg is the quintessential prick. You really couldn’t design a guy to be more of a stereotypical prick than him. He oozes prickness,

Not that there’s anything wrong with that. *wink

tim in vermont said...

He could win, but he’s not going to get the kind of free media or “earned media” that POTUS generates almost daily.

tastid212 said...

What does Bloomberg's entry do to Yang? Venn diagram: they both share the "math" space. Yikes, Yang has to counter, but how? Go guerrilla yang! Be more today-techie than bloomy-boomer. Hit him on UBI; make him argue that one. yang future, mike old. Go #yanggang!

Caveat, Af-Ams don't give a shit about any of this and won't come out for any of 'em. And who will ask Mile or Pete or Lizzie to opine on China/HK. They're all friggin' losers.

Narayanan said...

Blogger tastid212 said...
re "McKinsey consultant certitude
______&&&-
Please riff on

compare

Apprentice contestants and
McKinsey consultants

Is there "Trumpian" certitude behind

" you are fired "

How soon before Trump is business school topic?

bbkingfish said...


I've never thought much of Elizabeth Warren's candidacy, but I'm starting to feel maybe I should give her another look.

Billionaires everywhere
seem all in a tizzy
that the current frontrunner
appears to be Lizzy.

Carl said...

I think McKinsey consultant certitude is highly evocative and effective. It's not just certitude. It's unearned, inexperienced certitude, for certitude's sake. I had friends who went to McKinsey and Andersen right after college, within a year they were advising huge multinational corporations. I asked "why are they paying you; you know nothing"? (They admitting being inexperienced and bringing little useful knowledge or insight, if not quite "nothing".) The response: the companies wanted someone to come in with certitude and say -- "do it this way". Who knows if A or B is better? But just choose and live with it. They are buying the certitude so they can feel better. Apt?

Carl said...

Frankly, "McKinsey consultant certitude" is such a good knock on Mayor Pete that it dwarfs (pun intended) those catchy Trump nicknames like "Little Mike". I can't unhear it. Couldn't put my finger on it but now it is obvious. It is sooooo good I wish I'd written it.