Pete Buttigieg positioned himself as the centrist best suited to take on President Trump during Wednesday’s Democratic primary debate, attacking both Bernie Sanders and Michael Bloomberg, whom Buttigieg called the “two most polarizing figures” in the primary.
Buttigieg makes a good point: Sanders might be the Democratic Party’s national front-runner, but his platform isolates thousands of on-the-fence voters. Democratic voters don’t want to be told to give up their private healthcare plans, or to prepare themselves for higher taxes — especially not now when the economy is booming and jobs are popping up across the country.
As Buttigieg put it, they don’t want “someone who thinks capitalism is the root of all evil.” Look no further than Nevada’s largest union, the Culinary Union, which disavowed Sanders because of his unworkable “Medicare for all” policy. It’s also worth noting that Sanders’s New Hampshire primary victory was substantially smaller than his 2016 win, which means many of the voters who turned out for Sanders four years ago opted for a different candidate when given the choice.
Buttigieg was also right about Bloomberg, who is “trying to buy the election,” according to the former South Bend, Indiana, mayor. Bloomberg has spent more money than any other presidential candidate thus far, and he’s well on his way to setting a spending record overall. This is troubling. Yes, Bloomberg has the right to spend as much money however he likes. But make no mistake: The only reason Bloomberg made it onto Wednesday’s debate stage is because he has deep pockets.
Democratic voters have made it quite clear they haven’t made up their minds just yet. And Buttigieg’s appeal to centrist and independent voters has already worked in the first two primary elections. His arguments against Sanders and Bloomberg were well-founded. Hopefully, Democratic voters listen.
