Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg described his qualifications to lead “the new American majority” and reunite the nation following the 2020 presidential election to a full Town House on Wednesday night.
He urged the capacity crowd, estimated at around 650-700 to imagine the world after the current president leaves office.
“The next president is going to have to stand on the rubble of institutions and norms … and pick up the pieces,” he said.
He also detailed his intent to unite a divided country under issues and policies approved by the majority of Americans. “You can’t love our country if you hate half of the people in it.”
The South Bend, Indiana mayor drew cheers when he called for the government to stop dictating women’s reproductive choices, and applause for his vision on gun regulation: “Once upon a time, kids learned active shooter drills before they learned to read, but then we found the courage to do something about gun violence.”
Buttigieg fielded a question on how he would choose members of his administration. He said he surrounds himself with truth-tellers on his campaign, and in life. He said he wanted a cabinet that reflects America: diverse in experience, background, and ethnicity, and with at least 50 percent women “because how has that not happened yet?” he asked.
“Personnel is policy,” he said, and that he would choose people based on their commitment to the mission of an agency. “How about a Secretary of Education who believes in public education?”
Agencies’ commitment to their mission also factored in Buttigieg’s answer to how he would renew confidence in science, especially climate science. He said he would ensure the Environmental Protection Agency was actually committed to environmental protection.
“The implications of following the science has been threatening,” he said of climate change, but “imagine if the two parties disagreed on whether cancer was a problem?”
Buttigieg said his climate plan would recruit more Americans to be the solution, with the estimated creation of three million jobs to boot.
Buttigieg answered that he supported abolishing the electoral college, describing it as “an interesting historical artifact” before dispelling arguments for keeping it one by one. He said that even one of its most relevant intentions had proven to be ineffective: its ability to serve as a “tripwire” in case voters chose an incompetent leader.
In response to a question about managing the military-industrial complex, Buttigieg acknowledged that as a veteran, he understands that the country must have the strongest and best military in the world, but has also seen its capacity for tremendous waste of resources. He pointed out the need to realign military expenditures and democratic institutions to protect the country from 21st century threats, including election manipulation.
Peterborough resident Terry Reeves spoke before Buttigieg took the stage to “welcome Pete to Peterborough,” and describe her support for him.
“I think he’s practical and pragmatic, with solutions grounded in reality,” she said.
Reeves praised his authentic presence, strong moral compass, and his focus on optimism and faith rather than anger or grievance.
In the most recent Morning Consult national poll, Buttigieg commanded 7 percent of the vote in the Democratic candidate field, behind Biden, Warren, and Sanders. In New Hampshire, he is polling at 10 percent, behind the same candidates.