Here & Now

Pete Buttigieg Previews Democratic Nat'l Convention

Joe Biden:

Your next vice president of the United States, Kamala Harris. Kamala.

Zac Schultz:

It’s official. California U.S. Senator Kamala Harris will be the Democratic nominee for vice president. Joe Biden formally introduced his running mate Wednesday from a stage at a Wilmington, Delaware high school. While the candidates and convention speakers will not take the podium in Milwaukee next week, convention speakers will appear nightly including former South Bend mayor and primary candidate for president, Democrat Pete Buttigieg. Mayor Buttigieg joins us now from South Bend. Thanks for your time today.

Pete Buttigieg:

Thanks for having me. Good to be with you.

Zac Schultz:

What are your impressions of Kamala Harris as Joe Biden’s running mate?

Pete Buttigieg:

I think it’s a terrific choice. I think she’ll be a great running mate and I think she’ll be a great vice president. You know, you learn a lot about somebody when you’re competing together over the course of a year. I have seen her intellect. I have seen her compassion. She’s somebody that really understands what’s at stake and has been so effective in the Senate. I think it’s a great choice on the vice president’s part.

Zac Schultz:

We’re on the eve of a virtual Democratic National Convention. The people of Milwaukee are crushed that no one will be here. Is there still anything in this convention for them?

Pete Buttigieg:

Well, you know what? Of course I feel the same way. I was delighted by the decision to host our Democratic Convention in the Midwest. Because I think it sends an important message. I do think that you know the name of Milwaukee, and the themes that really propelled the party to host the convention there, that’s going to continue to be heard and be on our hearts all through this week. Of course, we wish we were gathering in person. This is a decision, a tough one made out of the respect for the health and safety of people from around the country and certainly in Milwaukee. I would contrast that with the decision to really endanger the lives of Oklahomans when the president thought it was okay to host an indoor rally as coronavirus cases were spiking. This is — these are the times we live in and it’s unfortunate, but, I don’t think it takes away from the symbolic importance of reaching out to Wisconsin, to our part of the country overall and I think you’ll see that reflected in many ways throughout the next few days.

Zac Schultz:

Now you mentioned this while the Democrats aren’t coming Republicans are. Donald Trump has announced plans to be in Oshkosh, Wisconsin on Monday night. What does that tell voters here?

Pete Buttigieg:

Well again, if he’s planning to gather in a way that’s unsafe, then what it tells voters is that he doesn’t respect them. You know, the truth is, that I think there’s a basic level of regard that this president just doesn’t have for the safety of the American people and even for his own supporters. You know the fact that they insisted that people go to his rallies sign a waiver in case they get infected even while he is saying they’re going to be safe tells you just the mentality here. Now that being said, of course the president also recognizes that his reelection depends in part on votes in the middle of the country. That’s why I think it is so important for us to continue reaching out with the message that Joe Biden is the president who actually cares about us here in this part of the country. He’s somebody who understands what it will take to get our economy back on its feet. Somebody who will listen to doctors and scientists in order to get us out from this pandemic and somebody who will reverse the disastrous decisions that this president has made that have brought agriculture in our part of the country to its knees. The number of dairy bankruptcies alone is shocking and disturbing. We just can’t take four more years of this.

Zac Schultz:

You are on the DNC schedule to speak Thursday evening and there’s a big difference between giving a speech in a crowded room versus speaking into your laptop. Can an online convention still inspire and energize voters?

Pete Buttigieg:

Of course it’s going to be different this year but I think most of us, if we’re being honest, know that you know the format of the political convention, it was due to be changed or refreshed anyway. For the last 30 or 40 years, it’s come to feel more and more staged, more and more predictable and so, you know there’s never going to be another one like what we’re doing in 2020. At least I certainly hope not because there will only be circumstances like this, but I also think it’s safe to say that conventions will never go quite back to the old way and maybe that’s not such a bad thing.

Zac Schultz:

How will Wisconsin specifically be better off with a Joe Biden presidency?

Pete Buttigieg:

Well you know manufacturing was in a recession even before the pandemic hit. And as I mentioned earlier, you know parts of the country like Indiana, like Wisconsin have really paid the price for the reckless trade wars, backward policies, the consolidation that’s going on in agriculture. Whether you live in a city, in an industrial area or in rural areas, we need better leadership in this country and I think communities around Wisconsin are prime example of why we need a leader who really gets what it’s like to be in the middle class because he’s from the middle class. You know the current president, he only views our part of the country as scenery when he’s going between golf courses with his name on it and it shows in policy choices that again and again have put American workers and American farmers last. We’ve got a chance to change that. This is our only chance to change that and Wisconsin communities, whether we’re talking about farms or whether we’re talking about climate change are uniquely vulnerable to the threats of this moment. That’s why we’ve got to have a president who understands before it’s too late.

Zac Schultz:

We have just a few seconds left, but recent polling has shown people are either voting for Trump or against Trump. Does Joe Biden need to inspire voters or is he better off just letting Trump do all of the talking?

Pete Buttigieg:

I think we’ve got to do both. Look as far as I’m concerned the disastrous behavior of this administration and the Trump White House should be motivation enough. But we also have to talk about what we’re for. And I’m not just against Donald Trump. I’m for the Biden/Harris ticket because I know that that will be an administration of compassion, of competence, of integrity and that should be energizing for the party as we look ahead to November.

Zac Schultz:

Mayor Pete Buttigieg thanks for your time today.

Pete Buttigieg:

Good to be with you. Thanks for having me.