Politics 2020: The Money Side of Things // Post #4: Pete Buttigieg’s Money POV
Politics 2020: The Money Side of Things // Post #4: Pete Buttigieg’s Money POV
Welcome to Verdi’s second deep dive into a Democratic Presidential candidate! Each of these posts will include the following: 1) a quick and dirty fact list about the candidate 2) an analysis on the candidate’s views on key money related issues 3) the Verdi Advising opinion on the candidate.
Pete Buttigieg Facts:
From South Bend, Indiana (same place he was mayor of!)
Background in politics, consulting & military
Worked on John Kerry’s 2004 presidential campaign
Was a consultant at McKinsey & Company (note: there’s been lots of press on this)
Serves as fellow at the Truman National Security Project & focuses on Afghanistan & Pakistan
Joined the US Navy Reserve in 2009
Lost the Indiana state treasurer election in 2010, won the South Bend mayoral election in 2011
Went to Harvard & Oxford for undergrad
Loves Indiana and lives in South Bend
Mayor Pete is the first openly gay Democratic candidate for President
Married to Chasten Glezman who is a teacher (yay!)
Has two incredible pups: Truman & Buddy. They have an EXCELLENT instagram game.
Where He Stands On The Economy
Buttigieg is pro-union & anti-crony capitalism. He believes that the wave of automation has hurt our manufacturing jobs and wants to make sure that we bring in other jobs to replace these. He, like Warren and others, support ways to decrease the influence of money in politics. He also supports raising the minimum wage to $15 and offering national paid family leave.
The Verdi Vote: 👍 (we agree, but want to hear more about how Pete proposes to keep money out of politics.)
Where He Stands On The Cost of Living
HIGHER EDUCATION
Mayor Pete wants to provide free college to those who need it, but not for everyone. He believes that the very rich (those who can already afford college) should still pay so that more federal money can be set aside for those who need the help. In his plan this means 80% of Americans will have their tuition covered. He plans to pay for this by taxing the top 1% of Americans. He also supports loan forgiveness programs for existing debt. That actually might help him as he would be entering office with over $100,000 of student loan debt himself!
He also wants the federal government to pre-fill the majority of the FAFSA (Federal Student Aid) application for students. As a former high school teacher who helped students fill out that monster of an application, I cannot tell you how excited I am that it could come pre-filled. I knew many students who either almost gave up or actually gave up applying for school just because of the FAFSA.
The Verdi Vote: 👍 (fewer student loan debts? Count us in! That being said we want to see more details on the #s...duh)
Unlike Warren and Yang, Pete does not support Medicare for All. Instead, he supports Medicare for All Who Want It. With this policy in place, Americans would be able to opt in to a public health insurance option or choose to remain in the private marketplace. He thinks this middle-of-the-road approach will ensure that everyone has affordable coverage without forcing anyone to change something they like. He says this will cost about $1.5 trillion over 10 years and will be paid for by reversing Trump’s corporate tax cuts. Pete also supports giving the federal government power to negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical companies. Those negotiations (in theory) will also save money which can be used towards Medicare for All Who Want It.
The Verdi Vote: 👍 (we’re very pro affordable health care and and are hopeful that this middle of the road approach will be more appealing to a national crowd)
Where Verdi Stands on Pete
Overall, we think Pete’s centrist approach could make him a more palatable candidate for the national race (unlike Warren or Bernie who may be too far left for national campaigns), but want to hear more about his tax policy.
Want to give to the Pete 2020 campaign? Click here.