“He Said a Lot of Things That Are Weird”: Pete Buttigieg Criticizes Vance’s Impact on GOP
Source: Fox News
During an appearance on MSNBC on Sunday, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg joined the growing criticism of Sen. J.D. Vance, the Ohio Republican chosen by Donald Trump as his 2024 presidential running mate. Speaking with host Jen Psaki, the former Democratic mayor of South Bend, Indiana, leaned into the narrative that Americans find Vance “weird” based on his controversial comments.
As “Mayor Pete” explained to Psaki, “Where do you start? You know, they selected somebody who really reminded many Americans of why they are put off by the turn that the Republican Party has taken in the last two years.”
Buttigieg elaborated on Vance’s contentious remarks and their implications. “It’s not just that he said a lot of things that are weird, or insulting, like the characterization of the Democratic party as ‘childless cat ladies.’ It’s also that he seems to view everything in terms of the negative. And what I mean by that is, for example, this thing about having children. I think a lot of us with kids would certainly say that that experience opens you to a new way of thinking about the world.”
“But he doesn’t talk about it in those terms,” Buttigieg continued. “He talks about how anybody who doesn’t have kids is less than others, that their perspectives have less value, which is just a really strange take. It is not just a weird style that he brings, it is that this leads to weird policies, like his proposal that the number of votes you get in an election would be different depending on how many kids you have.”
Highlighting the unconventional nature of Vance’s proposals, Buttigieg added, “I mean, I would think one person, one vote was a pretty basic, universally accepted principle in this country. There are so many strange policy commitments that he has.”
Buttigieg’s remarks underscore the discomfort and skepticism surrounding Vance within the political landscape. His critique not only points to Vance’s past statements but also raises concerns about the implications of his policy ideas, reinforcing the narrative that his presence on the ticket could be problematic for the GOP.
