Mayor Pete Buttigieg speaks to SEIU representives at the California Democratic Party Convention. (Photo: Will Buqouy, KSRO)
Mike DeWald (@mike_dewald)
Mayor of South Bend Indiana Pete Buttigieg arrived in Rutherford, just outside of Napa in Northern California for an early evening fundraiser Sunday night. The event, billed as “An Evening in the Vineyards with Mayor Pete” was hosted on the property of Hall Wines, owned by former United States Ambassador to Austria from 1998 to 2001, Kathryn Hall and her husband Craig.
Roughly 150-200 supporters gathered in an ornately decorated event space that looked as though it could have doubled as a tasting room for the winery with an expansive view over the vineyards of Napa Valley. White marble floor and a meticulously decorated Christmas tree served as the backdrop for a raised area in the center of the room that worked as a natural stage.
Tickets for the event ranged $500-$2,800 with the $1,000 level receiving a photo with Buttigieg and the $2,800 level attendees having access to a co-host dinner with Buttigieg. North Coast Congressman Mike Thompson also appeared on stage with Buttigieg, though it’s not clear whether or not he made remarks.
Ambassador Hall made brief remarks to the tightly packed crowd, some seated in the first handful of rows with the rest standing to the back of the room with attendees flanking Buttigieg on each side as well. Attendees sipped on glasses of red and white wine and gave Buttigieg a hearty ovation when he took the stage.
“You may know him as Mayor Pete now,” said Hall, “but soon you’ll know him as President-elect Pete.”
Buttigieg took the stage a little after 5:30 in white shirtsleeves and tie, he spoke for roughly 15 minutes before taking questions from the audience Q&A style. Buttigieg thanked Ambassador Hall for hosting the event and called the visit one of the highlights of his week along with meeting music superstar Lizzo.
“She was really excited when she realized I was Chasten’s husband,” quipped Buttigieg.
From there, Buttigieg pivoted to his stump speech remarks, asking the gather to envision the first day that the Donald Trump is no longer President, a moment the candidate said “can’t come soon enough.”
He warned that the country will not only be more divided than it is today, but that the issues he sees as most pressing including climate change, gun violence, and the economy will be more urgent than ever.
“These issues that have gotten us to this point will be even more urgent and pressing than they are today,” said Buttigieg, “they’re not taking a vacation for the impeachment process.”
Buttigieg spoke about the values as a roadmap to healing a divided nation and distinction between patriotism and love of country over nationalism and militarism. He drew distinction from the President’s recent pardons of war crimes and he comments towards female Democratic members of Congress, saying that was unpatriotic.
“You cannot love a country if you hate half of the people in it,” said Buttigieg.
Buttigieg said that national security was in itself a patriotic act. He cited the recent California wildfires as way in which climate change is inclusive in a national security strategy.
“I don’t have to tell so many here who were impacted by the wildfires that are just one example of the accelerated impacts of climate change,” said Buttigieg, “that if we’re serious about protecting this country, that means protecting the future, and facing up to the fact that global climate change is the security challenge of our time.”
Buttigieg spoke to voting rights as values and that individual liberties include “freedom to” just as much as “freedom from.” He spoke to his experience as Mayor in focusing on infrastructure and providing safe drinking water as also being relevant to one’s personal freedom.
In regards to health care, he called for the public sector to step up in the implementation of his Medicare For All Who Want It Plan.
“I don’t care whether it’s the government or somebody else providing your insurance,” said Buttigieg, “I care that we see to it that there’s no such thing as an uninsured American.”
Buttigieg said his hope was ground in experience, and that his vision could be achieved.
“The presidency has a purpose and that that purpose is not the glorification of the President, but the unification and the empowerment of the American people,” said Buttigieg closing out his remarks to an extended applause from supporters.
Buttigieg took a handful of questions for the next fifteen minutes. The first question came from a voter who was thrilled by the adoration for the candidate in the room, but wanted to know how he would tackle improving his support among African American voters.
Buttigieg answered by pointing to his support and endorsements from South Bend, but also cited the South as being an area of focus. He said African American voters in the South had been ‘abused’ by the Republican Party and “taken for granted” by Democrats that leads to a skepticism of the promise of new and big ideas.
“When the new guy comes along promising all these great things and all these big plans, there is some very well-founded skepticism about whether you can actually deliver,” said Buttigieg, ‘before anyone can explain what’s in your hands, you have to explain what’s in your heart.”
Buttigieg pointed to his recent travels to the South and connecting with leaders in the rural parts of South Carolina and Alabama and had personal conversations and listening sessions with African American leaders on racial justice.
“You can’t just delete a racist policy and replace it with a neutral one and expect equality to come about,” said Buttigieg in regards to his Douglass Plan.
Buttigieg said that his support will take time, noting that the voters that have heard his plans tend to like them.
The next question went to Buttigieg’s plans for infrastructure and the lack of focus on the issue nationally. Buttigieg said that, as a Mayor, he has conversations about infrastructure all the time, and admits his surprise that President Trump didn’t deliver on his promises for the generally bi-partisan issue.
Buttigieg said that federal intervention would be needed to make the necessary investments in America’s infrastructure, warning that competitive investment from China could become an issue.
The third questioner asked about the military spending budget and whether he thought it was too much. Buttigieg said that the military’s budget priorities needed to be re-assed, saying the the areas that the military didn’t invest were just as important as where they did. He pointed to infrastructure and artificial intelligence as areas where the military is lacking adequate funding.
“21st century security threats including cyber security challenges, election security challenges, these will not respond to a 17th century strategy like a moat full of alligators and a big wall,” said Buttigieg.
The final question came from a voter asking how the common values and the social fabric of the country could be restored.
Buttigieg said that as mayor the job is not only management and policy, but it’s the tone and values you an establish as the leader of a population. He says the presidency is lacking moral leadership.
“You don’t notice the things you rely on president’s not to do, until you have one that does them,” said Buttigieg.
Buttigieg closed out his remarks by encouraging word of mouth from supports about his campaign, saying the someone personally vouching for him goes much further than seeing an ad or reading an article.
“I’m asking to you to work to share whatever it is that brought you here to those that may have gotten a little more cynical about the whole thing,” said Buttigieg, “if we do that, as bleak as things are in our country circa December 2019, my hope and my faith is that in a few years we’ll be able to look back on 2020 with pride.”