Pete Buttigieg warned his fellow Democrats that Republicans would attack them as “crazy socialists” regardless of the positions they take and, right on cue, President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign leveled just that attack against the candidates who appeared on the Democratic debate stage Tuesday night.
“Same radical Democrats. Same big government socialist message. Same winner of tonight’s debate: President Donald Trump,” Trump national press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement just after the debate ended.
Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Ind., had said earlier in the night that “is time to stop worrying about what the Republicans will say” about any Democratic policy positions.
“It’s true that if we embrace a far-left agenda, they’re going to say we’re a bunch of crazy socialists,” he said. “If we embrace a conservative agenda, you know what they’re going to do? They’re going to say we’re a bunch of crazy socialists.“
So, he said, “let’s just stand up for the right policy, go out there and defend it.”
More must-read stories from Coins2Day:
—Highlights from the first night of the second Democratic debate
—These are the new rules for tonight’s Democratic debate
—Detroit happily steps into role of political HQ as Democrats gather for debate
—How to watch round two of the Democratic debates for free—even without cable
—Abortion, reparations, Israel: Topics to watch for during the second Democratic debate
—Warren-Sanders match, battle for spotlight among lesser-knowns predicted for tonight’s Democratic debate