Mayor Pete gains momentum ahead of 5th debate

Mayor Pete gains momentum ahead of 5th debate
South Bend Tribune

Mayor Pete Buttigieg, one of the initially least likely Democratic presidential candidates to endure through summer and fall has gained momentum and is now soaring towards another winning season with polls in Iowa besting the party’s frontrunners former Vice President Joe Biden, Vermont’s Sen. Bernie Sanders and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

Considered unlikely when he first entered the race for the 2020 leadership with a resume that included being a married gay man, veteran and moderate Democrat, the 37-year-old South Bend, Indiana mayor tallied favorability among 25 percent of democratic voters leaving his three closest contenders sharing 15 percentage figures and others grappling at the low-end of the crowded field.

Up from the nine percentage margin he amassed in September, the leader of the pack is uniquely different by being a Harvard and Oxford University graduate, Rhodes scholar, committed spouse, US Navy lieutenant, veteran of Afghanistan war, anti-gun advocate and a defiant candidate to preserve the DACA immigration program that provides amnesty to children of illegal immigrants.

Nov. 20, the fifth of 12 Democratic debates will find the fresh-faced candidate on the hotseat alongside a long list of overzealous opponents of the GOPs President Donald Trump.

With impeachment hearings against the president the breaking news topic of each day, Republicans will be eagle-eyed with observance of the Atlanta, Georgia televised broadcast from the Tyler Perry Studios.

The top four made the cut along with Sens. Amy Klobuchar, Cory Booker and Kamala Harris, Hawaiian Congresswoman Telsi Gabbard, Cong. Andrew Yang, and California, billionaire Tom Steyer.

Incidentally, kudos must be extended to Samoa-born Gabbard who was the first Hindu to be elected to Congress, the first woman to serve in combat in Iraq and the first of her race to be elected to the House of Representatives.

Despite a Hillary Clinton claim against her that Gabbard might be a potential puppet for the Russians she has sustained national presence and may have attracted increased media attention because of the suspicion and controversy.

Commentators of the debate include MSNBCs Andrea Mitchell and Rachel Maddow, Kristen Welker and Ashley Parker.

Since the last debates when New York Mayor Bill DeBlasio eagerly campaigned to little avail former Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently announced his interest in unseating the ex-pat New York resident and tax-evasive president.

The billionaire, former 12-year mayor of NYC, reportedly filed papers to appear in ballots in Alabama and Arkansas but has not formally announced a 2020 run for president.

Dogged himself by his relentless support for a “stop and frisk” racist police policy that targeted Blacks and Latinos during his tenure, the 77-year-old billionaire apologized on Sunday saying: “I was wrong… I am sorry.”

Under Bloomberg’s regime, 87 percent of New Yorkers targeted were either Black or Latino.

“Our focus was on saving lives,” Bloomberg explained.

“But the fact is far too many innocent people were being stopped while we tried to do that. And the overwhelming majority of them were Black and Latino. That may have included, I’m sorry to say, some of you here today, perhaps yourself, or your children, or your grandchildren, or your neighbors or your relatives.”

The apology in front of a predominantly Black congregation at Brooklyn’s Christian Cultural Center seemed poised to entice support from minorities, many of whom maintain long-standing resentment for the former Republican turned Democrat.

Allegedly congregants responded with silence, tepid reaction and skepticism.

Following the apology, Bloomberg telephoned Al Sharpton to confer about his admission. Allegedly the activist / preacher / commentator and former agitator to the mayor and his program provided little consolation.

Instead, he said the former would have to do more to regain trust with the affected communities.

Eric Adams, Brooklyn’s Borough president and Jamaane Williams, public advocate also expressed thoughts that the apology might be convenient given the mayor’s ambitious intention.

Other individuals in the Black community hastily opined on the belated, turnaround the former mayor made in the populous borough.

Although Bloomberg has not formally entered the national fray, speculations are that he will spend millions on advertising campaigns to seek approval of a run for the top spot to unseat the former New York resident and fellow billionaire.

Meanwhile, Bloomberg allegedly stated that if he decides to run, he would delay debating his Democratic contenders.

In order to qualify for the November debate, the DNC required candidates to at least meet a three percent threshold and must have filed at a particular date preceding Bloomberg’s announcement.

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