Pete Buttigieg says Republicans will call Democrats 'crazy socialists' no matter what policies they support

Pete Buttigieg.
(Image credit: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images)

As his fellow Democratic presidential hopefuls argued about whether supporting Medicare for All is a gift to the Republican gods or a surefire way to victory, South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg made a point that resonated with the audience.

"It's time to stop worrying about what Republicans will say," Buttigieg said. "It's true that if we embrace a far-left agenda, they're going to say we're a bunch of crazy socialists. If we embrace a conservative agenda, you know what they're gonna do? Say we're a bunch of crazy socialists."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.