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."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.