Podcast Summary: The New Yorker Radio Hour

Episode: Can Mayor Pete Be a Democratic Front-Runner?
Date: November 1, 2019
Host: David Remnick (C)

Overview

This episode dives into Pete Buttigieg's presidential campaign, exploring his rise from mayor of South Bend, Indiana to a national figure polling near the top in Iowa ahead of the Democratic primary season. Host David Remnick interviews Buttigieg before a live audience at the New Yorker Festival, discussing key issues like the Trump impeachment process, the state of American democracy, healthcare, race and policing, and the future of the Democratic Party. The episode also features a lighter, unrelated segment on food recommendations with New Yorker writer Helen Rosner.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Political Moment and the Trump Impeachment

Segment begins: [01:15]

• Trump’s Prospects & Senate Republicans:
  Remnick asks whether Donald Trump is “politically cooked” in light of the impeachment inquiry, leading Buttigieg to respond with skepticism about Senate Republicans acting on conscience:

  • "That depends on the conscience of Senate Republicans. And what that actually means is it depends on whether there is enough of a threat to the power of the Senate Republicans that they would be reunited with their conscience, which obviously they've taken a holiday from..." (A, [01:24])
  • Emphasis on the political process and the unique challenge of restoring the nation post-Trump.

• The Day After Trump:
  Buttigieg urges listeners to imagine the country’s mindset the day after Trump leaves office:

  • "There's one way or the other, this presidency is coming to an end. But I want to ask you to really picture what it's going to be like that first day when the sun comes up..." (A, [02:21])
  • Raises the need for leadership that can “turn the page” as well as “win the fight.”

2. Media, Political Realities, and the Base

Segment begins: [03:24]

• The Solid Trump Base:
  Discussion about Trump's enduring support despite scandals, referencing the Watergate era and Nixon’s remaining base.

  • "The day that Nixon resigned, I'm told he had about 25% of the country with him. So I think we can assume that there's at least 25% that you’re just not going to reach. That still leaves an awful lot of people." (A, [04:09])
  • Buttigieg characterizes some Trump voters as those who "voted effectively to burn the house down"—a reaction to long-term failures in economic policy.

• The “Reagan/Neoliberal Era” Diagnosis:
  Buttigieg positions himself as part of a generation re-evaluating the assumptions of the Reagan/neoliberal era:

  • "The Reagan era begins in 1980. And I would argue that that era, or you could call it the neoliberal era, whatever you want to call it, continues almost to this day. And now it's collapsing..." (A, [05:00])

3. Ideological Labels and Healthcare Policy

Segment begins: [05:41]

• Are Labels Outdated?

  • Buttigieg resists the strict left-right spectrum and calls for nuanced thinking:
    • “Those characterizations are only useful for people who try to align all of us on some left, right sort of spectrum.” (A, [06:04])
    • Mentions his stances cross ideological lines, from Democratic reforms to criminal justice.

• Medicare for All vs. Medicare For All Who Want It:

  • Remnick presses on whether Buttigieg’s approach is about “having your cake and eating it, too.”
  • Buttigieg argues public alternatives have precedent and emphasizes humility:
    • "We talk about this like healthcare is the only place we've ever contemplated a public alternative...The core principle for me is that you get covered one way or the other." (A, [07:33])
  • Prefers giving Americans a choice rather than mandating a shift to a single-payer system.

• European Models:

  • Buttigieg draws on his experience living in the UK, distinguishing the U.S. debate from extreme European models:
    • "Even there, there is a system of private insurance and private care. So we're not really emulating a European system if we're saying that we're just going to order the private sector out of existence in the health care..." (A, [08:49])

4. Debate Framing and Political Realism

Segment begins: [09:35]

• Debate Stage Rhetoric:
  Buttigieg calls for humility and actionable promises from candidates, using his mayoral experience as a touchstone for accountability:
  • "You should only make promises that you're prepared to keep. There's no alternative facts when you're a mayor. Right. If there's a hole in the road and you didn't fill it in and somebody calls you out on it, you don't get to say that's fake news. It's a great road. There's no hole in it because, like, they'll look at the hole and they'll know." (A, [09:52])
  • Advocates for “the biggest, boldest transformation of American health care in more than 50 years,” but with humility about the path to get there.

5. Race, Policing, and South Bend Controversy

Segment begins: [11:01]

• South Bend Police Shooting and Perceptions of Race:

  • Remnick asks whether Buttigieg has been wrongly branded regarding race relations.
  • Buttigieg speaks to his record and the Douglas Plan:
    • "I would not have seen my support in the black community grow over the years in our city if I hadn't found a way to include people even without pretending that we were going to fix it overnight." (A, [11:59])
    • On the Douglas Plan: "It's designed to be as ambitious as the Marshall Plan, but right here in the United States for dealing with systemic racism." (A, [12:38])
    • Focus on economic empowerment, entrepreneurship, health, education, and voting rights as interconnected pieces.

• On Reparations:

  • Buttigieg supports HR40 (the bill to study reparations) but insists action must start now:
    • "Don't wait for that to start taking steps that are reparative...this is about how history has followed us." (A, [14:14])

6. Black Support, Electability, and Iowa

Segment begins: [14:30]

• Challenging the Narrative:
  • Remnick notes Buttigieg's meager black support and the image of popularity among “well educated whites” and the “donor class.” Buttigieg maintains others (notably, Joe Biden) hold the black vote due to familiarity, but expects this to change:
    • "There is only one candidate who has a commanding lead among black voters. Now, one of two things is true. Either that candidate has such a masterful command of the issue of race in America...or things are likely to change as voters continue to sort through their options and see what we have to offer." (A, [15:03])
• On Breaking Through a Crowded Primary:
  • Buttigieg emphasizes his outsider status and appeal to those looking for change:
    • "If you really do want the candidate with the most years of Washington experience, the most familiar face possible, then you've got your choice. And if you want the most ideologically conventionally left candidate...you've got your choice. Most Democrats I talk to are looking for something else. And that's where I come in." (A, [16:12])

Memorable Moments & Quotes

On the Senate Republicans and Trump’s future

"...I think this is one thing we need to be really clear on...the central fact that Congress has to weigh in on whether this is or is not a high crime. For all of that, we also know that this is a political process."
— Pete Buttigieg (A), [01:24]

On healthcare choices

"Either there really is no private option that's as good as the public One we're going to create, which means everybody migrates to it and pretty soon it's Medicare for All or some private plans are still better, in which case we're going to be really glad we didn't command the American people to abandon them whether they wanted to or not."
— Pete Buttigieg (A), [07:33]

On mayoral accountability

"There's no alternative facts when you're a mayor. Right. If there's a hole in the road and you didn't fill it in and somebody calls you out on it, you don't get to say that's fake news. It's a great road. There's no hole in it because, like, they'll look at the hole and they'll know."
— Pete Buttigieg (A), [09:52]

7. Brief Food Segment: Helen Rosner’s Recommendations

Segment begins: [17:49]

This unrelated segment shifts the topic from politics to food:

• Lasagna Obsession:
  Rosner brings homemade lasagna and shares a shortcut tip (using egg roll wrappers as pasta layers).

  • "They're pasta, they're flour and water, and they are the perfect cheat method to make a fresh pasta lasagna." (D, [19:46])

• Coconut Cilantro Chutney:
  Recommends a Somali condiment from Basbaas Foods, with an immigrant entrepreneur backstory ([21:05]).

• Cookbook Recommendation:
  "Jubilee" by Toni Tipton Martin—a historical cookbook tracing African American culinary traditions ([22:23]).

(This portion is lighter, unrelated, and shifts away from politics.)

Timestamps – Important Segments

• [01:15] – Main interview with Pete Buttigieg begins
• [05:41] – Buttigieg on ideological labels and healthcare
• [09:35] – Debate stage rhetoric and political realism
• [11:01] – Race in South Bend and the Douglas Plan
• [14:30] – Black voter support and primary electability
• [17:49] – Food segment with Helen Rosner

Closing Thoughts

The episode provides a substantive, candid look at Pete Buttigieg’s policy philosophy, the challenges facing his candidacy, and his positioning within the Democratic field. Buttigieg brings a blend of humility, pragmatism, and confidence in addressing issues from healthcare to racial justice. Remnick’s questions highlight both the obstacles and the appeal of a relatively new face in national politics, while the closing food recommendations offer a light, culturally rich interlude.

Notable Quotes Recap

• “We need somebody capable of turning the page as well as winning the fight.” — Pete Buttigieg (A), [02:21]
• “For me and anybody younger than me, we’ve lived our entire lives in the Reagan era...and now it’s collapsing.” — Pete Buttigieg (A), [05:00]
• “You should only make promises that you’re prepared to keep.” — Pete Buttigieg (A), [09:52]
• “The Douglas plan is intended to be a systematic, intentional and well funded response…” — Pete Buttigieg (A), [12:47]