| | | | Mayor Pete tries to have it both ways on God's politics |  | | Yes, you read that headline right.
South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg has had a pretty remarkable run over the last few months in the 2020 presidential race. He's gone from nowhere to the top tier largely on the strength of his fresh-faced appeal (he's 37) and strong personal story (he's a military veteran and a Rhodes scholar.)
But to date, Buttigieg hasn't faced a ton of scrutiny for his views or his statements. Which brings me to Mayor Pete's interview on NBC's "Today" show Tuesday -- and his answer to a question about his faith and politics.
"It's important that we stop seeing religion used as a kind of cudgel as if God belonged to a political party," Buttigieg told NBC's Craig Melvin. "If it did, I can't imagine it would be the one that sent the current President into the White House."
The first part of that quote is fine -- and the sort of stuff that Buttigieg has said a lot on the campaign trail as he seeks to reclaim religion as an issue Democrats can talk about.
It's the second part of the quote -- the part about God not being a Republican -- that's problematic for Buttigieg. Because he's trying to have it both ways. Either God is off-limits from politics or he's not. You can't claim that Republicans have been playing politics with religion for years and need to stop and then immediately follow that up by doing the exact same thing.
It's not clear how much flack Buttigieg will take for his "God" comments. But it should serve, at a minimum, as a warning for his fledgling campaign that comments like these, from someone in the elevated place in the race where Buttigieg finds himself, can cause BIG problems.
The Point: Buttigieg's honeymoon won't last forever. And this may be the beginning of its end.
-- Chris | | "Trump is goading us to impeach him."
-- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, arguing that the President is trying to needle Democrats over impeachment in order to rally his base. | | | WHAT EVEN IS 'ELECTABLE' ANYWAY | |  | 'Electability' won't help Democrats beat Trump in 2020 | | As Democrats debate which candidate is best positioned to beat President Trump in 2020, arguments about "electability" dominate discussions.
Have you best positioned yourself to subscribe to The Point on YouTube? | | SMOKE 'EM IF YOU WANT 'EM | | How much is a Cuban cigar from the island nation's former leader worth? The former lieutenant governor of South Carolina (who is no cigar fan) is finding out.
Andre Bauer is selling the Cuban cigars given to him in an autographed box by Fidel Castro from a trade trip in 2004. "The box has all 25 original Cohiba Lancero cigars inside, famous as Castro's favorite type," according to the description posted on the auction website.
Valued at $10,000 (with a $100 third-party authentication letter available for additional purchase) it's open for bids until Wednesday night. Twelve people have already put in offers on the box. | |
LAUREN'S CAMPAIGN TRAIL LATEST | | Count it down -- We're 50 days away from the first DNC-sponsored debates of the 2020 cycle!
Bill DeBlasio: Said on Monday that he's "still deciding" on a 2020 presidential run -- after reporting last week said the New York City mayor was planning to announce a run this week.
Kirsten Gillibrand: Has vowed to only nominate judges who will commit to upholding abortion rights granted by Roe v. Wade if elected president.
Tulsi Gabbard: Has the support of Ron Paul, who called her the "best" presidential candidate and "good on foreign policy."
John Hickenlooper: Is running for president "to save capitalism," as he writes in a Wall Street Journal op-ed. | | | | | | |
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