How do you know Pete Buttigieg is seen as a real threat to Kamala Harris and other "diverse" candidates seeking the Dem presidential nomination? Because he's coming under attack by the MSM's diversity crowd.
Joy Reid devoted a segment of her MSNBC show this morning to decrying what she framed as the excessive attention being paid to "the B's": Biden, Bernie, Beto and Buttigieg. MSNBC political contributor Jason Johnson [also editor of the racial-grievance websiteThe Root] singled out "Mayor Pete" for criticism. Here was Johnson:
"It's Beto, Biden and Buttigieg. I mean, everybody's been kissing his butt, too. It's amazing to me. It's because—let's be candid. Most of the reporters are white. And they're looking for a white guy who makes them feel good about themselves."
Johnson went on to disparage Buttigieg's credentials: "basically, he's got a Rhodes scholarship, he was the mayor of a small city. He's just a white, gay version of Cory Booker. Right? And at least Cory Booker's in the Senate." He insisted this "reflects a lack of diversity in the media."
Johnson omitted one way in which Buttigieg is different from Booker. Whereas the senator from New Jersey might see himself as Spartacus, Buttigieg served eight years in the Navy reserve, including a six-month stint in Afghanistan.
Let's be clear: "Mayor Pete" is no moderate. Among other lefty positions, he supports the Green New Deal, wants to abolish the Electoral College, and has indicated support for packing the Supreme Court. But it's possible that some of his supporters--in the media and elsewhere--sense that his military service and low-keyed Midwestern vibe could appeal to some voters who might otherwise disagree with his policy positions.
The white reporters that Johnson accuses of favoring Buttigieg because of the color of his skin are largely the same white reporters who adored Barack Obama to the detriment of person-of-pallor Hillary Clinton. So who are the real race-obsessed members of the media: fans of Buttigieg or the likes of Jason Johnson and Joy Reid?
Here's the transcript.
MSNBC
Joy Reid Show
4/7/19
10:35 am EDT
JOY REID: Democrat presidential hopefuls pitched their platforms at the National Action Network [Al Sharpton's outfit] convention in Friday, but you would be forgiven if you still don't know much about the policy ideas of candidates like Senators Harris, Warren or Gillibrand. It may be because the media has for the last several weeks spent most of its time fixating on some of the men running for president. 2020 coverage has to a large extent been focused on Beto, Biden and Bernie, the trio Washington Post columnist Margaret Sullivan calls "the B boys." She writes: "we hear a lot about the B boys in polling, in fundraising and media ardor. They begin to seem inevitable, invincible. It's early, of course, but right now these three almost seem to have the whole thing sewn up."
With a record number of women running for president, why are all the men getting the attention? . . . The fixation of the media, let me read a little piece of this Washington Post article: "the rise of Senator Bernie Sanders, ex-congressman Beto O'Rourke, and former Vice-president Joe Biden in a field of historic diversity has caused dismay among some Democrats, particularly African-Americans and women hoping for a mold breaking nominee who reflects the changing face of the party and the country."
I think that sort of sums it up.
JASON JOHNSON: Well, it's Beto, Biden and Buttigieg. I mean, everybody's been kissing his butt, too. And it's amazing to me. It's because—let's be candid. Most of the reporters are white. And they're looking for a white guy who makes them feel good about themselves. Some of these people: Bernie and Biden, it makes a lot of sense. Beto, who didn't win anything. Buttigieg who, look: basically, he's got a Rhodes scholarship, he was mayor of a small city. He's just a white, gay, version of Cory Booker. Right? And at least Cory Booker's in the Senate.
So I think in many respects, this reflects the lack of diversity in the media. Because these guys are not the most dynamic or interesting candidates, except for the top two.
