Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana and a Democratic candidate for president, says you can no longer end a policy debate by calling something "socialist."
In an interview on CNN's 'State of the Union,' Buttigieg drew a generational contrast to President Trump's declaration that the United States will never be a socialist country by saying the word has mostly "lost its meaning" for people who did not grow up during the Cold War.
"Today, I think a word like that is the beginning of a debate, not the end of a debate."
"You can no longer simply kill off a line of discussion about a policy by saying that it's socialist," he said. "If someone my age or younger is weighing a policy idea and somebody comes along and says, 'You can't do that, it's socialist.' I think our answer will be, is it a good idea or is it not?"
"That idea has lost its power when you think about the way it was applied to characterize the Affordable Care Act," he said. "Invented by a conservative think tank, relying on market principles, implemented first by a Republican governor, and they said that was socialist. So I think the word has mostly lost its meaning."
PETE BUTTIGIEG: I think he's clinging to a rhetorical strategy that was very powerful when he was coming of age 50 years ago, but it's just a little different right now. If you grew up during that Cold War period, then you saw a time in politics when the word "socialism" could be used to end an argument. Today I think a word like that is the beginning of a debate, not the end of a debate. Look, America is committed to democracy, and we're essentially a market-based economy. But you can no longer simply kill off a line of discussion about a policy by saying that it's socialist. If someone my age or younger is weighing a policy idea and somebody comes along and says you can't do that, it's socialist, I think our answer will be, is it a good idea or is it not? That idea has lost its power when you think about the way it was applied to characterize the ACA... Affordable Care Act, Obamacare, invented by a conservative think tank, relying on market principles, implemented first by a Republican governor. And they said that was socialist. So I think the word has mostly lost its meaning. It's certainly lost its ability to be used as a kill switch on debate.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN: Earlier on the show, you said you'll be President Trump's age in 2054. You are 37 years old. The youngest candidate in the Democratic field. If elected you'd be the youngest president ever. President Trump is the oldest president ever elected president. You said it's time for a "new generation in American leadership." Does that inherently mean it's time for the older generation, say politicians over 70, their time has come and gone. They shouldn't run?
BUTTIGIEG: I think there's an opportunity for different generations to come together. It's one of the things I saw firsthand when I was in Iowa over the last couple of days talking to voters. The only group more interested in generational change than the youngest voters I met were the voters who are about my parents' age. And that shows if you're from an older generation, you care about the world you're leaving. If you're from my generation you're thinking about the world we're going to continue living into. I do think those of us who are from a younger generation have a very personal, very direct stake and it's not an accident the whole country right now in terms of our policy debate is responding to proposals put forward by a member of Congress who is even younger than I am.
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