Presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg (D) on Sunday dismissed President Trump
Donald John TrumpBiden says his faith is 'bedrock foundation of my life' after Trump claim Coronavirus talks on life support as parties dig in, pass blame Ohio governor tests negative in second coronavirus test MORE's efforts to portray Democratic policy pitches as "socialism," arguing that the term no longer carries negative connotations.
“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 bit different right now," Buttigieg, the South Bend, Ind., mayor who has launched an exploratory committee to run for president, said on CNN's "State of the Union."
"Today, I think a word like that is the beginning of a debate, not the end of the debate," he added.
Trump has in recent weeks attempted to tie Democrats and their more progressive ideas to socialism, and pointed to the state of affairs in Venezuela as a potential consequence. During last week's State of the Union address, he pledged that "America will never be a socialist country."
Sen. Bernie Sanders
Bernie SandersOn The Money: Pessimism grows as coronavirus talks go down to the wire | Jobs report poised to light fire under COVID-19 talks | Tax preparers warn unemployment recipients could owe IRS Senators introduce bill to block Trump armed drone sale measure Sanders offers bill to tax billionaires' wealth gains during pandemic MORE (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Alexandria Ocasio-CortezHispanic Caucus asks for Department of Labor meeting on COVID in meatpacking plants Harris, Ocasio-Cortez push climate equity bill with Green New Deal roots Young minority voters show overwhelming support for Biden: poll MORE (D-N.Y.), two leading voices in the Democratic caucus, both identify as democratic socialists.
Buttigieg, who is 37, said someone close to his age is unlikely to reject a policy proposal simply because a critic calls it 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 is going to be, OK, is it a good idea or is it not?" he said.
"So, I think the word has mostly lost its meaning," Buttigieg added. "And it's certainly lost its ability to be used as a kill switch on debate."
“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...You can no longer simply kill off a line of discussion about a policy by saying that it’s socialist” @PeteButtigieg says https://t.co/FP8ljk7QnT pic.twitter.com/pSuBenQXo0
— State of the Union (@CNNSotu) February 10, 2019
