2020 presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg faced criticism this week in a viral article published by news blog The Root, titled “Pete Buttigieg is a lying MF.” The piece took issue with statements the South Bend, Indiana mayor made in 2011 while addressing education in black communities.
“There are a lot of kids, especially in the lower income, minority neighborhoods who literally just haven’t seen [the education system] work,” Buttigieg said, seated at a table beside three other white men. "There isn’t somebody they know personally … [who] testifies to the value of education."
To discuss the controversy, Bay Windows co-publisher and NECN host Sue O’Connell stopped by the Boston Public Radio studios on Wednesday.
"I would make the argument that that incident, and where Buttigieg is on a number of issues, shows that he’s not ready for prime time,” said O’Connell. "What Buttigieg is implying in this clip … he’s just ignoring the institutional racism that has kept African-American, people of color, and many low-income people from being able to achieve because their schools haven’t been funded,” she said.
"I think the Buttigieg in many ways at 37, reminds me of where I was when I was 37, and 27 ... looking at issues within our society and coming up with simple solutions.”
After the piece was published, Buttigieg made contact with writer Michael Harriot. A follow-up piece on the ensuing conversation was published Tuesday evening.
