Klobuchar zings Buttigieg for memorizing 'a bunch of talking points'
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar confronted Pete Buttigieg about his responses and lack of federal experience during the Nevada debate on Wednesday night.
Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, criticized Klobuchar for her voting record in the Senate on the issue of immigration. He argued that her record of bipartisan votes harmed illegal immigrants in the country.
Klobuchar defended her record while claiming that Buttigieg hasn’t had to prove himself in the same way she has. “I wish everyone was as perfect as you, Pete, but let me tell you what it’s like to be in the arena," she said.
She added later: “I’m actually so proud of the work I’ve done on immigration reform. And you know what? You have not been in the arena doing that work. You’ve memorized a bunch of talking points and a bunch of things.”
Buttigieg has been criticized for returning to the same stump speech throughout his campaign, similar to the repetitive speeches that were used by Sen. Marco Rubio during his 2016 Republican presidential bid. During that campaign, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie slammed Rubio in a debate by highlighting his talking points.
“There it is. There it is,” Christie goaded Rubio as he returned to his talking points. “The memorized, 25-second speech.”
Unlike Rubio, Buttigieg managed to push back on Klobuchar by touting his executive experience as mayor. He responded: “Maybe leading a diverse city that was facing ruin doesn’t sound like the arena to you. I’m used to senators telling mayors that senators are more important than mayors, but this is the arena, too. You don’t have to be in Washington to matter.”
This was not the first time Buttigieg has been targeted for his record during a debate. Earlier this year, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren ripped Buttigieg for accepting donations from billionaires, including a high-dollar fundraiser held in a California wine cave.
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