Candidate Struggles

For John, BLUF:  Candidates have a theme, and it is to their advantage if they control that theme.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Johnson:  Warren, Buttigieg Have Concerns With Campaign Narratives

From The Washington Free Beacon, by the Free Beacon Staff, 1 December 2019.

Here is the lede plus two:

Washington Free Beacon editor in chief Eliana Johnson said Sunday that presidential hopefuls Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) and Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D., Ind.) have issues with the narratives about their campaigns.

Johnson argued during an appearance on Fox News's MediaBuzz that voters perceive Warren as not "straightforward."

"There was first her fiasco with claiming Indian heritage, then there was Medicare for All which she was widely criticized for. And she wouldn't just tell people, ‘yes, your taxes are going to go up,'" Johnson told host Howard Kurtz. "She was perceived as not being straightforward on that. And now she's saying, ‘Oh, you can opt in in the initial two years.'"

And then this about Mayor Pete:

Kurtz also discussed The Root writer Michael Harriot's attack on Buttigieg as a "lying mf," and then Harriot's follow-up essay in which he spoke with Buttigieg on the phone.

Johnson pointed out that it was good for Buttigieg to take the criticism head on because it adds to the narrative that he is accessible to voters and the media. However, the call most likely will not address Buttigieg's continuing struggles with African-American voters, a major flaw in his candidacy.

If these candidates are in trouble who will win the Democratic Primary?

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff