Beto’s gun confiscation message is really giving Democrats a bad case of heartburn, with Chris Coons admitting as much over the weekend.
Yesterday Buttigieg was asked about this on CNN and he agreed:
CNN’s Jake Tapper: "Beto O'Rourke raised some eyebrows by saying 'Hell, yes, we're going to take your AR-15, your AK-47' at the debate… Did Beto O'Rourke say something that's playing into the hands of Republicans?"
Pete Buttigieg: "Yes."#CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/GnTMaPgchE
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) September 15, 2019
Buttigieg keeps pretending that Democrats have a gun control ‘moment’ right now, where he says the American people want background checks and red flag laws and that even Trump and McConnell are giving lip service to the notion of gun control.
But Beto responded to Buttigieg’s comments with accusation that he’s compromising for politics and that it’s just not enough:
When candidates say, "At least Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell are pretending to be interested," shit, that is not enough. Neither is poll-testing your message. Gun violence is a life or death issue—and we have to represent the bold ideas of people all over the country. pic.twitter.com/jE2uiXaENZ
— Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) September 15, 2019
Beto is so angry he even uses profane language to make his point!
Neither Beto nor Buttigieg are doing well in the polls, so this is basically a slap-fight at the bottom of the pack. But it is an interesting fight, as Beto clearly believes that his hardcore confiscation message is what liberals want to hear and hopes it will help him win. But Buttigieg, on the other hand, seems to understand that confiscation is a killer in the general and won’t go near it – kinda like Beto did last year in the Texas Senate race.
For what it’s worth, I hope Beto is right and all the Dems ‘come to their senses’ and take up this confiscation issue because it will the biggest loser in next year’s general.