Now remarks from south bend indiana mayor pete buttigieg. President ialc candidate speaks at a town hall meeting. This happened in des moines, iowa. Souch. What a wonderful welcome. I am thrilled to be with you. It has been a great day back on the trail. We took a beat. Had a lot of not quite so healthy food over the last few days. Buddy got a christmas present. Our rescue puggle. My fatherinlaw made a step ladder for him to get on to the bed, because he does not have the vertical leap to make it on his own. If we dont put him on the bed, he will cry all night. [laughter] anyway, we had a great christmas holiday. I am so thrilled in the middle of the holidays and some interesting Football Games on television, youre all spending that is all i will say about football this evening, i promise. So glad to be here with you. Really coming together to discuss the future of our country. And the role that iowa is going to play in 37 short days in deciding the trajectory of the nomination, and therefore, the republic and, therefore, the world. No pressure. I can tell how seriously iowans take this responsibility. How seriously you take the power that comes with that thumb on the scale that you have. And seeing us candidates come through for the better part of the last year or so, kicking the tires on our policy plans. Remember the first time we came through and here things like you are in my top seven. Lets see how you do. I want to see you speak six more times and then we will see. I can tell now we are getting to decision time, the moment that iowans who take that responsibility so seriously are deciding how to use that responsibility to set the right course. I am here to ask for you to caucus for me on that day coming in february for this simple reason to help me create an American Experience that is defined not by exclusion but by belonging for everyone in United States of america. [cheering] mayor buttigieg it sounds like you are ready for that. Which is good. Because the great thing about that future is we can Start Building it even before the first vote is cast. Im going to share a lot with you about how i envision using the powers of the presidency to change the policy of this country to make our lives better, but the first thing we have got to do is unify this country around that sense of belonging that calls out to everybody and lets them know where they fit in the future. And we can do that in the course of this campaign. The fact that you are here means we are already doing it. So, thank you for what you are building for all of us. [cheering] mayor buttigieg its important because we are going to need that, not only to earn a big win on caucus night, not only to earn the nomination and earn the election and the presidency itself, but we are going to need it more than ever that next day. That first day i always talk about i asked voters to picture. I encourage you to picture in as much detail as you can to close your eyes if you want. That day the sun comes up over des moines and the rest of this country and donald trump is no longer the president of the United States. [loud cheering] that day will come. Were going to bring that day but then what . [laughter] mayor buttigieg then comes the hard part. Think about how it is going to feel that day. Yes, we will be glad to have this presidency in the rearview mirror, no question. No more the corruption, no more tweets emanating from the oval office that we have to worry about. Putting it away will be good. But then think about how it is going to feel. Our country will be divided. Our country will be hurting. Our country will be exhausted from fighting even more than we are right now. You just think about everything we have been through and everything we are about to go through in this country. We are going to need a president who can call the American People not to agree on everything, that will never happen, but who can call the American People to support one another as one nation. And think about the problems we are still going to have on that day. Think about what we will be up against. That day that sun comes up, itll be coming up over a climate that is changing so quickly we are just a few years away from the point of no return. It will be coming up over schools where kids are being drilled in active Shooter Training before they have learned how to read. Its going to be coming up over an economy where it is no longer possible anywhere in any county of the United States of america for somebody who works fulltime at minimum wage to afford a twobedroom apartment. So, things will still be so troubled in this country. There will still be something very wrong in the heart of that woman behind the wheel who saw a 14yearold girl and a 12yearold boy and said i am going to hurt them because they do not look like me. That is the work we are going to need the next president to do. To rise to meet those challenges with big policy ideas and do it in a way thats going to serve to unify and not divide the American People. The good news is thats exactly the kind of job the presidency is for. The presidency has a purpose, and it is not to glorify the president. It is to empower, unify, and heal the American People. That is what i want to use that office for with your help. [cheering] that is what a president can do. To call this country to its highest values, values that have been with us all along and that we are at our best when we look to and allow those values to guide our steps. But we got to recognize what those values require of us because it is not always obvious. Take patriotism. Love of country. Respect for the flag. There is a lot of things that that requires of us. And they are not being met by a military parade or a president who thumps his chest. Talks about how tough he is. It most certainly is not being honored by the decision to overthrow military justice and pardon war criminals as if theres no difference between a war criminal and an Honorable Service member of the United States of america. Thats not patriotism. Now, im here to talk about a different kind of patriotism, one that recognizes the most important thing we can do to honor the flag is to honor the values it stands for. That to recognize the patriotism, for example, and the spirit of those who go before congress and put their careers on the line to testify about wrongdoing because that is an act of loyalty to the republic for which it stands. [cheering] im talking about a patriotism and a love of country that begins with the knowledge that our country is made of people, and you cant love a country if you hate half the people who are in it. [cheering] so, what does it mean to live up to love of country in our times . What does it require . It certainly requires we keep this country safe from all enemies foreign and domestic. It requires making sure that abroad, we see to it that any ally or would be ally never questions whether it is a good idea to bet your life on the credibility of the United States, because we will be a country that keeps its word to enemies and allies alike. That is how we protect our country abroad. [cheering] mayor buttigieg and protecting our country, that means protecting each other. That starts right here at home. It is as a matter of National Security that we must see to it that the Second Amendment can never be confused for an excuse to do nothing at all when it comes to keeping our communities and our schools and our churches and our Shopping Centers safe from gun violence. That is National Security. [cheering] if were serious about protecting our country and serious about protecting each other, that means protecting our future. That is why so much depends on us rising to meet the challenge of Climate Change as the Global Security threat of our time and leading the world in doing something about it, and how proud we would be if we did because the world needs us right now to take on Climate Change. [cheering] thats where a value like love of country leads me and will be my presidency. Im talking about values. Im talking about values that right now they are using to pit us against each other, like faith. First of all, this is a country that was built on the idea that our constitution and our offices and government belong to people of every religion and of no religion equally. It is also the case that we can call out to those who are guided by faith traditions and offer a choice, and the choice is this do you want to have a white house that you can turn on the news and see what theyre up to and not have to scratch your head or shake your head and say whatever happened to i was hungry and you fed me . I was a stranger and you welcomed me . What you have done for the least of these you have done for me. That is the choice we can give to the American People because god does not belong to a Political Party in the United States of america. [cheering] values like democracy that that flag has always stood for when we have been at our best. But being a democracy, being serious about democracy you need some help . Can we get some help to somebody, right that way . Thank you. When it comes to being a democracy, that means living up to the values of democracy. Not just democracy as a system. But democracy as a way of life. That means seeing to it that power in this country is in the hands of the people, that our officials are accountable for. That is what keeps our government working for us rather than the other way around. Your vote is what keeps your government working for you and not the other way around. So, lets see to it that every vote is counted and every voter counts and pass a 21st century Voting Rights act to make sure Voter Suppression of any kind is not tolerated in the United States of america. [applause] lets do something about districts being drawn around this country by politicians who get to pick out voters, instead of the other way around. And if what it requires to end Citizens United is a constitutional amendment, then that is exactly why they thought up the process for constitutional reform. Lets think big and protect our democracy. [applause] thinking about values like freedom and this is all about freedom, but freedom is bigger and more complicated than cutting ever tax or regulation or program youve ever seen. That is not going to make us free. Freedom requires a great deal from us. And part of it, yes, getting government out of the way, especially when government is in the wrong places. We need to keep government out of the business of, for example, county clerks telling you who you ought to marry. Thank you, iowa, for your hand in bringing Marriage Equality to the United States of america. [cheering] respecting American Freedom means keeping government out of the business of dictating to women what their Reproductive Health care choices ought to be. That freedom belongs with you. [applause] but sometimes it means insisting that the Public Sector step up. That is why we have local government, that is why we have mayors. You are not free if there is not a clean, safe, plowed road between where you are and where you need to get to. You are not free, if you do not know where youre going to go get a glass of safe drinking water. We need a secretary of education who believes in Public Education and supports americas teachers. [applause] i think that we need to step up in the Public Sector and deliver health care, because you are not free if you do not have health care coverage. That is the idea of medicare for all who want it. Give everybody a public option, but i trust you to decide whether you want it. The important thing is to see to it one way or the other that there is no such thing as an uninsured american, and that is what we are going to do. [applause] so, you see how these values can lead us forward at this moment that is coming up where we are going to have to move fast. Theres a sense of urgency here. We cant wait 10 years, cant wait four years. We cannot wait to tackle these problems in front of us. Climate change cant wait. The deadlines are not being set by congress. It is being set by earth. It will come and go without us if we do not act. We cannot wait to take steps to see to it that ours is a country where your race has no bearing on your health or your wealth or your Life Expectancy or your relationship with law enforcement. We have got to act on that now. [applause] that is what the douglas plan is about. We cant wait to do something about the crisis of deaths from despair in this country, and that means that just as much attention and just as much open discussion as we give to physical medical issues must now be there for Mental Health and substance issues, too. Lets bring it into the sunlight and lets talk about it and lets fix it. Now. Wait. After issue, we cant we got to act now. When we do, we have the opportunity to bring together this new american Majority Ready to make sure we do the right thing. But we got to do it together. Not that we agree on everything. That is ok, we are not supposed to agree on everything, but the presidency is supposed to belong to all of us, and this campaign is designed to call in everyone who wants to see that better future. We are calling out to progressives, we are calling out to moderates. Im meeting an awful lot of what i like to call future former republicans who are ready to be part of that change. [cheering] thats how were going to win. But more importantly, that is how we are going to govern. We are going to do this together. If there has got to be a fight, we will have a fight. But this cant be about fighting. We cant be fighting so much that it gets to where fighting is all we have got. The point is what lies on the other side of the fight, and that is better life for all of us. That is what i mean when i talk about an American Experience defined by belonging. Be ready to help us bring about that day. [applause] [chanting pete] so, our gatherings have gotten slightly less intimate since we started out with about four people in an office about the size of this stage here. We have grown with your help to the movement we are becoming today. But ive never seen a group so large we couldnt have an exchange of ideas. So we have gathered questions from folks as they have come in. Id like you to welcome another team member with the famous fishbowl who will guide our discussion. You already met claudia. Dont we have the best organizers and volunteers on this team . [cheering] now, to be your voice, i want you to welcome another, a fantastic member of the pete for america team, please welcome to the stage charlotte hoffman, who is going to guide our discussion. [applause] wearing one of my favorite shirts, which contains the values of our campaign. Look at that. You got fans. If it was your question, give a holler or wave, so i can look at you as we respond. Charlotte so, this question is from bob l. He asks, how are you going to keep the economy strong . Mayor buttigieg great question. Again, if that was you, give a little holler so i can look in your general direction. Hello, bob. Thanks for coming. So, this is really important. We have to make sure we continue Economic Growth in this country. And in order to do that, we have got to invest in the things that make our economy competitive. Our economy is not going to grow just because. Its going to grow because we have the best schools or are working towards having the best schools because we have the right infrastructure because we have the right workforce none of that happens on its own. The economy cannot keep growing of people are not healthy or if we remain as divided as we are. We have to make sure we are making responsible fiscal decisions. We have to make sure we are on top of the deficit and the debt. Remember when we used to hear from Congressional Republicans about the deficit in the debt. Its 1 trillion and growing. We gotta get a handle on that, and we can with responsible investments and responsible taxation that, yes, asks the wealthiest incorporations to pay their fair share, but its completely compatible with growth. One other thing i want to point out. Im worried when it comes to our economy we are counting the wrong things. Because a lot of communities, especially in the midwest, are not seeing the kind of benefits we see on paper. Its great the dow jones is doing well. But so many people are being left behind. It is why when i am president we will measure the performance of our economy not by the dow jones, not by the gdp, but by the Income Growth of the 90 . If you are working and your income is growing, that counts towards a good economy in my book. [applause] charlotte this is from julie m. She asks, what can we do to better counter the polarization and fractures within the party and nation to get to a leader that is recognized as for the people and by the people . Mayor buttigieg very good. Hi, julie. Thanks for coming. So, this is so important. Lets start with the party part, because this is really important, right . The primary process is designed to help you see the differences among all of Us Democratic candidates. Thats fine. That is healthy. But weve got to remember we are on the same team at the end of the day. Weve got to build each other up. How many people have run for president , 25 . Something like that. 24 dont get to be the nominee. The