Scarborough calls Buttigieg ‘the future of the Democratic Party’

MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough called South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg “the future of the Democratic Party” following the presidential candidate’s Sunday town hall on Fox News.

“I’ve seen the future of the Democratic Party, and it’s Mayor Pete,” Scarborough said Monday, paraphrasing rock critic Jon Landau’s remarks about Bruce Springsteen in the mid-70s. “It may not be in 2020, perhaps it’s in 2024 or beyond, but this guy is going to play an important role in the mainstreaming of the Democratic Party for many years to come.”

“I’ve seen the future of the Democratic Party, and it’s Mayor Pete.” — @JoeNBC commenting on Pete Buttigieg’s Fox News town hall and referencing rock critic Jon Landau’s assessment of Bruce Springsteen in 1974. https://t.co/oAWU5WV3SA pic.twitter.com/KSNmc0KtnU

— Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) May 20, 2019

{mosads}Buttigieg received frequent applause during the Chris Wallace–moderated event Sunday evening, during which he defended appearing on the network even as the Democratic National Committee and fellow presidential candidates such as Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) have eschewed appearing on the network.

“There are a lot of Americans who my party can’t blame if they are ignoring our message because they will never hear it if we don’t go on and talk about it,” Buttigieg said Sunday.

“That’s why, whether it’s going into the viewership of Fox News or geographically, it’s going into places where Democrats haven’t been seen much. I think we’ve got to find people where they are, not change our values, but update our vocabulary so we’re truly connecting with Americans from coast to coast,” he said.

Scarborough’s co-host Mika Brzezinski previously urged Warren, who called Fox News a “hate-for-profit racket,” to participate in a forum with the network.

“I would argue that a presidential candidate should be able to walk into any situation, walk into any fire, and have the confidence and the ability to put it out by spreading the Democratic values and his or her beliefs,” Brzezinski said last week. “And I think they should go into Fox and do all the town halls they can do because Fox, you could argue, is smart to be doing these.”

The “Morning Joe” team hosted Buttigieg in March, soon after the candidate launched his exploratory committee. After his appearance on the show, Scarborough compared the response to the Democratic rising star to former President Obama.