It’s easy to understand the genesis of the incident. It probably started off something like this: Presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg and his speechwriters are brainstorming for a townhall in Manchester, N.H. The collaboration ultimately leads to a line that is sure to bring down the house.
The night of the event arrives. An audience member at St. Anselm College unwittingly provides the prompt, asking, “What advantages and limitations does your age grant you to being the next president?”
Mayor Pete seizes the opportunity. Feigning spontaneity, he replies:
Will this presidential election be the most important in American history?
Statistically, we run the risk of being the first generation in American history to actually be worse off economically than our parents if nothing is done to change the trajectory of this economy. To me, that is not just a concern for our generation. It’s a concern that calls on us to build an alliance among all generations, to try to make sure that the future really is better than the past.
Buttigieg exhales and awaits the thunderous applause. Instead, crickets. Or at the very best, a slight but respectful smacking of hands.
How does the campaign react? Have a look:
One year ago, @PeteButtigieg called on us to build an alliance among generations to make sure the future really is better than the past.
He's back on the #CNNTownHall stage tonight—watch #PeteOnCNN at 9PM ET. pic.twitter.com/doW1Qn1mlM
— Team Pete HQ (@PeteForAmerica) February 7, 2020
Did you notice the vigorous applause as Buttigieg completed his comment?
A group called Center for Popular Democracy Action, which supports Bernie Sanders, did. They released side-by-side clips. The one on the right is the doctored video. The one on the left is the original from CNN.
WATCH: @PeteButtigieg inserts artificial audience applause into #PeteOnCNN videos #SneakyPete (video by @rafaelshimunov) pic.twitter.com/LyxrcYstGH
— CPD Action (@CPDAction) February 7, 2020
(h/t Joe Concha, The Hill)
