Mayor Pete Buttigieg: "I Do Think We Should Be Realistic About What's Going To Work"

Mayor Pete Buttigieg

Mayor Pete Buttigieg, in an interview that will air on "The Axe Files" tonight at 7pm on CNN, shared his thoughts with David Axelrod about promising pie-in-the-sky programs being bandied about on the campaign trail.

"I do think that we should be realistic about what's going to work," said Buttigieg. "And just flipping a switch and saying we're instantly going to have everybody on Medicare just like that -- isn't realistic."

More from CNN:

"I think that when it comes to a lot of these policies that we're being pushed to do -- say that we can pay down the last penny of tuition for any student including the child of a billionaire. These are things that are questionable on their merits and of course also pretty far out ... from where Americans are."

Of the 20 candidates on the two debate stages during the first round of Democratic debates, just four raised their hands when asked who backed the elimination of private health insurance -- Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Kamala Harris of California, along with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.

"The best way to do that is a Medicare for all who want it. We take some flavor of Medicare, you make it available on the exchange as a public option. And you invite people to buy into it," he said at a CNN town hall in March.

From Mayor Pete's website:

For lower-income families, we must make public college truly debt-free. We can do this through a state-federal partnership that makes public tuition affordable for all and completely free at lower incomes — combined with a large increase in Pell Grants that provides for basic living expenses and keeps up with inflation.

Middle-income families at public colleges will pay zero tuition. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) are vital for this country and our communities and deserve to receive more dedicated support.

Additional policies:
• Confront student loan debt
• Provide more support for students entering public service
• Ensure the highest degree of transparency and accountability for higher education institutions
• Apply strict standards to for-profit higher education institutions

I agree with Mayor Pete. I think there are lots of people (perhaps those who get their health insurance through their employers) may be happy with what they have.

I would totally support a program where folks can buy into a version of Medicare or keep their existing insurance. It seems more realistic than wiping out all private healthcare insurance companies.

Maybe some day we get to a place where we don't have private companies, but I believe the path to that result will take incremental steps.