On Wednesday evening, about 900 people gathered at Rackham Auditorium to watch a live taping of the “On with Kara Swisher” podcast hosted by the School of Public Policy. Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg sat down with Kara Swisher, podcast host and member of the Ford School’s Policymaker in Residence program, to discuss the state of U.S. democracy at a time of intense political polarization.
Swisher began with a discussion on the death of Charlie Kirk, asking Buttigieg about his opinion on how political leaders have responded to the incident. Buttigieg said the incident was unacceptable and no one should face violence for practicing free speech.
“We still have to begin with the fact that a man was killed, that a family was robbed of a father, and that should never have happened, and that should never happen to anyone,” Buttigieg said. “I will say that we did see a truly bipartisan response, not a universal response, by any means. Still, we saw leaders ranging from a conservative Republican like Spencer Cox, the governor of Utah, to Bernie Sanders on the left, saying things that really rhymed with each other about why and how political violence is unacceptable and how terrifying it is that America is at this fork in the road.”
Swisher and Buttigieg then discussed the growing influence of big tech companies in shaping political decisions. Buttigieg said careful, deliberate policy action is necessary to protect democracy from these large companies.
“What we really need to do is have a policy framework where (tech companies) can’t dominate us,” Buttigieg said. “Maybe you think you’re benefiting right now because the president’s too busy going after the easiest pickings, like universities or law firms that employ people who were inconvenient to him… but you can’t imagine that you’re going to play his game. And, sooner or later, he will turn on you too.”
Buttigieg said he thinks no progress will be made unless the American people and elected leaders realize their power to do what they believe is right for the country
“What worries me most is that the American people don’t understand their own power,” Buttigieg said. “I mean, obviously Congress is just completely incapable of standing up to this president. The only thing that will really change is if people, especially people in Congress, who now believe that their political survival depends on going along with things that they know deep down are wrong, is replaced by an awareness that their political survival depends on doing things that are right.”
Swisher asked Buttigieg about the Democratic Party’s strategy in the face of a potential government shutdown. Buttigieg said waiting for a shutdown to occur could backfire.
“One thing (the Republican Party) is much better at than actually running the government is apportioning blame,” Buttigieg said. “They’re dominating some of the ways people get their information. I think there really needs to be a forceful response this time. I just don’t want to assume that (a government shutdown) is going to be easy or that it should be done lightly.”
When asked whether or not he intends to run for the 2028 presidential election, Buttigieg did not give a clear answer. Instead, he said it is our collective responsibility to shape the future of politics through active engagement.
“(Trump’s) presidency will end,” Buttigieg said. “His grip on one of the major political parties in this country will end, and when the sun comes up on that day, then what? We should build our answer to that question and then bring it into the present to hasten that day through political action.”
Public Policy junior Maggie Hartman, who attended the event, said discourse between people with opposing political views is valuable for understanding each other’s perspectives and creating meaningful change.
“It is really important to keep having dynamic conversations about politics, even with friends or peers who might disagree,” Hartman said. “It is through our voices and the influence we can have, based on our own knowledge, that we can actually shift the direction of elections.”
Hartman said the conversation highlighted young people’s role in shaping the future.
“I think my biggest takeaway from the conversation is that we are currently in a very influential time in history, and what we do now will impact the future,” Hartman said. “One of the things Pete said that really stuck with me is that America is currently in a period of reconstruction. Now is the time to rebuild, while also acknowledging the failures of the government systems that were built in the past.”
Daily Staff reporter Hayley Weiss can be reached at hayweiss@umich.edu.
