Buttigieg Donor Pushed For Federal Weight Loss Program Called 'Cash For Fatties'

KEY POINTS

A high-level Buttigieg donor wrote a blog for Huffington Post in 2009 entitled "Cash for Fatties", in which she pushed for the government to pay people to lose weight

Her language is now being pegged as insensitive by Republicans and Democrats, alike

She has donated at least $25,000 to Buttigieg's campaign

An entertainment executive, who has been one of South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg's most ardent financial supporters once asked the federal government to create government-subsidized weight loss program called "Cash for Fatties."

Wendy Wanderman, who raised $25,000 for Buttigieg's 2020 bid wrote a Huffington Post blog in 2009, in which she proposed the government offer a program in which people are paid to lose weight. Under the program, enrollees in weight loss programs like Weight Watchers, would have it paid for by the government. If they lose a significant amount of weight, the government  woukd pay them a fee, with an additional payment to those who keep the weight off after six months or a year. 

Wanderman also served on former President Barack Obama's National Finance Committee, Politico reports.

Many are speculating that Wanderman's comments may be viewed as tone deaf or insensitive. Her argument is based on the assertion that blue states have thinner populations, who will ultimately have to end up paying the healthcare costs of the nation's obese population.

 A Republican strategist with ties to a GOP senator said he was "offended by the stupidity" of the "Cash for Fatties" idea, and skeptical of the assertion that the nation could buy its way out of the obesity crisis. 

On the other side of the aisle, a Democratic operative was more measured with their criticism: "I definitely think it's offensive. Can we blame Pete for someone who's associated with him? Yes and no." The operative went on to say that in the current climate, where everything matters, the importance of words must be elevated even more, particularly when they can be viewed as insensitive to constituencies.

As the Democratic primary field becomes increasingly narrow, candidates must brace for closer scrutiny of their high-profile donors. The Buttigieg campaign, in particular has come under fire for its perceived exchange of influence of money. The campaign has declined to comment on Wanderman's blog. 

Young, dynamic, and moderate, South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg has emerged as a challenger in the centrist lane in the race for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination Photo: AFP / SAUL LOEB