Discussion: Mayor Pete Buttigieg Makes His Move In Early-Voting States

hikergirl · April 11, 2019, 9:58pm

Which of the candidates have actual experience setting foreign policy as opposed to speaking what they think our foreign policy should be?

hippocritic · April 11, 2019, 10:00pm

I think Sanders would make a wholly adequate VP

dogmaalsocatma · April 11, 2019, 10:01pm

Leonard Cohen always says it best.

pluckyinky · April 11, 2019, 10:09pm

Two things…

The people raising the issue about minorities and LGBTs absolutely know what they’re talking about. Those who don’t think it won’t really be an issue, really don’t. I am black and have always been black and one of the most crazy-making, rage inducing problems I have with my own community is the abject homophobia. It IS bad. Really, really fucking bad. A lot of black folks, not unlike white folks, think rights are a pie and that if someone else is getting rights then they must be taking them away from them. Many black folks see gay as a lifestyle choice. At least once a week I have to unfriend someone who starts a FB post off with, “I don’t have anything against gays, but the homosexual lifestyle…” It’s gross. It’s maddening. It’s stupid as fuck, but it’s a really big problem. And it’s not just black folks. It’s Latinos too. If you have some time just Google how often trans women of color come up dead or missing.
One of the things I love about Pete is that he is going at the religious issue. It’s about fucking time some Democrat did. Look, we’re not going to eradicate religion in any of our lifetimes. It’s not happening, so get over it. What we can do is turn their religious hypocrisy against them so that they can no longer use it as cudgel with which to beat Democrats over the head. We’ve allowed them to use Christianity as some kind of shield against criticism for their worst prejudices and indulgences. Nobody does that better than Pence, and he gets away it because we allow him to because Democrats are afraid of upsetting our far more secular base. I’m glad somebody is finally saying, “Enough!” We Democrats govern by Christ’s virtues in many respects. We’re the ones who believe in caring for the sick, feeding the poor, and throwing the money changers out of the temple. It’s time we learn to act like it instead of cowering away from this conversation.

pluckyinky · April 11, 2019, 10:12pm

There’s no way in hell Biden would be stupid enough to put another white guy on this ticket. I’m not just talking about Pete, I’m talking about any white dude. He needs youth, color, and estrogen. If Biden wins then it’s either going to be Harris or Abrams, but it won’t be a white dude from a small town.

tall104 · April 11, 2019, 10:25pm

personally, I still think he should be running for senate.

blandsten · April 11, 2019, 10:31pm

There are others in the running right now that I like more, but Buttigieg does impress me.

dogmaalsocatma · April 11, 2019, 10:35pm

Damn, you’re good, Plucky.
I salute you.

kelaine · April 11, 2019, 10:37pm

I think you may have missed the point. In both cases - your saying you “have nothing against homosexuals” and your saying you “have nothing against POC” - you’re making them “the other”. Maybe you don’t mean it that way, but that’s the way I’m reading it.

moreyampersand · April 11, 2019, 10:37pm

My BFF had started rolling his eyes a little because I talked about Buttigieg so glowingly, but then the other day he called and said sarcastically “Well, I saw your BOYFRIEND on Meet the Press” but went on to say he was really impressed by him. He tends to be very cynical about politicians but likes super smart people and thought Mayor Pete had a very good grasp of the issues.

mattinpa · April 11, 2019, 10:39pm

I hear your warning about this and it’s absolutely to be taken seriously. But that said, how many votes did Obama’s skin color cost the Democrats? And yet, right? And he’s got some similarities—when objective people hear him answer a question or propose a solution, they’re instantly intrigued. Like I said, I hear you, but I live myself in the blue burbs of Philly, it’s a world I know well, and I’ll bet you the famous educated suburban women contingent would wade through ankle-deep molten lava to knock on doors for him. Somebody better at this analysis than me would have to look at the benefit-cost ratio but there’s a magic there few of us here deny. He’s the anti-Trump. I’m not saying he’s my pick yet or should be anyone else’s. Let 'em run, I say, and we’ll see who looks best. But I said “Who’s this guy?” when Obama showed up a while back. I’m saying that now and I’m not alone.

cervantes · April 11, 2019, 10:41pm

My sentiments exactly.

moreyampersand · April 11, 2019, 10:42pm

Tulsi Gabbard already has “the worst” locked up, so that end of it is no fun.

cervantes · April 11, 2019, 10:43pm

Be nice!

(One of us should.)

pluckyinky · April 11, 2019, 10:46pm

If this doesn’t work out then hell yeah. I also think he should be considered for some position within the next administration too. Todd Young is up for reelection in 2022, so that would give Mayor Pete two years to continue to raise his profile before an election.

That’s a completely different issue. Obama only ever needed to not lose too many white votes that he could then make up with black and brown votes. No Democrat can afford to lose a significant portion of the black and brown vote and win. Obama’s skin color was never going to keep black and brown voters at home, only white voters and he essentially needed to turn that vote on overdrive. That’s a different problem than what Mayor Pete would have.

While that’s true, how many songs were on the radio in 2008 in which singers talked about “No Negro”? Because “no homo” is a pretty popular refrain in the hip hop world although it has gotten a bit better. Homophobia remains a lot more acceptable and even mainstream in communities of color. I also think people need to consider that POC are some of the most religious Americans. By far. The PP coalition isn’t really that religious in comparison and there are a lot of black folks and Catholic brown people who think homosexuality is essentially a sin. Plus, as bad as the white community has it’s issues with toxic masculinity, it’s adorable compared to that of communities of color.

pluckyinky · April 11, 2019, 10:50pm

Absolutely. We’ll see. I just think this board really suffers badly from a lack of diversity and some things just aren’t understood because frankly we live in an incredibly segregated country. A lot of white liberals think they know what’s going on in communities of colors yet have no earthly idea and it often shows. Horribly and embarrassingly badly. I don’t think you are one of those folks by any means, but I just think it doesn’t hurt to have an actual black person weigh in on what is going on with the party’s most loyal constituency.

kelaine · April 11, 2019, 10:50pm

I’ll see your $20 and raise you a Buttigieg/Abrams

*not sure if that’s the correct betting terminology, I’m not a gambler and only get my references from old episodes of The Big Valley.

moreyampersand · April 11, 2019, 10:51pm

O/T, but that somehow reminds me of the time someone asked an older black friend if he had experienced a lot of prejudice serving in the army during World War II. He laughed and said no, because he could type, so they assigned him to work in an office for a bunch of generals, “And they were all gay and everybody was cool.”

tena · April 11, 2019, 10:53pm

Stacey Abrams would be such a bad ass veep. Wow.

pluckyinky · April 11, 2019, 10:53pm

LOL I love that. I just don’t get it. I mean, I’ve literally cried over this issue because most of my closest friends are white, gay men and it hurts badly to see them rejected for being who they are. To me, black people and gay people should go together like peanut butter and jelly. We like the same shit, we’ve got the same struggle, I just don’t get it.