Pete Buttigieg says voters are ready for a gay vice president
His time in politics has shown him it's "extraordinary" how people can look past their biases.
Who the fuck cares if they're black white gay straight trans, just so the fucking job well. That's all anyone wants.
So... No Republicans. Got it.
Madness
Anybody that wants to know they have a representative that... represents them. Particularly for those that have never had someone of their class act as a representative.
There are several experiences/issues I wouldn't have the first clue about good intentioned or not. To say 'muh, just do the job well' fails to appreciate that one cannot 'do it well' without intimately understanding under-represented constituents issues through... experience.
Which is why the do-nothing Secretary of Transportation and McKinsey grad who got the job to repay a favor is the wrong choice.
If anything, it could be awful for LGBTQ+ people if the first representation in the White House is a corporatist small town mayor who keeps failing upwards.
Unfortunately, many or most people.
I actually really like buttigieg, but he's wrong. A woman of color AND a gay man? I wish we lived in that country but we don't live in that country.
Yep, maybe after boomers and gen x have died off sure, but this country is still battling itself on lgbtq rights.
I think this is a common misconception about how electability works in a first-past-the-post voting system. There is no benefit to going with a compromise position or reaching out to moderates. The number of people who can be persuaded to vote one way or another is miniscule. The number of people who can be persuaded to vote or not to vote is massive.
If people are excited or scared, they come out to vote. With disenfranchisement primarily focused on progressive and minority voters, there's not much left to gain in scaring regressive conservatives more, they already vote at high numbers.
Sure dude, but no offense, I'm hoping for the war veteran, swing state astronaut. Strategically he looks like the best choice IMO.
He's pretty moderate though. I'm not sure he's really the best choice nationally - Harris won't need help bringing the middle over, she needs to convince progressives to vote.
No, actual progressives will vote against fascism, no question. Don't let the trolls fool you. It's the people in red areas with only modest critical thinking skills that need to be won over. Hammer home the fact that Kelly isn't an absolute nutter. Paint that as the big difference between him and the republican ticket. And have the fact that he was in the military proudly displayed, and the fact that he was an astronaut can bring up the rear of their message.
People who love astronauts are already into science. It's the classic conservatives/moderates that need to be won over.
Honestly, I’d settle for a good one. Gay or not. Because a person’s sexuality and preferences are entirely irrelevant to one’s ability to be a fair and hard working representative.
Let's not pretend that people would refuse to vote for a gay candidate.
Whether we personally consider it an issue it has likely massively hurt their prospects as a politician.
Also representation is really important. Especially for younger people.
I’ve never in my life voted for someone because they were a heterosexual. I vote based on their track record. When we stop giving a shit about what people do with their genitals, we will be better off. We don’t need gender identity representation in our politics- we just need someone that will treat all people as equals- and enact policy that reflects this.
...that's kinda what he's saying. He's saying there's enough people who agree with this now that the political backlash to it will be a drop of hate in a huge bucket of sensible sentiments.
Is america ready for a competent president? Will voters accept an adequate candidate? Its hard to say, without knowing first which divisive and inflammatory categories they can be sorted into.
I love Buttigieg, would definitely vote for him, but this would make me anxious. We already have black woman running and there are a lot of people in swing states that have a problem with just that.
I just want to be sure that the fascist criminal will lose.
But he's a veteran. Would they vote for the cop + veteran ticket or the felon + coach fucker one?
Time to show their true colors.
Well they elected a football coach over a former DA. You know, a literal "law and order" type.
Never underestimate conservatives' ability to put their biases over their alleged morals.
GOP/Conservatives hate veterans. All of them do. They like to wave the flag and pretend, but they elected a literal draft dodging bitch who openly mocked Gold Star families. A big part of P2025 is the destruction of the VA and VA Compensation.
Don’t let any Republican voter act like they are pro-veteran or military.
The latter
Couchfucker > futtbucker
My take as well. We need to win this one. I love Pete, and would happily vote for him for president of he were the nominee, but a black woman and a gay man on the same ticket is just going to be too much for a lot of voters. Plus, I think they need to select someone from a purple state who can help bring in important votes.
Kamala Romney
Making America pick between fascism or whether or not they would rather a futt bucker, is a risky spicy gamble
They really are not. A gay candidate will guarantee a loss through the midwest and south. Generally all the religious votes.
You think PizzaGate was bad? Wait until you have a gay candidate.
Honestly, I thought the same thing about Obama. I didn't think there was any way a black guy who'd been living in Chicago would win. But he did! You never know!
Though I agree that the risk would be crazy high to run a black/Indian female president with a gay vice president. Maybe not this psycho election.
I'm a member of the queer community and absolutely do not think this is a wise idea for this cycle. Maybe next time around Pete.
I mean this sincerely. Who the fuck cares if he's gay...but.. he's doing an amazing job where he is. He's going after shitty airlines and shitty corporations that are screwing people over. Give him 4 more years dunking on delta please !
I'd be fine with a gay VP. We shouldn't be choosing our candidates based on what bigots want.
Though I'm not sure Pete is it. He has documented animosity from Black voters because of his time as mayor of South Bend during a period of disparate enforcement of cannabis prohibition. Since Harris is trying to distance herself from her time enforcing cannabis prohibition when she was DA, I think appointing Buttigieg runs the risk of reinforcing the "she's a cop" narrative and increasing the likelihood that it will become an effective attack against her.
Pete is 100% but he is not the correct gay candidate. He needs time to grow.
100
No, 100 times from this one seems excessive.
I've read this article twice and nowhere does he say the words "America is ready for a gay vice president." He says being gay has not been the detriment to his political career people assumed it would be. He's not going around telling reporters he thinks he should be VP. In the one quote that he is asked directly whether he would do it, he dodged the question.
#HarriButt2024!
Alright I wasn't in before but... I mean what a strong name to platform on.
I'm sold.
I vote for policies not people. I don’t care if the candidate is a green-skinned genetically-enhanced three-year-old clone of a dead woman from Ohio, with a biotech computer in her brain. As long as she supports equal rights for all humans, I’m on board.
Knights of Symphonia is an excellent manga.
I don’t know what that is. I was referencing “Old Man’s War” by John Scalzi. An excellent book series.
As someone who was unfortunate enough to have grown up in Indiana, I'd rather Buttigeg stay there and keep trying to drag that state into the 20th* century.
*Not a typo, that state is just that far behind.
Yeah, we are... but it ain't you.
I'd caution against Pete specifically. Given the meme-state of modern politics and sheer stupidity of the average voter, it'd be a terrible idea to run a gay man whose name looks like 'buttplug'.
...and I'm not making a joke right now - collectively we're 100% dumb enough to throw an election over that.
I know posting ben garrison is cheating, but this was years ago. They'd definitely latch on to the name as a tool to degrade him.
Hell, they've been trying to make the word "kamala" derogatory. Sorry Pete, even though you'd be as good a candidate as any, you've got butt in your name
Pete got that WAGON on em.
I actually think he would make a better POTUS candidate balanced by a Mark Kelly or something in the future. I think as a VP candidate, his value-add isn't substantive enough to outweigh the bigotry against a gay-brown-black-woman ticket. (Sadly.)
I do think Buttigieg is an excellent communicator and is very competent at going toe-to-toe against any mouth-froth republican, which is a real asset. Despite being a prosecuter, Kamala isn't as good at it. It's not a court room, no one is is under oath in political combat sports, and she too often thinks being right and factual will prevail. Pete is right and factual but also knows how to knife fight despite seeming milquetoast.
Just the way I have heard it pronounced sounds like "booty gay."
Pete doesn't actually get things done, and he's a PMC McKinsey dud... Nothing wrong with who he loves, he's just a real bummer as a politician.
Also there's a reason the VP shortlist are milquetoast white males... Grandma in Ohio might be able to vote for a woman of color, but these frightened bigots need a "safe" feeling backup plan in VP. Win the battle, take the win if Kamala can break that barrier. She wouldn't be my first choice generally, but she has the momentum and now seems like the time. I'm supporting her full speed
1000% agree. I'm not stoked about, most likely, not voting in a dem primary for 8 years. Harris wouldn't be my first choice but I don't wanna deflate the hype train at all. Hoping for a super majority in congress, that would be the big win. Really hope true progressives can accomplish as much as possible with that. Last time it happened for dems we got the ACA, that should be the minimum benchmark.
HARRIS/ANONYMOUS GENERIC WHITE GUY 2024!
Word.
Harris/Guy that gramma would be happy to see advertised on a real estate bench 2024
What I love about him though is how he talks to Republicans. He just has a way of making their hypocrisy obvious to them and you can literally see their brain short circuit and do a hard reboot before they respond. He's given some great interviews on fox news. But besides that I could take him or leave him.
Pete doesn’t actually get things done
He gets things done for his constituency, which is the network of business lobbyists that power his presidential ambitions. He's an excellent resource for BNSF and Union Pacific. He's a valuable asset for Boeing and FedEx. He's just no good if you're riding Amtrack or stuck in an airport at 2am waiting for JetBlue to get its shit together.
Well articulated, thank you for the clarifying support there.
But, are they ready for a VP that has only been mayor of a small town and a cabinet member four years?
They were ready for a President who had only been a failed businessman and a game show host, so probably yes?
Different they. You two are talking about different groups of people. Kamalas path to victory isn't doing what Trump voters approve of, it's doing what people who don't like Trump approve of.
Such a disingenuous title. He never said voters were ready for a gay VP, his quotes were in response to a question if he thought voters were ready for a black woman. But I guess nobody reads the article and just throws in their 2 cents on what they think of Pete as a VP.
his quotes were in response to a question if he thought voters were ready for a black woman
This somehow makes the article even worse.
Read the room.
Exactly. Give us the Astronaut, important thing is beating Trump and trying to remain a country.
Until ~##,### voters don't decide an entire presidential election, no. No, they aren't...
The question is how many of those voters would vote on a Democratic ticket led by a black woman in the first place. One of the most common errors in politics is trying to go after the core voters of the other side - usually framed as going after the moderates - instead of mobilising their own base. One of things that makes Trump dangerous is that he makes no such mistake.
McKinsey consultant
Thank you.
As long as he does not fuck couches.
Bigot ! Love is love.
Pete will make it a hard choice. Sorry Pete but unless Mark fucks up big time, I'm an astronaut for VP guy right now...so say nothing Mark! For the love of this nation say nothing. I've said nothing for months my self. It can be done.
Yep. Who the fuck cares about the right. They want the most morally represhisble person to be their king. Could give two shit what they think about it.
Edit: for all the nay sayer in this thread you are obviously oblivious to the type of pull Pete has. We need to double down on progress. Yes an aging astronaut might look good on paper but the most progressive ticket America has ever seen is also good.
Sadly, not the US.
Maybe, but hopefully we'd get someone better than Pete.
Sharice Davids?
That would be a fun ticket.
Sorry drunk me after my best friend's wedding
I love Pete. He actually is amazing at his job. Fuckin avoiding a logistics disaster AND getting the union what they want? Putting the screws on Boeing? Fuck that guy can WORK IT. FUCK BEN GARRISON. I think we gotta say fuck the optics- that's what makes us vote for centrists. And before Tankie's get in and call him a fascist, y'all can go fuck a couch.
Congrats to your best friend!
I think we could be, but not that one
What's wrong with Buttigieg?
Maybe reversing that question would be a good starting point--what's good about Buttigieg?
He’s far more milquetoast than Harvey Milk if you catch my drift
Sure. Not him though.
And Jared Polis, Colorado governor would be a great choice.
Still waiting for Americans to be ready for a Trans Atheist Single Childless Woman of Color President.
Not that one tho.
Buttigieg is quite ambitious
They aren’t. Play it safe please. Moderate white male. Trump needs to be crushed.
But not him. He can't even do the job he currently has
Luckily, VP doesn't have to do much. And if you're right, better to get someone else in that role, right?
He is better off if he just went back to Indiana.
Can any of you buttigeg naysayers elaborate?
Just guessing from the replies, (I'm personally not that critical of Pete)
He used to be more left wing, had a deep appreciation for Bernie Sanders growing up, then he had a more right-ward turn. He worked as a consultant for a very unpopular and influential company (Mckinsey) for a few years, then he joined the Navy and was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. Lastly the shenanigans around him very narrowly beating Bernie in the Iowa primary of 2020 probably all contribute to the negative sentiment.
None of these really make him worse than even more corporate Dems like Pritzker or Shapiro, so I'm guessing the antipathy is almost entirely because of 2020.
Yeah, but are we in the mood for a CIA spook to be vice president?
More than the asset as President.
ya but not you neolib scum
Not you, Gay Nixon.
Get off the goddamn stage ratboy. You did Bernie Dirty and I still remember. I hope everyone else does too.
Get a trans person, cowards.
If they did, and then they lost, there is some non-zero percentage of people who would blame trans people for it.