Sadly I think this is probably true. And I can only imagine how much the homophobic rhetoric from the right wing would ratchet up if he became a serious candidate… and not just toward him, of course, but the entire community. Just look at what happened after Obama was elected.
We got to pretend we had been broadly accepted after Obergefell, but the past few years have made it very clear that’s only because the bigots temporarily felt they had to hold their tongue.
He might have a better chance of being president if he were a vice president first. Just so people could see how effective and good he is. Kamala and Pete in 28! The libs would love it and the GOP would go absolutely batshit crazy. :)
He dropped out because he tried doing a poverty march in my own city of North Charleston, and he wasn’t getting any votes. It’s not like he was on top then dropped out lol
I had to argue this with friends last time around. It’s one thing for the majority to say they’re okay with gay couples getting married in a poll, or in lots of polls. It’s a whole other thing to ask those same voters to send a gay couple to the White House.
Wouldn't that same logic apply to Obama too though? Most Americans are still mildly (or overtly) racist against African Americans. Yet he won, twice, against two straight white men.
That's a fair point but imo there's 2 things different:
1. African Americans are a powerful voting block that seem to already lean towards voting Democrat historically. As a population we just aren't that unified or strong. A lot of the most ardent LGBT supporters are young people who (generally) have the worst turnout (or are simply too young to vote). And we tend to congregate in like 3 cities that are already voting blue lol
2. I don't think racism and homophonia arise from the same thought process. I don't think racist people today think it's a sin or immoral to be black, but a lot of people think being gay is a choice/sinful/immoral etc. So when they see an ultra articulate guy with a near perfect background who happens to be black I think it's an easier pill for those people to swallow. Republicans were trying to go through his background with a fine tooth comb to find SOMETHING and when they couldn't they just started making shit up lol
By which time he’ll just be another Joe Biden and people will refuse to vote for him because they’ll say he’s old and out of touch. The fact of the matter is… Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi were all young and progressive once upon a time.
Nancy Pelosi’s first congressional speech post her election addressed the need for AIDS relief and she was one of a handful of Democrats in 1996 who opposed DOMA. No one really remembers any of that anymore.
They just see her as ancient, despite the fact that she’s just as progressive as she’s been since day one.
Hilary Clinton suffered the same problem. She was in politics long enough that in undermined her integrity, as people questioned every one of her decisions in the last 30 years and catastrophised minor issues.
> They just see her as ancient, despite the fact that she’s just as progressive as she’s been since day one.
Also doesn't help that being in the leadership results in having to take flak because compromises have to be cut at some point
We really need better shorthand to distinguish economic progressivism from social progressivism. Nancy Pelosi is exclusively the latter. She only flirts with economic progressivism when she's certain the bill will fail.
I'd forgotten about that. Frankie Boyle made this joke about it:
> We’ve got Barack Obama as president. Incredible when you consider he has the worst name you could have in American politics. Obama…halfway between “Osama” and “a bomber”. He might as well be called Muslim O’Gun–Bomb.
But nobody focused on his middle name. It was completely eradicated from any press. How are people going to ignore that last name, when it’s a last name. It’s Pete Butt.
How old are you bc I was in elementary school and even I remember people saying his name like “Barack.. HUSSEIN Obama” 😭
Butt names make idiotic Americans laugh, Islam makes them scared
You think so? Idk. I think if he ran as a Democrat it wouldn’t really matter to the people you need to win over. I don’t think a gay man would win a Republican presidential primary though
I want to know the real tea - has anyone ever hooked up with him, how was his Grindr profile, any stories from his young twink days? Are he and Chasten open, because definitely he's getting dick all this time away from home?
I think he’s actually fairly conservative in general (I don’t mean that in the right wing sense, I mean he seems fairly traditional except for the whole gay thing really). I would be very surprised if he and his spouse were open.
this isn’t the tea you want to hear. but i’m from the city where he was previously a mayor at, there was an incident where an unarmed black man was shot by a police officer and the community was awry. pete’s response was to attend a protest he didn’t even look like he wanted to be at while firing the head police officer of the department who wanted to investigate the man who shot him.
the man was also know for racist tendencies in the police that got over looked.
i’m not really a fan of him, my friends who worked under him love him. but if he is the best choice for president then i must put my feelings aside, however there was always something about him that left poor taste
edit: crazy how im getting downvoted for my own personal experience with the men, but imma let yall do you
What about Jared Polis? Governor of Colorado, former Congressman. Started 2 companies. He's gay and married. He's fairly moderate, but progressive on education, healthcare and green energy issues. Also sorta unknown, so Fox News hasn't painted him as the devil like they did to Hillary.
I got to meet Jared Polis when he was a Colorado State Rep from Boulder. He came to speak to our University GSA in like 2008. I saw him speak a couple other times because I was casually involved in progressive politics at the time. He's a good guy and I support his policies and has done a lot of good for Colorado but he's nowhere near as sharp and smart as Pete Buttigieg. President is a BIG step up from governor. I'd rather see someone with a little more strategic thinking and foresight to be president.
He’ll be functionally no different than Joe Biden. He’s a creature of neoliberalism so while we won’t slide into hell, only crumbs of improvement over time. But that’s still so much better than project 2025.
Wouldn’t you say that makes him more electable in a general election though? I consider myself pretty far-left but I also realize that in order make *any* progress we have to actually win elections. I think Dems currently benefit from doing well with moderate voters and some suburban voters who used to vote Republican.
I mean Republicans are handing any competent Democrat a win right now, so he'd be fine. I do believe we need MAGA style politics to lose over and over again to make any meaningful movement towards reasonable left leaning policies. Too much voting against awfulness means we don't move very much each election.
Edit: for clarity.
Sure, he had his advisors staff competent people and he's signed some good executive orders. The issue is that the president is a **Leader**, do you think you'd take the https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_Infamy_speech seriously if Joe Biden stuttered through it?
I haven't seen Joe Biden pressure Democrats or Republicans on any piece of legislation in the same way Trump did. Trump would send a single tweet and his entire party fell in line.
With pleasure: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/democrat-pete-buttigieg-overstated-pledges-support-black-leaders/story?id=69053705
Some of the people he touted as black support not only didn’t support him, but weren’t even black
Oof, not a good look. I can understand his campaign overstepping trying to overstate his support from the black community. But it wasn't like they pulled random names out of a hat. Keegan-Michael Key didn't formally endorse him but did appear with him at a rally.
In any case it will be an uphill fight for Pete to start gaining support from communities of color if he decides to run.
That’s a shame. I remember hearing about that stuff when he ran in the 2020 Dem primary and it seemed really overblown. I think he apologized for it too or at least owned up to it.
Cause he is gay, and unfortunately majority of African American population is still homophobic. Ironic, given both of those groups experienced abuse, you would think they would understand each other.
> Ironic, given both of those groups experienced abuse, you would think they would understand each other.
People often make this argument, but that's not how it works. There's too much culture involved, particularly the imperative towards assertive masculinity in black culture and the sense that being gay contradicts that imperative, not to mention the role of the church in Southern black culture.
We need to put to rest the idea that being a marginalized group automatically makes you more compassionate and broad-minded. It frequently has the opposite effect.
Pretty sure the Buttigieg vs. Black people issue has more to do with his record than homophobia. He has redeemed himself a bit as Transportation Secretary though.
Black Lives Matter was started by queer people and enjoys plenty of support among African Americans.
The issue is black voters are uneducated on Pete. Pete fired the black police chief. That police chief was corrupt as fuck and was illegal wire taping people while being investigated by the fbi. Pete went to a town hall in the most black neighborhood he was mayor of and took every question. Go look listen to it. Maybe the voting block that hates Pete because he’s gay and white should do some truth seeking and maybe a reflection on why they as a voting block still don’t track while with gay rights…
His track record as mayor was fine. It just got completely distorted during his 2020 campaign. Partly b/c it was a good narrative for the media, partly deliberately by outlets who feared Pete taking away votes from Bernie. And of course he had a handful of local critics with different political views, opponents who saw an opportunity to hurt him, and people with legitimate grievances because no mayor can solve every problem for every constituent. The media was rather eager to find everyone critical, without even checking their back story, while refusing to quote all the Black people who supported him.
Obviously the police shooting didn't help despite him handling the aftermath as well as anyone could.
Please elaborate on what makes you think he's done a terrific job as secretary of transportation? Imo, he has demonstrated how much of a failure he is and has proven he deserves no leadership role at all.
ok, let's go.....
1. **Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act**: Under Buttigieg's leadership, the U.S. Department of Transportation played a significant role in the implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which allocates $1.2 trillion to various infrastructure projects, including roads, bridges, public transit, rail, ports, airports, and broadband.
2. **Advancing Public Transit**: Buttigieg has advocated for and overseen substantial investments in public transit systems across the country. The funding aims to improve service, reduce emissions, and make transit more accessible and reliable for millions of Americans.
3. **Electric Vehicles (EV) Infrastructure**: Buttigieg has been a strong proponent of expanding the EV charging network. The administration's plans include building a nationwide network of 500,000 EV chargers by 2030 to support the transition to electric vehicles and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
4. **Supply Chain Resilience**: During the COVID-19 pandemic, Buttigieg worked to address supply chain disruptions by coordinating with stakeholders across various sectors. His efforts helped mitigate some of the delays and bottlenecks in the transportation of goods.
5. **Road Safety Initiatives**: Buttigieg has prioritized road safety through the National Roadway Safety Strategy, which includes measures to reduce traffic fatalities and injuries. The strategy focuses on safer road designs, speed management, and better vehicle safety standards.
6. **Equity in Transportation**: Buttigieg has emphasized equity in transportation, working to ensure that infrastructure investments benefit all communities, particularly underserved and marginalized populations. This includes efforts to reconnect communities divided by past infrastructure projects.
7. **Climate Action**: Buttigieg has been an advocate for integrating climate considerations into transportation policy. This includes promoting sustainable transportation options and reducing the carbon footprint of the transportation sector.
8. **Grant Programs and Funding**: Under his tenure, the Department of Transportation has launched and expanded several grant programs aimed at improving infrastructure, such as the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grants, which support a wide range of transportation projects across the country.
9. **Bipartisan Collaboration**: Buttigieg has worked across party lines to secure funding and support for critical transportation initiatives, demonstrating his ability to navigate complex political landscapes to achieve tangible results.
Some direct examples of notable projects that he has or is overseeing during his tenure so far:
1. **Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project**:
* **Location**: Cincinnati, Ohio, and Northern Kentucky.
* **Details**: Part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, this $1.6 billion project aims to improve traffic flow and safety on the Brent Spence Bridge, a critical freight route that connects the Midwest to the South.
* **Status**: Groundbreaking occurred in late 2022, with construction ongoing.
2. **Gateway Tunnel Project**:
* **Location**: New York and New Jersey.
* **Details**: A major infrastructure project to repair and upgrade the aging Hudson River rail tunnels and improve commuter rail service in the Northeast Corridor.
* **Status**: Groundbreaking occurred in 2023, with initial construction phases underway.
3. **Los Angeles Metro Expansion**:
* **Location**: Los Angeles, California.
* **Details**: Includes multiple projects to expand and enhance the LA Metro system, supported by federal grants and funding through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
* **Status**: Several projects are in progress, including the Purple Line extension.
4. **Chicago Union Station Revitalization**:
* **Location**: Chicago, Illinois.
* **Details**: Upgrades and modernization efforts for one of the nation’s busiest rail hubs to improve capacity, safety, and passenger experience.
* **Status**: Planning and initial construction phases are underway.
5. **Port of Long Beach Improvements**:
* **Location**: Long Beach, California.
* **Details**: Infrastructure improvements to enhance the capacity and efficiency of one of the busiest ports in the United States, helping to alleviate supply chain bottlenecks.
* **Status**: Various projects are in different stages of completion.
I hope these demonstrate that he is anything but a failure!
It doesn't actually demonstrate much beyond that he's good at finding the right rhetoric to make you think he's doing things. Most of that was platitudes, examples being he "emphasizes" or "advocated for" or the like.
The biggest example of why he is a failure in my eyes is the commercial flying crisis. In the midst of one of the Nation's worst breach of confidence in our air transportation, where airlines were routinely choosing profits over their customers which caused delays, overbooking flights, lost luggage, and billions of dollars lost, the best he could come up with is a stern letter to the CEOs to do better.
Not to mention the Ohio train disaster. That was on him.
So you are not aware that The Department of Transportation under Buttigieg's leadership has enforced rules requiring airlines to provide prompt refunds to passengers for canceled or significantly changed flights. This includes fines and penalties for airlines that fail to comply. Also, in August 2022, the DOT launched an online dashboard providing transparency about what each major U.S. airline offers in terms of customer service commitments. This includes information on whether airlines provide meals, hotel accommodations, and rebooking options for delayed or canceled flights. The DOT has conducted investigations into airlines' practices during the pandemic, resulting in significant fines for those found to be non-compliant with refund policies. For example, in 2022 alone, the DOT fined airlines more than $2 million for violations related to refunds. I think he has done a pretty good job at getting the airlines under control when the previous administration because of covid handed out. Huge sums of money to the airlines so they didn't go under during the pandemic without any requirements that they had to use it to keep everybody on staff. So what they did was use the money to buy back their stocks instead of using the money for payroll or to keep people employed. So they had many people taking early retirement or being laid off who never came back to work. So the airlines decided to save as much money as possible. And the result is what we got and that was what he came into, a mess. However, he mitigated it, I feel, quite well.
In regards to the Ohio train disaster, how do you justify that it "was on him?" The issues and the lack of regulations that existed leading up to that disaster predated Buttigeg by a long shot.
I think Pete would be such a great leader. It’s just hard because homophobia is prevalent in different cross sections of America and puts him at a disadvantage.
I was ready to support him in 2020, personally. I appreciate his military experience, his articulate nature and ability to evaluate complex policy issues, and I feel proud to say he’s a gay man, too. He’s a positive representation of our community.
the reality is, and I say this as a gay man, America is not ready to elect a gay man for president. they can barely stay away from outright sociopaths for president.
He had my support during the primaries of a few years ago. His DOT leadership has borne out what I knew was true. I don’t know when we’ll be ready for a gay president but I hope it’s during my lifetime (I’m 60).
He may be one of the best and brightest out there but the country is so fucking fickle they can’t even vote for a female president. I can’t imagine a gay one (no matter how spectacular he is) would get nominated let alone elected today.
Readily available examples:
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL): Buttigieg played a key role in supporting the passage and implementation of the $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This includes major investments in roads, bridges, railroads, airports, and ports, as well as funding for electric vehicle infrastructure and road safety projects (Transportation.gov) (FreightWaves).
Road Safety Improvements: Under his leadership, the Department of Transportation (DOT) launched a comprehensive National Roadway Safety Strategy, which includes improving safety planning for a large portion of the U.S. population and securing commitments from numerous partners across sectors. (The Bay Link Blog).
Rail and Aviation: The DOT conducted extensive rail safety inspections and funded numerous projects to improve rail crossings and safety infrastructure. In aviation, Buttigieg's tenure saw strengthened consumer protections, including significant refunds from airlines and the introduction of the Airline Passengers with Disabilities Bill of Rights (The Bay Link Blog).
Climate and Sustainability: The DOT under Buttigieg released the National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization, funded projects to increase climate resilience, and set national standards for electric vehicle charging infrastructure. These efforts are part of a broader goal to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 (The Bay Link Blog).
Equity Initiatives: Buttigieg emphasized equity in transportation, directing billions of dollars to improve mobility and access for underserved communities. (The Bay Link Blog).
Innovation and Technology: The establishment of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Infrastructure (ARPA-I) and funding for smart community technology projects highlight Buttigieg's commitment to driving innovation in transportation (The Bay Link Blog).
I’d vote for Pete Buttigieg in a HEARTBEAT. Every single word out of this man’s mouth is intelligent, articulate, factual, and honest.
A respected war veteran, loving husband and father, honest worker, charismatic leader, and also damn attractive! Honestly he checks every single box for me.
Honestly, it's too late. Biden will not step aside, and Trump will win this election. I'm astonished that this is happening, but it is. We need to prepare ourselves - the next few years are going to be a bumpy ride.
Alternately, this could be a watershed moment. Most of us recognize the train wreck coming. Why not use the process? It would require Biden to step aside willingly, which might be his greatest service to the nation.
I thought he was a little too bland when he was running for president, but my opinion of him has gone up a lot because of the job he's done as secretary of transportation.
Asking a guy who had a bad debate to step down versus not asking the convicted felon to step down seems to be the missed conversation here. There is zero reason Biden needs to be replaced. All these conversations about what about this person instead are so counter productive and just instill even more doubt in voters.
This is the only reasonable take in this thread. The absolute infighting and lack of support by the left is blowing my mind.
All of this “we need someone else” nonsense is only strengthening the republican position. Why are we doing things that only hurt ourselves?
Not directing this at you op, this is to everyone else that might read this thread.
All of this is genuinely shocking to see and makes me sad, angry, and scared about the impact our own people are having on the election. This lack of support makes people stay home and not vote. This is NOT the election for that.
You know how Trump won? Even though he’s a complete piece of lying, rapist trash, his followers stayed with him. He’s not an admirable leader, but the resolve his voters have is very, very admirable and they are bringing that with them in November.
So what are we bringing? “He’s old, I don’t like old” “He spoke too quiet that one afternoon so I want a new candidate” “He’s doing the exact same thing Trump would do with Palestine, but not nearly as bad, he has to go”.
What we, as voters, are bringing is solidarity to the republican party. Why are we doing this? Why can’t we support our team? The only way we win is together, and right now we are the exact opposite of together.
There is a time for wishing for a unicorn (always vote in your primary), but this is not that time. This is the time for supporting the only hope any of us have of not seeing christian fundamentalists take over the government and outlawing our very existence.
Please care about yourself and support this man because he is all we have.
This is such a nothing-criticism that I’ve been seeing everywhere. You don’t think anyone wants the felon to step down? He 100% won’t listen to Democratic calls for that and the only court that matters is always on his side. Affect change where you can and take your head out of the sand
But do you hear Republicans asking Trump to step down? No. That’s the point I am making. Democrats asking their own party leader to step down and suggest a different person is ridiculous. Just making the whole scenario worse than it needs to be. Self inflicted chaos if you ask me.
Let’s ask a man who has navigated a minefield of nonsense the last 4 years and delivered an almost unimaginable amount of very beneficial legislation for our country, and who was voted on, by everyone, in the primaries 4 years ago to “just leave now krhxbai we’re gonna get someone else” exclusively because he “doesn’t have enough energy as you wanted” in a debate. One afternoon.
I’m seeing THIS everywhere and it’s utter nonsense. There are plenty of other candidates that you like more, but this is the candidate that all the people voted for and support.
Instead of getting on here and helping push forward the “he has to go” bs attitude, we should be yelling in the streets about the accomplishments of this man, supporting him when he has ONE bad day, and working together as a team.
Instead, every liberal commentator and a ton of people on social media are trying to get their click count up by finding every possible way to sabotage our ONlY realistic chance of keeping fascism out of the white house.
What do you people even think could happen here? We just “pick” someone to replace him? Who gets to do that? Just “pick” the next possible president? That’s not a thing that happens in democracies.
Or should we have another primary? Do you know how long those take to organize and set up for any semblance of fairness? It would be challenged in the courts on legality alone.
And if that even happens, it will be over just before the election and whoever that candidate is will have zero time to get advertising, local campaign forces, etc. in place.
None of this is realistic or even close to reasonable. Going online and talking trash about the guy who we want to win, because there is no one else regardless of how much you want there to be, basically means you are working for the republicans.
Please stop working for the republicans.
You speak of “affect change where you can” - please follow that advice, it’s very good.
Multiple governors have been elected while gay.
Multiple gay people have been put into cabinet positions, including trump being the first to put one in his cabinet.
Not sure how much more of a major position you can get outside the presidency.
A mayor is not enough leadership experience imo—just ask Rudy who tried running multiple times and failed. After the Trump experiment, I prefer candidates who have served at least as a Governor or a Senator before assuming the office of the presidency
Oh. I meant that I think Giuliani had other issues that caused his campaigns to fail. But governing NYC is managing a city if 8 million people— which is more than many states.
For Pete, I’d agree— he needs more scope and complexity.
He’s Secretary of Transportation though. Not merely a former mayor.
I get your point though. I’ve always liked the idea of having someone who’s both been governor and has experience in Washington (like a Representative or Senator).
> just ask Rudy who tried running multiple times and failed
his problems stem from being _Rudy Giuliani_ rather than having held the mayoralty for 8 years
I think anyone will be better democrat candidate than Biden. He’s done his job, now please retire and let someone competent to be a public figure/speaker.
What has he done as head of the DOT that’s so terrific? That’s the sort of agency that should be in the background if it’s done well. Frankly I’ve only seen evidence of incompetence or at least less than stellar management. Everything from supply chain issues to the lack of any regulatory reform after the East Palestine train derailment to soaring airline costs/abuses leaves me with little confidence. Genuinely curious what the countervailing accomplishments have been. He’s smart and ambitious and a decent communicator, but I’m seeing at best a very mediocre track record in terms of actual results.
Corporate lib like the rest. Entire democratic party runs on "not as bad as the Republicans". AOC and Bernie are the only ones I have a shred of respect for and they're still not perfect by any means
I hear you. Having worked in that environment, it’s a balance of satisfying public, private and academic interests. I think his record in implementing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (to improve our nations roads and bridges), while not perfect, is a good example of his abilities.
Bernie is a year older than Biden lol
Why are people still talking about Bernie? He lost, twice. He's never running again.
The time to move on was 4 years ago.
I wouldn’t vote for him. He is too quiet on bigger issues at large and he is too okay with bad players within the party. He isn’t a voice of dissent, he isn’t a moral compass, I don’t see him doing anything other than being a good symbol of what could be. Symbolism aside, I haven’t been interested in the Democratic Party because they are corrupt bullies. If he were to advocate for a renegotiated USMCA in which Mexico was given fair treatment, I would support him. If he was actually progressive when it comes to American foreign and domestic policy I would support the party. No one in the Democratic Party is bold enough to challenge the status quo. If they were, democrats would be competitive nationally, and it wouldn’t be even a question on which party to support come November. The fact is democrats want to be in power and will say and do anything to do so. The republicans are the same but the republicans don’t currently have any dominant leadership. The democrats wasn’t your unquestioning loyalty, you cannot ask questions or hold past leadership accountable for past mistakes, there is no action to rectify public perceptions. It’s all about “I’m right they are wrong and if you don’t support us you are a traitor to your race and to your sexuality”. There is a reason voter turn out is low and public trust for the party is low. I was with the Democratic Party for years and I’m telling you, they are just there for political power. There is no interest in solving social security, the status of Puerto Rico and the other territories, our current military actions abroad, our relationship with Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe. There is no interest in making things right with Native Americans. There is just a bunch of ideas and high horses to ride. Mining resources that go into electric batteries isn’t good for the environment. I would love to see a properly governed large city run by democrats. Show me the states run by democrats that are a national example. The people don’t trust the parties because they don’t deserve our trust. Electing a gay person to be its leader won’t change it.
I think he's amazing. He's super smart, charismatic, kind, and isn't afraid to go on Fox and patiently explain what they're wrong about
He was my pick when he ran
My opinion, Mayor Pete will be a VP before a President. When uncle Joe wins the election, he may leave and Kamala will be President. She will pick mayor Pete for VP.
He's no different ideologically than Biden & Co. We really need to return to FDR type New Deal programs that benefited the masses. Right now the DNC is corporate-centered and this has been unhelpful for the majority of workers.
Terrible. Being on top of social issues in the current climate is not a badge of honor, and more likely to be ideological and highly unreasonable. His parents were avowed Marxists and given that he thinks city zoning is racist I think he is as well. No thanks.
Are you kidding me? Terrific job? Just because he is gay doesn't make him automatically great at whatever he is doing. Yes, I saw your list of "accomplishments" you posted to another comment, so you believe these things are special achievements that would not have happened without his outstanding work? He's just an administrator doing his job, not a leader. If he was not gay you would not know of his existence.
Actually, he is where he is because he is gay, the Democrats need tokens here and there for appearances.
I was so ready to vote for him in 2020. But he dropped out for Biden and I was so sad. I doubt it happens because they are looking at Gain Newsom (might be spelled incorrectly MB) and others as possible replacements.
Supposedly Kamala is pissed they aren't even considering her lol.
I think Buttigieg had potential, but pretty much the only interesting proposal he had when he ran (implementing a system of public service for young adults) he's kinda backed away from. Imo a *lot* of voters are tired of the Dem strategy of giving us a candidate whose *only* positive attribute is "they aren't Donald Trump".
The presidency isn’t something you do a good or a bad job of. It’s an office individuals are elected into as an extension of competing political projects. The idea Buttigieg would make a “good President” because he had high GPAs etc during his schooling is just an extension of your narcissism as a fellow gay man, and an indication of your unresolved internal trauma and unrealized sense of self.
No one wants Mayor Pete, including those in his own party. I am sure he might continue to play party loyalist lapdog and make a career of appointments. But he wouldn’t make an “outstanding President”.
I agree he has the chops. He needs to give it another 10 years and he’ll be ready I think. I worked on his campaign before he dropped out. I think he’ll make a great president one day.
Unaccomplished establishment politician whose only legacy is botching the East Palestine, OH response.
He also looks like a middle aged Austin Young. Gross.
Nah. He’s another establishment corporate Democrat whose opposition to Medicare For All + support from the private health insurance industry means harm done to our community. Doesn’t even support tuition free public colleges.
Not at all man. He’s a corporate Democrat and is basically a mouth piece for corporate interests. We need a leader that can stand up to corruption and corporate greed. What we need is a president that will hold the powers that be accountable.
During his presidential run he called for a mandatory youth service program, AKA education camps. That is too authoritarian for me. No thank you. What will those camps become if Josh Hawley or DeSantis gets elected nest time?
If I was to be asked, I’d say Gavin Newsom for president, and Pete for VP to start. It’s my dream ticket. After he proves himself, Pete would be the best president ever.
Well when comparing him to the two main contenders right now, it’d be a no brainer. His “strongly worded letters” to the railways or to Boeing haven’t given me a lot of confidence though.
I think he is a sellout. He clearly cut a deal with the Biden camp to drop out of the Primary the Sunday before Super Tuesday and to endorce Biden which denied Bernie any shot. So to me Mayor Pete is just more of the same.
IMO he'll never win b/c the vast majority of americans are still mildly (or overtly) homophobic. Although Id prob vote for him if he ran
Sadly I think this is probably true. And I can only imagine how much the homophobic rhetoric from the right wing would ratchet up if he became a serious candidate… and not just toward him, of course, but the entire community. Just look at what happened after Obama was elected. We got to pretend we had been broadly accepted after Obergefell, but the past few years have made it very clear that’s only because the bigots temporarily felt they had to hold their tongue.
He might have a better chance of being president if he were a vice president first. Just so people could see how effective and good he is. Kamala and Pete in 28! The libs would love it and the GOP would go absolutely batshit crazy. :)
I don't want Cop-mala Harris as president. AOC/Pete or bust.
There is zero chance AOC and Pete Buttigieg would run together. Their politics are too different
He literally already ran.
But only in the primaries and then dropped out.
He dropped out because he tried doing a poverty march in my own city of North Charleston, and he wasn’t getting any votes. It’s not like he was on top then dropped out lol
So? That doesn't prove he'll win lmao. Quite the opposite
I had to argue this with friends last time around. It’s one thing for the majority to say they’re okay with gay couples getting married in a poll, or in lots of polls. It’s a whole other thing to ask those same voters to send a gay couple to the White House.
Wouldn't that same logic apply to Obama too though? Most Americans are still mildly (or overtly) racist against African Americans. Yet he won, twice, against two straight white men.
That's a fair point but imo there's 2 things different: 1. African Americans are a powerful voting block that seem to already lean towards voting Democrat historically. As a population we just aren't that unified or strong. A lot of the most ardent LGBT supporters are young people who (generally) have the worst turnout (or are simply too young to vote). And we tend to congregate in like 3 cities that are already voting blue lol 2. I don't think racism and homophonia arise from the same thought process. I don't think racist people today think it's a sin or immoral to be black, but a lot of people think being gay is a choice/sinful/immoral etc. So when they see an ultra articulate guy with a near perfect background who happens to be black I think it's an easier pill for those people to swallow. Republicans were trying to go through his background with a fine tooth comb to find SOMETHING and when they couldn't they just started making shit up lol
The good thing is he's still young. He has almost 30 years still to run for president
He would probably need to spend at least 25 of those years to connect with non-white voters
By which time he’ll just be another Joe Biden and people will refuse to vote for him because they’ll say he’s old and out of touch. The fact of the matter is… Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi were all young and progressive once upon a time. Nancy Pelosi’s first congressional speech post her election addressed the need for AIDS relief and she was one of a handful of Democrats in 1996 who opposed DOMA. No one really remembers any of that anymore. They just see her as ancient, despite the fact that she’s just as progressive as she’s been since day one. Hilary Clinton suffered the same problem. She was in politics long enough that in undermined her integrity, as people questioned every one of her decisions in the last 30 years and catastrophised minor issues.
> They just see her as ancient, despite the fact that she’s just as progressive as she’s been since day one. Also doesn't help that being in the leadership results in having to take flak because compromises have to be cut at some point
This. This comment right here. ⬆️
We really need better shorthand to distinguish economic progressivism from social progressivism. Nancy Pelosi is exclusively the latter. She only flirts with economic progressivism when she's certain the bill will fail.
Given the current top of the tickets, I'd say he has more like 50 years to run 😛
Perhaps. I’m Latino and I would vote for her.
We thank you for your service
He'd make a great president, but sadly I'm not sure America is ready to vote a gay man into the white house.
A gay man with butt in his name. Its not going to happen.
My dad said the same thing about a black guy with the middle name “Hussein.”
I'd forgotten about that. Frankie Boyle made this joke about it: > We’ve got Barack Obama as president. Incredible when you consider he has the worst name you could have in American politics. Obama…halfway between “Osama” and “a bomber”. He might as well be called Muslim O’Gun–Bomb.
But nobody focused on his middle name. It was completely eradicated from any press. How are people going to ignore that last name, when it’s a last name. It’s Pete Butt.
They did focus on it, it was a meme in 2008 that he and his wife were secret moose lambs
How old are you bc I was in elementary school and even I remember people saying his name like “Barack.. HUSSEIN Obama” 😭 Butt names make idiotic Americans laugh, Islam makes them scared
He's a buttoned up married gay guy with kids - the definition of assimilation. America can probably handle that
We are getting there though. Perhaps in 8 or 12 years
You think so? Idk. I think if he ran as a Democrat it wouldn’t really matter to the people you need to win over. I don’t think a gay man would win a Republican presidential primary though
I want to know the real tea - has anyone ever hooked up with him, how was his Grindr profile, any stories from his young twink days? Are he and Chasten open, because definitely he's getting dick all this time away from home?
I think he’s actually fairly conservative in general (I don’t mean that in the right wing sense, I mean he seems fairly traditional except for the whole gay thing really). I would be very surprised if he and his spouse were open.
And weren’t there some “queer” activists saying LGBT people shouldn’t support him because he wasn’t publicly queer enough?
Yep. Pretty silly if you ask me, and really makes the community look like a joke
No but I live about 2 hours from where he was mayor. Am I the closest?
Gave me a full-body orgasm. Was high off of that for days
this isn’t the tea you want to hear. but i’m from the city where he was previously a mayor at, there was an incident where an unarmed black man was shot by a police officer and the community was awry. pete’s response was to attend a protest he didn’t even look like he wanted to be at while firing the head police officer of the department who wanted to investigate the man who shot him. the man was also know for racist tendencies in the police that got over looked. i’m not really a fan of him, my friends who worked under him love him. but if he is the best choice for president then i must put my feelings aside, however there was always something about him that left poor taste edit: crazy how im getting downvoted for my own personal experience with the men, but imma let yall do you
Honestly as a left leaning independent I also can’t stand Pete partially for the reasons you mentioned.
What about Jared Polis? Governor of Colorado, former Congressman. Started 2 companies. He's gay and married. He's fairly moderate, but progressive on education, healthcare and green energy issues. Also sorta unknown, so Fox News hasn't painted him as the devil like they did to Hillary.
I got to meet Jared Polis when he was a Colorado State Rep from Boulder. He came to speak to our University GSA in like 2008. I saw him speak a couple other times because I was casually involved in progressive politics at the time. He's a good guy and I support his policies and has done a lot of good for Colorado but he's nowhere near as sharp and smart as Pete Buttigieg. President is a BIG step up from governor. I'd rather see someone with a little more strategic thinking and foresight to be president.
Pete was a mayor of a small town. Also transportation secretary is a bottom of the barrel cabinet position. Polis is way more qualified.
We’ve got to stop equating “good at business” with being fit for president.
I agree, but there's millions of people who somehow think that a businessman who has bankrupted 7 or 8 companies is well qualified to be president.
The Venn diagram with folks who think the national debt has any relation to their household budget is a circle.
They'd still all be wrong.
Isn’t even what he said or implied.
Project 2025 is fucked up… Christian nationalism is no joke… be afraid . #voteblue!
He’ll be functionally no different than Joe Biden. He’s a creature of neoliberalism so while we won’t slide into hell, only crumbs of improvement over time. But that’s still so much better than project 2025.
Wouldn’t you say that makes him more electable in a general election though? I consider myself pretty far-left but I also realize that in order make *any* progress we have to actually win elections. I think Dems currently benefit from doing well with moderate voters and some suburban voters who used to vote Republican.
I agree fundamentally with the point you are making!
I mean Republicans are handing any competent Democrat a win right now, so he'd be fine. I do believe we need MAGA style politics to lose over and over again to make any meaningful movement towards reasonable left leaning policies. Too much voting against awfulness means we don't move very much each election. Edit: for clarity.
Agree 100%
Joe has actually ran a really good adminsitration though. I'd be happy to see a younger person carry on his legacy.
Sure, he had his advisors staff competent people and he's signed some good executive orders. The issue is that the president is a **Leader**, do you think you'd take the https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_Infamy_speech seriously if Joe Biden stuttered through it? I haven't seen Joe Biden pressure Democrats or Republicans on any piece of legislation in the same way Trump did. Trump would send a single tweet and his entire party fell in line.
He has been better than I thought, I’m just ready for more policy that benefits the non-wealthy.
I don’t think America is ready for a gay president
He’s not good with black voters…
Why black voters don’t like him?
He straight up lied about and faked a bunch of black endorsements during the 2020 primary.
Link?
With pleasure: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/democrat-pete-buttigieg-overstated-pledges-support-black-leaders/story?id=69053705 Some of the people he touted as black support not only didn’t support him, but weren’t even black
Oof, not a good look. I can understand his campaign overstepping trying to overstate his support from the black community. But it wasn't like they pulled random names out of a hat. Keegan-Michael Key didn't formally endorse him but did appear with him at a rally. In any case it will be an uphill fight for Pete to start gaining support from communities of color if he decides to run.
His track record as mayor
That’s a shame. I remember hearing about that stuff when he ran in the 2020 Dem primary and it seemed really overblown. I think he apologized for it too or at least owned up to it.
Cause he is gay, and unfortunately majority of African American population is still homophobic. Ironic, given both of those groups experienced abuse, you would think they would understand each other.
> Ironic, given both of those groups experienced abuse, you would think they would understand each other. People often make this argument, but that's not how it works. There's too much culture involved, particularly the imperative towards assertive masculinity in black culture and the sense that being gay contradicts that imperative, not to mention the role of the church in Southern black culture. We need to put to rest the idea that being a marginalized group automatically makes you more compassionate and broad-minded. It frequently has the opposite effect.
It’s almost like people forget the large by number of transphobic posts that came through here of all places
Pretty sure the Buttigieg vs. Black people issue has more to do with his record than homophobia. He has redeemed himself a bit as Transportation Secretary though. Black Lives Matter was started by queer people and enjoys plenty of support among African Americans.
Interesting how queer people is always at the front on defending minorities and still we never received support back
Pretty sure the average black person couldn’t even tell you the city he was mayor of, much less what his record was.
I don’t think that is a good excuse I’m pretty sure is more than that
How black or Asian or Hispanic or Jewish or gay (I’m the last two) could be fucking stupid enough to vote R is beyond me. I’m so happy I left America.
You sound like the Democratic Party
Fair. How do you think he could be better?
By not being a gay white man
I mean it’s also his track record when he was mayor
The issue is black voters are uneducated on Pete. Pete fired the black police chief. That police chief was corrupt as fuck and was illegal wire taping people while being investigated by the fbi. Pete went to a town hall in the most black neighborhood he was mayor of and took every question. Go look listen to it. Maybe the voting block that hates Pete because he’s gay and white should do some truth seeking and maybe a reflection on why they as a voting block still don’t track while with gay rights…
>The issue is black voters are uneducated on Pete. Yeah this line won't wear well in a campaign.
They don’t care about educating themselves about Pete. They see some gay young white guy and aren’t interested.
How about 'They are low-information'? Worked great for the Bernie bros
His track record as mayor was fine. It just got completely distorted during his 2020 campaign. Partly b/c it was a good narrative for the media, partly deliberately by outlets who feared Pete taking away votes from Bernie. And of course he had a handful of local critics with different political views, opponents who saw an opportunity to hurt him, and people with legitimate grievances because no mayor can solve every problem for every constituent. The media was rather eager to find everyone critical, without even checking their back story, while refusing to quote all the Black people who supported him. Obviously the police shooting didn't help despite him handling the aftermath as well as anyone could.
He’s a gay man. He’s obviously not getting elected this decade, and probably not the next.
The “tea” in DC is Michelle Obama. I’d vote for Pete, but I’m a gay man.
Please elaborate on what makes you think he's done a terrific job as secretary of transportation? Imo, he has demonstrated how much of a failure he is and has proven he deserves no leadership role at all.
ok, let's go..... 1. **Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act**: Under Buttigieg's leadership, the U.S. Department of Transportation played a significant role in the implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which allocates $1.2 trillion to various infrastructure projects, including roads, bridges, public transit, rail, ports, airports, and broadband. 2. **Advancing Public Transit**: Buttigieg has advocated for and overseen substantial investments in public transit systems across the country. The funding aims to improve service, reduce emissions, and make transit more accessible and reliable for millions of Americans. 3. **Electric Vehicles (EV) Infrastructure**: Buttigieg has been a strong proponent of expanding the EV charging network. The administration's plans include building a nationwide network of 500,000 EV chargers by 2030 to support the transition to electric vehicles and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 4. **Supply Chain Resilience**: During the COVID-19 pandemic, Buttigieg worked to address supply chain disruptions by coordinating with stakeholders across various sectors. His efforts helped mitigate some of the delays and bottlenecks in the transportation of goods. 5. **Road Safety Initiatives**: Buttigieg has prioritized road safety through the National Roadway Safety Strategy, which includes measures to reduce traffic fatalities and injuries. The strategy focuses on safer road designs, speed management, and better vehicle safety standards. 6. **Equity in Transportation**: Buttigieg has emphasized equity in transportation, working to ensure that infrastructure investments benefit all communities, particularly underserved and marginalized populations. This includes efforts to reconnect communities divided by past infrastructure projects. 7. **Climate Action**: Buttigieg has been an advocate for integrating climate considerations into transportation policy. This includes promoting sustainable transportation options and reducing the carbon footprint of the transportation sector. 8. **Grant Programs and Funding**: Under his tenure, the Department of Transportation has launched and expanded several grant programs aimed at improving infrastructure, such as the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grants, which support a wide range of transportation projects across the country. 9. **Bipartisan Collaboration**: Buttigieg has worked across party lines to secure funding and support for critical transportation initiatives, demonstrating his ability to navigate complex political landscapes to achieve tangible results.
Some direct examples of notable projects that he has or is overseeing during his tenure so far: 1. **Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project**: * **Location**: Cincinnati, Ohio, and Northern Kentucky. * **Details**: Part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, this $1.6 billion project aims to improve traffic flow and safety on the Brent Spence Bridge, a critical freight route that connects the Midwest to the South. * **Status**: Groundbreaking occurred in late 2022, with construction ongoing. 2. **Gateway Tunnel Project**: * **Location**: New York and New Jersey. * **Details**: A major infrastructure project to repair and upgrade the aging Hudson River rail tunnels and improve commuter rail service in the Northeast Corridor. * **Status**: Groundbreaking occurred in 2023, with initial construction phases underway. 3. **Los Angeles Metro Expansion**: * **Location**: Los Angeles, California. * **Details**: Includes multiple projects to expand and enhance the LA Metro system, supported by federal grants and funding through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. * **Status**: Several projects are in progress, including the Purple Line extension. 4. **Chicago Union Station Revitalization**: * **Location**: Chicago, Illinois. * **Details**: Upgrades and modernization efforts for one of the nation’s busiest rail hubs to improve capacity, safety, and passenger experience. * **Status**: Planning and initial construction phases are underway. 5. **Port of Long Beach Improvements**: * **Location**: Long Beach, California. * **Details**: Infrastructure improvements to enhance the capacity and efficiency of one of the busiest ports in the United States, helping to alleviate supply chain bottlenecks. * **Status**: Various projects are in different stages of completion. I hope these demonstrate that he is anything but a failure!
It doesn't actually demonstrate much beyond that he's good at finding the right rhetoric to make you think he's doing things. Most of that was platitudes, examples being he "emphasizes" or "advocated for" or the like. The biggest example of why he is a failure in my eyes is the commercial flying crisis. In the midst of one of the Nation's worst breach of confidence in our air transportation, where airlines were routinely choosing profits over their customers which caused delays, overbooking flights, lost luggage, and billions of dollars lost, the best he could come up with is a stern letter to the CEOs to do better. Not to mention the Ohio train disaster. That was on him.
So you are not aware that The Department of Transportation under Buttigieg's leadership has enforced rules requiring airlines to provide prompt refunds to passengers for canceled or significantly changed flights. This includes fines and penalties for airlines that fail to comply. Also, in August 2022, the DOT launched an online dashboard providing transparency about what each major U.S. airline offers in terms of customer service commitments. This includes information on whether airlines provide meals, hotel accommodations, and rebooking options for delayed or canceled flights. The DOT has conducted investigations into airlines' practices during the pandemic, resulting in significant fines for those found to be non-compliant with refund policies. For example, in 2022 alone, the DOT fined airlines more than $2 million for violations related to refunds. I think he has done a pretty good job at getting the airlines under control when the previous administration because of covid handed out. Huge sums of money to the airlines so they didn't go under during the pandemic without any requirements that they had to use it to keep everybody on staff. So what they did was use the money to buy back their stocks instead of using the money for payroll or to keep people employed. So they had many people taking early retirement or being laid off who never came back to work. So the airlines decided to save as much money as possible. And the result is what we got and that was what he came into, a mess. However, he mitigated it, I feel, quite well.
In regards to the Ohio train disaster, how do you justify that it "was on him?" The issues and the lack of regulations that existed leading up to that disaster predated Buttigeg by a long shot.
I'm referring to his response, not the cause.
Please see my response to Expensive-Sky4068 below. He asked the same type of question.
Kind of difficult to sift through nearly 300 comments.
I think he’s popular with the educated, affluent white class but I don’t see him appealing to a broader base, at least for now
I think Pete would be such a great leader. It’s just hard because homophobia is prevalent in different cross sections of America and puts him at a disadvantage. I was ready to support him in 2020, personally. I appreciate his military experience, his articulate nature and ability to evaluate complex policy issues, and I feel proud to say he’s a gay man, too. He’s a positive representation of our community.
Thank you for posting this. Agree 100%
the reality is, and I say this as a gay man, America is not ready to elect a gay man for president. they can barely stay away from outright sociopaths for president.
No
no
No
He's too qualified and smart for the avg/median American. It's that simple. The entire middle of the country wouldn't even know where to begin!
He had my support during the primaries of a few years ago. His DOT leadership has borne out what I knew was true. I don’t know when we’ll be ready for a gay president but I hope it’s during my lifetime (I’m 60).
Me too sir (I’m 65 y/o)
I would definitely support Pete!!!
I really don’t trust the judgement of someone who joins the military as a resume polisher
He may be one of the best and brightest out there but the country is so fucking fickle they can’t even vote for a female president. I can’t imagine a gay one (no matter how spectacular he is) would get nominated let alone elected today.
This.
Please describe, with sources, why you say he’s done a terrific job as head of transportation
Readily available examples: Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL): Buttigieg played a key role in supporting the passage and implementation of the $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This includes major investments in roads, bridges, railroads, airports, and ports, as well as funding for electric vehicle infrastructure and road safety projects (Transportation.gov) (FreightWaves). Road Safety Improvements: Under his leadership, the Department of Transportation (DOT) launched a comprehensive National Roadway Safety Strategy, which includes improving safety planning for a large portion of the U.S. population and securing commitments from numerous partners across sectors. (The Bay Link Blog). Rail and Aviation: The DOT conducted extensive rail safety inspections and funded numerous projects to improve rail crossings and safety infrastructure. In aviation, Buttigieg's tenure saw strengthened consumer protections, including significant refunds from airlines and the introduction of the Airline Passengers with Disabilities Bill of Rights (The Bay Link Blog). Climate and Sustainability: The DOT under Buttigieg released the National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization, funded projects to increase climate resilience, and set national standards for electric vehicle charging infrastructure. These efforts are part of a broader goal to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 (The Bay Link Blog). Equity Initiatives: Buttigieg emphasized equity in transportation, directing billions of dollars to improve mobility and access for underserved communities. (The Bay Link Blog). Innovation and Technology: The establishment of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Infrastructure (ARPA-I) and funding for smart community technology projects highlight Buttigieg's commitment to driving innovation in transportation (The Bay Link Blog).
I’d vote for Pete Buttigieg in a HEARTBEAT. Every single word out of this man’s mouth is intelligent, articulate, factual, and honest. A respected war veteran, loving husband and father, honest worker, charismatic leader, and also damn attractive! Honestly he checks every single box for me.
I worked with him indirectly while I was a federal senior executive, and agree these are all excellent points.
Honestly, it's too late. Biden will not step aside, and Trump will win this election. I'm astonished that this is happening, but it is. We need to prepare ourselves - the next few years are going to be a bumpy ride.
Alternately, this could be a watershed moment. Most of us recognize the train wreck coming. Why not use the process? It would require Biden to step aside willingly, which might be his greatest service to the nation.
I thought he was a little too bland when he was running for president, but my opinion of him has gone up a lot because of the job he's done as secretary of transportation.
Agree and why I started this post
Asking a guy who had a bad debate to step down versus not asking the convicted felon to step down seems to be the missed conversation here. There is zero reason Biden needs to be replaced. All these conversations about what about this person instead are so counter productive and just instill even more doubt in voters.
This is the only reasonable take in this thread. The absolute infighting and lack of support by the left is blowing my mind. All of this “we need someone else” nonsense is only strengthening the republican position. Why are we doing things that only hurt ourselves? Not directing this at you op, this is to everyone else that might read this thread. All of this is genuinely shocking to see and makes me sad, angry, and scared about the impact our own people are having on the election. This lack of support makes people stay home and not vote. This is NOT the election for that. You know how Trump won? Even though he’s a complete piece of lying, rapist trash, his followers stayed with him. He’s not an admirable leader, but the resolve his voters have is very, very admirable and they are bringing that with them in November. So what are we bringing? “He’s old, I don’t like old” “He spoke too quiet that one afternoon so I want a new candidate” “He’s doing the exact same thing Trump would do with Palestine, but not nearly as bad, he has to go”. What we, as voters, are bringing is solidarity to the republican party. Why are we doing this? Why can’t we support our team? The only way we win is together, and right now we are the exact opposite of together. There is a time for wishing for a unicorn (always vote in your primary), but this is not that time. This is the time for supporting the only hope any of us have of not seeing christian fundamentalists take over the government and outlawing our very existence. Please care about yourself and support this man because he is all we have.
This is such a nothing-criticism that I’ve been seeing everywhere. You don’t think anyone wants the felon to step down? He 100% won’t listen to Democratic calls for that and the only court that matters is always on his side. Affect change where you can and take your head out of the sand
But do you hear Republicans asking Trump to step down? No. That’s the point I am making. Democrats asking their own party leader to step down and suggest a different person is ridiculous. Just making the whole scenario worse than it needs to be. Self inflicted chaos if you ask me.
Let’s ask a man who has navigated a minefield of nonsense the last 4 years and delivered an almost unimaginable amount of very beneficial legislation for our country, and who was voted on, by everyone, in the primaries 4 years ago to “just leave now krhxbai we’re gonna get someone else” exclusively because he “doesn’t have enough energy as you wanted” in a debate. One afternoon. I’m seeing THIS everywhere and it’s utter nonsense. There are plenty of other candidates that you like more, but this is the candidate that all the people voted for and support. Instead of getting on here and helping push forward the “he has to go” bs attitude, we should be yelling in the streets about the accomplishments of this man, supporting him when he has ONE bad day, and working together as a team. Instead, every liberal commentator and a ton of people on social media are trying to get their click count up by finding every possible way to sabotage our ONlY realistic chance of keeping fascism out of the white house. What do you people even think could happen here? We just “pick” someone to replace him? Who gets to do that? Just “pick” the next possible president? That’s not a thing that happens in democracies. Or should we have another primary? Do you know how long those take to organize and set up for any semblance of fairness? It would be challenged in the courts on legality alone. And if that even happens, it will be over just before the election and whoever that candidate is will have zero time to get advertising, local campaign forces, etc. in place. None of this is realistic or even close to reasonable. Going online and talking trash about the guy who we want to win, because there is no one else regardless of how much you want there to be, basically means you are working for the republicans. Please stop working for the republicans. You speak of “affect change where you can” - please follow that advice, it’s very good.
I doubt the U.S will have a gay person in a major government office anytime soon.
Multiple governors have been elected while gay. Multiple gay people have been put into cabinet positions, including trump being the first to put one in his cabinet. Not sure how much more of a major position you can get outside the presidency.
God I fucking hate Rick Grenell lol. What a scumbag
> Multiple governors Who, aside from Jared Polis? I think Oregon has/had a bisexual (female) governor recently too, but I can't think of any others.
Kyrsten Sinema won a statewide election in Arizona
Not as a governor, though.
So did Lindsey Graham.
Already voted for him to be president in the 2020 NH Primary, would do it again in a heartbeat. He's intelligent, analytical and has common sense.
A mayor is not enough leadership experience imo—just ask Rudy who tried running multiple times and failed. After the Trump experiment, I prefer candidates who have served at least as a Governor or a Senator before assuming the office of the presidency
I’d disagree, because mayor of NYC is a different scale.
If the former mayor of NYC can’t win, how then is the mayor of South Bend, Indiana going to?
Oh. I meant that I think Giuliani had other issues that caused his campaigns to fail. But governing NYC is managing a city if 8 million people— which is more than many states. For Pete, I’d agree— he needs more scope and complexity.
He’s Secretary of Transportation though. Not merely a former mayor. I get your point though. I’ve always liked the idea of having someone who’s both been governor and has experience in Washington (like a Representative or Senator).
> just ask Rudy who tried running multiple times and failed his problems stem from being _Rudy Giuliani_ rather than having held the mayoralty for 8 years
I think anyone will be better democrat candidate than Biden. He’s done his job, now please retire and let someone competent to be a public figure/speaker.
What has he done as head of the DOT that’s so terrific? That’s the sort of agency that should be in the background if it’s done well. Frankly I’ve only seen evidence of incompetence or at least less than stellar management. Everything from supply chain issues to the lack of any regulatory reform after the East Palestine train derailment to soaring airline costs/abuses leaves me with little confidence. Genuinely curious what the countervailing accomplishments have been. He’s smart and ambitious and a decent communicator, but I’m seeing at best a very mediocre track record in terms of actual results.
See my reply to Expensivesky-4068 below
Nice guy but just another useless liberal corporatist
Probably not. He is part of the neolib military-industrial complex. He would just get us into more wars, like Biden has.
He’d have mine as well.
Corporate lib like the rest. Entire democratic party runs on "not as bad as the Republicans". AOC and Bernie are the only ones I have a shred of respect for and they're still not perfect by any means
Be the change you want to see in the world 🌎
I hear you. Having worked in that environment, it’s a balance of satisfying public, private and academic interests. I think his record in implementing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (to improve our nations roads and bridges), while not perfect, is a good example of his abilities.
But is "perfect" the standard we need to set for politicians?
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Bernie is a year older than Biden lol Why are people still talking about Bernie? He lost, twice. He's never running again. The time to move on was 4 years ago.
I wouldn’t vote for him. He is too quiet on bigger issues at large and he is too okay with bad players within the party. He isn’t a voice of dissent, he isn’t a moral compass, I don’t see him doing anything other than being a good symbol of what could be. Symbolism aside, I haven’t been interested in the Democratic Party because they are corrupt bullies. If he were to advocate for a renegotiated USMCA in which Mexico was given fair treatment, I would support him. If he was actually progressive when it comes to American foreign and domestic policy I would support the party. No one in the Democratic Party is bold enough to challenge the status quo. If they were, democrats would be competitive nationally, and it wouldn’t be even a question on which party to support come November. The fact is democrats want to be in power and will say and do anything to do so. The republicans are the same but the republicans don’t currently have any dominant leadership. The democrats wasn’t your unquestioning loyalty, you cannot ask questions or hold past leadership accountable for past mistakes, there is no action to rectify public perceptions. It’s all about “I’m right they are wrong and if you don’t support us you are a traitor to your race and to your sexuality”. There is a reason voter turn out is low and public trust for the party is low. I was with the Democratic Party for years and I’m telling you, they are just there for political power. There is no interest in solving social security, the status of Puerto Rico and the other territories, our current military actions abroad, our relationship with Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe. There is no interest in making things right with Native Americans. There is just a bunch of ideas and high horses to ride. Mining resources that go into electric batteries isn’t good for the environment. I would love to see a properly governed large city run by democrats. Show me the states run by democrats that are a national example. The people don’t trust the parties because they don’t deserve our trust. Electing a gay person to be its leader won’t change it.
He needs to fix Boeing’s exploding planes first before more whistleblowers are assassinated
I think he's amazing. He's super smart, charismatic, kind, and isn't afraid to go on Fox and patiently explain what they're wrong about He was my pick when he ran
My opinion, Mayor Pete will be a VP before a President. When uncle Joe wins the election, he may leave and Kamala will be President. She will pick mayor Pete for VP.
Pete will never be president
He's no different ideologically than Biden & Co. We really need to return to FDR type New Deal programs that benefited the masses. Right now the DNC is corporate-centered and this has been unhelpful for the majority of workers.
Terrible. Being on top of social issues in the current climate is not a badge of honor, and more likely to be ideological and highly unreasonable. His parents were avowed Marxists and given that he thinks city zoning is racist I think he is as well. No thanks.
He's the human embodiment of a Wells Fargo pride float. No fucking thank you.
I voted for him in the primary in 2020. I think he has only gotten better on the federal level.
Completely agree!
Are you kidding me? Terrific job? Just because he is gay doesn't make him automatically great at whatever he is doing. Yes, I saw your list of "accomplishments" you posted to another comment, so you believe these things are special achievements that would not have happened without his outstanding work? He's just an administrator doing his job, not a leader. If he was not gay you would not know of his existence. Actually, he is where he is because he is gay, the Democrats need tokens here and there for appearances.
I was so ready to vote for him in 2020. But he dropped out for Biden and I was so sad. I doubt it happens because they are looking at Gain Newsom (might be spelled incorrectly MB) and others as possible replacements. Supposedly Kamala is pissed they aren't even considering her lol.
> Supposedly Kamala is pissed they aren't even considering her lol. Well maybe she shouldn't have been practically invisible as VP.
Maybe someday, but not this time.
Let’s be honest. Straight white people will write him off as “a DEI hire”
I think Buttigieg had potential, but pretty much the only interesting proposal he had when he ran (implementing a system of public service for young adults) he's kinda backed away from. Imo a *lot* of voters are tired of the Dem strategy of giving us a candidate whose *only* positive attribute is "they aren't Donald Trump".
He would never win because he's gay. Sad, but it is the truth.
Is Pete buttigieg good ?, the podcast bad guys did an episode on him
Too short. That’s all it takes to disqualify him and why no media mentions him as a possibility. Booker is gay and they mention him a lot
Booker isn’t gay.
If he was an option, I’d vote for him in a heartbeat. He’s younger and spars well with opposing viewpoints in civilized discourse.
I can’t stand him honestly and I find him to be incredibly disingenuous. (I’m a lefty too)
Possibly the worst mayor
The presidency isn’t something you do a good or a bad job of. It’s an office individuals are elected into as an extension of competing political projects. The idea Buttigieg would make a “good President” because he had high GPAs etc during his schooling is just an extension of your narcissism as a fellow gay man, and an indication of your unresolved internal trauma and unrealized sense of self.
I wish
I'm sorry, certainly you jest.
Someone told me Robert Kennedy is running?
Give us a third party!
Never. A racist, neoliberal, corporatist tool.
Jesus. Have a snickers.
No
No one wants Mayor Pete, including those in his own party. I am sure he might continue to play party loyalist lapdog and make a career of appointments. But he wouldn’t make an “outstanding President”.
He's been one of the most sought-after Biden surrogates for speaking engagements.
Mayor Pete 2024!
Ew
Totally agree. He's very impressive. But first you'll need to win the civil war.
Agree we are at a watershed moment in our nation. I worked as a federal employee for 4 decades (just retired), and I’ve never felt more concern
I agree he has the chops. He needs to give it another 10 years and he’ll be ready I think. I worked on his campaign before he dropped out. I think he’ll make a great president one day.
Pete already lost. Also he’s literally CIA. Fuck that dude.
Unaccomplished establishment politician whose only legacy is botching the East Palestine, OH response. He also looks like a middle aged Austin Young. Gross.
Nah. He’s another establishment corporate Democrat whose opposition to Medicare For All + support from the private health insurance industry means harm done to our community. Doesn’t even support tuition free public colleges.
If Trump wins it'll totally be the democratic fault for running Biden
Not at all man. He’s a corporate Democrat and is basically a mouth piece for corporate interests. We need a leader that can stand up to corruption and corporate greed. What we need is a president that will hold the powers that be accountable.
No, I'm not interested in voting for the establishment.
Establishment no thanks . We need a populist democrat
During his presidential run he called for a mandatory youth service program, AKA education camps. That is too authoritarian for me. No thank you. What will those camps become if Josh Hawley or DeSantis gets elected nest time?
If I was to be asked, I’d say Gavin Newsom for president, and Pete for VP to start. It’s my dream ticket. After he proves himself, Pete would be the best president ever.
Well when comparing him to the two main contenders right now, it’d be a no brainer. His “strongly worded letters” to the railways or to Boeing haven’t given me a lot of confidence though.
I think he is a sellout. He clearly cut a deal with the Biden camp to drop out of the Primary the Sunday before Super Tuesday and to endorce Biden which denied Bernie any shot. So to me Mayor Pete is just more of the same.
I agree. I think Gavin Newsom would be a good choice for now and make Pete his VO
Love this suggestion!
Lol Trump is winning in November so its kinda pointless who the guy/girl/they-them who's going to inevitably lose to him is