https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2024/07/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.
I have. And I'm telling them to get over it and not care. Even though I know they're too mentally unstable to accept the feedback.
The unfortunate reality is that there's plenty of older democrats, "moderate democrats", and independents that also have a negative perception of the LGBT community.
And of course we listen to them, but order everyone on the left to STFU and adore the genocide.
No more. Let the pampered centrists vote blue no matter who. Let them practice what they preach for the very first time ever. They don't get their very first choice? FUCKING GOOD. I hope they never do again. Their first choice in 2016 handed the presidency to Trump out of sheer stupid pigheaded hubris. Their judgement is garbage.
Yeah, we all hate those fucking guys and trust me when the door shuts on them I hope it shuts in their faces.
Their bigotry or mental health doesn't make their votes worth less. You can cry about their sensibilities all you want but you need those votes to win regardless. Welcome to democracy.
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.
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.
While the last part about voting (being persuaded to vote or not vote) is true I think you overestimate the ven diagram of people who are both homophobic and racist. There are plenty who are one and not the other.
Sure dude, but no offense, I'm hoping for the war veteran, swing state astronaut. Strategically he looks like the best choice IMO.
I liked him too until I found out it would prompt a special election that Democrats could likely lose
He's a sitting senator of a red leaning state who won because of who he is. He has to vacate to run for VP, which is bad for keeping that seat. Losing the senate easily hamstrings any efforts a President Harris would bring, especially with GOP being the way they are.
Granted, that can be a problem for all swing state guys. Just isn't as terrible for governors (although that can screw with other things, like voting rights in a given state).
Senator Kelly's replacement would be required by Arizona law to be a Democrat appointed by the Governor (also currently a Democrat). The special election to replace the replacement wouldn't be until 2026. If he's the right one for the job, it might be worth potentially taking a hit 2 years into a Harris administration.
That's a good point. I didn't know it wasn't until 2026. The main point is to sure up Arizona, which is understandable. The guy from Pennsylvania might be good for that reason, too, but that's a little less iffy as it's a little more blue, especially since it sounds like Philly is loving the Harris hype.
That resume is hard to top... isn't it? I keep reading other candidates but always find myself going "that's cool and all... but an astronaut?"
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.
The progressives need motivation more than anything, and now they have it with Harris. It's the wishy-washy groups - centrists, right of center, and undecided (how can you be undecided right now wtf?!) - that need coaxing.
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.
Again you might not but plenty of people would. I would say it's a pretty large crowd as well.
Also sexuality has nothing to do with gender.
We’re not talking about gender, we’re talking about homosexuality. That has everything to do with genital preference.
When we stop giving a shit about what people do with their genitals, we will be better off.
(From the people who brought you “JD Vance fucks couches”.)
Unless he himself has been saying that, you're painting with too broad a brush. We aren't all accountable for what our political allies do. Thank fuck. There are plenty of people on the left with more enthusiasm than ability to reason and communicate in public.
And I say that appreciating the irony that I will hold republicans accountable for allowing Nazis in their midst. But the difference to me is they don't speak out. Some of us will call out the left on bullshit (e.g. Gaza) even if we share similar ultimate goals. I see very few on the right ever do that.
Also, Vance fucks furniture is sort of obvious humor that no one takes really seriously, anyway, so probably not worth tackling that as a serious subject.
When we stop giving a shit about what people do with their genitals,
This is not how international politics work. Can you think for a second of the optics on the world stage? The us isn’t some international flyover state equivalent like Iceland. If Harris steps down and Buttigeg needs to meet with someone in the Middle East how do you think that meeting is going to go over? The US is a big fish and this is like, unprecedented for a world power this huge.
Exactly. It would be an incredible way to push forward lgbt+ rights. I'd prefer a candidate with good politics, but I'd be lying if I didn't like the idea of how it would ruffle bigots... But Harris's main goal is to get elected.
Ok, fine I’ll give you that totally unlikely outcome. Pete then follows up with the question: Your nation executes homosexuals but decided to let me live, are you going to reconsider your policy on executing them?
How do you think that response will blow over? This is an unstable region with extreme hatred towards anything lgtbq. Very unlikely they’d even invite him to discuss any oil deals.
Ooh! Is it Fantastic Fiction Story Time?! Ok, my turn!
Then, President Buttigieg produces flowers from thin air with a "Tah-Dah!", handing them to the foreign leader. The leader then embraces the president and everyone cheers!
Fiction is fun!
it has likely massively hurt their prospects as a politician
Or, the complete opposite.
Do you think there’s any way Pete, the mayor of a town of 100,000 people, would have become a national presidential candidate if he wasn’t gay?
Absolutely. Hes one of the best communicators in the party. Dude is a fantastic surrogate. Especially when you send him into unfriendly territory. I'm not going to say he's the right pick for VP (I have some problems with his policy background), but acting like he's only where he is because of his sexuality is fucking stupid.
...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.
It didn't work for John Kerry when he ran against a draft dodger. I guess being a combat vet wasn't enough? Having been a cop would tip the balance?
Well, we all know that the salute-the-troops, thank-you-for-your-service crowd are just playing pretend.
We all saw what happened when their nominee insulted a purple heart recipient and past POW, and everyone just cheered.
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.
And then votes for him. If someone votes for Trump, you get to throw it in their how they voted for someone that called veterans “losers”.
I just got to do this to the out laws talking shit on Harris. “So you voted for the draft dodging bitch that called veterans losers? Must suck to suck.”
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.
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.
Obama is literally the most professional and well spoken president since Clinton or JFK, possibly FDR. Like people he knew when he was younger were impressed with his ability.
As a Massachusan I applaud your description of JFK as being well spoken. Too often does our nonrhotic profanity laiden dialect end up being maligned. It's a wicked fucking tragedy.
Never overestimate either.
People had a rare situation where they could compare trump and Biden presidency side by side and still were saying that they are not sure who they will vote for.
That has nothing to do with how many people hate Trump. That had to do with how many people didn’t like Biden.
In case you hadn’t heard, Biden isn’t running for president anymore.
The Biden hate was artificially manufactured. Similar techniques will be used against anyone else.
See? Biden wasn't uniquely poor as a candidate! Just look at all the chaos and infighting within the Democratic Party now that he dropped out! Just look at all the successful attacks Republicans have made against Harris.
Oh, right. The party fell in line behind a viable candidate, and Republicans are flailing and nothing is sticking.
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'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.
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 !
Btw, I've noticed nearly every positive dem post on Lemmy today has the top comment being a bot generated negative comment... it's so obvious it's standing out.
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.
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.
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.
Doing a fuckall job of it, too. To hell with Pete, why settle for this guy for VP? Why is everyone so hung up on him?
In think it’s because he’s an excellent communicator and stays that way even going on Fox News and such. Like even if we don’t trust him deep down, the skills he has are conductive to winning the election which is basically all that matters.
I don’t know if that makes him the most winning choice, because bigots, but we’ll see what happens.
He may be an ok communicator but hes a bit of a dumbass. The guy who openly said he wanted to do a gun ban in fucken Texas probably isnt the wisest person on an electoral level.
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
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.
Exactly. Give us the Astronaut, important thing is beating Trump and trying to remain a country.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.