# Who is Pete Buttigieg? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [March 12, 2019, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032 "2019-03-12T21:59:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 24
**Author:** ![pjacks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e19adc/32.png) [@pjacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjacks)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2019, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/461 "2019-07-14T23:02:46Z")
The ctrl-left and alt-right are both extremes in political horseshoe theory. This TNR essay could easily have been written by a random wingnut from the Drudge Report comments section, but instead it was written by a woke gay socialist. It has become increasingly difficult to tell the difference between the ctrl-left and alt-right, because they both go after “neoliberals” with the same amount of scorn and frequency. ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2019, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/462 "2019-07-15T00:19:55Z")
> [@pjacks](#): > > If anyone wants to read the article in full to see for themselves how far the ctrl-left will go to tear down a promising Democratic politician, [here it is](https://archive.is/Tz45f) It’s a trashy hack job. The writer is engaging in rampant projection and the first four paragraphs are also evidence that he’s a shitty writer who doesn’t know how to tell a story. That writer…he’s not unique in any way. There are hundreds or thousands of pseudo-intellectuals who write, talk, and think all the same garbage. And make no mistake, these people really would _rather have_ a second Trump term, and two Pence terms, and then two Ivanka Trump terms, than have a “neoliberal” Democrat. They WANT to watch the country burn so that they can be seen and heard and read in all their outrage and righteousness and wokeness. They might say otherwise but I understand the way these individuals think very well. I’ve got their fucking number. They’re totally transparent. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2019, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/463 "2019-07-15T02:36:29Z")
Agreed. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2019, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/464 "2019-07-15T04:26:48Z")
> [@Lamoral](#): > > It’s a trashy hack job. The writer is engaging in rampant projection and the first four paragraphs are also evidence that he’s a shitty writer who doesn’t know how to tell a story. > > That writer…he’s not unique in any way. There are hundreds or thousands of pseudo-intellectuals who write, talk, and think all the same garbage. And make no mistake, these people really would _rather have_ a second Trump term, and two Pence terms, and then two Ivanka Trump terms, than have a “neoliberal” Democrat. They WANT to watch the country burn so that they can be seen and heard and read in all their outrage and righteousness and wokeness. They might say otherwise but I understand the way these individuals think very well. I’ve got their fucking number. They’re totally transparent. quote from a conservative on my FB: “… And when this country collapses, I’m going to be sitting back on my porch, drinking a cold beer with my gun in my lap. Just laughing, and shaking my head at you Liberals. HOW DO YOU LIKE YOUR LIFE NOW?” This little gem stemmed from a debate we were having about the border wall. :rolleyes: But anyway, I think you have a point. At least with some of them. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2019, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/465 "2019-07-15T04:50:12Z")
How will he be getting beer or keeping it cold after the country collapses? ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2019, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/466 "2019-07-15T06:37:17Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > How will he be getting beer or keeping it cold after the country collapses? He threatens to shoot the beer if it don’t get itself cold?? Anyway, the apocalypse is apparently going to be awesome for Repubs. Because, you know… guns. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2019, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/467 "2019-07-15T07:12:13Z")
LOL ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2019, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/468 "2019-07-15T10:46:39Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > quote from a conservative on my FB: > > “… And when this country collapses, I’m going to be sitting back on my porch, drinking a cold beer with my gun in my lap. Just laughing, and shaking my head at you Liberals. HOW DO YOU LIKE YOUR LIFE NOW?” So he admits he’s a traitor rooting for the destruction of the country. Good to know. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2019, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/469 "2019-07-15T13:27:20Z")
Democrats want to make life better for everyone, and don’t care that that also means making it better for Republicans. Republicans want to make life worse for Democrats, and don’t care that that also means making it worse for everyone. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2019, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/470 "2019-07-15T13:35:08Z")
I am thinking Warren/Pete as a ticket. Wouldn’t Pete debating Pence be wondrous television? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2019, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/471 "2019-07-15T14:48:02Z")
Hm, would Pence need a chaperone present to talk with a gay man? ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2019, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/472 "2019-07-15T15:50:00Z")
> [@pjacks](#): > > If anyone wants to read the article in full to see for themselves how far the ctrl-left will go to tear down a promising Democratic politician, [here it is](https://archive.is/Tz45f) I agree it’s a pretty bad article - what does some creepy guy coming on to the author have to do with Mayor Pete? OK, maybe you don’t like him because he isn’t socialist enough. Attack him based on that - don’t drag in this stuff about pedos and Mary Pete. If the idea was to get me to think Mayor Pete is a creep, it didn’t work. If the idea was to get me to think the author is a creep, it did. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2019, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/473 "2019-07-15T16:09:29Z")
…And, apparently, I did misunderstand which side New Republic is (usually) on. Is there some conservative publication with a similar name that I’m getting it mixed up with? ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2019, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/474 "2019-07-15T16:46:06Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > …And, apparently, I did misunderstand which side New Republic is (usually) on. > > Is there some conservative publication with a similar name that I’m getting it mixed up with? The National Review, maybe? Same initials. ---
**Author:** ![Covfefe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ee7513/32.png) [@Covfefe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covfefe)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2019, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/475 "2019-07-15T18:49:50Z")
[Free Republic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Republic)? Technically not a publication. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2019, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/476 "2019-07-17T03:08:57Z")
> [@Ryan\_Liam](#): > > So what position he has stands out for you? > > For Bernie, I can roll off a few of his positions straight away > > Medicare for all > Student Loan forgiveness > $15 minimum wage > Progressive tax rate Buttigieg has a number of clearly-stated positions, among them a push for a national service program, instituting a public option for health insurance without immediate Medicare for All, concern about free college tuition for the kids of billionaires, a set of policies for dealing with systemic racism. I think **scr4** mentioned a couple of others above. If you’re arguing that these positions are not stated as pithily as, say, Sanders’s (since you mentioned him specifically), I’d agree with you. In some ways I think of that as a feature, though: to me, Buttigieg recognizes that these are complex issues that require complex solutions and can’t be solved with applause lines. I think that’s important. I also think this is not necessarily true of all the other Dem candidates in the race. If you’re arguing that you simply don’t like Buttigieg’s positions, that’s fine, but that’s a different issue. I didn’t like Ronald Reagan’s positions at all, but I’d be the last person to say he didn’t state them clearly. It’s also worth pointing out that your original complaint was not that Buttigieg didn;t have clear positions, but that he didn;t have anything to say. The phrase you used was that his speeches were “devoid of any meaningful content.” I strongly disagree with that formulation. When I heard him, for instance, he spoke eloquently about what it meant for him that the Republicans were dragging us back into the 1950s: “It’s not that I don;t want to go back,” he said, “it’s that I can’t.” As a married gay man, he pointed out, there is no place for him in the GOP’s world view. His words were powerful and personal, and very far from “devoid of meaningful content.” More recently, he has spoken strongly about the role of his faith in his political outlook. As a liberal Christian myself, I think this is an incredibly important perspective, and again a very powerful one. Again, you may not think any of this is important. That’s fine. But these are the sorts of reasons why I think “devoid of any meaningful content” is very far from accurate. ---
**Author:** ![Aescwynn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Aescwynn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aescwynn)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2019, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/477 "2019-07-17T22:58:11Z")
Thomas Friedman is right that most of the Democratic candidates in last month’s debates made a BIG MISTAKE when they tried to out-left each other. > **[Opinion | ‘Trump’s Going to Get Re-elected, Isn’t He?’ (Published 2019)](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/16/opinion/trump-2020.html)** > > Voters have reason to worry. Most Americans do not want their insurance-company-provided health care to disappear. Do not want open borders. Do not want tax-payers to fund abortions (although most do want abortion to stay legal). Do not think we as a country can pay for free college, especially, as Pete says, if those who don’t go to college are having to subsidize those who do. To me, Pete Buttigieg stands out from that pack. His policy positions are well thought out and less knee-jerk. I also really like the guy. To quote Friedman: Dear Democrats: This is not complicated! Just nominate a decent, sane person, one committed to reunifying the country and creating more good jobs, a person who can gain the support of the independents, moderate Republicans and suburban women who abandoned Donald Trump in the midterms and thus swung the House of Representatives to the Democrats and could do the same for the presidency. And that candidate can win! ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2019, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/478 "2019-07-17T23:06:23Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Democrats want to make life better for everyone, and don’t care that that also means making it better for Republicans. Republicans want to make life worse for Democrats, and don’t care that that also means making it worse for everyone. Great. Is this original? ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2019, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/479 "2019-07-18T05:52:02Z")
Thomas Friedman has been living in a privileged bubble for too long to get it. Yes, tuition-free university. Yes, Medicare for All, the way LBJ intended it. And no, no more criminalizing immigrants just because you have a quota or the President is a racist. Focus on blocking contraband, not terrorizing refugees. Enough sophistry. ---
**Author:** ![Ryan\_Liam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ryan_liam/32/3965_2.png) [@Ryan\_Liam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryan_Liam)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2019, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/480 "2019-07-18T08:59:15Z")
> [@](#): > > **Ulf the Unwashed** > Buttigieg has a number of clearly-stated positions, among them a push for a national service program, instituting a public option for health insurance without immediate Medicare for All, concern about free college tuition for the kids of billionaires, a set of policies for dealing with systemic racism. I think **scr4** mentioned a couple of others above. So essentially Pete’s positions are loaded with centre right positioning, no free college tuition, because some billionaire kids might get it, despite the fact it would free up millions of students who are not from the billionaire class from a crushing debt burden, or medicare for all being kicked down the can yet again, because a public option is a false promise considering most people in the lower income bracket are more likely to fall ill, and are more of a risk for the health insurance providers who have no interest in having them as customers where as with single payer the profit motive is removed, or some vague national service programme. > [@](#): > > If you’re arguing that these positions are not stated as pithily as, say, Sanders’s (since you mentioned him specifically), I’d agree with you. In some ways I think of that as a feature, though: to me, Buttigieg recognizes that these are complex issues that require complex solutions and can’t be solved with applause lines. I think that’s important. I also think this is not necessarily true of all the other Dem candidates in the race. Sanders went out to Walmart and Amazon and harangued them for not paying a decent wage, he’s called out banks, the GOP (As he should) And corporate corruption and for decades racial injustice. How much more involvement with these complex issues do you want? What’s Pete done on a similar level to advance the average voters interests since he left the military? > [@](#): > > It’s also worth pointing out that your original complaint was not that Buttigieg didn;t have clear positions, but that he didn;t have anything to say. The phrase you used was that his speeches were “devoid of any meaningful content.” I strongly disagree with that formulation. When I heard him, for instance, he spoke eloquently about what it meant for him that the Republicans were dragging us back into the 1950s: “It’s not that I don;t want to go back,” he said, “it’s that I can’t.” As a married gay man, he pointed out, there is no place for him in the GOP’s world view. His words were powerful and personal, and very far from “devoid of meaningful content.” More recently, he has spoken strongly about the role of his faith in his political outlook. As a liberal Christian myself, I think this is an incredibly important perspective, and again a very powerful one. > > Again, you may not think any of this is important. That’s fine. But these are the sorts of reasons why I think “devoid of any meaningful content” is very far from accurate. You do realise that Bernie polls alot higher in almost every poll when set against Trump right? We don’t need the Gay version of Obama, we need someone who is going to uproot the endemic corruption of the system and make it equitable, and guarantee a strong civic culture which can protect the very rights of people like Buttigieg. I’ll give you an example of his problem, why should I want to cheerlead for a guy who has watered down positions which could be undercut in congress the same way as if they were proposed in full? That’s why we go for Bernie. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032.md?page=23) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032.md?page=25)