# 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:** 8
**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:** [March 28, 2019, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/141 "2019-03-28T17:13:35Z")
Well, the Republican candidate is mentioned in the Bible, so they have that going for them. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2019, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/142 "2019-03-29T11:25:20Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > I share the concern that PB’s being a married gay dude with an odd name is going to hurt him with a substantial chunk of the electorate. I also wonder, more and more, if he has the gumption to stand up to Trump & Co. once they start seriously dumping on him, as they will if he comes anywhere close to the Dem nomination. Just not sure how he’ll fare once the GOP attack machine cranks up. The guy served an active tour of duty in Afghanistan. I guarantee you soldiers are better at mean roasting than any politician - and certainly better at being on the receiving end of a roast than, say, Donald Trump. Besides, he seems like he’s already turning what could be surface attacks against him to his own advantage - he makes fun of his being the “first episcopalian gay millenial mayor candidate”. He opens with that, then segues into why that’s a good thing. Plus homosexuality is more and more normalized (except among MAGAheads who would never ever vote for a democrat ever) and any time Republican candidates try to rag on him for that they’ll look like stupid bigots - which is not a problem for their base (but again, their base will vote R come hell or high water), but might steer the center the other way, much like Trump’s antics might play well in Hicksville, Tennessee but not so much anywhere else. I think they’d be more successful ragging on his age and (relative) inexperience - but then again, if they go that way Democrats will be quick to counter that Trump had no experience in public office whatsoever (and doesn’t seem like he has gained any yet) and that he’s smart as all getout. Which, again MAGAheads would jeer at, but the center probably doesn’t ? Maybe ? ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2019, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/143 "2019-03-29T14:21:11Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > The guy served an active tour of duty in Afghanistan. I guarantee you soldiers are better at mean roasting than any politician - and certainly better at being on the receiving end of a roast than, say, Donald Trump. > Besides, he seems like he’s already turning what could be surface attacks against him to his own advantage - he makes fun of his being the “first episcopalian gay millenial mayor candidate”. He opens with that, then segues into why that’s a good thing. > Plus homosexuality is more and more normalized (except among MAGAheads who would never ever vote for a democrat ever) and any time Republican candidates try to rag on him for that they’ll look like stupid bigots - which is not a problem for their base (but again, their base will vote R come hell or high water), but might steer the center the other way, much like Trump’s antics might play well in Hicksville, Tennessee but not so much anywhere else. > > I think they’d be more successful ragging on his age and (relative) inexperience - but then again, if they go that way Democrats will be quick to counter that Trump had no experience in public office whatsoever (and doesn’t seem like he has gained any yet) and that he’s smart as all getout. Which, again MAGAheads would jeer at, but the center probably doesn’t ? Maybe ? I think you are getting ahead of things - first he has to win the primaries, and thereby counter whatever other Democrats say about him. OK, other Democrats would never dare say anything about his homosexuality - what does he say about accusations of inexperience coming from Elizabeth Warren? Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2019, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/144 "2019-03-31T19:11:42Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > what does he say about accusations of inexperience coming from Elizabeth Warren? Inexperience is popular. Not only Trump but also Cortez and then there are Macron in France,[Zelenskiy](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-47767440) in Ukraine, [Caputova](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-47756368) in Slovakia, and even Farage (Brexit) in the UK. They’re not weighed down by political baggage. They speak more freely. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2019, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/145 "2019-04-01T17:14:29Z")
His preliminary fundraising totals for the 1st quarter are over 7 million dollars. That’s not too bad, let’s see what the rest of the campaigns report. I’ve been actively engaged in politics since age 18, this is the first time I’ve donated to a candidate this early in the primary season. ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2019, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/146 "2019-04-01T19:30:24Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > I think you are getting ahead of things - first he has to win the primaries, and thereby counter whatever other Democrats say about him. OK, other Democrats would never dare say anything about his homosexuality - what does he say about accusations of inexperience coming from Elizabeth Warren? > > Regards, > Shodan Gee [he says, crossing his arms, an expectant expression on his face] what would you imagine they _would_ say about his homosexuality, if they _dared_? :dubious: Dictations, CaptMurdock ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2019, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/147 "2019-04-01T20:24:56Z")
What is this “Buttegieg isn’t gay enough” meme all about? ---
**Author:** ![ricksummon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ricksummon/32/3333_2.png) [@ricksummon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricksummon)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2019, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/148 "2019-04-01T22:32:51Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > What is this “Buttegieg isn’t gay enough” meme all about? I think it was when J. K. Rowling tweeted that Buttegieg had an “intense sexual relationship” with Dumbledore while refusing to put it in the movies or books. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![WillFarnaby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/willfarnaby/32/514_2.png) [@WillFarnaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillFarnaby)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2019, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/149 "2019-04-01T23:04:21Z")
Has Mr. Buttigieg revealed anything about his role in the ONI? Is he bound to be as disastrous for Afghanistan as Bush, Obama, and Trump? ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2019, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/150 "2019-04-01T23:16:44Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > What is this “Buttegieg isn’t gay enough” meme all about? It’s basically a complaint from some activists (and probably ratfuckers from other campaigns) that he hasn’t been outspoken enough on LGBT issues. Similar to how Obama was criticised for not being black enough. ---
**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:** [April 2, 2019, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/151 "2019-04-02T00:20:52Z")
Is anyone bothered by how he’s been sort of reinforcing right wing frames? Just in the past few days, he amplified the myth that Vietnam veterans were treated like dogshit when they came home; and he complimented Trump voters for their perspicacity in supposedly picking the only candidate who was offering ideas to help improve their lives. :smack: ---
**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:** [April 2, 2019, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/152 "2019-04-02T00:23:38Z")
He is saying what he feels he needs to say to get votes, and his instincts are probably correct. Who is Pete Buttegieg? With every day that passes and everything I continue to see from him, my answer is basically “the fucking man.” I like the guy more than anyone else in the field at the moment. ---
**Author:** ![Chingon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chingon/32/17645_2.png) [@Chingon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chingon)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2019, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/153 "2019-04-02T00:25:25Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > Is anyone bothered by how he’s been sort of reinforcing right wing frames? Just in the past few days, he amplified the myth that Vietnam veterans were treated like dogshit when they came home; and he complimented Trump voters for their perspicacity in supposedly picking the only candidate who was offering ideas to help improve their lives. :smack: Hmm sounds familiar. ---
**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:** [April 2, 2019, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/154 "2019-04-02T03:37:40Z")
> [@Lamoral](#): > > He is saying what he feels he needs to say to get votes, and his instincts are probably correct. Maybe in a general election. Hard to see how that stuff resonates with Democratic primary voters, unless it’s in an extremely “meta” way. ---
**Author:** ![Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/try2b_comprehensive/32/65_2.png) [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2019, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/155 "2019-04-02T03:59:54Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > Is anyone bothered by how he’s been sort of reinforcing right wing frames? Just in the past few days, he amplified the myth that Vietnam veterans were treated like dogshit when they came home; and he complimented Trump voters for their perspicacity in supposedly picking the only candidate who was offering ideas to help improve their lives. :smack: He is saying things they agree with. If he takes their side on some old wound (is there an obsession with blaming liberals for the treatment of vets?), he can create a channel of communication. We’ll have to wait and see how good of a heartstring harpist he is. ---
**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:** [April 2, 2019, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/156 "2019-04-02T04:37:16Z")
Regardless of whether or not Vietnam veterans were actually, in substantial numbers, treated poorly when they returned to the country - something I simply cannot comment on definitively because I’m 32 years old - EVERY Vietnam veteran that _I_ know _including bleeding-heart liberals_ buys into this narrative and has mentioned it at some point when the topic of their service came up. I’ve heard that some of them were treated badly by left-wing students and anti-war protestors, and some were treated badly by conservative veterans of previous wars who thought the Vietnam generation were lacking in some way. But enough of them FEEL that Vietnam veterans were, in the main, treated poorly, for it to be a “thing.” Older voters are really, really important. Pete is very young for a politician. But by being a veteran, he shares a connection with that older generation that very few A-list politicians have. He is trying to build a bridge here, as stated above. Because he is smart. I believe he is the smartest by far of any of the candidates running. Maybe not in a political sense - though I think he is on that path - but just in the sense of being SMART, full stop. Out of all of the people in this election, I expect that Pete is going to have the smallest number of stupid mistakes. He may make one or two. But I think his number will be the lowest. He is very savvy. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2019, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/157 "2019-04-02T11:59:30Z")
David Brooks on why Mayor Pete is connecting with people > **[Opinion | Why You Love Mayor Pete (Published 2019)](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/01/opinion/pete-buttigieg-2020.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur)** > > Buttigieg detaches progressive policy from the culture war. ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2019, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/158 "2019-04-02T15:02:36Z")
> [@WillFarnaby](#): > > Has Mr. Buttigieg revealed anything about his role in the ONI? Is he bound to be as disastrous for Afghanistan as Bush, Obama, and Trump? Is this something we should _actually_ care about, or another nothingburger to waste bandwidth over? ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2019, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/159 "2019-04-02T15:54:58Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > Think. “Father of chickens”—what could that mean but… rooster? > > Bu means ‘father’, not ‘lord’. I’m grateful to the _Telegraph_ for giving us the clue to “tiġieġ,” but I criticize their mistranslation of Bu. > > It couldn’t do anything with the name as is, because the way the different words are compounded to make a surname isn’t going to be found in any dictionary. The dictionary does have _tiġieġ_ translated as chickens. > > \*Bu \*is North African Arabic for ‘father’, but isn’t a word in standard Maltese, in which the word for father is \*missier \*(from “monsieur,” via Italian). > > The things Google Translate can do are dwarfed by the things it hopelessly can’t do. It’s hard to directly account for the “Bu-” part when comparing to English surnames. Otherwise, though, Buttigieg’s surname seems somewhat analogous to English surnames like Fowler or Cox. ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2019, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032/160 "2019-04-03T21:32:31Z")
Perhaps the most fun thing about this campaign season is reading Nathan Robinson as he plays the far-left curmudgeon and rails against everyone (except Bernie) for not being progressive enough. He’s already smacked Beto around twice and knocked Kamala Harris once. Here’s his take on Buttigieg: [All About Pete ❧ Current Affairs](https://www.currentaffairs.org/2019/03/all-about-pete) . There’s lots of stuff there, but two points stand out that don’t get mentioned much. First his work for McKinsey & Company, a corporate consulting firm that’s everything progressives love to hate. Second, the fact that South Bend has a large and obvious gap between its very poor black community and everyone else. This would be true for almost any city, of course, but would loom as a potential problem if he became a serious contender in the race. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-pete-buttigieg/831032.md?page=9)