I’m all in for a Biden/Buttigieg ticket (though I’d like to hear more from Beto).
Listening to Mayor Pete speak on TV was like coming out of the Trumpian Dark Ages to an articulate Enlightenment.
And while I am fully cognizant of the historically crucial nature of the 2020 election and the vital need for a Democratic victory, I find it dismaying for any Democrat to try to calibrate the possibility of said victory by catering to biases within our Party’s usual demographics.
I long ago made peace with the fact that an outspoken atheist like myself should not be the Democratic nominee, since I don’t believe elections should be just about demonstrating our virtue and lack of bias, but should involve utilitarian compromises to be able to ultimately do the most good for the most people. So if we think someone who is not gay, but has good policy positions on gay rights, is much more likely to be able to beat Trump, we should choose them instead–even if on some fundamental level it is unfair.
I’m going for a totally “non-establishment” (by which I mean not the larger profiles of the Biden/Sanders/Warren/Harris camp) ticket of O’Rourke/Buttigieg.
Yeah noooooooo shit PG was a lucid breath of fresh air (when I first saw him i-viewed by Judy Woodruff about two months ago).
Not an atheist, but neither do I hold a whole lotta stock in religion, but have to agree what an excellent statement that was, brilliantly throwing religion back in God-boy Pence’s face to skewer his homophobia, and quite smartly differentiates (here, on Maher) how both parties approach religion, with the left focussing more on “protecting the downtrodden, standing up for the immigrant, and being skeptical of authority sometimes…” I’m sure this would resonate well even among most socially conservative church-followers who would otherwise have issues with him being gay.
I have no problem with his appearances on Fox - a good way to win converts by going right into the belly of the beast. Yes, he has his work cut out for him with such a task, obviously, however I’m sure he has gained traction with at least some of those viewers. I see this as an effective strategy.
I really hope the mayor gains traction over the coming 19 months - lotsa time. Oodles! Other than Biden, he’s about the only dem who could stand up to президент Trump, optically, in a one-on-one debate, and come out looking like (to most viewers) that he freaking trounced Don.
I happened to catch that live on Youtube. It’s nice to have a candidate that is positive and optimistic compared to the mire of the last few years. The live stream also featured live comments. The homophobia is strong with those opposed who were commenting. (They didn’t exactly come across as Democratic voters anyway, but sheesh.)
I can’t find the quote, but Beto gave a positive and supportive response to Pete’s announcement - and Mayor of Austin Steve Adler choosing to endorse fellow mayor Pete rather than fellow Texan Beto. Mind you, it was probably said through gritted teeth but that’s politics for you.
I only saw parts of his speech, but he has something there. Hope, optimism, love. You can feel that he’s genuine. Up until yesterday, I thought yes he’s a good guy but some people won’t vote for a gay man, we need to run someone who can win. Now I say, fuck the bigots. This guy is the real deal, he can win and if people aren’t okay with his sexual preference, we don’t need their votes.
Personally, I try not to discuss individual candidates - espec this early on. But among the mostly older, white, liberal-ish, suburban, midwestern folk I’ve socialized w/ lately, Pet’s name is the primary one I’ve heard people mentioning.
Last Fri when someone brought this up, I asked, “What reason is there to pay interest/develop a preference at this stage?” He responded, “If you find you like someone, you can contribute to them.” Made sense.
I’ve often said we need someone younger than Trump - or Biden/Warren/Sanders… Having said that - 37 sounds AWFULLY young! :eek: But I think the right person could be as ready at 37 as at 47 or 57. My wife thinks a white male has the best chances. But a gay white male? We’ll see how strong the anti-gay bias is…
Harvard/Oxford… And McKinsey don’t hire dummies. I MISS having an intelligent president…
Age and military experience will be a nice contrast to Trump. Religion will help out with folk who value that - and a SANE religion will be a good counter to Pence. Coming out of a red state…
I’m interested. But SO hard to see the point, with so much time to go, and with so few states in play.
I would say that he overlaps with Obama on a lot of qualities (and checks a few more boxes), so for many voters I think he captures that vibe.
What I need to see from him are few more gears. Obama suffered from trying to compromise and bring people to the table, whereas McConnell took advantage of that and pissed all over him. I am concerned that Mayor Pete may not have the tools in his kit to deal with the snakes and bastards. It’s not enough to be right, and positive and intelligent and all those things, one also needs to have the ability to subdue an opponent (whatEVER that may mean).
Interesting observation. I also was disappointed at the results of Obama’s attempts to compromise. But I wonder if Obama’s experience was sufficient for an intelligent person to not repeat it. President is - in large part - a manager. I think A LOT can be accomplished by surrounding oneself with the right people. A Veep and advisors comprised (in part) of legislative veterans and insiders - AND LISTENING TO THOSE ADVISORS - can go a long way.
Obama had a strong Latino turnout and Latinos tend to not react kindly to AAs. There’s also many AAs within that minority who would see someone like Obama as “White” because he wasn’t black enough for them. And this is ignoring the blatant fact that homosexuality is common in these minority groups. Just not as outwardly expressed as in whites due to social problems that may arise.
The fact Peter is polling and spoken about in 2nd and third place so far is surprising me. From what little I’ve gathered about him, I like some of his rough goals. At the end of the day, Biden, Buttigieg or Harris will get donations from me.
I think Bernie’s heart is in the right place, but some of his ideas don’t toe nicely with my field and well, can’t vote that joker in.
I’m really hoping McConnell retires in 2020. While there certainly are snakes and bastards in the rest of the GOP caucus, McConnell took obstruction and breaking precedent to a new level. Plus, he’s shown a remarkable ability to keep his caucus together. I hate the man, but his stubbornness with ramming Kavanaugh through was an act of political genius.
Bill Clinton fumbled around his first couple years as President even with a good VEEP and a strong cabinet. Mayor Pete had better make a lot of private phone calls to him if he gets elected.
I’m not sure US politics are mature enough to have a candidate whose name includes the word “butt”, especially one who is homosexual. I’m not making a joke. A debate between Pete and Trump would be embarrassing for humanity.
As Chronos says, he’s probably angling for a cabinet/governor/senator route to what will hopefully lead to his presidency.
