Who the fuck cares if they're black white gay straight trans, just so the fucking job well. That's all anyone wants.
Who the fuck cares
Aww, you’ve never met a republican, huh?
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.
We should stop selecting our candidates based on what Republicans think.
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.
Who cares?
as outlined above, republicans care an unhealthy amount
So?
sigh
They aren't voting D anywayso again... Who gives a fuck?
people whos rights are on the line believe it or not
Oooohhhh, a lot of people reeeaaaally care. They shouldn’t, but they really do.
Yes, the ones with mental health issues.
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.
So... No Republicans. Got it.
Madness
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
Can you elaborate?
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.
How is he both the Secretary of Transportation and a Senator simultaneously?
He's not? They're talking about Mark Kelly.
It's in reference to Kelly, as per earlier comments.
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.
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.
They said gender identity.
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.
I imagine it would go something like this:
Hello Mr President welcome to my country.
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.
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.
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.
Kamala Romney
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 underestimate how much people really fucking hate Trump
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.
Pete is 100% but he is not the correct gay candidate. He needs time to grow.
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.
#HarriButt2024!
Alright I wasn't in before but... I mean what a strong name to platform on.
I'm sold.
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.
Knights of Symphonia is an excellent manga.
I don’t know what that is. I was referencing “Old Man’s War” by John Scalzi. An excellent book series.
Yeah, we are... but it ain't you.
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
Pete got that WAGON on em.
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.
Just the way I have heard it pronounced sounds like "booty gay."
Read the room.
Exactly. Give us the Astronaut, important thing is beating Trump and trying to remain a country.
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
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.
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!
Word.
Harris/Guy that gramma would be happy to see advertised on a real estate bench 2024
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.
Well articulated, thank you for the clarifying support there.
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.
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.
McKinsey consultant
Thank you.
Until ~##,### voters don't decide an entire presidential election, no. No, they aren't...
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.
As long as he does not fuck couches.
Bigot ! Love is love.
Pete is way too easy to hate. I don't personally hate him, but he's just not very likable.
Mark Kelly is still my top pick. He's a great fucking dude, he's a fucking astronaut, and I just can't see anything Republicans throw at him actually sticking.
Pete will make it a hard choice. Sorry Pete but unless Mark fucks up big time, I'm an astronaut for VP guy right now...so say nothing Mark! For the love of this nation say nothing. I've said nothing for months my self. It can be done.
We absolutely are, but not as the VP to a non-white woman. The US has a long way to go.
I'd rather that gay person be someone else. I despise Buttigieg on a personal level and hope he never gets VP let alone POTUS.
Why?
Because I'm still angry about how he treated Bernie.
Yep. Who the fuck cares about the right. They want the most morally represhisble person to be their king. Could give two shit what they think about it.
Edit: for all the nay sayer in this thread you are obviously oblivious to the type of pull Pete has. We need to double down on progress. Yes an aging astronaut might look good on paper but the most progressive ticket America has ever seen is also good.
Sadly, not the US.
Maybe, but hopefully we'd get someone better than Pete.
Sharice Davids?
That would be a fun ticket.
Sorry drunk me after my best friend's wedding
I love Pete. He actually is amazing at his job. Fuckin avoiding a logistics disaster AND getting the union what they want? Putting the screws on Boeing? Fuck that guy can WORK IT. FUCK BEN GARRISON. I think we gotta say fuck the optics- that's what makes us vote for centrists. And before Tankie's get in and call him a fascist, y'all can go fuck a couch.
Congrats to your best friend!
I think we could be, but not that one
What's wrong with Buttigieg?
Maybe reversing that question would be a good starting point--what's good about Buttigieg?
He’s far more milquetoast than Harvey Milk if you catch my drift
Sure. Not him though.
Not that one tho.
Still waiting for Americans to be ready for a Trans Atheist Single Childless Woman of Color President.
Buttigieg is quite ambitious
And Jared Polis, Colorado governor would be a great choice.
But not him. He can't even do the job he currently has
They aren’t. Play it safe please. Moderate white male. Trump needs to be crushed.
Can any of you buttigeg naysayers elaborate?
Just guessing from the replies, (I'm personally not that critical of Pete)
He used to be more left wing, had a deep appreciation for Bernie Sanders growing up, then he had a more right-ward turn. He worked as a consultant for a very unpopular and influential company (Mckinsey) for a few years, then he joined the Navy and was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. Lastly the shenanigans around him very narrowly beating Bernie in the Iowa primary of 2020 probably all contribute to the negative sentiment.
None of these really make him worse than even more corporate Dems like Pritzker or Shapiro, so I'm guessing the antipathy is almost entirely because of 2020.
Surprisingly, he's not already thanking Kamala for the nomination.
Has his favorability with Black voters improved since 2020?
Out of the loop, what has he done to alienate the black community?
Disparate cannabis enforcement while he was mayor of South Bend. Pretty much tanked his 2020 run.
Why was the mayor involved with how laws got enforced??
I'm not saying it was fair. I'm saying that it is.
Yeah I'm not questioning whether it happened I was just questioning what circumstances led to that
Fuck if I know.
ya but not you neolib scum
Yeah, but are we in the mood for a CIA spook to be vice president?
Lmfao if you call working for a company that also got outsourced to the CIA for consulting work a "Spook" then there's millions of "Spooks", usually that word is used for actual agents, not third party analysts.
The work he was doing overseas was entirely economic, which you would know if you read the article, and there's no confirmation he had any ties with the CIA at all. there's literally no reason to point out his very detached and vague connection with the CIA, other than to try and make him look like a plant.
More than the asset as President.
Not you, Gay Nixon.
Imo we need an all woman ticket. If we can't get that then we need someone from a swing state to potentially tip the scales there.
Get off the goddamn stage ratboy. You did Bernie Dirty and I still remember. I hope everyone else does too.
Get a trans person, cowards.
I think they have a better chance with Pete for president than Kamala honestly as fucked as that is.
Who the fuck cares if they're black white gay straight trans, just so the fucking job well. That's all anyone wants.
Aww, you’ve never met a republican, huh?
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.
We should stop selecting our candidates based on what Republicans think.
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.
Who cares?
as outlined above, republicans care an unhealthy amount
So?
sigh
They aren't voting D anywayso again... Who gives a fuck?
people whos rights are on the line believe it or not
Oooohhhh, a lot of people reeeaaaally care. They shouldn’t, but they really do.
Yes, the ones with mental health issues.
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.
So... No Republicans. Got it.
Madness
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.
Unfortunately, many or most people.
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
Can you elaborate?
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.
How is he both the Secretary of Transportation and a Senator simultaneously?
He's not? They're talking about Mark Kelly.
It's in reference to Kelly, as per earlier comments.
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.
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.
They said gender identity.
(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.
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.
I imagine it would go something like this:
Hello Mr President welcome to my country.
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.
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.
The latter
Couchfucker > futtbucker
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.
Kamala Romney
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 underestimate how much people really fucking hate Trump
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.
Pete is 100% but he is not the correct gay candidate. He needs time to grow.
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.
#HarriButt2024!
Alright I wasn't in before but... I mean what a strong name to platform on.
I'm sold.
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.
Knights of Symphonia is an excellent manga.
I don’t know what that is. I was referencing “Old Man’s War” by John Scalzi. An excellent book series.
Yeah, we are... but it ain't you.
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
Pete got that WAGON on em.
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.
Just the way I have heard it pronounced sounds like "booty gay."
Read the room.
Exactly. Give us the Astronaut, important thing is beating Trump and trying to remain a country.
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
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.
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!
Word.
Harris/Guy that gramma would be happy to see advertised on a real estate bench 2024
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.
Well articulated, thank you for the clarifying support there.
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.
This somehow makes the article even worse.
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.
McKinsey consultant
Thank you.
Until ~##,### voters don't decide an entire presidential election, no. No, they aren't...
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.
As long as he does not fuck couches.
Bigot ! Love is love.
Pete is way too easy to hate. I don't personally hate him, but he's just not very likable.
Mark Kelly is still my top pick. He's a great fucking dude, he's a fucking astronaut, and I just can't see anything Republicans throw at him actually sticking.
Pete will make it a hard choice. Sorry Pete but unless Mark fucks up big time, I'm an astronaut for VP guy right now...so say nothing Mark! For the love of this nation say nothing. I've said nothing for months my self. It can be done.
We absolutely are, but not as the VP to a non-white woman. The US has a long way to go.
I'd rather that gay person be someone else. I despise Buttigieg on a personal level and hope he never gets VP let alone POTUS.
Why?
Because I'm still angry about how he treated Bernie.
Yep. Who the fuck cares about the right. They want the most morally represhisble person to be their king. Could give two shit what they think about it.
Edit: for all the nay sayer in this thread you are obviously oblivious to the type of pull Pete has. We need to double down on progress. Yes an aging astronaut might look good on paper but the most progressive ticket America has ever seen is also good.
Sadly, not the US.
Maybe, but hopefully we'd get someone better than Pete.
Sharice Davids?
That would be a fun ticket.
Sorry drunk me after my best friend's wedding
I love Pete. He actually is amazing at his job. Fuckin avoiding a logistics disaster AND getting the union what they want? Putting the screws on Boeing? Fuck that guy can WORK IT. FUCK BEN GARRISON. I think we gotta say fuck the optics- that's what makes us vote for centrists. And before Tankie's get in and call him a fascist, y'all can go fuck a couch.
Congrats to your best friend!
I think we could be, but not that one
What's wrong with Buttigieg?
Maybe reversing that question would be a good starting point--what's good about Buttigieg?
He’s far more milquetoast than Harvey Milk if you catch my drift
Sure. Not him though.
Not that one tho.
Still waiting for Americans to be ready for a Trans Atheist Single Childless Woman of Color President.
Buttigieg is quite ambitious
And Jared Polis, Colorado governor would be a great choice.
But not him. He can't even do the job he currently has
They aren’t. Play it safe please. Moderate white male. Trump needs to be crushed.
Can any of you buttigeg naysayers elaborate?
Just guessing from the replies, (I'm personally not that critical of Pete)
He used to be more left wing, had a deep appreciation for Bernie Sanders growing up, then he had a more right-ward turn. He worked as a consultant for a very unpopular and influential company (Mckinsey) for a few years, then he joined the Navy and was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. Lastly the shenanigans around him very narrowly beating Bernie in the Iowa primary of 2020 probably all contribute to the negative sentiment.
None of these really make him worse than even more corporate Dems like Pritzker or Shapiro, so I'm guessing the antipathy is almost entirely because of 2020.
Surprisingly, he's not already thanking Kamala for the nomination.
Has his favorability with Black voters improved since 2020?
Out of the loop, what has he done to alienate the black community?
Disparate cannabis enforcement while he was mayor of South Bend. Pretty much tanked his 2020 run.
Why was the mayor involved with how laws got enforced??
I'm not saying it was fair. I'm saying that it is.
Yeah I'm not questioning whether it happened I was just questioning what circumstances led to that
Fuck if I know.
ya but not you neolib scum
Yeah, but are we in the mood for a CIA spook to be vice president?
?
Edit: Oh it's a conspiracy theory about Pete
Asset? No.
Spook? Yes.
Analyst, foreign deployment. No conspiracy.
Lmfao if you call working for a company that also got outsourced to the CIA for consulting work a "Spook" then there's millions of "Spooks", usually that word is used for actual agents, not third party analysts.
The work he was doing overseas was entirely economic, which you would know if you read the article, and there's no confirmation he had any ties with the CIA at all. there's literally no reason to point out his very detached and vague connection with the CIA, other than to try and make him look like a plant.
More than the asset as President.
Not you, Gay Nixon.
Imo we need an all woman ticket. If we can't get that then we need someone from a swing state to potentially tip the scales there.
Get off the goddamn stage ratboy. You did Bernie Dirty and I still remember. I hope everyone else does too.
Get a trans person, cowards.
I think they have a better chance with Pete for president than Kamala honestly as fucked as that is.