20 PETE 24
Pete Buttigieg is in the upper echelons of the Democratic Party. From a small-time mayor, he built his brand enough to win both Iowa and become the Transportation secretary in the Biden Administration. During the 2022 midterms, Pete was hot property: people wanted him as a surrogate. It was easy to see why. The man—dark blue suit, bright blue tie, and an LGBTQ+ flag pin on the side—was a fresh face, he was articulate, and he wasn’t afraid to appear in shows like Fox News.
So, publicly, he continues to play the part of the dutiful secretary. He helps chart the course for the Building a Better America program. Working with congressional, state, and local leaders throughout the political spectrum, he ushers the Airport Infrastructure Grants, Airport Terminal Program, Americas Marine Highway Program Grants, Appalachian Development Highway System, and the Appalachian Development Public Transportation Assistance Program. In addition, as a new wave of COVID splashes on America, he is there to make sure the supply chains are untangled, the roads and airports are safe, and the people who grumble about cancellations and delays are heard through the DOT’s consumer protection program.
On cable news, America will hear the secretary stoutly defend the President’s record. He gives pinpoint details about where the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law helps Main Street. $55 billion to expand clean drinking water for up to 10 million households that lack it. $65 billion to get high-speed internet for 30 million people who lack any broadband infrastructure, especially those in rural areas. $110 billion to protect the nation’s crumbling highways, major roads, and bridges. Over $50 billion to protect against droughts, heat, floods and wildfires. The list could go on. In a memorable spot on MSNBC's PoliticsNation, Pete claims that the current White House is the “most equitable” in the nation’s history.
The same message is pushed on social media. @SecretaryPete, his official account, proudly cites the figures he mentioned before. There are plenty of pictures with him around the nation, shaking hands with this developer and that grateful politician, too. Chasten Buttigieg, meanwhile, posts about their life in his private account and runs interference whenever some conservative gets the bright idea of attacking Pete’s sexuality. The image projected is this: they’re wonky, they’re a bit square in that Midwestern way, but they own it. There are no apologies for what they are.
To those hungry about his bid, Pete plays coy as he did in CNN’s Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace: “For the moment, I’ve been entrusted with this amazing opportunity and responsibility to help shape the infrastructure we’re going to be living with and working with and counting on for the rest of our lives.” Perhaps it’s also a subtle dig toward the Vice President, who appears to be preening for the cameras as America gets battered by COVID again.
Privately, he is game for another round. The poll’s out for ol’ Kamala: a net unfavorable rating that makes your eye water. Mike Pence of all people had a better number when he was VP. Mike goddamn Pence. Maybe it’s racist, maybe it’s not, but the verdict makes her vulnerable at best and terminal at worst. His time would come soon enough.
