Pete Buttigieg 2020 campaign megathread

[Stranger in a strange land]

If one party is going to play the "I'm a Christian so vote for me, and also we need these laws because Christianity" game, then their lack of actual Christian behavior is fair game.

[Big Boy Beto]

Think Pete is now popular enough to warrant a thread, feel free to delete it if the mods feel otherwise.

https://twitter.com/PeteButtigieg/status/1113735738850447362

[°Leprechaun]

Think Pete is now popular enough to warrant a thread, feel free to delete it if the mods feel otherwise.

https://twitter.com/PeteButtigieg/status/1113735738850447362

I agree. He is definitely an important candidate.

I also wonder what posters here think about the fact that he is gay. Is this an issue for you personally? Will it matter to voters? Would you rather see a woman get the nomination? etc. etc.

[Nightcore Nationalist]

I also wonder what posters here think about the fact that he is gay. Is this an issue for you personally? Will it matter to voters? Would you rather see a woman get the nomination? etc. etc.

I honestly think Atlas vastly overstates the effect it would have on voters.  The (very insignificant in numbers) voters who are bothered by it wouldn't vote for the democratic nominee in the first place.

Buttigieg's true weaknesses are that he's merely a mayor from a red state, and supports court-packing.

[Big Boy Beto]

Think Pete is now popular enough to warrant a thread, feel free to delete it if the mods feel otherwise.

https://twitter.com/PeteButtigieg/status/1113735738850447362

I agree. He is definitely an important candidate.

I also wonder what posters here think about the fact that he is gay. Is this an issue for you personally? Will it matter to voters? Would you rather see a woman get the nomination? etc. etc.

If he goes full-on gay identity politics (which he won't) it'll probably cost him some votes in places like Indiana or the south. Otherwise, it likely will likely have the same effect as Hillary's sex, which had very little impact. It's not an issue for me personally as I'm gay, and I just want the best candidate to win, irrespective of gender. 

[Thank you for being a friend...]

I like that he's bringing up God and Scripture, and I like his family values.  He and his husband present an image of a red state American gay couple that is very appealing.  I also think its important that he has military experience since very few of the other candidates have it.

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

If the Religious Right doesn't die out, then so does Christianity in America.

This is very good to see.  And if it's suddenly a bad thing to call out Christians for supposedly not following Christian teachings, then the Episcopalians, ELCA Lutherans, UCCers, Old Catholics, and progressive Methodists are owed a huge apology.

[PaperKooper]

It's because you don't have an argument.

You know he is right but you don't care because you see the Religious Right as your "useful idiot" rubes to vote for your policies.

But you felt compelled to react defensively in some way, which is why the eyerolls are here instead of just ghosting the thread.

I'll elaborate for you.

To someone who is a conservative/traditional/orthodox (select your favorite adjective) Christian, Buttigieg's comments come across as elitist disrespectful posturing.  His argument boils down to "Trump's so narcissistic and focused on his personal wealth and power so he can't possibly be a Christian."  It'd be easy to make the same argument about Buttigieg himself, i.e., "He's living in a depraved charade of marriage and supports the legal killing of the unborn so he can't possibly be a Christian."  (Please note I'm not actually making that argument.)  The principle is the same, it makes the group that already agrees with you feel better about their beliefs by coloring them as "true Christians," and justifying their disapproval of their opponents.  At the same time, it deliberately offends those who disagree by castigating them as unchristian, basically implying they are charlatans. 

An additional factor is similar to why it's annoying when atheists make arguments against Christianity based only on non-observance of Levitical law: it misses the entire point and reveals a total misunderstanding/disregard for our actual beliefs.  Or for an example which may be easier to understand, it's like telling a Jew who supports the rights of Palestinians that that belief makes him not Jewish and possibly even a neonazi.  By saying that Trump and right-wing Christians don't care about the poor, Buttigieg is denying the reality that we actually do and actually merely disagree with him on how to best help the poor. 

[GoTfan]

Religion has no place in a political debate, regardless of who it's coming from.

[John Dule]

If Christian morality demands that you be "humble" and restrain your "hubris" before the "almighty," I'll take a narcissist over a self-flagellating believer any day of the week.

[libertpaulian]

If one party is going to play the "I'm a Christian so vote for me, and also we need these laws because Christianity" game, then their lack of actual Christian behavior is fair game.

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

If Christian morality demands that you be "humble" and restrain your "hubris" before the "almighty," I'll take a narcissist over a self-flagellating believer any day of the week.

[Peanut]

The mayor is spot on, and the eye-rolling in this thread is silly.  Being a Christian is not about being pro-birth, or hating the LGBT community, or worshipping oneself.

[John Dule]

If Christian morality demands that you be "humble" and restrain your "hubris" before the "almighty," I'll take a narcissist over a self-flagellating believer any day of the week.

Nice meme. Maybe Jesus will give you some good boy points for it.

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

https://twitter.com/InTheNoosphere/status/1115025301493280768

MY KING IS ALIVE

[Dr. Arch]

https://twitter.com/InTheNoosphere/status/1115025301493280768

MY KING IS ALIVE

Absolute FIRE

[Sestak]

https://twitter.com/InTheNoosphere/status/1115025301493280768

MY KING IS ALIVE

Ok ngl that’s really damn good.

[SCNCmod]

https://twitter.com/InTheNoosphere/status/1115025301493280768

MY KING IS ALIVE

Ok ngl that’s really damn good.

How has FOXnews covered this story, if at all? (I usually watch a little FOX to see what crazy stories they are covering & which legit one they are not... but haven't ventured to the darkside the past couple of days)

[Tender Branson]

His campaign will officially launch on Sunday at an event in South Bend, transforming from "exploratory committee" to "real campaign mode".

This comes at a time when he's hitting double-digits in the early important states of IA, NH, SC, NV and CA.



https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/11/politics/iowa-new-hampshire-buttigieg-2020-polls/index.html

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-04-11/buttigieg-sees-polling-jump-among-2020-democrats-in-early-states

Please sticky.

His campaign is getting serious and if Warren (8%) deserves a stickied thread, Butt also deserves one ...

[S019]

Ehhh, I feel he’s just experiencing a temporary bounce and will come back to Earth


Harris and Biden remain the frontrunners for this primary

[Confused Democrat]

https://twitter.com/TheEllenShow/status/1116531086186536960

Pete will be on Ellen tomorrow. Here's a clip.

[SCNCmod]

Trying to assess what I think of Pete's candidacy & chances as a candidate are a bit tough.  I think he is really impressive & I was really hoping he would get the DNC Chair a year or two ago (as I thought he would really do the best job, especially with bringing the DNC's technological arsenal up to date & helping to formulate policy, etc).  And I like that he is running in the sense of being the first openly gay major candidate for President & the positive impact he will have in helping make the fact that a future candidate is gay- even more of an afterthought than it is today to that candidate overall.  I also think Pete could very easily be the 1st openly gay President at some point in the not so distant future.

All that said- I think being barely over mid 30s & never having been held a  "major" office (for lack of a better term) ...Top 10 City Mayor, Congressman, Senator, Governor, Cabinet Member, CEO of a large company, etc... would end up being easily exploited to create just enough doubt in the general election (even considering Trump's lack of credentials & complete lack of knowledge of policy or practically anything else related to leading the country).  And I also feel pretty certain that in the end there is little to no chance that Dems will end up nominating a 30-something who has not held a "major office" ... despite his brilliance.

And although I'm a huge proponent of Dems having a younger Nominee... Under 40 may be a bit younger than I'm completely comfortable with (especially coupled with a thin resume). Either by itself would probably be ok... but coupled together gives me pause.

So I'm conflicted about Pete's rise in the polls.  I like it for the important positive impact it has on LGBT candidates seeking the highest office going forward.  But on the flip side, I think its important to have a couple of candidates under 70 to rise to the top of the pack as potential alternatives to the 2 front runners who are just shy of their 80th Birthday.  And since I feel that Pete doesn't have a shot at being the eventual nominee- I worry that if he were to rise to a strong top 3 (along with Bernie & Biden)... it would essentially block the ability to have a couple of younger candidates to emerge (mid 40s to mid 50s).  And I think many of the other under 70 candidates would have a shot at winning the nomination against Biden & Bernie if the field were whittled down to 3 or 4 candidates (because all of the other candidates are not both in their 30 & lack major office).  At which time it would be a good debate to determine which of said 3-4 candidates would be the best nominee.

But I guess time will tell how everything plays out... but my gut tells me that Pete will hit a ceiling, at which time people will start more closely contemplating his electibility for the reasons above- and then his rising numbers will begin to deflate. But i think if a Dem wins in 2020, Pete will definitely get a good cabinet position & when he runs again in the next open Dem Presidential Primary ... he will likely be one of the frontrunners (at which time he would be in his mid 40s since it would be in 8 years if a Dem wins in 2020).

[Farmlands]

I like that he's bringing up God and Scripture, and I like his family values.  He and his husband present an image of a red state American gay couple that is very appealing.  I also think its important that he has military experience since very few of the other candidates have it.

Isn't it about time we left religion out of consideration for which candidate to vote and look at the policies they propose because that's what truly matters? Anyway, he's not playing identity politics at all, so his sexuality shouldn't hurt him that much. His apparent moderation and generic platform probably will though.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

I like that he's bringing up God and Scripture, and I like his family values.  He and his husband present an image of a red state American gay couple that is very appealing.  I also think its important that he has military experience since very few of the other candidates have it.

Isn't it about time we left religion out of consideration for which candidate to vote and look at the policies they propose because that's what truly matters? Anyway, he's not playing identity politics at all, so his sexuality shouldn't hurt him that much. His apparent moderation and generic platform probably will though.

Religion was my #1 consideration in supporting a candidate. Policies are completely meaningless, especially for the office of President. The Senate will still be Republican so it won't matter. We need a president who has the best values and brings people to God.

[Crumpets]

I like that he's bringing up God and Scripture, and I like his family values.  He and his husband present an image of a red state American gay couple that is very appealing.  I also think its important that he has military experience since very few of the other candidates have it.

Isn't it about time we left religion out of consideration for which candidate to vote and look at the policies they propose because that's what truly matters? Anyway, he's not playing identity politics at all, so his sexuality shouldn't hurt him that much. His apparent moderation and generic platform probably will though.

Religion was my #1 consideration in supporting a candidate. Policies are completely meaningless, especially for the office of President. The Senate will still be Republican so it won't matter. We need a president who has the best values and brings people to God.

By that, do you mean you judge people by their piety, or which religion they ascribe to, regardless of how devout they are? For example, who would you vote for between a Christmas-and-Easter Christian and an extremely devout neopagan or an OT VIII Scientologist?