#peter buttigieg

[pasdecoeur]

gay people: historically, we’ve always existed.

the cishets: *shit themselves in confusion*

[politijohn]

Pete Buttigieg, the first openly gay, married presidential candidate has dropped out.

I’m not sad.

Pete reminded me why Americans, particularly young ones, are tired of status quo politicians. All talk, no substance. Fundraising from big money donors, not the grassroots. Flip-flopping on issues to suit their donors’ interests. Misleading the public about progressive causes. Embracing militarism abroad.

The reason Pete didn’t make it far is not because he’s gay but because Americans are finally seeing through this kind of politician. Good riddance, Pete. You won’t be missed.

[scottsumrners]

i hate twitter so much it’s unreal

[femestella]

[kimkimberhelen]

Sanders can’t lead the Democrats if his campaign treats them like the enemy

What Bernie needs to learn from Biden.

Yup

[gaystarnews-blog]

All the Democrats running for President in 2020 and their LGBTI records

It may still be the first month of 2019, but the 2020 United States presidential election is already gearing up.

All eyes are on the Democratic Party and who they will choose as their nominee to run against Donald Trump, who will presumably win the Republican Party’s nomination again, as he seeks re-election.

Below are all the major Democratic contenders who have declared their candidacies and their LGBTI records.

A major candidate is someone who has held public office before. Other individuals have filed with the Federal Election Commission, but have not held public office nor appeared in major polls. They are not included in the list.

[grandhotelabyss]

Ulysses is consciousness meeting reality. But here's why I think Ulysses is extremely relevant. People believe Ulysses is this complex, difficult, inscrutable text full of references. And it is a difficult text, but its subject matter couldn't be more democratic. It's about a guy going about his day for one day. That's the plot of Ulysses. And, to me, that's what makes it very touching. You're in this guy's head, and you're kind of seeing life through his eyes, and at the end through his wife's eyes.That's how politics ought to be, too. The reason any of this stuff matters is that it affects us in the everyday. And I think the greatest literature, whether it's Ulysses or Mahfouz, when it touches politics, it's about how politics can make our everyday better or worse. And I think that same understanding of the imperative and the primacy of lived experience ought to be how our politics works.

Peter Buttigieg (U.S. presidential candidate)

(For somewhat darker readings of Ulysses, and of politics for that matter, see my last three Bloomsday essays: “Against Celebration: Bloomsday vs. Dallowayday,” “Bloomsday Notes: Jung on Joyce,” “Bloomsday Thoughts: Blasphemies, Monuments, Traditions.”)

[lesserjoke]

Book #59 of 2019:

Shortest Way Home: One Mayor's Challenge and a Model for America's Future by Peter Buttigieg

This book is interesting as a memoir of a young mayor, but I don't think it particularly makes the case for the author's long-shot presidential bid. Peter Buttigieg's political successes in both campaigning and governing have been strictly on the local level of his Indiana hometown, and it's not clear from how he presents them here that his approaches would scale up to a larger electorate he can't know face-to-face. I'm also not convinced that he's actually running to win the White House, rather than just to raise his profile and bring national attention to the issues facing South Bend (a Rust Belt town that resembles my own former home of Buffalo, NY right down to the large Polish population and their annual celebration of Dyngus Day).

However, if you set aside the issue of any D.C. aspirations -- which are not even mentioned in this text, despite the fact that its publication postdates his exploratory committee -- Buttigieg comes across as a charismatic and intelligent leader with an impressive life story. A veteran and a Rhodes Scholar, Mayor Pete would be the first openly gay president, as well as the youngest person to ever take that office. He is humble and enthusiastic about the ability of government to improve everyday lives, and although I can't see myself voting for him in the upcoming primary election, he's definitely established himself for me as a rising star in the Democratic Party.

★★★☆☆