Type to search

Mayor Pete Opinion

Iowa Went Nuts for Mayor Pete—Is This a Precursor to Victory?—WATCH

Share

When Pete Buttigieg addressed the Iowa Democrats at the Liberty-Justice Dinner in Des Moines, Iowa, on Friday night, he was met with stadium filled crowds not seen since Obama’s historic run in 2008.

Over the past two weeks, Buttigieg has been pelted as being unelectable for a number of reasons, backed up by quack polls that are meaningless. 50% of voters won’t vote for a gay. Religious Black folks don’t like him “flaunting” his sexuality. But what Buttigieg did on that national stage is what he’s done since he began his campaign. He spoke to the people of America like adults and is already looking passed the pyrrhic victory of winning the election. The real work he said, will be the day after Trump, unifying a historically political polarized U.S., the likes of which have never been seen.

Yet, what was particularly thrilling, and what I’m sure many of you may find banal, is the sheer joy of watching Iowa go nuts for Mayor Pete Buttigieg!

I’m sixty.

I imagined a day when an openly LGBTQ person would run for President and actually have a shot at becoming President. I thought if would happen long after I was dead. But it’s happening now and by sheer force of his ideas and vision for America he’s got a real shot at this. It helps he’s smart as fuck and puts words together with the magic of a master.

My love of Pete stems from when I went to one of his early rallies in San Francisco and was impressed. He made sense to me. That was before he rolled out his policies and platform. I read each of his papers, and they made sense to me. I’m known for being “logical.” So I like his logic.
 
One of the things I like most about him is he refuses to label himself one way or another. Other people feel a need to put those labels on him. I like his refusal to play ball with those who proclaim he is not “progressive enough, not gay enough, not experienced enough.”

He’s forward-thinking and sees the world differently. I think it has something to do with his being closeted.

He came out publicly in the middle of his reelection as Mayor of South Bend. I do not know what the test for being gay enough even. His ideas are unique and transformational. He has even spoken about the dangers of identity politics. His bravery and intellect is what I’m drawn to. It is a new vision of America and he speaks to people who do not live in the bubbles of San Francisco or New York. I love my bubble but to get there it will take some persuading.
 

The big money thing is naive. Trump is raising historic amounts of money. When the general election starts, he’ll need massive amounts of money to compete. These purity tests are feeble and a waste of time. I’ve also seen our community eat each other alive over nothing. I hate that part of LGBTQA+ and AIDS activism. That need to tear each other down when we have real enemies. It is immature.

Watch Pete Buttigieg addresses Iowa Democrats at the Liberty-Justice Dinner in Des Moines, Iowa, November 1, 2019.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtF1xet-u_s

RELATED: The Ascendency of Pete Buttigieg and Obama’s Legacy

CNN reported: Pete Buttigieg touted himself as the most electable Democrat in the 2020 presidential field on Friday, delivering an optimistic speech that cast himself as the person who can best person unify the country after President Donald Trump leaves office. Beyond the words, though, the speech notably highlighted the newfound power for Buttigieg’s growing organization in Iowa. As the South Bend, Indiana, mayor spoke on Friday night, hundreds of Buttigieg’s supporters sporting yellow shirts emblazoned with “PETE” roared during lulls in the speech. Some had block lettering that read “Boot Edge Edge.” Here in Iowa, Buttigieg’s campaign is ascendant, highlighted by a New York Times/Siena College poll released on Friday that found the South Bend mayor at 18% in the state. That places Buttigieg in the top tier with Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Vice President Joe Biden, three Democrats he was looking up at earlier in this campaign.

 

 

 

Tags:

You Might also Like

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *