Buttigieg:

[applegrove]

[secondwind]

1. What a beautiful statement..... Love this man....

[msfiddlestix]

6. I admire Buttigieg too.

I actually voted for him in the Primary. When he first appeared on my radar seems like right after impeachment I think, in several video's including a fascinating interview made years ago.

Actually it was a conversation with a journalist or writer whom I'm not familiar with and don't remember the name. But the conversation delved into political philosophy and various philosophical thought scholars are familiar but I am not.

Just wowed with the depth of his knowledge, but more importantly I think, how he applied and expressed the various ideas the discussion delved into.

Then every time I saw him give talks or appear on media, I would become overwhelmed with a state of calm, intelligent and rational discourse. Of course, I knew he wasn't likely to win especially in California strongly for Biden. It's all good how it worked out.

I think it's interesting that Buttigieg was tapped to serve as Ambassador to China. I know Pete's a Polyglot but I'm curious if Mandarin Chinese is one already on his language skills list.

[LakeArenal]

8. I read he does not speak Mandarin.

Still, he will do well.

[msfiddlestix]

10. Ok. Well, I suppose it isn't a requirement

Just the same, I trust him and feel like he'll manage his post quite well too.

[luvtheGWN]

15. Without doubt, he's already started

to take lessons in Mandarin.

[KPN]

18. Hell, he's Mayor Pete! He may have learned it already by now!

[BobTheSubgenius]

17. I'm positive he will learn at least some.

As a rule, foreign language speakers get a lot of points for at least making an effort to learn, the exception being France. *LOL*

[Glorfindel]

37. If I remember correctly, both Walter Mondale and Caroline Kennedy

learned Japanese before taking up the position of ambassador. I'm sure Mayor Pete would have no trouble at all learning Mandarin.

[grantcart]

29. I doubt he would take that position

Our future with China is going to be very complicated and will invoke some successes and other areas where we are going to have stubborn disagreements. For example Honk Kong dissidents are portrayed as protestors for Democracy but in fact many are in a futile attempt for Independence which will happen when Hawaii achieves independence.

Any politician who takes that job will get none of the credit but all of the blame and that is why it is best left to a professional diplomat.

A better match would be ambassador to the EU.

I hope that Mayor Pete is eventually President and does not take this position.

[msfiddlestix]

42. Good point.

I didn't "see" him in this role, I suppose being tapped isn't evidence that it's been accepted. Will be interesting to see what unfolds. I take your point, probably should be someone with experience in this role engaging with China.

Actually, I'm of a mind that all of the seriously important cabinet posts and ancillary appointments need to be held by people with the acumen, experience and institutional memory required to repair, rebuild, or improve upon the destruction that psychopath occupying the WH has brought upon our nation.

[Amaryllis]

44. Yes on the institutional memory. Been thinking the same. THat's why it's so good Biden will be POTUS

He is the only candidate who has that.

[msfiddlestix]

45. yeppers..n/t

[grantcart]

48. Could not agree more

This country screws up big time and then stumbles into the best solution

[Boogiemack]

57. It's a beautiful statement but Trump and his GOP followers are really giving credence to

stand alone evil.

[Blue Owl]

2. Hear, hear!

[Karadeniz]

3. Totally true!

[R B Garr]

4. He's awesome. Looking forward to seeing more of him. nt

[CatMor]

5. He has a great mind. I see him as President someday ..

after Kamala of course.

[FakeNoose]

7. Yes he's the future of our Party

But first I'd like to see him as a Governor. Indiana, perhaps?

He's still young and there's no need to rush it. Let him get valuable experience, beyond Mayor.

[CatMor]

11. Some are saying he doesn't have a chance ..

as governor of Indiana because of his being gay. What a shame that is. Maybe he could prove them wrong.

[yellowdogintexas]

30. If he starts out with running for Congress in his home district, he would

probably be elected there, and then move on to the Senate (unless of course Kamala picks him to run with her) He is young enough to build up an impressive resume

[CatMor]

33. That seems to be the way to go instead of governor.

[onetexan]

13. In deed, & given the full-on assault on democracy & other future horrors this fascist, lawless GOP

will try to inflict upon the country we really need such talented & decent leaders like him. I'm all for mayor Pete

[BobTheSubgenius]

22. That is exactly my thinking on the current stage of his political development.

Intellectually, he could do either job standing on his head. Anyone that learns a language just to read the catalog of a pretty obscure author obviously has the chops to take on any task in front of him, but it is too easy to point to the lack of experience. That's why an Ambassadorship or a Cabinet post would be a great asset right now.


I have high hopes for him.

[RussellCattle]

19. I'm guessing that in six months he will handle conversational Chinese pretty well.

[applegrove]

24. We need a genuis to deal with China and show them the light. Pete is

that person.

[applegrove]

26. China is the biggest threat almost, and will be soon.

[erronis]

27. And I think it also offers the biggest positives, if dealt with intelligently.

Not the pompeous manner, nor the totally xenophobic way that we've treated other countries (except dear England....)

[applegrove]

28. Yes. There is wonderful opportunity there if the right teams are in place.

[yellowdogintexas]

31. Bush #41 was Chief of the US Liason 1974 - 1975

the position had not yet been elevated to Ambassadorship.

God I love Wiki

[JI7]

41. Not many heard of Blinken but Biden and others knew who he was

This would be a step before other jobs such as UN Ambassador and Sec Of State which would give him more attention if he runs for President Again.

Remember, he isn't even 40 years old yet.

[marieo1]

14. Great Guy

I love to listen to him....he is super smart and right on.

[marieo1]

16. Great Guy

I love to listen to him....he is super smart and right on.

[BobTheSubgenius]

20. I was also impressed with not only the content of his brain,

but how easily and appropriately he uses that knowledge. You don't have to listen long to realize he is one of the great minds in politics today.

[Alhena]

21. Incredibly wise statement, especially for someone his age

[Hotler]

23. Mayor Pete, you can not play nice with todays repugs.

How can you play nice with a group of people that come right out and say, "The only good democrat is a dead democrat." Yes people are baskets of good and evil but a lot of people have a shit ton more evil than good. Those are the repugs we are dealing with today.

[BadGimp]

34. WOW- this guy!

[dlk]

35. Well said

However, we are up against those who don’t believe the same. They only do scorched earth and we can give them no quarter, ever!

[DesertRat]

36. I love this! k&r

[Demsrule86]

38. I really like this guy...he is awesome.

I don't know why he isn't an advisor to Biden...find a place for him!

[calimary]

39. LOVE THIS!!!

[SpankMe]

40. Well, almost

Sure, we're each a basket of good and evil. But, most of us keep the evil part roughly in check.

When the evil side gains ground, it is often tempered by forces outside of us that push back on it - like exposure to factual information, hearing mitigating points of view, a sense of what's really plausible/likely vs. what's nonsense/conspiracy, and exposure to a stable and moderate social environment that can apply a "restoring force" to reality.

And, most importantly, an inner kernel of basic human decency, ethics and compassion that eventually emerges and smacks you in the head when thing really get out of hand.

In the case of our Trump-obsessed zombie citizens, however, none of these forces are present to hold evil in check So, evil gains a dominance of such gravity inside the conservative bubble that it becomes a new normal. A normal so firm and exclusive that even mild excursions back toward decency are seen as radical and destructive.

Child separations at the border; "white equality" protests with chants of "Jews will not replace us" - while carrying torches; silence over the Jamal Khashoggi murder; growing support of QAnon; unbelievable efforts to discredit and overturn what was a largely legitimate election. All of this has become acceptable in the minds of 71M Trump voters.

Nope - the conservative movement in this country is firmly on the side of evil right now. It's fantasy to believe that there's still a "good side" in these people that can be charmed out. They're too far gone. That ship has sailed.

[summer_in_TX]

50. Preach it, Brother Pete!

Mayor Pete is wise, and there's always hope.

The level of hardened attitudes is a spectrum – just like it is on our side of the spectrum. Treating folks with respect and dignity is always right because it is a witness to who you are and what you believe.

There's plenty of movement on parts of the spectrum, and when you honor them with basic human respect and dignity it makes room for change.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

52. I admire Pete far more now than when he was a candidate. Even then, it was clear he had a lot

going for him. But, these kind of oversimplified, overly cheery statements have never appealed to me. For instance, the saying, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." Well, no, actually a lot of what doesn't kill you can weaken you and make your life more difficult.

Anyway, your reply has more meat than mine, but see mine below, if you like. #51, I think.

[Cha]

43. TY Pete Buttigieg!

[occupant]

46. cooks in 30 seconds

I don't want that brilliant mind anywhere near Chinas "Microwave Weapon" bullshit. There must be a better way to deal with them fools.Ain't no chance in hell Pete needs to do that job. I hope Biden finds someone else or demands to only deal with those fux on Zoom...

[davekriss]

47. Excellent!

[Upthevibe]

49. Wow!

Wow!!!

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

51. This is a lovely sentiment. Yes. Summon away! But while it may be true that many Nazis hugged

their children, baked cookies for their neighbors, and loved dogs, they were still Nazis. And they thought Nazis were righteous. Unfortunately, some politicians see the job of politics as the opposite of what Pete says. Or, at least, they're fine with summoning evil if it serves their ultimate purpose of money grubbing and power grabbing. (And worse.)

I know some DUers don't want to hear this. But then some of us don't want to hear platitudes, but that doesn't stop them getting posted here. So, on we go.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

56. To what extent? Yeah. It's complicated and fatiguing, for sure.

In many ways I'm farther left than most DUers, but then some of my views I usually won't even post here because I don't want to deal with attack, rather than discussion, which it too frequently turns out to be when there's disagreement.

I will say that I definitely thought "Defund the Police" was a bad slogan. Seemed obvious that lots of Dems even are not going to be OK with taking all funding away from police departments. And, as I understand it, that isn't what was intended. But, I'm just about positive that's what "Defund the Police" literally means.

All three of my favorite nieces (ages 21 -25) are now self-described Communists who refuse to vote since all our politicians are the same--one just as bad as the other. And of my four siblings, the Republican is in many ways more pleasant and thoughtful than the Dem ones. So, I'm trying, and not entirely succeeding, to find tolerance for political beliefs strongly in opposition to mine.

However, in my view, certain people deserve something close to demonizaton--Hitler and other despots, yes. Trump, and, really many of today's Rs, too, if to a lesser extent. But...

Oh, look at that, I've rambled on & on & and still failed to wrap up what I was trying to say. Sorry. Its almost 7am and I haven't slept yet, so I'll have to leave it there, not proofread and incomplete.

Thanks, though, for the civil conversation.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

59. I know the dupes are being duped, which might mean blaming them is blaming the victim.

And, of course, that's not cool. But, I guess I'm just a snobbish elite. To me, those shows are so blatantly melodramatic, over-generalizing, self-contradictory, and hypocritical, I just can't see how anyone can be duped by them.

Anyway, I'm glad to hear there is positive news about your Mom's health. Wonderful that you could be there for her.

Sadly, my father died 67 days after his diagnosis. My mom, with the help of we five siblings, and eventually hospice, cared for him at home. It was a nightmare in more ways than one, not least because already existing family divisions and hostilities were exacerbated by the situation and are now worse than ever--but at least Dad suffered far less than we had feared he might. This past Saturday would have been his 85th birthday. It's been a hard weekend.

[JonLP24]

62. Proud Boys set a BLM sign on fire

It is not about the fucking slogan!!!

[JonLP24]

61. Who cares about the slogan?

I care about the policies.

Plus Biden himself said "Shoot them in the leg" and no one brings that up but it is BLM activists fault. Whatever.

Democrats are terrified of police unions who somehow can do no wrong!

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

64. Short answer: We care about slogans, because slogans influence people.

Most people who hear the slogan Defund the Police think it means what those words can reasonably be taken to mean: to take all money away from police departments and completely get rid of them. And a lot of people think that's a terrible idea. But what BLM really wants is something a lot more people would support. Seems likely that a slogan that conveys that idea more clearly has a better chance of gaining support for this important cause.



















Long answer:

Anyone really paying attention knows that far too many LEOs in this country are OK with one of their own shooting a black child for holding a toy gun. Or, if they're not OK with it, they won't speak out against it. We know cops need to be trained to de-escalate situations whenever possible, but that even those trained to do that do it far less when dealing with people of color. We know black and other minority communities are over-policed.

Most people are ignorant of these facts. Many see cops as good guys, protecting good people from the bad guys. In their communities, neighbors, friends, or loved ones don't' get murdered by the police.

The problem with the slogan Defund the Police is that most people reasonably take it literally, based on the meaning of those words. Here's the Oxford English Dictionary and the Dictionary.com definitions of defund:

prevent from continuing to receive funds.

to withdraw financial support from, especially as an instrument of legislative control

So, defunding the police, sounds like a bad idea. Thinking of cops are basically good guys, as they do. But, Defund the Police activists aren't even pushing for that.

BLM says:

...it really boils down to three demands.

First, we are demanding that every State, city, and municipality spend less on law enforcement and incarceration. Period.
Next, we are demanding that lawmakers and candidates support reparations for all families of those killed and survivors of police violence.

And finally, we are demanding proactive investment into Black communities. It is not enough to defund the police, we need to put in place systems to uplift and protect Black communities.

And yes that means divesting from police in schools and investing in more teachers and counselors. It means divesting from the criminalization of mental health and providing mental health and restorative services. It means divesting from narcotics units and gang units and investing in community-led harm reduction programs.

It seems that the slogan that conveys a more accurate idea of that would be more likely to gain support for the cause.


Regarding Democrats and police unions: some Dems are working to stop Police Unions shielding their members from responsibility for their terrorist acts. But those Unions are powerful, so it's not going to be easy to get them to change.