Democratic Primaries
Related: About this forumThe Insanity of Democrats Attacking Buttigieg--for Not Being Gay Enough
'My community has never had a presidential candidate taken seriously, and its not something I imagined happening in my lifetime.
After weeks of glowing press coverage of Pete Buttigieg as hes shot up in the Democratic 2020 field, the Petes Not Perfect posse has kicked into high gear with an unusually personal criticism: Buttigieg, they say, isnt gay enough.
Is Pete Buttigieg just another white male candidate, or does his gayness count as diversity? Slate asked in the headline (since changed) of a much discussed piece this week by staff writer Christina Cauterucci.
The fact that the press and political class are even taking Buttigiegs candidacy seriously is a historic first. An openly gay candidate has never qualified for a presidential debate, let alone become president (the jury is still out on James Buchanan, but whatever his orientation, he wasnt leading any Pride parades in 1857).
Yet some liberal voices are now discounting Buttigiegs sexual orientation (still a white man), or at least diminishing the historic discrimination gays have faced as compared with women and people of color (most of the time gender and race are way heavier burdens than sexual orientation in the professional and political environment, and there was a time when it was illegal for us to marry interracially, women and POC could not even own property but a gay white man could). For those critics, his race and gender negate the little credit they accord him for being gay.
All of this seems like an attempt to write Buttigieg off as just another white guy, standing in the way of more diverse candidates. Its the Oppression Olympics at its worst: In a battle to prove that one community is more discriminated against than another, we tear each other apart rather than unite in common cause.'>>>
https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-insanity-of-democrats-attacking-pete-buttigiegfor-not-being-gay-enough?
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
CaliforniaPeggy
(149,571 posts)This sentence stood out to me:
...Still, as a gay man, Buttigiegs candidacy has struck a personal chord. My community has never had a presidential candidate taken seriously, and its not something I imagined happening in my lifetime. That doesnt mean Ill vote for Mayor Pete simply because hes gay, but his sexual orientation matters, and it shouldnt be the subject of derision from our allies.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
dsc
(52,155 posts)They have since changed the headline from Is Pete Buttigieg just another white male candidate, or does his gayness count as diversity?" to something considerably less offensive but her article is still a hot mess. It is literally unimaginable that such an article could be published at a mainstream news outlet about any other minority. Simply disgraceful.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
customerserviceguy
(25,183 posts)It's not about Pete being gay enough, it's about being gay being not enough for the folks who value diversity as one of their top criterion for being the Democratic nominee.
We don't win when we play, "My group has been more marginalized than your group." That's a path to the divide-and-conquer game that Trump is an expert at.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
RLG
(314 posts)It's just that this whole "he has substance and other candidates do not" irks me.
Also, there's sort of a double standard with him regarding the whole "white privilege" thing where he is just as privileged as other white male candidates.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided