Pete Buttigieg 2020 campaign megathread

[Fuzzy Bear Loves Christian Missionaries]

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.

But of course, policy doesn't matter when choosing someone to rule over the most powerful country on Earth, only bringing people to God. Oh and Trump must be one of those moral Christians, given his logo beneath your avatar. This anti-intellectualism is probably why the US is being ruled by an unemphatic, racist, incompetent bozo.

Trump is not my example of a role model for Christian Living.  Most Christians are not confused about that, and I don't present him to be that.  2016 was a choice between a person who was, quite possibly, not even saved, and a person who sought to present herself as a Christian while (at a minimum) implying all sorts of things (other ways to salvatation besides Christ, abortion and homosexuality are Biblically sanctioned, etc.) that are just not in line with Scripture, and whose followers do little to hide their open hostility to Evangelical Christianity.  In terms of actual policies that are actually important to Evangelical Christians (as well as many Catholics and Mormons), Trump has done more to advance them than other Republican Presidents who used these issues as talking points but did not advance them in public policy. 

Buttigieg had my attention until he made his statement about Mike Pence having a problem with his Creator.  This is a viewpoint I simply don't accept, and under most circumstances, I could not support someone for such a visible office as the Presidency who ascribed to what Buttigieg ascribes to.  If he were the nominee, and I viewed him as the better choice, I would come to that point with extremely mixed emotions, and if I voted for him, I would not be able to endorse him and ask others to do so.

I certainly take a Biblical view of homosexuality.  Now I view most of that issue that's a matter of other people's private lives for the most part.  I view SSM as a fait accompli, and I don't wish to see gays discriminated against in housing, secular employment, etc.  What I am opposed to is the idea that I must AFFIRMATIVELY agree to the idea that homosexuality is OK; that it's OK with God and that I must say it is, and that my church must hire openly gay persons, even though our doctrine is one that states otherwise, and is supported by Scripture.  The idea of our government forcing this agenda on churches is not acceptable; it is a violation of the First Amendment, and it is a violation of the concept of Negative Liberty, of the right to decline to say what is not on one's mind, that I oppose. 

It is the twisting of my arm to affirm the correctness of something I find Biblically incorrect that is unacceptable at any price.  "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was actually a wise policy; indeed, it's a good approach to most life situations.  It is when people seek to force others to affirm them that freedom is impinged on.  Whatever injustices were in the past, I am not sure that I will like Buttigieg's approach on these matters going forward.

[Fuzzy Bear Loves Christian Missionaries]

The correct Christian viewpoint is pro-gay, not anti-gay.

You see, I can do it too.

But, of course, that begs the question of what "pro-gay" and "anti-gay" mean.

If it means that we are to love our neighbor as Christ loved us, that is one thing.  If it means that we are to affirm our neighbor's choices as correct, even if they fly in the face of Scripture, that is something else.

No one, until the last two (2) decades, has ever seriously suggested that Homosexuality was Biblically sanctioned anywhere.  This only occurs now due to the fact that the Famine of the Word, as prophesied by Amos, has come; Knowlege has increased, but there is more Biblical ignorance today than at any time in the history of America, and those who wish to pervert Scripture for political agendas have gained traction in this.

[Fuzzy Bear Loves Christian Missionaries]

Amazing for the hate for Buttigieg on Atlas, even among many Atlas Democrats simply because they are betting on certain other horses in the race.

Don't think he's quite ready to make it in '20 for DEM-PRES, despite the $$$.

This, basically.

I do think Buttigieg will get a high profile appointment in a Democratic Administration if elected.  I would not be surprised if it were something like UN Ambassador; the sort of appointment given an appointee with a political following, but without overwhelming traditional credentials for the Presidency, in order to give that person "Foreign Policy Experience".

[Fuzzy Bear Loves Christian Missionaries]

Remember that guy who said we shouldn’t worry that the Republicans are going to call us socialists and just stand up for what we believe in? Where’d he go?

Nobody cares what Republicans will call us. M4A as it has been promoted by Warren and Sanders is deeply flawed on a policy level and deserves to be critiqued for it.

What's deeply flawed is our current system. ObamaCare was a fail.

Somewhat "yes" to both.

I'm a union member with GREAT health insurance.  It's why I work where I do, when I could possibly do better other places, salary-wise; the insurance is super.

My wife turns 65 in less than 2 months and has opted to take her Social Security to ensure that we can homeschool our youngest son.  She has the option of enrolling on Medicare, or staying on my plan.  When we looked at the differences, my plan was SOOOOOO much better that we decided to keep her on my plan, because Medicare would cover less and cost us more.

This is the real issue of M4A in that it will provide WORSE insurance for a number of people who have great insurance.  That includes millions of union members and public employees who are mass constituencies that are, as a whole, likely Democratic.  Klobuchar, Bennet, Buttigieg, and a few others have picked up on that, and this is why they're attacking Warren and Sanders.  And these voters are not wrong to take pause.  They are caught between the moral ideal that our nation should provide healthcare for all of its citizens, and the competing ideal that one's primary responsibility to their family and they need to ensure that their family's needs will be met in times of illness or injury.

Republicans (including Trump) avoid discussion of the uninsured.  (DeSantis was probably the most honest when he said that his plan for the uninsured was for them to "show up at the Emergency Room", without regard for all the ER WON'T do for people seeking assistance there.)
Democrats, however, have failed to frame this issue in terms of meeting the needs of the uninsured. This is, indeed, a moral crisis; the fact that so many of our citizens are left to suffer from untreated illnesses and injuries, and even die from them.  The richest country in the world has toothless, limping, people trudging to work every day to work at jobs, enduring pain at the workplace, because they have to.  It also has a bevy of medical-related bankruptcies, which aren't even talked about.

So I understand why Buttigieg is doing what he's doing.  He wants to win, and (I suppose) his plan would reduce the uninsured.  One of the problems here is that the Democrats have been consistently unable to make this the moral issue that it is.  Perhaps, if that happened, discussion of the needs of the uninsured working poor could be discussed rationally, but I suppose I'm aiming high.

Healthcare is an issue where I depart from much GOP orthodoxy, and it is a leading reason as to why I have cast votes for whatever Democrats I've cast votes for in recent years.

[Fuzzy Bear Loves Christian Missionaries]

I really don’t want to think what the Russian bots would do with a Buttigieg candidacy. They won’t have any trouble pretending to be homophobic.

"Russian bots" are so 2016 ...

Nobody will give a damn about it next year (Facebook usage is going down as well) and for every voter who complains about his gayness, he will likely get 2 additional ones from the non-voter pool.

My thought is more that anyone who would have eir vote affected by whether a candidate is gay is more than likely not to vote Democratic anyway.

There are lots of Democrats that could care less as to whether or not Buttigieg is straight or gay that would not vote for him because of concern as to how that would ultimately shake out in the end.  I would suspect that this would be a concern for some gay voters as well.

[Fuzzy Bear Loves Christian Missionaries]

https://twitter.com/petebuttigieg/status/1088016937718874112?s=21

Announced just an hour ago

Lol

Cool. I put him in the D-list with Ojeda and Delaney. Castro is C-list bordering on D-list.

So far off to a bad start, picked a pretty lousy news day to announce with Venezuela and SOTU back and forth dominating the news. And so soon after Harris announced, probably should've done it earlier in Jan right after Warren.

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

He's still standing!  Standing taller than some, to be sure.

[Fuzzy Bear Loves Christian Missionaries]

https://twitter.com/petebuttigieg/status/1088016937718874112?s=21
Announced just an hour ago

Lol

Cool. I put him in the D-list with Ojeda and Delaney. Castro is C-list bordering on D-list.

So far off to a bad start, picked a pretty lousy news day to announce with Venezuela and SOTU back and forth dominating the news. And so soon after Harris announced, probably should've done it earlier in Jan right after Warren.

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

He's still standing!  Standing taller than some, to be sure.

Hah. At least part of it is definitely due to his personal qualities and the strength of his campaign. Whatever one thinks of him, we have to admit that he's exceeded expectations vastly.

He's less ranting and more coherent than most of the Democrats running.  Less is more in this case.

[Fuzzy Bear Loves Christian Missionaries]

If he becomes the frontrunner, there will be an Anybody But Buttigieg movement.

The unspoken reason will be that he's gay, and in a same-sex marriage.  From a purely political point of view, no one can honestly predict how this will affect the race, but it's definitely risky.  It could be argued that the mid-campaign endorsement of SSM drove the Gay Vote up for Obama in 2012, and that's a factor that MIGHT have sealed the deal for him, after he found himself being pressed by Romney.  But that card has been played, and Buttigieg's family situation is a real unknown with more downside than upside (although all of that remains to be seen). 

The spoken reasons will be his somewhat moderate stances on issues, coupled with the fact that he's not been a Governor, Senator, or Cabinet Secretary, nor has he been head of a major private business endeavor.  He's little more than a local politician.  These are the things Buttigieg will have to openly defend.  The more people look at Buttigieg from a "Beat Trump" lens, the more people will conclude that "someone else" has to do the job.  And there are alternatives to Biden in the race (Klobuchar and Bloomberg) that have the upside of Mayor Pete without the unknowns.  Pete will get the Participation and Sportsmanship trophies for 2020, but the Democratic Party will not let him get near the nomination if they can possibly help it.