General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsPete Buttigieg is 42 years old, and will lose no elected office
and will help in Indiana. If it's about age, does he move up the list now?
I need to add to the "We can't use him because he's GAY" crowd, the ones who wouldn't vote for that reason are ALREADY not voting for a woman, and certainly not a woman of color.
Trump tried to assassinate Pence. Pence is from Indiana. So is Buttigieg. I think it helps there
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Mister Ed
(6,251 posts)Last edited Fri Jul 26, 2024, 09:50 AM - Edit history (1)
But I'll just watch and wait for Harris to make her decision, and then wholeheartedly support her in it. After all, that's the job we're hiring her for: Decision-maker In Chief.
Charging Triceratops
(253 posts)But he brings no new votes to the ticket.
Traurigkeit
(1,290 posts)wyldwolf
(43,891 posts)Kaleva
(37,447 posts)That's what elections hinge on. Which side can motivate their base more. Pete can bring in more young voters.
Plus the fact that Pete can take it to the enemy in debates or at Fox News. He has shown repeatedly that he can more then hold his iwn
FreeState
(10,654 posts)So no thats not true - I know lots of conservatives who like him enough to vote for a ticket with him on it over Trump.
madaboutharry
(40,981 posts)Indiana has been solid red for decades. And further, Pete no longer lives in Indiana. He lives in Michigan.
I love Pete. He would make a great VP. But the reason for putting him on the ticket would be about his brilliance and his leadership skills.
JanMichael
(25,096 posts)And didn't win the 2020 primary. Hyperbolic proclamations of invincibility are not helpful.
Baltimike
(4,396 posts)JanMichael
(25,096 posts)At least Reagan had been a governor.
Baltimike
(4,396 posts)and Pete Buttigieg would DEFINITELY be something that turned out well for the USA
Thanks for playin' though
JanMichael
(25,096 posts)I like him however even a one term senator, Congress critter, governor, high ranking military, mayor of a large city, has had more executive experience. That should mean something. Hell even a CEO of a large company may have executive experience but not the type that translates to government.
It is like the people that want Oprah or some real billionaire to run. I don't get it or want it.
I do think that Pete Buttigieg is brilliant but VP then POTUS for a small town mayor then DOT seems rushed. But what do I know? if Harris picks him I will eat my words and support both 100%.
Baltimike
(4,396 posts)I like Pete, even if you don't think he's seasoned enough
LiberalFighter
(53,036 posts)mopinko
(71,350 posts)a young guy who only won a mayors race doesnt do that.
my money is on kelly. he best fits that bill.
Arabela
(66 posts)tritsofme
(18,002 posts)And the proclamation that he will lose no elected office is just .uh bizarre.
...that since Pete is not currently occupying an elected office, Dems wouldn't risk a loss if Pete were to join a Harris administration.
Personally I'd like to see him as Secretary of State. He's got security awareness, languages, and a nuanced understanding of non-military global dynamics.
Plus, the homophobes would have to be nice to him Or Else.
Deep State Witch
(11,004 posts)He has 4 options: 1) Stay where he is at DoT, where he's been the most effective leader in decades; 2) Move up to Secretary of State or Defense; 3) Go back to Michigan and run for office there; or 4) Become Kamala's Chief of Staff.
bearsfootball516
(6,415 posts)And it has the added bonus of giving Americans more exposure to him, opening up a potential VP slot or presidential run in 2032.
edisdead
(3,117 posts)pinkstarburst
(1,535 posts)phoenix_rising
(279 posts)Pete is a rockstar! TikTok is exploding with love for him! There is sooo much energy, momentum, and excitement for Pete!!
maxsolomon
(34,434 posts)MFer won IN by 16 points in 2020. It is not a swing state. It is a blood red state.
What impact would Buttegeig have? MFer wins by 14 points?
Intractable
(154 posts)He would destroy anyone in a debate.
He's so likable. I think he could convince some stubborn homophobes into believing that gay is okay.
I'd completely support him for VP and beyond.
phoenix_rising
(279 posts)Hes a man of deep faith and can quote biblical passages more fluently than most preachers.
They dont come any better than Pete! We need him for VP and for president in 8 years!
marmar
(77,736 posts)mvd
(65,344 posts)And hes very intelligent. Could really make great attacks on Trump and Vance. Shapiro is my favorite, but would really like Pete also.
phoenix_rising
(279 posts)He and Chasten live there!
Michael Moore has been very vocal about his concern regarding the young vote in MI. He said, The youth vote is down due to the Gazan war. The Arab American vote is essentially gone. Pete not only resides in MI, but he speaks Arabic, which appeals to Arab-American voters. Young people are CRAZY for Pete! He would ignite energy and enthusiasm to new heights, mobilize the youth vote in MI, and set the ticket on fire! 🔥
TheKentuckian
(25,635 posts)I don't think your sample size of people is large enough yet if you believe that lines are that simple for everyone, everywhere, all the time.
Then there is...
How about he win a statewide office himself?
Major city?
Maybe gain some broader experience like state, Chief of Staff, DoD?
While a more practical situation presents?
This is a nation that has never elected a woman then stack on top she is black with immigrant parents, I don't see why it is mission critical to push more change onto one ticket with fascism as the alternative and a fickle electorate as the arbiter.
The dude is very likely to be President one day and VP is probably a waste of ability so I don't see the desperate hurry.
If Harris thinks he is the right fit and lifts the ticket then I'm fully supportive but if that is not the burning gut feel or what the data is saying then I'd go another route and make better use of Buttigieg than inquiring into my health and breaking ties.
Crunchy Frog
(26,875 posts)I like Pete, but I don't think he could win a statewide election there.
We should focus on states that are actually in play.
valleyrogue
(678 posts)LostOne4Ever
(9,544 posts)That said, he won't help enough to win Indiana.
We can only win that state via 2008-esque blue wave.
Gore1FL
(21,582 posts)What state would we have picked up in 2024 if Harris was from there instead of California, or Biden was from there instead of Deleware?
Where one hales from is a pretty small deal and shouldn't be used in chosing the VP other than to meet the requirements that the VP is not from the same state.
We were close and she likely helped as is. Had she been from Eastern nc that might have been enough to put them over the top
rzemanfl
(30,110 posts)it would be a tribute to President Biden's judgement.
wendyb-NC
(3,629 posts)Love him, he has so many aptitudes and talents, for the VP job, to equal, even top others under consideration.
Elessar Zappa
(15,095 posts)Hes up there for my choices. My top is Shapiro.
MyMission
(1,935 posts)My gut tells me our VP candidate should be a veteran.
Pete, Kelly and Walz are all veterans and my top 3 picks.
Pete is younger, like vants, and they are both veterans and fathers of young children.
That would be an interesting parallel. It's a lot of strain for a young family.
pinkstarburst
(1,535 posts)And he's a brilliant mind who will be an asset to the administration and the perfect candidate to run after Kamala's 8 years are up. Another plus is that naming him doesn't pull him out of a key position we need him in right now.
Josh Shapiro may help in Pennsylvania, but would likely cost us Michigan and Wisconsin due to his outspoken statements about Israel.
Mark Kelly might help in Arizona, but would cost us his senate seat.
Roy Cooper is 67. In 8 years, if it were his turn to run, he would be 75 and we might run into the same questions we are facing with Biden now. I like the idea of a slightly younger VP, in light of what happened this year with Biden, setting up the younger generation to take the lead. Additionally, North Carolina doesn't have the governor and Lt. Governor run as a team. Roy Cooper is a democrat, but the Lt. Governor is a MAGA republican. If we take Roy Cooper, North Carolina now has a republican governor. That may seriously impact our efforts to turn that state blue.
phoenix_rising
(279 posts)![](/emoticons/clap.gif)
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dsc
(52,462 posts)Robinson vs stein. Having cooper on the ticket might help us prevent a gop governor
calguy
(5,675 posts)Pete is an amazing talent for us, but he's a big target for them. Like it or not, many of the voters we need are resistant to voting for an openly gay candidate, especially one who's only elected office was a medium sized mayor.
It's a risk we just can't take with the stakes this high.
Traurigkeit
(1,290 posts)phoenix_rising
(279 posts)Emphasizing, again, that I say this with respect:
I firmly believe that is an outdated notion that is simply no longer relevant. Millennials and GenZ are mobilized like never before, and they (along with younger GenX) are the most LGBTQ2SIA+ friendly generations in history. The world has changed, and young people are CRAZY for Pete!
Sure there will always be some older people and evangelicals who are resistant, but as the OP correctly stated, they are already not voting for a woman, and certainly not a person of color anyway. So IMHO, they are not relevant.
I actually hope Vance brings this up with Pete in a debate. As Ive said before, Pete is a man of deep faith and can quote biblical passages more fluently than most preachers. Any homophobes who care to listen would be turned, and Vance would be (justifiably) humiliated. Vance would be as outmatched as a fly against a Jedi Master. It would be so epic to witness!
calguy
(5,675 posts)If Pete gets the vp slot, I'll support him 100% like I hope you will if someone like Shapiro or Kelly gets the nod.
I'm admittedly and old guy who's political beliefs were shaped back in the sixties and early seventies. Liberals ruled the country back then, and I saw how we lost our power when we went too liberal by pushing too many liberal ideas on the country too fast.
So my personal experience influences my opinion, and it's why I think adding a gay candidate to the ticket may be a bridge too far this time around. I always tell my son, who is more liberal than me, that young people own the future of the country if they'll just get out there and vote for it.
Our generation has had our time, for better or worse, and I, for one, have been waiting for the younger generations to step up and claim the power that is rightfully theirs. Hopefully it is this time. I'd like nothing better than to sit back the rest of my days and watch our youth turn our country into what they envision it to be.
RandomNumbers
(18,048 posts)Not sold on Shapiro being the best pick, although with a normally intelligent electorate (oh well, sigh) Shapiro should be a phenomenal choice.
calguy
(5,675 posts)I've only seen him a few times on TV, and like what I see. Harris would be wise to draw this process out as long as possible, because it gives these great governors free exposure they wouldn't otherwise have.
pinkstarburst
(1,535 posts)With Shapiro, we likely lose Michigan and Wisconsin due to the statements he's made on Israel.
With Kelly, we lose his senate seat and likely won't win it back.
There is no perfect scenario out there.
calguy
(5,675 posts)But each one lights years better than J.e.D. Vance.
I trust that Kamala will make the perfect choice for herself.
LiberalFighter
(53,036 posts)calguy
(5,675 posts)we still wouldn't have gained any electoral advantage from having him on the ticket.