The other day I was scrolling through Instagram when I saw a clip of Pete Buttigieg speaking on homosexuality, his family, and the Speaker of the House.
In a time where politics are so washed with extremist stupidity and value is placed on which candidate can garner the strongest reactionary response from the general public, it is refreshing to hear someone, god, anyone in office that dictates in such a clear and cohesive manner as Pete garners in this clip. Pete’s professionalism shines at a time when Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) forgot that the Senate also has to approve continuing budget resolutions after being voted on in the House (source).
I am going to say that one more time, in different words, to highlight the insanity. A member of the United States Congress did not understand how the United States Congress worked. The Onion sketch writes itself, if only The Onion hadn’t predicted it 12 years ago.
Not to say that this is exclusive to the right side of the aisle. President Biden, depending on who you ask, is either in a constant fight against dementia or “frail but rational“. Setting aside the speculation about Biden’s ability to function in the office, the sentiment among Americans is clear, with Biden hitting record low approval ratings over the past few days. Americans don’t want Biden, full stop.
The top comment on the above video reads the following: “It is too bad that the USA would never allow [Pete] to be President. He is probably the most qualified and [well] spoken person that you have in either party”.
Pete Buttigieg could never be president? Never?
I am tired of thinking in the “never”. America can “never” build public transportation, America will “never” regulate Congressional stock trading, “never” legislate universal healthcare, on and on about the things that will never change in America. The death of American optimism is clear. Americans feel trapped, in a turbulent economy that is unable to afford social security for the population entering retirement, expenses rising while wages pale in comparison to inflation, and parents left wondering how to afford higher-level education for their children without being tied to catastrophic debts. In this time of struggle, Americans are forced to choose between two less than appealing (to put it nicely) candidates to represent them for 4 years at a time. The reason for optimism’s demise is clear – Americans don’t like the way things are, and can’t vote for anyone who will do anything about it. Do you really think, in this climate, that Pete Buttigieg’s level-headedness wouldn’t appeal to the politically exhausted population of America?
The reason the Democratic party feels weak compared to the media powerhouse of the Republicans is because the democrats gave up on running bold candidates. Everything the Democrats have done from the 2016 election onward has been playing it safe. Biden is not the best candidate, but he certainly is the safest. Biden is a safe appeal to centrist or moderate republican voters who aren’t looking to elect Trump for another 4 years. Biden is a safe appeal to more conservative blue regions in the Midwest, where it could be argued that a gay candidate would send homophobic voters electing “the other guy”. While certainly reasonable, I simply don’t care about this argument, at all.
I reject the “safe” option. Playing it safe is how you get mediocre candidates like Biden in office. Playing it safe is how you end up with a frustrated public which is unmotivated to vote for either side. Playing it safe is how you lose elections (re: 2016), and more importantly, how you lose hope. I reject the death of American optimism. I reject the idea that Americans are not smart enough to set aside their prejudice and rally around a veteran, father, and graduate from Harvard and the University of Oxford. If the full weight of the Democratic party stood behind an intellectual, young, composed candidate like Pete Buttigieg, in the midst of political uncertainty and buffoonery, Americans would respond at the polls.
Maybe my understanding of homophobia’s power is understated, and my optimism about Pete granted at a time of political disillusion. Regardless, I am not ready to give up on the idea that America is an ever-changing, infinitely dynamic nation that can surprise us at any moment. The Democratic party already went through the fight of nominating Obama, with his polling data in battleground states and among white voters causing concern. Regardless, Obama won, by a lot. Pete will go through a similar fight if he pursues the Presidency, and I hope that the Democrats reject the “safe” option.
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