Legal Rights / PoliticsThe Buttigiegs aren't gonna make it

submitted by PatsyStoneMaverique from politico.com

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[–]PatsyStoneMaverique[S] 13 insightful - 1 fun13 insightful - 0 fun14 insightful - 1 fun -  (23 children)

I get that this is a propaganda documentary in preparation for his 2024 campaign, but seriously:

Chasten, holding the couple’s one-eyed puggle upright in his lap, tells Moss to ask Buttigieg about his identity. “He did everything to climb every ladder without being his authentic self,” he says. Buttigieg didn’t come out of the closet until 2015, when he was 33, already mayor. “You spent so much of your life hiding who you really were — did you feel like you were able to be your true self on the campaign trail?”

“Do you think he’s ready to answer that question?” Moss asks. “Can he answer that?”

“He should. You can try.”

Buttigieg walks in the room. Before he leaves, Chasten turns to his husband.

“Don’t bull---- us, Peter,” he says

My bisexual nightmare! If I was with a lesbian who looked down on me like this, who treated me with such disdain, I would dump her. You can't treat your partner like this.

Again, this is a performance intended for potential voters- which makes it worse!

I'm lost at why all the straight women who make up Buttigieg's staff seem to think coming out after 30 is some sort of moral aberration. They made a massive issue out if this, unprompted, in his last campaign.

I can guarantee voters mostly aren't aware there are social taboos in liberal social circles about gay people "coming out late."

I also disagree with the assertion in the lede that Pete is a "gifted politician." He sucks at this and would be happier, I think, quietly working a professional job where he wasn't constantly having to jump through hoops to please homophobic liberals.

[–]IridescentAnacondastrictly dickly 14 insightful - 1 fun14 insightful - 0 fun15 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

I also disagree with the assertion in the lede that Pete is a "gifted politician." He sucks at this and would be happier, I think, quietly working a professional job where he wasn't constantly having to jump through hoops to please homophobic liberals.

Yes he does suck at this, and yes it is futile to please heterosexist liberals. It's one of the reasons I don't consider myself liberal anymore. I'd rather have an honest conversation with a conservative and establish a clear boundary where we might disagree than be constantly gaslit by crypto-homophobes.

But anyway, he needs this on a psychological level. I once had a good friend who was a gay politician: he was desperate to be accepted on all social levels and, once I determined he had no true moral or characterological center, I had to distance myself.

[–]PatsyStoneMaverique[S] 12 insightful - 1 fun12 insightful - 0 fun13 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

You're right, he did sign up for this. How much of his life is really his, anyway? He's the living definition of an empty suit.

[–]Q-Continuum-kin 17 insightful - 1 fun17 insightful - 0 fun18 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

He was sort of picked from obscurity by Nancy Pelosi to run for president so I'm not sure he was ready and his rise in fame was very artificial.

If you go back to 2016 right after Clinton lost to Trump, Clinton's people started grooming Kamala Harris and Pelosi's people started grooming Buttigeig. Both of these people are the same person in different packaging. The Liberal philosophy on choosing a figurehead is to find someone empty enough to cater to right wing corporate policy while giving off a fake left wing affect. Part of that includes some random "identity" signals.

Pete is a gay man but he's essentially a less politically savvy version of Clinton or Pelosi. Everything he does is fake but I guess he's even become an empty shell in his personal life.

[–]MarkJeffersonTight defenses and we draw the line 14 insightful - 1 fun14 insightful - 0 fun15 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I'm lost at why all the straight women who make up Buttigieg's staff seem to think coming out after 30 is some sort of moral aberration. They made a massive issue out if this, unprompted, in his last campaign.

I can guarantee voters mostly aren't aware there are social taboos in liberal social circles about gay people "coming out late."

Ideally, no one should necessarily ever have to "come out". The continued necessity for it only indicates liberal society is not as accepting and non-exploitative as it fancies itself(If it were there wouldn't be any closets there to come out of). Because you are still expected to be a loud activistic jackhammer with your orientation, instead of simply a quiet passive blob, only mentioning it when it's pertinent(sex and relationships).

[–]Elvira95Viva la figa 9 insightful - 1 fun9 insightful - 0 fun10 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

how is treating him with disdain? don't get it, perhaps cause it's my second language.

Oh wait you're referring to the husband

[–]reluctant_commenter 6 insightful - 1 fun6 insightful - 0 fun7 insightful - 1 fun -  (13 children)

I'm lost at why all the straight women who make up Buttigieg's staff seem to think coming out after 30 is some sort of moral aberration. They made a massive issue out if this, unprompted, in his last campaign.

Wait, can you explain this? Maybe just another generational difference, but I've never heard of this before. Do such straight women feel betrayed or something, lol?

[–]PatsyStoneMaverique[S] 8 insightful - 1 fun8 insightful - 0 fun9 insightful - 1 fun -  (12 children)

His staff is almost all straight women. Just, like, it is. I'm suspecting they're out of their depth trying to use gay men's relationship dynamics as political messaging. They seem to look down on their own candidate, too, who is a grown ass man that obviously doesn't want to star in a soap opera.

[–]reluctant_commenter 6 insightful - 1 fun6 insightful - 0 fun7 insightful - 1 fun -  (11 children)

Oh, sorry, I misread what you said lol. I meant to ask about this:

There's a social taboo among wealthy American liberals, you have to announce to your social circle that you're gay before the age of about 20 or something is deeply wrong with you. Even 20 is getting a little old, but it's the cut off in my estimation.

Is this a thing? I would love to hear more about it, if it is.

They seem to look down on their own candidate, too, who is a grown ass man that obviously doesn't want to star in a soap opera.

Yeah, they do. The tone of the article is very condescending, I'm surprised it seems to be pitching itself as "progressive" or something.

[–]PatsyStoneMaverique[S] 12 insightful - 1 fun12 insightful - 0 fun13 insightful - 1 fun -  (6 children)

this a thing? I would love to hear more about it, if it is.

It's always been like this with certain types of people who consider themselves straight allies. I grew up in a rural, conservative area that had a lot of "liberals" who really didn't understand gay issues but blindly supported gay political causes because it was part of a self image and a lifestyle they were taking part in.

They'd sniff you out, push you to identify yourself, if you refused they'd bully and harass you.

I had a teacher like this at my high school who was an asshole to me and a (future) gay guy in our class. She looked down on us, I guess because we weren't coming out to her satisfaction. I was being bullied and called a lesbian by a different boy in front of a group and this teacher stepped in and told him I wasn't ready for that, with this shit-eating grin on her face. The tone was very much "she's a lesbian but she can't deal with it, isn't that pathetic?" Fucking humiliating, plus it was essentially an endorsement from a gay authority to keep bullying me.

This same woman had publicly defended a lesbian prom queen a few years earlier during a big scandal where she wanted to take a girl to the dance and wear a tuxedo. Whoop dee doo, still a nasty cunt. Fuck her.

[–]RedEyedWarriorGay | Male | 🇮🇪 Irish 🇮🇪 | Antineoliberal | Cocks are Compulsory 8 insightful - 1 fun8 insightful - 0 fun9 insightful - 1 fun -  (4 children)

That teacher should have been fired. You don’t pressure people to come out. They may have their own reasons for not doing so, like not being certain, not having a supportive family, working in a homophobic environment or maybe they just don’t want to be around obnoxious social justice warriors.

My sister used to be like this. She suspected I was gay when I was 17, and would urge me to come out. Because she was "such a good ally". Then my mother ordered her to stop doing that. My mam knew I wasn’t ready. So my sister backed off. My sister is a lot better with it now, because she’s come out as bisexual a few years ago and realises that sexuality is not something people should wear on their sleeves or make a fuss about. She respects my wish to not make a huge deal out of my orientation. But that was after boundaries were laid down.

[–]PatsyStoneMaverique[S] 7 insightful - 1 fun7 insightful - 0 fun8 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

Yeah, I do think some of it just stems from a lack of empathy or personal experience. Your sister may not have cared you were gay, but it's not all her. There are bigger consequences to accepting sexual orientation than your siblings' opinions 😜

Good for your mom reigning her in, sometimes people just need to back off. Now she knows and she can handle the same situation more wisely. Kind of curious, is she older than you? You came out before she did?

[–]RedEyedWarriorGay | Male | 🇮🇪 Irish 🇮🇪 | Antineoliberal | Cocks are Compulsory 6 insightful - 1 fun6 insightful - 0 fun7 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

She’s younger than me. I came out as gay before she came out as bi, at least I think so. She mentioned being bi in passing when she was 15, but I said nothing, assuming she was going through puberty and never thought about it. Then she told me five years later she is bisexual, and I understood then. Maybe she told our parents before telling me, and didn’t tell me until she was 20 because she thought I knew or realised it wasn’t a big deal. She’s come a long way since.

To be fair to my sister, she was young when she was pressuring me to come out. Still a teenager. When someone is in his or her 30s and bullying a gay person to come out, then that becomes inexcusable.

[–]PatsyStoneMaverique[S] 7 insightful - 1 fun7 insightful - 0 fun8 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Yeah, kids make mistakes. Adults make choices.

[–]RedEyedWarriorGay | Male | 🇮🇪 Irish 🇮🇪 | Antineoliberal | Cocks are Compulsory 6 insightful - 1 fun6 insightful - 0 fun7 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Well said.

[–]reluctant_commenter 5 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 0 fun6 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I grew up in a rural, conservative area that had a lot of "liberals" who really didn't understand gay issues but blindly supported gay political causes because it was part of a self image and a lifestyle they were taking part in.

They'd sniff you out, push you to identify yourself, if you refused they'd bully and harass you.

Gotcha, that makes a lot of sense, thank you for explaining.

I had a teacher like this at my high school who was an asshole to me and a (future) gay guy in our class. She looked down on us, I guess because we weren't coming out to her satisfaction. I was being bullied and called a lesbian by a different boy in front of a group and this teacher stepped in and told him I wasn't ready for that, with this shit-eating grin on her face. The tone was very much "she's a lesbian but she can't deal with it, isn't that pathetic?" Fucking humiliating, plus it was essentially an endorsement from a gay authority to keep bullying me.

I'm so sorry that happened to you. That is beyond fucked up; it makes me so angry to hear about situations like that. I hope that teacher didn't harm many other of the kids besides you and that gay guy.

Kind of different situation but similar, I knew a guy when I was in college who said he was straight but some "LGBTQ"-identifying people that we both knew were constantly pressuring him to "just accept that he's gay"... he was very into women, and a lot of people seemed to think he must be gay because he participated in a lot of stereotypically feminine hobbies. :/ Like you're not helping. And if he IS gay or bi, you are probably pushing him further into the closet. Ugh.

[–]RedEyedWarriorGay | Male | 🇮🇪 Irish 🇮🇪 | Antineoliberal | Cocks are Compulsory 6 insightful - 1 fun6 insightful - 0 fun7 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

I have never heard of liberals being angry that gay men come out late in their lives, to be honest. I was 18 when I came out to my mam, 19 when I came out to my sister, and 20 when I came out to my dad, my brother and later everybody else. Well, to be more precise, those were the ages when I stopped hiding my orientation. I don’t tell people I’m gay unless they ask, because now I don’t think it’s that important. There should not be a deadline to come out, just take it easy.

[–]reluctant_commenter 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

don’t tell people I’m gay unless they ask, because now I don’t think it’s that important.

Yeah, that's how I go about it too. Thank you :) I'm actually out to quite a few people (not everyone because I don't mention it in all contexts), but I appreciate the encouragement!

[–]yousaythosethingsFind and Replace "gatekeeping" with "having boundaries" 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

From personal experience I have noticed that some liberals say things like “how long have you known”, “why didn’t you feel comfortable telling us”, “you know you could have told us, right?” They cannot fathom the reasons why anyone would not come out until 30 in this day and age. It’s a sign of how far removed they are from the experience of realizing and coming to terms with the fact that you’re homosexual/bisexual. They want to fit you into a narrative of the big bad world made you hide who you are so you couldn’t be your “true authentic self” and now thanks to people like us, you have no reason to hide.

I have also noticed the goal posts shifting in terms of what is considered late for coming out as a lesbian. In my day I knew no one coming out early 20s and now some people apologize and act like that’s super late. I have definitely noticed that a lot of lesbians act very embarrassed about how “late” they came out even when it doesn’t seem all that late to figure yourself out to me.

I will say that personally I struggled a lot with acknowledging being gay with close liberal friends who knew me for a while because I was afraid of the narrative of “how/why did you hide yourself/who are you really?”

[–]reluctant_commenter 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

From personal experience I have noticed that some liberals away things like “how long have you known”, “why didn’t you feel comfortable telling us”, “you know you could have told us, right?”

Ah okay yeah that totally makes sense. Yeah I hear that message sometimes echoed in media and it really pisses me off. Like, hello, this was not a personal attack on you, the person probably hid it because they had genuine issues to worry about, not to send a personalized message to someone close to them via their natural-born sexual orientation. Insert eyeroll here.

They cannot fathom the reasons why anyone would not come out until 30 in this day and age. It’s a sign of how far removed they are from the experience of realizing and coming to terms with the fact that you’re homosexual/bisexual.

Yes EXACTLY. I appreciate you putting it that way; it is a long distance away, empathetically speaking, from understanding the experience of someone who is gay or bisexual. Sometimes I wish I could just.. pick up my mind, and plop it into someone else's (the straight person doing this) for a moment, so that they could understand my perspective.

They want to fit you into a narrative of the big bad world made you hide who you are so you couldn’t be your “true authentic self” and now thanks to people like us, you have no reason to hide.

Yep yep yep. I note that in the end, it all loops back to them. Seeing and understanding our homosexuality/bisexuality in reference to themselves. I think a really supportive straight person would like, be able to take a moment and look and imagine what the world might look from our perspective. I'm talking about perspective a lot but honestly it really does come down to perspective-taking, IMO, in order to act like a real ally...

I have also noticed the goal posts shifting in terms of what is considered late for coming out as a lesbian. In my day I knew no one coming out early 20s and now some people apologize and act like that’s super late. I have definitely noticed that a lot of lesbians act very embarrassed about how “late” they came out even when it doesn’t seem all that late to figure yourself out to me.

I think some of this pressure comes from younger generations, a la "I could access the internet at 10 years old; now that I know all these labels, I should just KNOW which one describes me!" Add to that, the facts that a) almost everyone young is chronically online and b) there's already this societal narrative about LGB people that "You just know. You just know when you're really young" and then us LGB who take a while to figure out, we risk feeling invalidated and left behind, lol, like we're not living up to this fucking stereotype that society has about us. (And I understand that some LGB people actually are that way, but like, the difference is descriptive vs. prescriptive. Let's not force every LBG person into a mold, just because a sizeable chunk are that way.)

I will say that personally I struggled a lot with acknowledging being gay with close liberal friends who knew me for a while because I was afraid of the narrative of “how/why did you hide yourself/who are you really?”

Yeah you know actually, I have struggled with this too. Especially with acknowledging to myself that I am lesbian. Because it meant acknowledging, accepting, that I really wasn't.. being open with myself, even, you know? It's a disturbing thought, lol.

edit: Sorry I wrote you an essay lol, this always seems to happen. You just have such good ideas to think about, haha.

[–]onenaivecanary 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

Curious what kind of taboos you've seen in liberal social circles regarding gay people who come out "late." My wife and I both came out late by today's standards (mid-twenties); I think she was viewed with more skepticism than I because she had been (very unhappily) married to a man before divorcing him and meeting me, but her story fits a very common lesbian narrative - grew up in conservative location, marries young af, comes out about a decade later. I feel like we are viewed with some suspicion by local queers, but I thought that was just because we are plain old lesbians and not some flavor of "trans," not because we came out in our 20s instead of as thirteen year olds... Honestly, I'm pretty sure the "out" thirteen year olds are just following a social trend and have no better an idea of their sexual orientation than I did at that age, so at least the disdain and skepticism goes both ways.

[–]PatsyStoneMaverique[S] 5 insightful - 2 fun5 insightful - 1 fun6 insightful - 2 fun -  (2 children)

From what I can tell it's a class/cultural thing with wealthier people who identify as liberal. There seems to be a presumption that you are a bad person, like you were up to something- or maybe that you're lying. Harassment is acceptable if it's done under the guise of acceptance."You need to accept yourself," spoken in a derisive tone, gossiping about someone excessively.

The most egregious example I've ever heard of was an office I didn't work at. The boss was a closeted lesbian supposedly, I did meet her and she certainly could have been (she was very nice.) I knew several of her employees and they obsessed about her closeting. It was a main topic of discussion between them for months whenever I saw them. Why wouldn't she just come out? Why was she so sad and pathetic? Everyone knows! She's hurting the company (direct quote!)

Their main concern seemed to be that she was unethical in some way. I remember arguing one time that she wasn't violating any sort of professional ethics by not being open about being a lesbian, she would have to date an employee or something in order for her sexuality to actually be a problem. They seemed impressed by the logic of that.

I'm not an anthropologist by any means, but I'm slightly separated from that culture so it sticks out when people casually lash out at others because they "came out late." Not a thing outside of those circles.

[–]onenaivecanary 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

That sounds pretty bonkers to me, but I believe you. I think it's possible that the person in question could be a closeted lesbian, but also, butch-leaning straight women definitely exist. And even if this woman was closeted, I really don't understand at all how she could be "hurting the company" by not talking about her sexual orientation at work. It's ok to be honest, but also if you don't want to share, then you really really shouldn't have to. This sounds like the world's stupidest sexual harassment lawsuit brewing.

[–]PatsyStoneMaverique[S] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Oh it was bonkers, you are correct. Unfortunately she ended up being fired, which these same gossipping people were up in arms about, but I can't help but wonder if their constant shit-talking contributed. Poor lady.

I really don't understand at all how she could be "hurting the company" by not talking about her sexual orientation at work. It's ok to be honest, but also if you don't want to share, then you really really shouldn't have to.

You would have blown their tiny minds with this.

[–]reluctant_commenter 9 insightful - 1 fun9 insightful - 0 fun10 insightful - 1 fun -  (5 children)

Maybe I'm missing something here, but why do they keep pushing him to open up if he's not ready?

What you see instead is more basic: a story about personal identity in politics — a man, then 37, a presidential candidate, a breakout star, now the most prominent member of President Biden’s cabinet, who at every turn was unsure of how, or exactly how much, to share himself with the world. Always, he erred on the side of less rather than more. Always, it was against the urging of his own husband and campaign team.

The sharpest moments of tension come when Chasten and campaign aides push Buttigieg to open up, including about his identity as a gay man. In one subtly heartbreaking scene, Chasten is in their Des Moines hotel room, watching live coverage of the Iowa caucus returns. Bernie Sanders is on TV, speaking on stage surrounded by his wife and family, when Chasten says from the couch, “You’re gonna be the only candidate that didn’t have your spouse standing next to you.” Buttigieg doesn’t really respond. In a seated interview for the film, Chasten recalls the early days of their relationship. “I would say, ‘What’s going on in that head of yours?’ And he’s grown a lot, being able to verbalize. I think he’s learned to allow personal narrative to have more impact,” he tells Moss. “Opening up.”

Why are they talking about him like he's some emotionally-immature kid they're trying to coax...? He's like, 37 and a politician.

Again:

“This is, like, a thing that you feel,” she says, as if literally reminding him.

That's condescending as fuck. I don't know what is going on with this man, but I hope he leaves politics if this is what it's like for him on the regular. Doesn't seem healthy for anyone involved.

In policy and politics, he is a skilled narrator.

Anyone can spin a story, the question is whether you can get things done.

[–]PatsyStoneMaverique[S] 8 insightful - 1 fun8 insightful - 0 fun9 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

It's like they're blackmailing him or something. This is weird behavior.

[–]Virginia_Plain 5 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 0 fun6 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

Asperger's or high functioning autism. I think that's the elephant in the room. The "talking to a reporter" style of conversation, the stiff movement, the introversion, the language/music geekery, and maybe even the delayed coming out/dating.

Armchair psychiatry I know.

As someone who has it, I do notice that some people treat me like I'm "slow." Not necessarily maliciously, but I can see how they adjust their behavior, maybe even on a subconscious level. To be fair, there are things that I am unable to notice unless prompted. It is a developmental disorder, and not just "quirkiness." Sometimes people found me frightening (woman with ptsd from rape, so in her defense, a large, weird dude with strange body language and either too much or too little eye contact is gonna set her spider sense to 12), others saw it as something to take advantage of, some people even found it "hot" in a fetishy way.

[–]reluctant_commenter 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

No that's a really good observation. I didn't think of that right away, I just thought they were being weird about his being gay, as straight people often are. But I could definitely see that as a possibility.

I'm so sorry to hear about those weird/uncomfortable experiences with people that you've had, that sounds like it could be really frustrating/isolating. I hope Buttigieg is doing okay on a personal level, whatever is the case for him.

[–]Virginia_Plain 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

It's all conjecture, but that's what I picked up on through descriptions of his behavior from this article and others. Of course, I'm not there, so there's always the risk of being like the /r/egg people and shrieking "aspie! apsie! you know that's what you are!" Some people are simply awkward.

As for the experiences, eh, it's all a learning experience. I am able to interact on a reasonably normal level, and have learned to look for certain things and adjust my behavior accordingly. Compared to when I was in my teens and early twenties, I am much more competent at gauging people's behavior and acting in a way that is more "normal human," though I give off pod person vibes to some people. The first woman I described....to be honest, I don't like her at all, but I've come to understand who she is and why she acts the way she does, so it's made me a hell of a lot less bitter towards her. She deserves her healing and her space, and I just tell her to fuck off when she decides to have a go at me.

[–]reluctant_commenter 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

and I just tell her to fuck off when she decides to have a go at me.

Good on you for defending your boundaries. I respect your understanding and acknowledgment of her issues at the same time.

[–][deleted] 7 insightful - 1 fun7 insightful - 0 fun8 insightful - 1 fun -  (7 children)

They aren't gonna make what? Sorry can you TLDR for a non-American?

[–]PatsyStoneMaverique[S] 10 insightful - 1 fun10 insightful - 0 fun11 insightful - 1 fun -  (6 children)

Their relationship will not last. There's a social taboo among wealthy American liberals, you have to announce to your social circle that you're gay before the age of about 20 or something is deeply wrong with you. Even 20 is getting a little old, but it's the cut off in my estimation.

Either you're severely mentally ill or an immoral person who deserves to be punished (in their eyes.) Pete Buttigieg's husband, who purports to love him, is publicly participating in punishing him for breaking the taboo. Buttigieg did not publicly announce he was gay until he was 33, and already the mayor of his city.

Might being closeted into his 30s been painful? Complicated? The best option he had? Apparently no. Pete's husband has declared him a selfish and conniving liar, and talked down to him like a toddler while doing so. Chasten is apparently one of the good gays.

I think Pete will quietly dump him February of 2025. I couldn't live with someone like that.

[–][deleted] 8 insightful - 1 fun8 insightful - 0 fun9 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

There's a social taboo among wealthy American liberals, you have to announce to your social circle that you're gay before the age of about 20 or something is deeply wrong with you. Even 20 is getting a little old, but it's the cut off in my estimation.

WTF?? Is this true? This is so bizarre.. One of the most strangest things I read on here..

Pete's husband seems like one of those self-righteous gays who gaytekeep what it is to be gay, he's like those bitter queens you see at some dark corner of the gay bar who's entire existence is misery

[–]PatsyStoneMaverique[S] 7 insightful - 1 fun7 insightful - 0 fun8 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

It's very harsh and cold, I don't know why they're like this. There must be a reason, I just don't know what it is.

Chasten does seem miserable. Also, "gaytekeep" I see you 😉

[–]Virginia_Plain 3 insightful - 3 fun3 insightful - 2 fun4 insightful - 3 fun -  (0 children)

Maybe he should be called Chastise.

[–]RedEyedWarriorGay | Male | 🇮🇪 Irish 🇮🇪 | Antineoliberal | Cocks are Compulsory 7 insightful - 1 fun7 insightful - 0 fun8 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I hope Pete does dump him. Not a fan of Buttigeig, but no one deserves to be trapped in a marriage with someone like Chasten.

[–]spanishprofanity 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

That's sad, they just had baby twins too 😔

[–]RedEyedWarriorGay | Male | 🇮🇪 Irish 🇮🇪 | Antineoliberal | Cocks are Compulsory 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I bet Chasten would attempt to get sole custody of the twins just to punish Pete Buttigieg.

[–]RedEyedWarriorGay | Male | 🇮🇪 Irish 🇮🇪 | Antineoliberal | Cocks are Compulsory 5 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 0 fun6 insightful - 1 fun -  (6 children)

Oh for fuck's sake. Sexual orientation is not an identity, it is a characteristic. Coming out of the closet does not change you fundamentally as a person. Maybe homophobic people will think less of you, but most people won’t give a rat's arse and will still see you now as they saw you before you came out. There is a lot more to Pete Buttigieg than his orientation. Love him or hate him, his homosexuality should not be a factor in how you feel about him. I certainly don’t like him, for many reasons, but him being gay is of no interest to me whatsoever.

Sadly, a lot of liberals in America see being gay as an identity, as a personality. So of course they magnify Buttigieg's orientation and ignore everything else about him. He’s being pushed to be America’s first gay president. Yeah, big deal. Would he be a good president? I don’t have much faith in that. Especially since it is clear that his husband and his staff are shaming him over not coming out soon enough, and they are trying to control him. A president who is easily pushed around would make a terrible president, because he will make terrible decisions and will not be able to stand up for his people. Imagine Buttigieg working with Putin, Erdogan, Xi or Duterte? Those men will sniff out weaknesses from other men, and will observe right away that Buttigieg is terrified of his own staff and of his own husband. They will use it to their advantage. Buttigieg's staff will claim that those other leaders are being "homophobic", but the fact is, those leaders will take advantage of the weaknesses of other leaders for their own personal gain.

If Pete Buttigieg gets elected twice, Vladimir Putin will still be around for both terms because he will be 80 by the end of 2032, and Biden is 79. And it’s unlikely that health complications would prevent that from happening. Putin will mop the floor with Buttigieg. And the irony is that Putin would still treat Buttigieg a lot better than Chasten does.

[–]PatsyStoneMaverique[S] 4 insightful - 2 fun4 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 2 fun -  (5 children)

I certainly don’t like him, for many reasons, but him being gay is of no interest to me whatsoever.

That's sort of the impression I get from people here. He's not charismatic and his policies aren't popular or unpopular (he's the Transportation Secretary right now.) No one is interested in his marriage. He isn't hated or anything, though.

Would he be a good president? I don’t have much faith in that.

As someone pointed out upthread, Pete was selected by Pelosi as a potential future president after Clinton's loss. I think he was specifically chosen as a puppet. Republicans don't need homophobia to turn the electorate off of him, he has plenty of flaws as a candidate.

And the irony is that Putin would still treat Buttigieg a lot better than Chasten does.

Fuckin' brutal 😖

[–]RedEyedWarriorGay | Male | 🇮🇪 Irish 🇮🇪 | Antineoliberal | Cocks are Compulsory 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (4 children)

Pelosi gives off shady vibes. Why would she pick a puppet? Does she love having so much power with limited consequences to herself?

[–]PatsyStoneMaverique[S] 5 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 0 fun6 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

In a nutshell.

She's almost cartoonishly corrupt, her father was the mayor of Baltimore in the 1950s and her brother was mayor in the late 60s.

She represents San Francisco in the House, and has since before both of us were born.

[–]RedEyedWarriorGay | Male | 🇮🇪 Irish 🇮🇪 | Antineoliberal | Cocks are Compulsory 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

She’s like a real life Cruella de Vil. It doesn’t surprise me that San Francisco keeps re-electing her.

[–]PatsyStoneMaverique[S] 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Well, she's corrupt as all get out and has likely actually lost many of her elections over the years. But she has so much influence, she ultimately determines who tallies the votes, so...

Trump used her as a foil when he was in office. They had some good public battles, especially in 2020.

[–]RedEyedWarriorGay | Male | 🇮🇪 Irish 🇮🇪 | Antineoliberal | Cocks are Compulsory 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

She could be a main reason why San Francisco is the way it is.