Pete Buttigieg’s withdrawal from the Democratic nomination
race left me with a number of questions… and one in particular that will
linger. I wondered if Pete was ever
given fair consideration by those who seemed ready to pounce on every perceived
past faux pas, without seeing him for who he really is?
I’m not sure it’s widespread knowledge that Pete advocated
for a solid progressive agenda:
He is pro-choice, and supports repealing the Hyde Amendment.
He supports abolishing the death penalty, reversing criminal
sentences for minor drug-related offenses, and restoring voting rights to
former felons.
Pete would have restored U.S. commitment to the Paris
Climate Agreement, and doubled our pledge to the Green Climate Fund. He supports a carbon tax and dividend policy
for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
He proposed building a clean economy through the creation of clean
energy jobs, improving our resilience by investing in disaster relief &
prevention, and building the US role on the international stage.
Pete proposed the Douglass Plan: it would have allocated $10 billion to
African-American entrepreneurship over 5 years, and grants amounting to $25 billion to
historically black colleges.
As a self-avowed “Democratic capitalist”, Pete supports
“Medicare for All Who Want It”—a plan that would have implemented a public
option for healthcare insurance, while still allowing private healthcare
insurers to remain in business. He
released a $300 billion plan to expand mental health care services and fight
addiction.
Pete favored amending civil rights legislation w/ the
Federal Equality Act, so that LGBT Americans also receive federal
non-discrimination protections. He
opposed the ban on transgender people that prevents them from joining the
military.
Pete advocated tor empowerment of workers by raising the minimum wage to $15, and offering paid family leaves nationwide.
Pete advocates for the abolition of the Electoral College….
He believes that the president ought to be elected by the people—i.e. Hillary
Clinton’s victory, by roughly 3 million votes, would have spared us Donald
Trump.
And yet, there were many who decided he wasn’t progressive
enough, he wasn’t green enough; heck, he wasn’t even gay enough for some of
these people! They were suspicious of
his time as Mayor of South Bend, they were suspicious of his time in the
military, they were suspicious of his work with McKinsey… Did I always agree
with Pete? No, I was certainly
uncomfortable with how some of the fundraising was handled, but in the long run
I believe he would have been an incredible choice for our country. Furthermore, I’m 63, and I recognize the need
for a generational change of leadership. Yes,
I realize Pete is 37 and likely to be around for quite some time, but that
doesn’t ease the disappointment I’m feeling now.
