Pete Buttigieg: What Could Have Been

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.

Donald Trump: The Tears of a Clown

     It’s a relief to know that when he’s not preoccupied with cabinet picks guaranteed to scare the crap out of any rational/sane person, Mr. Trump is now demonstrating a new found restraint and maturity.  The facts speak for themselves, don’t they?
     Our first example of this new-and-more-mature Donald came in his response to Hillary Clinton’s ever-increasing margin of victory in the popular vote count.  The most recent tally had her up by over 1.5 million votes, and climbing.  There is obviously no Trump “mandate”; in fact, he will serve as a minority president (based on the sort of campaign he ran, I doubt that’s a word he wants applied to him in any way!).  So, how did Trump respond?  He took time out from the trivial matters of assembling a government to whine that he could have easily come away with a “huge” popular vote victory if he’d decided to campaign more often in states like California or New York.  Notice the new maturity?  The man can’t stand to lose, by any standard.  He needs to understand that Clinton will likely win the popular vote by a significant number (most estimates are 2-3 million votes) and that he’ll govern courtesy of the Electoral College.  Incidentally, when President Obama was re-elected in 2012, Trump mistakenly thought Romney had carried the popular vote, and he denounced the Electoral College--deeming it a “disaster for democracy”.  He claimed the election was a total sham & travesty, and suggested “revolution” was necessary.  Hmmmm.
     This past Friday we were treated to another glimpse of the new Trump “restraint” when he settled three lawsuits (one brought by the New York Attorney General, and two class action suits filed in California) alleging Trump had defrauded hundreds of individuals who had enrolled in real estate seminars he had launched in 2005.  The Donald has always maintained he never settles lawsuits, and he proclaimed Trump University was fantastic, hugely successful, etc.  After quickly coughing up $25 million to settle these three suits, Trump took to Twitter to denounce the plaintiffs, to proclaim he’d actually “won” by settling for so little, and making it clear that--under other circumstances--he would have never folded like a newspaper.
     Finally, the two most recent examples of Trump’s “new” temperament--revealing the thick skin required of a commander-in-chief--came to light this past weekend.  First, after Vice President-elect Pence ventured to Broadway and chose to attend a performance of “Hamilton” where he was roundly booed once he was recognized, Trump was livid.  He was apparently further incensed by the eloquent words directed at Pence by a cast member at the end of the show--as Pence was making a hasty exit.  After conducting one of the nastiest campaigns in the history of our country, and refusing to ever apologize for the countless individuals and groups he deliberately chose to persecute and insult, Trump actually demanded that the cast of “Hamilton” apologize!
     Then, in the wee hours of Sunday morning, the President-elect felt obliged to take to Twitter in order to attack “Saturday Night Live” for Alec Baldwin’s hilarious portrayal of Trump in Wonderland.  If we’re constantly subjected to his whining over inconsequential matters such as these, what’s he going to do in the rough-and-tumble world of international politics?  The tears of this clown won’t cut it at that point.  Kellyanne Conway, Trump's own campaign manager, admitted he's a ridiculous man-baby... it's going to be an awfully long four years.  God save us all.