Pete Buttigieg is a top contender, so obviously high-profile Republicans are going full homophobe

[babylonsister]

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/2/14/1919153/-Pete-Buttigieg-is-a-top-contender-so-obviously-high-profile-Republicans-are-going-full-homophobe


Pete Buttigieg is a top contender, so obviously high-profile Republicans are going full homophobe
Laura Clawson
Daily Kos Staff
Friday February 14, 2020 · 10:28 AM EST

snip//

First off, a bit of bookkeeping: Buttigieg is now 38 years old.

Now that we have that out of the way: “MR. MAN DONALD TRUMP”? This is the right wing’s symbol of masculinity: a guy who paints his skin, elaborately styles his comb-over, lies about his weight, and whose wife routinely slaps his hand away in public? It’s certainly beneath Buttigieg to do it, but if that debate ever happens, could someone bring Stormy Daniels to sit in the front row and hold her thumb and index finger just a couple inches apart?

Okay, okay, there are bigger issues here. It takes an idea of masculinity that’s both fragile and toxic to think that Buttigieg’s sexuality in any way diminishes his masculinity, and equally to think that masculinity is an important component of debate stage presence. Hillary Clinton owned Trump each time they debated, unless you’re judging debate success by looming creepily or yelling “No puppet! No puppet! You’re the puppet!” (And that was a moderately more coherent Trump than the one we see these days.) Even if we believe that Donald Trump is a prime example of masculinity and even if we grant that a fair number of voters are sexist, masculinity is still not the top requirement of presidential debating. Otherwise we’d be seeing, like, weathered cowboy vs. NFL tight end presidential contests. (And we’d still end up with a gay president eventually.)

Of course Limbaugh won’t be alone. The more seriously the right takes Buttigieg as a candidate, the more homophobic incoming he’s going to take from high-profile sources. Former Trump aide Sebastian Gorka took it in a weird direction—probably the first of many weird directions—when he connected Buttigieg’s sexuality to … abortion. “Why is a homosexual man lecturing us about the sanctity of life in the womb? Just a little curious there,” Gorka said. Gee, I don’t know, Sebastian, why is any man?

And while this particular line of attack may be rising up the ranks of the Republican Party and right-wing media ecosystem, it’s not like Buttigieg’s campaign hasn’t been getting homophobic messages from the beginning, because it has. “It doesn’t matter much,” he told The Washington Post much earlier in the campaign. “The criticisms that really get to you are ones you take seriously, ones that might be right. When someone’s attacking me over a decision I made that might be wrong, that’s going to make me stop and think ... If someone calls me a faggot—okay.”

Pete Buttigieg did not come out of the closet as a grown-ass man who was already an elected official clearly looking at his options to become a high-profile national politician without stopping to think about the likelihood that some people are bigots and jerks. This was baked in from the beginning. And, again, if Republicans weren’t attacking him because he has a public and loving relationship with his very charming husband, they’d be attacking him for another reason, because he’s a Democrat and that’s what they do. Shoot, this is a week when Donald Trump attacked Michael Bloomberg for racist comments. Which were racist, but come on, Donald Trump? Acting like racism is bad? Talk about a perfect example that Republicans will take any excuse to attack a Democrat.

[msongs]

1. sad to say there are plenty of democrats who will do the same thing nt

[bluewater]

2. Attitudes on Same-Sex Marriage

Pew Research Center polling: Attitudes on Same-Sex Marriage

https://www.pewforum.org/fact-sheet/changing-attitudes-on-gay-marriage/


Some interesting data about that.

[cwydro]

8. Absolutely. It still rankles me that a DUer made fun of Buttigieg's height compared to Beto.

This DUer said they “couldn’t wait” for the debates to showcase Beto’s tallness.

Anyone who’ll make fun of height sure as hell considers sexual orientation fair game.

Sad for that DUer. Guess who’s still standing?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. It will get ugly; there are no limits to how ugly Trump and his cult will take it.

But I'm sure Buttigieg knew that from the beginning and is prepared for it. It takes guts to do what he's doing, knowing what will be thrown at him, so bravo to him just for that.

[gollygee]

4. I don't think his sexuality matters at all

I am in Michigan, so a swing state, and I knew people who were pretty darn racist who voted for Obama. Racist people don't know they're racist, and they're very good at exceptionalizing individuals and liking them, and then feeling like that's proof they aren't racist. I think the same will be true of homophobes. They'll vote for him if they like everything else about him. Nobody is going to care enough for it to decide their vote. People who would never vote for a Democratic candidate regardless will go full homophobe on him, but nobody else is going to care enough for it to sway their vote.

[BootinUp]

5. You are so right imho. Nt

[gollygee]

14. Bernie being a socialist

Pete being gay won't have any effect on people's taxes. People vote based on their own living situation. Nobody else's world is changed by him being gay.

[gollygee]

16. Nobody is going to buy that with the label "socialist" attached to him

They're going to expect their taxes to go way up

[TheFarseer]

6. I am worried that will happen

Although you never can tell. If they are being ugly and unfair, it may turn off some of their voters and galvanize ours. But I certainly hope it doesn’t happen. It would be a very shameful moment for our country if the US President went full homophobe in public on his challenger.

[BeckyDem]

7. Republicans are the worst elements of our society.

It may sound harsh but prove me wrong. When are they ever the ones out in front of a human rights issue and champion it?

No, they are reluctant to come along after decades and even then they are addicted to hypocrisy.

[Laelth]

9. This will backfire on the Republicans.

Most Americans are so done with homophobia.

-Laelth

[TDale313]

10. They're gonna drag whoever gets the nomination

We need to just accept that they’re gonna come up bullshit on all of them and vote for the best candidate. No one’s gonna be immune.

[Swfladem]

11. It's a shame.

I have seen many homosexual men be way more of a man than some of these “manly” men. Unfortunately, he will lose voters because of this. I’ve seen Trump supporters that are worn out with his toxic rhetoric say “The democrats have no real candidates”. I even heard one outright say “Buttigieg is the best man for the job but he’s gay”. At Buttigieg’s age, according to his ex wife, Trump was beating her and raping her. Compare that to Buttigieg. Who is the real man? Racism, sexism, and homophobia does exist. It’s not Trump. Trump is nothing more than a symbol of their mindset. It could literally be a duck as the republican candidate and they would support it because they stand against progress of humanity. Many truly feel that the white male has come under attack because people like Limbaugh. Republican is no longer a political party. It is now a religion with full idolatry that represents the weak minded.

[Sloumeau]

12. The homophobia is disgusting.

It also shows that Republicans are afraid of someone so young, hardworking, educated, and well-spoken who actually fought for his country instead of having a doctor lie about "bone spurs". I'd love to see every one of these homophobes kicked in the shins by an entire troop of Girl Scouts.

[BlueIdaho]

18. You ain't seen nothin' yet.

Trump and his flying monkeys will dig deep into the bag of dirty tricks no matter who our candidate is. We need a candidate and a campaign that doesn’t wither at Trump’s monsterosity.