Ebony Magazine: Is Pete Buttigieg Black Voters' 2020 Presidential Dark Horse?

[Celerity]

The midwestern mayor has captured the attention of Black voters and David Axelrod, Obama’s former campaign manager.

https://www.ebony.com/exclusive/is-pete-buttigieg-black-voters-2020-presidential-dark-horse/

From Black women to Black LGBTQ millennials, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s messages on economic opportunity and gun violence are resonating with the Democratic Party’s base—Black voters.

The openly gay Democrat running the city of South Bend, Indiana, was a lesser-known 2020 presidential candidate until his acclaimed town hall performance on CNN on March 10. Since then, the midwestern mayor has captured the attention of Black voters and David Axelrod, the former campaign manager for Barack Obama.

Link to tweet

Buttigieg, 37, contends that every candidate “brings a different profile and a different life experience,” but the conversation around intersectionality and his personal experience as a member of a marginalized community helps him find “new sources of solidarity” across identity groups.

South Bend might not be known for having a large Black population. But, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Black community represents over a quarter of the city’s population.

Before “Pete for America” officially launched, Mark Meier ran the “Draft Mayor Pete” political action committee in an effort to bolster nationwide name recognition for the Afghanistan War veteran. Meier who like Buttigieg is a millennial member of the LGBTQ community, said on the PAC’s website that Buttigieg is a uniquely suited candidate to bring together Democrats from every part of our big tent party.”

snip


South Bend is overall 45% minority btw and Pete was re-elected with 80% of the vote

https://www.wndu.com/home/headlines/Buttigieg-vies-for-second-term-as-South-Bend-mayor-340002362.html

During his 8 year tenure, African American wages, wealth, home ownership rates, and employment rates are all up, and although they still lag under the national average, but they were far worse before he was initially elected.

He also has dealt with a diverse South Bend City Council, and even often has gotten the Republicans (at present there is only one) to go along with the city's initiatives.

https://southbendin.gov/department/common-council/




here is his interview with Charlamagne Tha God and The Breakfast Club

Pete Buttigieg On Political Honesty, His Black Agenda, Open Homosexuality + More

[brush]

1. Not a chance. He's got an "all lives matter" issue breaking

Last edited Thu Apr 4, 2019, 07:23 PM - Edit history (1)

And he'll at best be third choice of AA voters behind Harris, Booker and pro-reparations Castro.

[Celerity]

3. like Sec. Clinton said?

Hillary Clinton’s ‘All Lives Matter’ Remark Stirs Backlash

https://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/06/24/hillary-clintons-all-lives-matter-remark-stirs-backlash/

Hillary Rodham Clinton is facing backlash for saying that “all lives matter” in an African-American church in Missouri on Tuesday, offending some who feel that she is missing the point of the “black lives matter” mantra.

Mrs. Clinton’s remarks at Christ the King United Church of Christ in Florissant, Mo. — only a few miles north of Ferguson, where a black teenager was shot by a white police officer last August — came during a broader discussion of civil rights in America.

She was talking about how a disproportionate number of young people of color are out of school and out of work and, explaining that everyone needs a “chance and a champion,” she recalled how her mother was abandoned as a teenager and went on to work as a maid.

“What kept you going?” Mrs. Clinton remembered asking her mother. “Her answer was very simple. Kindness along the way from someone who believed she mattered. All lives matter.”

snip


nice try though

[brush]

7. He'll resonate in the AA community about like Sanders does.

And this cycle there are Harris, Booker, Castro...He's a long shot at best for AA votes.

[Celerity]

8. not buying it

He has no sketchy record on dodgy drug wars (overwhelming impacting POC) and horrid crime bills to defend. He is all about inclusive politics and elevating everyone, regardless of race, creed, gender, sexual orientation or socio-economic status. Paradigm breaker IMHO.

[brush]

10. Face it. He won't do well in AA community.

There are other choices.

[Celerity]

11. we shall see

[marylandblue]

20. Buttigieg's entire candidacy is a long shot, that's pretty obvious.

My guess (and it's only a guess, neither you nor I have a crystal ball) is that as these race-related questions come up in interviews and the debates, he will have good answers. Those answers will make or break him. Not what he said or do 4 years ago.

[ecstatic]

21. Unless I've missed something, I think Pete will be received way better than Sanders.

True, he is behind Harris and Booker, but Castro and most of the others (except maybe Tulsi and Sanders) are pretty much welcome options if the dream ticket doesn't pan out. Pete ticks all the major points: SMART, thoughtful, educated, articulate, clean cut, and from what I've seen, he hasn't bashed many democrats like Sanders has.

[Stellar]

31. How can you tell that he won't do well?

What is it about Booker, Harris or Castro that you believe would give them the edge above Buttigieg or Sanders? Do you feel that COLOR is a prerequisite to POC?

[brush]

34. He's a little know mayor from a small Midwestern city, hardly someone on urban or southern AAs radar

He appeals to the Sanders' crowd, especially young whites which is going to take a good chunk out of Sanders' supporters from 2016.

Castro has come out for reparations and Harris and Booker are well known nationally and let's face it, will naturally draw the attention of AA voters over the little-known mayor.

[Stellar]

37. Because I'm a person of color from Illinois with internet access...

I'm only supposed to care about issues that's related to reparations andto ensure that a black person is elected President? Too funny. We care about jobs, healthcare, green new deal, college etc. We are more then a one trick pony community and waiting for the debates, also.

[brush]

38. You drew that silly conclusion. I just pointed out obvious political realities.

Ignore them if you like.

The small town mayor might do ok in Iowa and NH where most of the voters are white but come the southern primaries where there are strong cohorts of AA voters I doubt he'll fare well, and after that is the newly-positioned California primary in which I doubt he'll make even a slight dent in native daugher Harris' large victory.

[Stellar]

39. Well OK...

This seventy four year old AA from Chicago says, have it your way.

[brush]

41. I'm African American as well and anyone who comes out in favor of making some effort...

to repay the hundred of years of stolen labor of my ancestors I listen. And I'm not talking about checks being cut to individuals but job training, small business grants, college tuition, neighborhood school upgrades/improvements and other programs that improve quality of life.

If the unpaid wages of hundreds of years of millions of dawn-to-dusk, hard laborers had to be repaid using the principle of compounding where money doubles every seven years, even the US treasury couldn't pay it so the above mentioned programs would be a drop in the bucket bargain of a gesture.

Ever wonder why average AA household wealth is a fraction of white households? For many, many, many generations our ancestors worked without pay and weren't able to leave anything to their kids and grands to build on and not having to start from scratch themselves who then whereupon also had nothing to pass on as well. And then there's all the years of jim crow/ As much as we put into building the wealth of this country without sharing in...

Forget it. I could go on and on.

[marylandblue]

48. "neighborhood school upgrades/improvements and other programs that improve quality of life."

Buttigieg has talked about exactly this in the context of reparations, so he might yet surprise you.

[Celerity]

55. +10000

[Gato malo]

9. She didn't fire a black police chief though

And then there's those Garner t-shirts.

[Celerity]

12. you are still pushing your Clinton hater linked articles and RW talking points?

you got smacked down on your other attempt to push a tosh article that links to a major Clinton basher as evidence of some nebulous crap

https://www.democraticunderground.com/128751045#post18

and glossed over a 5 African-American member city council voting unanimously to support Pete

https://www.democraticunderground.com/128751045#post22



I add RW talking points

as the this dross is being shit-stirred by the odious Free Beacon

https://freebeacon.com/politics/mayor-petes-first-serious-mistake/'


and the similarly RW shithole Washington Examiner

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/pete-buttigieg-firing-south-bend-police-chief-was-first-serious-mistake-as-mayor


and even they admit

When Buttigieg asked for Boykins’ resignation, he had still not heard the tapes.



your agenda is as transparent as a window pane

poster child for trying to get up a circular firing squad

[Gato malo]

13. Why did he fire him without listening to the tapes?

Buttigieg recently called the firing his "biggest mistake".
Wait. If it's a"right wing talking point", how can Buttigieg call it his "biggest mistake"?

[Celerity]

14. roflmaoooooo

keep on trying

[Gato malo]

15. "Keep on trying" is not an argument

Do you agree with Buttigieg that the firing was his biggest mistake?

[Celerity]

16. I think you offer nothing but divisiveness. Here is a novel idea......

go put OP's supporting your candidate and stop using RW talking points to shit on mine.

[Gato malo]

17. You didn't answer my question

Do you agree or dissgree with Buttigieg that firing the police chief was his biggest mistake?
Are you denying that Buttigieg said that?

[Celerity]

18. I refuse to buy into your RW-framed attack. There. Answered.

Have a lovely stay.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

40. Gato Malo's posting privileges were revoked today, April 4th!

[Sapient Donkey]

22. Why does he now view it as a mistake on his part?

The fact he did something and then down the road wished he handled the situation different doesn't seem like it should be a deal breaker on its own. The details may support that point, but you didn't provide any details. Without the details it seems impossible for anyone to make such a judgement. Since you're suggesting his actions and should warrant him losing support, then you should probably provide those details if you're wanting people to reconsider their support of him.

I don't know much about Buttigieg, but when I read stuff like your saying that doesn't go into specifics, then I tend to write it off as petty politics. We all make mistakes and can act on bad information. What are the details that make this mistake particularly egregious and unforgivable?

*I'm taking your words at face value about his actions and what he said.

[loyalsister]

43. MO was not exactly enamored

She did well with the African American community in other states, but she did not get the same kind of love here.

[Celerity]

44. It definitely was not just MO, and it was devastating in PA, WI, MI

Black voter turnout fell in 2016, even as a record number of Americans cast ballots

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/05/12/black-voter-turnout-fell-in-2016-even-as-a-record-number-of-americans-cast-ballots/

The black voter turnout rate declined for the first time in 20 years in a presidential election, falling to 59.6% in 2016 after reaching a record-high 66.6% in 2012. The 7-percentage-point decline from the previous presidential election is the largest on record for blacks. (It’s also the largest percentage-point decline among any racial or ethnic group since white voter turnout dropped from 70.2% in 1992 to 60.7% in 1996.) The number of black voters also declined, falling by about 765,000 to 16.4 million in 2016, representing a sharp reversal from 2012. With Barack Obama on the ballot that year, the black voter turnout rate surpassed that of whites for the first time. Among whites, the 65.3% turnout rate in 2016 represented a slight increase from 64.1% in 2012.





Why black voter turnout fell in 2016
How voting Democratic has become integral to African Americans’ cultural identity.

https://www.vox.com/mischiefs-of-faction/2018/1/15/16891020/black-voter-turnout

“Black Voters Aren’t Turning Out For The Post-Obama Democratic Party.” It’s a familiar headline in the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election. Indeed, post-election analysis of voter data shows black turnout in presidential elections declined 4.7 percent between 2012 and 2016 (overall turnout showed a small decline from 61.8 percent in 2012 to 61.4 percent in 2016).

How do we explain it — and can it be changed? My ongoing research with Ismail White on political norms among black Americans says we ought to have expected the decline, but that the Democratic Party can do much more to cut it back by recognizing how social dynamics shape African-American politics.

Some have attributed the decline in black turnout to voter suppression tactics made possible by the Shelby v. Holder (2013) decision that rescinded key protections from the Voting Rights Act. But black turnout saw similar declines in states where no new voter laws were implemented after the Shelby decision. Others have simplistically pointed to the absence of the first black president on the ballot — as if that fact offers an explanation. Our work on the social dynamics of politics within the black community provides the missing explanation.

In our recent publication in the American Political Science Review, we argue that the continued social isolation of blacks in American society has created spaces and incentives for the emergence of black political norms. Democratic partisanship has become significantly tied to black identity in the United States. The historical and continued racial segregation of black communities has produced spaces in which in-group members can leverage social sanctions against other group members to ensure compliance with group partisan norms.

snip



Study: Black turnout slumped in 2016

https://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/10/black-election-turnout-down-2016-census-survey-238226


Census shows pervasive decline in 2016 minority voter turnout

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2017/05/18/census-shows-pervasive-decline-in-2016-minority-voter-turnout/


Study: Black voter turnout in Wisconsin declined by nearly one-fifth in 2016

https://madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/study-black-voter-turnout-in-wisconsin-declined-by-nearly-one/article_d3e72e41-96a0-51fb-83ba-11dfc6693daf.html

Turnout among black voters in Wisconsin dropped about 19 percent in the 2016 election from 2012, more than four times the national decline, according to a new study by a liberal group.

The study, released by the Center for American Progress, made the estimates based on data from the U.S. Census, polls and state voter files.

It provides the strongest evidence yet that Wisconsin’s decline in voter turnout, while seen in other demographic groups, was much more dramatic among African-Americans.

The study also found in Wisconsin, as in other key states, the 2016 electorate was significantly more white and non-college- educated than was reported by exit polls immediately after the election.

snip


Many in Milwaukee Neighborhood Didn’t Vote — and Don’t Regret It

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/21/us/many-in-milwaukee-neighborhood-didnt-vote-and-dont-regret-it.html

MILWAUKEE — Four barbers and a firefighter were pondering their future under a Trump presidency at the Upper Cutz barbershop last week.

“We got to figure this out,” said Cedric Fleming, one of the barbers. “We got a gangster in the chair now,” he said, referring to President-elect Donald J. Trump.They admitted that they could not complain too much: Only two of them had voted. But there were no regrets. “I don’t feel bad,” Mr. Fleming said, trimming a mustache. “Milwaukee is tired. Both of them were terrible. They never do anything for us anyway.”

Wisconsin, a state that Hillary Clinton had assumed she would win, historically boasts one of the nation’s highest rates of voter participation; this year’s 68.3 percent turnout was the fifth best among the 50 states. But by local standards, it was a disappointment, the lowest turnout in 16 years. And those no-shows were important. Mr. Trump won the state by just 27,000 voters.

Milwaukee’s lowest-income neighborhoods offer one explanation for the turnout figures. Of the city’s 15 council districts, the decline in turnout from 2012 to 2016 in the five poorest was consistently much greater than the drop seen in more prosperous areas — accounting for half of the overall decline in turnout citywide.

The biggest drop was here in District 15, a stretch of fading wooden homes, sandwich shops and fast-food restaurants that is 84 percent black. In this district, voter turnout declined by 19.5 percent from 2012 figures, according to Neil Albrecht, executive director of the City of Milwaukee Election Commission. It is home to some of Milwaukee’s poorest residents and, according to a 2016 documentary, “Milwaukee 53206,” has one of the nation’s highest per-capita incarceration rates.

At Upper Cutz, a bustling barbershop in a green-trimmed wooden house, talk of politics inevitably comes back to one man: Barack Obama. Mr. Obama’s elections infused many here with a feeling of connection to national politics they had never before experienced. But their lives have not gotten appreciably better, and sourness has set in.


snip





and when they did vote there was this...

Mostly black neighborhoods voted more Republican in 2016 than in 2012

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2017/09/25/mostly-black-neighborhoods-voted-more-republican-in-2016-than-in-2012/

snip




A few things jump out. First: The most heavily white neighborhoods voted much more heavily Republican in 2016 than in 2012 (the dark red line shoots up past the light-red one). Second, the most heavily black neighborhoods voted less heavily Democratic last year than four years ago. (We’ll come back to this, obviously.) Third, Hispanic neighborhoods voted for Republicans less than in 2012.

The net effect of those shifts can be measured by comparing the margin between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney in 2012 with the Trump-Clinton margin in each neighborhood last year. In heavily white neighborhoods, a big shift to the Republicans. In mostly Hispanic neighborhoods, generally more support for the Democrat, except in the most dense places (although, as the chart on the right makes clear, the sample size for those is very small and therefore more subject to volatility).




snip


This Chart Shows Philadelphia Black Voters Stayed Home, Costing Clinton
A shift in Philadelphia voter turnout, which broke along racial lines, appears to have cost Hillary Clinton almost 35,000 votes.



https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/johntemplon/this-chart-shows-philadelphia-black-voters-stayed-home-costi



One of the most surprising results of Election Day was Donald Trump winning Pennsylvania — a state that had voted for the Democrat in every election since 1988. As of the Pennsylvania Board of Elections’ latest tally, Trump leads Hillary Clinton by 57,588 votes. More than 60% of that margin comes from a shift in the vote in Philadelphia.

The Philadelphia data offers a particularly clear glimpse at what went wrong for Hillary Clinton: A block of voters who showed up for Barack Obama wasn’t inspired enough by her — or scared enough by Donald Trump — to show up. And as analysts pore over the results of the campaign, the numbers in Philadelphia offer perhaps the most devastating single data point for the Clinton campaign.

snip



massive drop in 85% black Detroit too

Link to tweet

.

[loyalsister]

47. I'm especially interested in the younger candidates

I think they have a lot of good ideas and a perspective that has been missing for a long time. I love the idea of having a president younger than myself. They seem to be doing what my generation should have done when they instead opted for the status quo in pursuit of an American dream that failed to fully deliver.

[bearsfootball516]

4. Perfect is the enemy of extremely good.

[femmedem]

5. His remarks on his black agenda begin around 19:30

in the Breakfast Club video. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
And immediately after his "all lives matter" phrase, I mean in the very next breath, he started talking about systemic racial inequities. He did not say "all lives matter" as a way of diminishing "black lives matter."

[brush]

6. That's good. He still won't beat out more well know names for AA votes

[customerserviceguy]

19. Harris seems to be getting some traction

But Booker and Castro seem to be stuck in the 1-2% range.

Buttigieg might be able to get surrogates out there that can convey his message to black voters in South Carolina, and he might make a decent showing here. Having $7 million dollars makes that more possible than when all Pete had was essentially lunch money.

[Blue_true]

23. I agree. If Biden does not enter, my guess is virtually all of his support shifts to Kamala.

Booker getting knocked out in Iowa or New Hampshire works to only one candidate's favor, Kamala, because after those states the map dramatically favors a candidate that can lure Black primary voters.

[customerserviceguy]

42. That's curious to me

I'm wondering why you think Biden's support would go to Sen. Harris? Biden is perceived as more moderate, Harris as more progressive. Also, for the folks who think having someone other than a white male at the top of the ticket is important, aren't they already with someone who isn't Biden, Bernie, Beto, or Buttigieg? (The Four Bees!)

Joe's support would probably go to Klobuchar, but if Biden bowed out, I'm sure that others would step in to take the lane that Joe is filling right now.

[Blue_true]

45. Joe's base is predominately African American and moderate to moderate-progressive Whites.

If Joe drops out, Harris picks up pretty much all the AA base, a pretty significant factor in democratic primaries, in particular in the South, Florida and Texas. Joe is beating everyone pretty handily in that region with big support from AA, I don't envision that support splitting if Joe drops out, as a consequence, Harris would most likely benefit.

[customerserviceguy]

50. I'm not sure about that

I think if Biden dropped out, that would create a lane for another African-American male. Maybe Eric Holder.

One thing I've heard mentioned about Sen. Harris among my black friends is that they are not terribly comfortable with her. Too "West Coast", and at least one fellow mentioned the "when it came time to get married, a black man wasn't good enough." That may just be his opinion and feeling, but I didn't hear any dissent about that comment.

I do think Biden will stay in. He was seen as a part of the successful Obama administration, and the things that some folks find "creepy" don't seem to figure in the thinking of the people I've encountered. Biden surely has internal polling on that, and if what I perceive is typical, he will stay in and get the support that he feels he has earned.

[Blue_true]

56. African Anerican voters are the most pragmatic voters in America.

They will look at who best represent their interests and who best can defeat Trump and will vote that way. They have shown that tendency consistently, even when their White allies have splintered. That is why if Biden drops out, Harris is most likely to profit, she meets both the above criteria.

I won't try to speak about how Black people feel about an interracial marriage by a powerful Bkack person, I just don't have a feel for that. What I have seen is the tendency of Black voters to be the most pragmatic voters of all groups in America, that is what I base my predictions on.

[customerserviceguy]

57. At this point

if no one else enters, and Biden chooses to pass on this (which I said I doubt he will do), I have a feeling that Biden's AA support will splinter. Sen. Harris will probably get a good share of it, but I can see it splitting up multiple ways. Bernie and Buttigieg have made overtures to the AA community, and they may well pick up support from those who would have supported Joe Biden.

[Blue_true]

58. I doubt that Bernie will get much traction with AA.

But I can see Buttigieg gaining there. I just think that Biden's AA support won't splinter or go to Harris if he enters and stays in the race. He is known well in that community, while the others, other than Bernie, are not.

[workinclasszero]

54. "all lives matter"

Yeah that's not a good look at all Mayor Pete.

[guillaumeb]

2. Economic opportunity, or the lack thereof,

and gun violence are 2 winning issues for the Democrats.

Recommended.

[BluegrassDem]

24. I know a lot of black and Hispanic religious voters won't vote for a gay man

And these are people that normally vote Democratic, but are very religious. Sure, they won't vote for Trump, but they may stay home in enough numbers that matters in some states. I'm black myself and I know that church going black people are some of the most homophobic people in America. It's uncomfortable to discuss this, but it's true and it's a problem for him. You're not going to see "souls to the polls" in southern states on Sundays if Pete is the nominee. It's not right, but it's a hard truth.

[Celerity]

25. Chicago's new mayor is lesbian, won with 75% versus another A-A

She won every single ward. Pete won re-election by 80% overall in a 45% POC city, got around 95% of the black vote. I am also a lesbian and a POC. I understand completely about some in our community being very socially conservative about LGBTQ issues (I am part West Indian, and they can be realllly bad on this, especially on the islands themselves), but I truly believe, and also see empirically, that this is changing. Some choose to stay in gutter, I myself, look to the stars.

[BluegrassDem]

26. I think there's a difference in the South, where lots are Baptist

I think people of color in large cities, in the northeast and west will be okay, but not in the South. They are very conservative about lgbt stuff. If Pete is the nominee, no way we'll have a chance in ANY state in the south...period.

[Celerity]

27. We will just have to see on that. I happen to disagree, but I respect

your opinion. He first needs to get our nomination, which is going to be long, tough slog. I think if he actually did that, he can make great inroads due to his massive exposure.

[bearsfootball516]

28. Luckily, we don't need any southern state.

Florida would be nice, sure, but not necessary. Flip WI, MI and PA while holding Clinton’s 2016 states, and that gets us to 270.

[brush]

36. He needs southern states to get thru the primaries. AA voters dominate many of those.

Then there is the newly positioned California primary which Harris will dominate. Doesn't bode well for him getting any traction after Iowa and NH.

Can't get to the general without going through the primaries.

[namahage]

52. "We don't need any Southern state."

How'd that work out for Bernie last time?

[Autumn]

59. How did all those Southern states work out for Hillary? Never mind I found it.

https://www.nytimes.com/elections/2016/results/president

[namahage]

60. Which is, of course, why Bernie doesn't waste time with them.

Oh wait.

One of the biggest problems Sanders had in 2016 during his insurgent presidential campaign was in Southern states, where the African-American vote is crucial to securing the Democratic nomination. Now, as the senator from Vermont seriously mulls a presidential run in 2020, he’s not going to make the same mistake again.

Sanders has been crisscrossing Southern states this month, speaking to black voters. He marched in Memphis with the Rev. Al Sharpton and other black leaders on the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s death.

[marylandblue]

49. The lesson I learned in 2016 was that people will look past their moral distaste

for a candidate they otherwise believe in. There are studies that show people can be manipulated into voting for the more corrupt candidate if they believe that candidate will better serve their interests. After some self-reflection, I realized I am this way too. I will vote for the candidate that I believe is most likely to beat Trump and serve my interests, no matter how much I disapprove of their personal life or even if they are corrupt.

[customerserviceguy]

51. I agree with your assessment

There may be a "gay" factor in the lack of support for Sen. Booker, he is not openly gay, but there is a perception that he is just not like the average straight man. His veganism seems to have influenced those that I speak with, too. Down here, everybody likes their fried chicken, pulled pork, and for those inclined to soul food, other such carnivorous meals, like picked pigs' feet.

However, that said, and while I do agree that Pete would have a tough time in most of the South, we can probably say that about almost every Democratic candidate. Joe Biden could probably pick up Virginia, maybe North Carolina, and Florida, but I can't see a northern or western Democratic nominee doing well enough most places in the South, besides what I've mentioned.

[JI7]

29. Buttigieg talks a lot about his religion so i think that could help . but the bigger "problem"

is more that there are other candidates that black/hispanic voters might be more likely to vote for even if Buttigieg was not gay and was a religious straight white guy .

[Sapient Donkey]

32. Is your concern for his chances just with respect to the primaries, or it also for the general?

Of course, if your assessment is correct then that's a concern for him in the primaries, but if somehow he becomes the nominee do you think that's a concern for general? With the primaries that is understandable, but it would worry me if there is a reason to believe that could be an issue the general election. If so, I would be interested in hearing more details as to how you came to that conclusion.

[JI7]

33. only for the primary

[JI7]

30. but he could do well among lgbt who are black, hispanic and other minorities

because they tend to come from religious families and Buttigieg himself is religious so he can kind of connect with them and how they don't have to pick .

[jaceaf]

46. Not so for a lot of minority lgbt

We have bad experiences with religion. All his god talks pushes me far far away.

So, don't count on that.

[Celerity]

53. his 'god talk' is about calling out the hypocrisy of the RW fundie pushers of hate and

bigotry, racism and xenophobia, etc. It also is about taking back their weaponised framing of religion.

Buttigieg to Pence: If you have a problem with who I am, your quarrel is with my creator

https://www.democraticunderground.com/128758957

and

2 of my comments from that thread that flesh this out

[brush]

35. Because of what you mentioned he won't get thru the southern primaries and...

the many AA voters in those states. They come up soon after Iowa and NH and after them is the newly positioned California primary where Harris will dominate.

He won't make it out of the primaries so we don't have to worry about him going up against trump and religious Latino/as and AA voters staying home rather than voting for the loathsome orange imposter.