Current odds make it seem like it’s still anybody’s game
I decided to read the article, knowing that it was just going to be the type of fluffy propaganda piece that the media likes to write about every political candidate ever (and it was). But not only does the article reinforce the idea that he did this for politics, it’s actually even worse than I thought–he joined after being an antiwar demonstrator!
And, just months before he launched a career in electoral politics, it would let him add a valuable new credential to his résumé: veteran.
It was only after Barack Obama was elected, and just months before Buttigieg would launch his own political career, that he finally walked into the recruiting office. Only then did he decide to join a conflict that six years earlier he had denounced from the stage of an antiwar rally.
From a fellow protestor:
“He seemed more like a partisan than a pacifist,” Stellato said. “I’m not sure he would have been there if the Democrats hadn’t come out against the invasion.”
This is reminding me how much I dislike him, and it’s sad that he’s the 2nd or 3rd best VP candidate of the bunch.
Did he call himself private joker?
You may be right, but:
https://x.com/nanditab1/status/1818353529829917124
Whether she’s telling the truth about that or not, I imagine it puts us at least a couple of days away from an announcement.
Shapiro makes me nervous because he’s the most pro-Israel / anti-protestors of the bunch. Anecdotally a fresh approach to Gaza is a big source of the young folks’ current excitement, so I’m concerned about taking the wind out of their sails.
Still, it is very possible we can afford to lose some voters over that issue and still have Shapiro be the best choice if he really helps deliver PA.
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I feel similarly and honestly I’d rather watch her go with boring Beshear than Shapiro. At least with Beshear it just feels like an opportunity cost that won’t actively turn anyone off. Not that it really feels like she can necessarily afford to go Tim Kaine 2.0, but I guess it’s possible she can do that and get away with it.
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You can label it as “striver who wants to kill babies,” but the coalition of voters you’re going to need to stop Trump includes a whole lot of people who think joining the military in your late 20s to advance your career is a totally normal thing that regular-ass people do. As much as people accuse UPers of being a shitlibs in an online bubble, this seems like stuff that’s really going to alienate a lot of normal-ass
working-class voters.
Like what about Bernie Sanders? Did he vote for the war because he’s a striver who loves killing babies? Why does he pass the litmus test? Vietnam vets like Al Gore or John Kerry?
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Those are opposing theories and you know it, or you would if you could read. What the fuck are you doing putting in quotes?
I said I don’t think that everyone that joins the military is inherently a striver future politician who loves to kill brown babies.
I don’t think anyone denies that it’s good politically. That’s the propaganda working! In this conversation, the jumping off point was “can we please stop celebrating military service in harmful wars”, which then was countered by “how dare you criticize Pete’s military service”, followed by “actually his military service is a little weird don’t you think?”, and is now “what about Bernie Sanders”
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Of course you don’t. He’s not posting in good faith.
Yeah, this is the main reason I put “worried” for Shapiro on my emotions wheel post. He seems risky from a vibes standpoint.
If she picks Beshear, I’ll be concerned about her judgment. Like, if you want a non-scary straight white dude, doesn’t Walz have Beshear hand dominated? He helps with midwest states. He’s much more exciting. And he’ll do 1,000x better on the stump and in the debate. Not sure what Beshear brings in comparison.
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He’s very classically handsome and Walz is average-looking. Otherwise I’ve got nothing. Would guess that choice would almost certainly reflect a more positive personal relationship with Beshear than Walz.
Tyvm for posting the article. I learned a lot about Pete.
The Navy let him fulfill a family legacy. His Afghanistan Campaign Medal also enabled him to round out a candidate profile that could have been assembled in a Democratic candidate laboratory: Rust Belt mayor, Ivy League whiz kid, married gay veteran.
Fair enough!
I was unaware of the below scandal.
And two years into his term, he was called up, even as the worst scandal of his administration roiled race relations in the city. Soon after taking office, Buttigieg had removed South Bend’s popular African American police chief for secretly recording white subordinates who had reportedly made racist comments. Buttigieg refused to release the tapes, citing legal constraints, infuriating activists and some members of the city council.
In 2014, as the controversy reverberated in South Bend, Buttigieg legally transferred his powers as mayor to Mark Neal, the city controller, and boarded a plane for Afghanistan.
Some African American activists complain about the timing of his departure to this day.
Pete 
Harris has not yet conducted formal interviews with the top contenders, one source familiar told CNN. That process is expected to begin this week.
Among the top contenders include Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has taken himself out of the running and declined the campaign’s request to be vetted, CNN reported Monday. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear are also still in conversation, but people close to the process believe they are not top contenders.
Unintended consequence of the late VP pick.
All of the potentials are getting so much so much press and airtime. And they are all slamming Vance and Trump.
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Hmm there’s a similar story about John Tester rolling up in his tractor to pull Jennifer Palmieri out when she got stuck on some unplowed road going up to his farm in Montana. I don’t know if it says more about outdoorsy politicians or city slicker media types.
Wait till you hear about the Black people’s homes he had bulldozed as mayor
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https://x.com/hollyotterbein/status/1818444783175549399
I mean I guess it’s possible that they kick this thing off in Philly and have it not be Shapiro, but that does seem like a significant tell. (They did try to get ahead of this speculation by saying people shouldn’t read too much into the location, but yeah.)