Again were all mad about pete being an absolute asshole, I am too. His behavior was gross. A lot to dislike about him.
But he is absolutely better than most of bidens picks so far.
What about those of us that hate him for dropping out before Super Tuesday and consolidating the centrist support behind a near octogenarian to make sure M4A remains an impossibility in this county?
I genuinely cannot fathom knocking doors and making phone calls for a candidate for President that doesn’t back M4A. But then again, healthcare as a human right is higher on my priority list than say, a deep wonky knowledge of transportation infrastructure.
5 Likes
Something I’ve noticed as a trend over the past few years is that we struggle to take anyone at face value anymore. There always has to be some hidden agenda. I’m guilty of it a few posts up. No one trusts each other anymore and this is a symptom of that.
If we constantly are asking, “but what do they REALLY mean? What’s the ulterior motive or hidden agenda?” then we will NEVER move forward.
I just saw the replies to that Klob tweet Kling posted. There are people saying that she is bagging on his local experience and that it’s a subtweet. But it’s not. Mayors are probably the most qualified for DoT. Here’s a thread:
https://twitter.com/AlexBMorse/status/1338470770348093440?s=20
3 Likes
lol who thinks he’s far right? Even the most vocal haters think he’s a shitty centrist
You are a brave, brave person…
The Chapo style “with us or against us” view of politics is awful. I think Pete is a power-hungry douchebag, but I’m fine with him being in the administration. Politics is by definition full of sociopaths, get used to it. He is a young, smart guy who genuinely excites some fraction of the liberal base, as impossible as that seems to me personally.
Look, the Biden administration is going to be terrible, period. I’ll take a 35 year old over some 80 year old party loyalist hack all day long. The runner up for the job was probably Hillary Clinton’s dog walker or the guy who punched Joe’s train tickets back to Delaware every night.
7 Likes
What does the Department of Transportation control specifically? I am not American and so am I so confused as to state vs federal authority over everything in the country? I mean is he in charge of improving infastructure in the country? I’ve never been to USA but it seems to me that given you have to drive everywhere, the transportation infastructure is a complete fucking joke.
Yeah and he’s been unemployed for like a year. Nice to see struggling Americans finally get a break.
2 Likes
People saying get used to it are the reason we are in this position, let’s keep normalizing shitty behavior and getting mad when people talk shit about obviously shitty politicians.
3 Likes
It really is. He’s center right.
I mean, name your political heroes and I’ll prove my point. Our “great men” were…not great.
- Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
- Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
- Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)
- Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)
- Federal Transit Administration (FTA)
- Maritime Administration (MARAD)
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
- Office of Inspector General (OIG)
- Office of the Secretary of Transportation (OST)
- Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA)
- Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (SLSDC)
- John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center
- Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS)
Planes, trains, and automobiles. And boats, too.
1 Like
I don’t subscribe to the great man theory, yeah there are leaders who can be a catalyst to change but when you look at any political or revolutionary movement it isn’t only the people at the top controlling everything in all aspects. There are millions of people going through these movements and making these movements real.
I also don’t really have any political heroes. I can give props to certain politicians who seem honest and actually fight for a more egalitarian society but don’t really care too much for idolizing politicians. Although it is easier to look at past politicians and make a more accurate assessment due to hindsight and more historical analysis on the work and decisions they made
One could say that a failure to ask about ulterior motives and hidden agenda is what has allowed a corporate-friendly establishment to maintain power.
1 Like
The Chapo view isn’t that bad, but their definition of “us” might need work.
The best catalysts are sometimes those that embrace martyrdom.
I feel like we should maybe stop pretending that shitposting on a message board is the same thing as political activism. Even if you are correct on some issues, your posts should still not be humorless and tedious because I’m just trying to enjoy the thread tbh
9 Likes
Anyways, Matt Yglesias probably has a more accurate take than Pete-hate is nerd-hate.
- I hope this is obvious to everyone, but it just can’t be stressed heavily enough that social media performative Pete-hatred is not actually about Pete.
- I’d say most generously it’s about an accurate sense that his existence threatens the young socialist left’s belief that the future belongs to them. Joe Biden, yesterday’s man, is easy to live with. So is the politically clumsy Kamala Harris. But the prospect of a charismatic, talented, ambitious normie Democrat who’s not going away any time soon is terrifying.
Progressives see themselves at war with an establishment/centrist/moderate wing of the party. The establishment sees itself as the bridge between progressive and moderate Democrats and most see themselves as generally closer to progressives than moderates, so don’t appreciate being lumped in with the moderates. (I lean towards the former as being a more accurate representation of what is really happening within the party.)
In the progressive framework, Buttigieg is someone who chose the other side. In the establishment framework, Pete’s’ youth makes him a no-brainer to be a guy you want to push as a bridge guy, with superficial traits that appeal to the left and policies and temperament that appeal to the center. Does Transportation Secretary offer enough opportunities to do the sort of things that can win over progressives? Will the party’s left wing see him as anything other than an existential threat?
1 Like
I think Matt’s been reading this thread
I love transportation policy and know a fair amount about it. Most people who write about politics do not love transportation policy but do have strong feelings about Mayor Pete. That’s leading to a lot of bad takes.
1 Like