I did not intentionally click the like button on this, but I can’t remove it apparently.
I don’t know enough about Pete to have a super-informed opinion about anything adjacent.
because performative wokeness doesn’t include fellating israel?
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political systems are by definition not market systems, so “doing a good job based on future rewards” (for Pete) doesn’t necessarily equal “good outcomes for the rest of us”
likewise, I can think of lots of infrastructure that nerds get excited about that don’t produce good outcomes for society.
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Still, Jeans-Gail noted that it’s the deputy secretary who “tends to be the one who handles the operations of the agency and needs large enterprise or regulatory experience,” while the secretary is more of “a public advocate for these programs” — where Buttigieg’s skills as “an effective communicator” will come in handy.
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Didn’t Bloomberg call Bernie a communist at one of the debates? Has to be some kind of payoff for that.
In 2-4 years, the Republicans wont have to make a deal with progressives to control the House.
Possibly. It’s not like Biden’s margins of victory were all that impressive in those states. Who knows what happens in FL or NC when the Democratic nominee runs on the hugely popular $15 minimum wage and M4A.
I think most candidates could have capitalized on an unprecedented hate for the incumbent who bungled the Covid response and crashed the economy in the process.
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Sky stop engaging watevs! 
There is zero upside. He is the worst poster on UP and revels in that title. You will never generate a remotely interesting discussion from his posts.
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*M4A candidate.
Also CNN/MSNBC painting him as a commie was a huge part of it. 2020 was crazy so I’m sure we all forget but they were literally tying him to Fidel Castro and Moscow for weeks once it looked like he could win. Do we really think if Biden and Bernie were treated the same by the Chris Matthews of the world the results are the same? I’m not sure Bernie wins but it is a lot closer.
If the media had painted it as something we all need rather than BUT HOW ARE YOU GOING TO PAY FOR IT things may have been different.
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I don‘t think you can just extrapolate primary support to the general election. The primary voters are not representative of the electorate. Primaries are also decided by states which are irrelevant in the general election, eg. CA or SC.
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This is why direct democracy rules and everything else is aidz
South Bend is a bigger city than you think.
It’s smaller than Ann Arbor!
I would take someone with executive experience, like a mayor, as the head of a government agency way before someone like a senator.
The issue with Pete here shouldn’t be his experience, he’s probably fine as far as cabinet appointments go (not a high bar to clear). The issue is his politics and whether he will pursue progressive enough policies to help dig this country out of the fucking hole that we’re getting buried in. I am not optimistic.
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Although the senator has the advantage of knowing exactly how Washington actually works. But a lot of senators have never managed anything larger than their office and campaign, so that only goes so far.
Just my opinion, but y’all seem way too mad over a transportation secretary.
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What is “progressive enough” in transportation for you? I’m genuinely curious, since M4A can’t be used as the true Scotsman criteria.
I actually don’t think knowing how Washington works is super important to a secretary, though I assume it could be beneficial if they’re positioning for budget increases or something.
I can’t personally speak to specifics there. Maybe others can. It’s not a wonk question, it’s a question of ideology. If Pete’s position on M4A is an indicator, I don’t trust him to take a truly progressive position on things regardless of topic. Shoving a bunch of market-based or private investment solutions at any problem is not the answer, but that’s how he seems to approach things.
I also agree with CN above, probably too much scrutiny for a transportation secretary. But this Biden administration is shaping up to be the neoliberal clusterfuck that many here have feared and Pete is a clear reason for that, so I’m not surprised that his nomination has become a flashpoint for that frustration.
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It’s 100,000. It doesn’t come close to making the list of top 200 cities in the US. That’s pretty small.