Only logged in members can reply and interact with the post.
Join SimilarWorlds for FREE »

I Like Politics

Is America ready to elect a gay president?

I think the kind of people who wouldn't vote for Pete Buttigieg because he's gay, wouldn't vote for him if he was straight either, because they won't ever vote for a Democrat. I also know conservatives who would support a gay Republican candidate, however. So I'm wondering if there are any liberals who would vote for Trump or would sit out the next election if Buttigieg is the Democratic nominee. And I mean, just because he's gay, not because you disagree with his policy positions.
JoeyFoxx · 56-60, M
America isn't ready for a gay president. America was barely ready for a black president and likely is at least one more election away from being ready for a female president.

Why?

Americans don't vote for people who are competent and who understand how things work. Americans don't vote for people who listen and make decisions based on the merits of things. Americans no longer pay attention to candidates' platforms nor take into consideration the philosophy of decision making for any given candidate.

American voting is a popularity contest. How well someone is able to appeal to the masses is far more interesting than substance.

Are there homosexuals, women and non-whites that are capable of being President? Yup.

Are any of them running? Nope.

If any of them were running, would anyone notice? unlikely.
JoeyFoxx · 56-60, M
Trump’s ignorance demonstrates the importance of the people around the president.

I literally think that Bernie would be a mess, as would Harris. Both worse than Trump.

Not based on ideology, but mindset about what’s important

@Lila15
Lila15 · 22-25, F
@JoeyFoxx Obviously, the president can't be an expert on everything.

But s/he has to be astute and well-informed enough to be able to tell if the person advising them knows what they're talking about. Trump is, possibly, the worst president in that regard, at least in modern times.

I want a president who is curious about the world. Think about it - the president could literally invite anyone he wants to the White House, just to sit around and shoot the breeze. One remarkable thing about Reagan's memoirs of his White House days was how frequently he just sat around at night doing nothing. Trump sits around watching Fox News and eating cheeseburgers or something. It doesn't occur to him that he could be talking with professors, writers, artists, you name it. I want a president who spends his free time doing that.

What do you think of Jay Inslee? By your standard, he would be very competent as he was an effective governor for years. And what about Bloomberg? Mayor of NYC is like being the governor of a medium-sized state.
JoeyFoxx · 56-60, M
Inslee is insufferable. He’s a classic panderer and glad hander.

I saw Buttigieg on Meet the Press today.

I like him a lot.

@Lila15
MrBrownstone · 46-50, M
Obama married a transgender so he was gay?
Lila15 · 22-25, F
@MrBrownstone The "Michelle is a man" thing is getting really boring.
MrBrownstone · 46-50, M
@Lila15 So is Trump bashing
Lila15 · 22-25, F
@MrBrownstone At least Trump deserves it. You have to expect that some people will disagree with him on policy. But saying that Michelle is a man is just stupid playground taunting.
MasterLee · 56-60, M
We had two already
Lila15 · 22-25, F
@MasterLee I’m not aware of any credible accounts of Obama engaging in gay sex. I agree that the claims about Lincoln and Joshua Speed are not that solid. Both men married women and had kids, so they both qualify as straight. Buchanan is assumed to be gay because he was single, which doesn’t mean anything.

A lot of straight men experiment with gay sex when they’re younger. Obama doing that doesn’t make him gay. Lincoln on the other hand was married at the time and a lot older. There are zero allegations that Obama had gay sex when he was married or cheated on Michelle at any time.

So you kind of have the double standard. Your admiration of Lincoln and hatred of Obama shouldn’t factor in.
MasterLee · 56-60, M
@Lila15 it doesn't factor in.
Lila15 · 22-25, F
@MasterLee The reality is that there is no solid evidence that any president was gay. Buttigieg is the first Democratic candidate and the second major party candidate to be openly gay. The first was Republican Fred Karger who ran in 2012.
SatanBurger · 36-40, FVIP
Yeah I'd vote for Buttigieg if I didn't have my mind set on Andrew Yang.

I think a gay person would set a different tone for this country, one that we need so I do wish him the best of luck.
windinhishair · 61-69, M
Sexual orientation has nothing to do with a person's fitness for office. I would vote for Buttgieg in a race against Trump. I would vote for his left foot in a race against Trump.
VeronicaPrincess · 61-69
The candidates' sexuality wouldn't be an issue. Integrity and ideology are what matters - as well as the ability to work with others.
VeronicaPrincess · 61-69
@Lila15, After reading a bit about him, he warrants further research. The interview I just read was impressive.
TexChik · F
His politics is far more disgusting than anything he does in his personal life .
Lila15 · 22-25, F
@TexChik That’s my point. You wouldn’t vote for him even if he was straight.

Are there any Democratic candidates you would consider voting for? I’d guess no.
TexChik · F
@Lila15 absolutely not ... I would never willingly aid in the destruction of my country
Lila15 · 22-25, F
@TexChik OK, so you proved my point. Mayor Pete being gay is irrelevant.

What are you going to do if Trump loses?
MasterLee · 56-60, M
We already had 2 gay presidents
@MasterLee Your identity politics will result in the next Civil War, Adolf.
MasterLee · 56-60, M
wow. You are going for a record on name calling.
@MasterLee I've got a long way to go before I beat Mango Mussolini.
TheChrister · 41-45, M
Im not political in any way, shape or form but I reckon at some point, even in the USA (Im British) they will elect a gay president, I mean regardless of party, you already had Obama and I bet in the 70s and 80s people said there would be no Black president. Thes ethings are inevitable, especially in the world we live in these days.
Lila15 · 22-25, F
@TheChrister A lot of younger people have gay friends and don’t oppose LGBT the way older people do.
TheChrister · 41-45, M
@Lila15 *nods* thats exaclty one of my points aswell.
Ryannnnnn · 31-35, M
Not sure, i don't think people should vote based on one factor about someone which isn't going to effect policy.

I think if they stand for something better people can forgo their little prejudices.
piggo88 · 36-40, M
There are quite a few moderate conservatives who voted for Trump because they felt he was "the lesser evil," who don't really approve of him fundamentally, but felt like they had no choice. Most of those people are probably still conservative to vote for the first gay president ever, but might be persuaded to vote across party lines if the Democrats had someone less controvercial in the offering.
Being gay shouldn't be controvercial, but to those people it would be, and those people got Trump into office the first time, so they do, unfortunately, still matter.
Lila15 · 22-25, F
@piggo88 Obviously some of those would vote for Trump or sit out the election, but others make get vote for a Democrat who inspires them. But the 2020 race will depend on whether the Democratic base comes out to vote, so a non-controversial candidate might not be a good idea.
SolidHeart · 46-50, M
No way, a gay president to the biggest country in the world. This must be a joke. No other country will respect America during his time.
SolidHeart · 46-50, M
@windinhishair are you talking about the only country that control the internet ☺ that affects the whole world.
@SolidHeart The U.S. doesn't control the Internet. However, the American dollar is still the preferred world currency, although more countries are switching to the Chinese yuan, and when that replacement is complete, the U.S. is not going to be a superpower anymore.
SolidHeart · 46-50, M
@LeopoldBloom maybe the US doesn't control the internet anymore but they were before holding all the domains of the websites.
TrunkZ · 56-60, M
Saw him on Bill Maher. He seems well spoken with some good ideas.
SatanBurger · 36-40, FVIP
I could probably vote for a gay republican also but I see issues with that. In order for a gay republican to actually get staying power, they'd need Evangelical support and Evangelicals don't support things like gay marriage so I wouldn't know how a gay republican presidency would work.
DonaldTrumpet · 70-79, M
@SatanBurger duZ u LuVZ GODz?
Whether the Presidential hopeful is Democrat or Republican, my feeling is that with the Muslim population and the Christian population we have in this country, that might not happen. But who knows? The voting booth carries much power, providing of course they're not fucked with.
Lila15 · 22-25, F
@soar2newhighs A recent survey had 70% of Americans saying they'd be fine with a gay president. My point is that the 30% who aren't, won't vote Democratic regardless.
Byron8by7 · M
Buttigieg's sexual orientation wouldn't be an issue for me. He seems bright and sincere, and if he were the Democratic candidate for President in 2020, I would vote for him without hesitation.
Milkshake · F
what wil happen first ?

a female president ? a jewish president ? an atheist president ? a muslim president ? a hispanic president ? an asian president ?

which of those do you think its the least likely one to happen ?
This comment is hidden. Show Comment
MasterLee · 56-60, M
@SW-User obama was the punishment
This comment is hidden. Show Comment
MasterLee · 56-60, M
@SW-User of course it is
Dan509 · 26-30, M
There might be some independents who would, it would be an issue and I want to say he would prevail despite those people but I'm not sure
Are we ready. No. Do we deserve one that is competent regardless. Yes. So I don't care if he is gay. At least he isn't a white nationalist.
Lila15 · 22-25, F
@canusernamebemyusername That's a low bar.
UserNameSW · 46-50, M
Gay doesn't change anything.

What are his policies on investment, trade, foreign policy, monetary, education......
SW-User
With a majority of evangelical Christians that support conversion therapy? Yeah, I doubt it.
Lila15 · 22-25, F
@SW-User Actually, I think many of them don't care as much as you think they do. I know some Evangelicals who voted for Bernie Sanders, for example. If Pete can reach these people with an appeal to their desire to help their fellow man, while overlooking the culture war stuff, he could do very well with this group.

Of course, the noisy ones get all the attention and give the entire group a bad name. But they're not representative of all of them.
SW-User
Lila15 · 22-25, F
@SW-User And what does that say about America? It's nothing to be proud of if a decent and capable man can't be elected because of something he does in private that has no effect on anything else.
SW-User
@Lila15 If he is those things and he adopts the 'don't ask don't tell' mode, sure. But if he promotes and touts it, then no fecking way.
Lila15 · 22-25, F
@SW-User He’s not keeping it a secret, but he’s not making a big deal about it either. It’s just part of who he is, like his hair color.
This comment is hidden. Show Comment
Lila15 · 22-25, F
@Kingfish28 And what does that say about America?
This comment is hidden. Show Comment
Lila15 · 22-25, F
@Kingfish28 I take it that you wouldn’t vote for him even if he wasn’t gay.
I wouldn’t vote for Trump under any circumstances. I’m still checking out the Democratic candidates because there are so many, and some I like more than others. But if he ended up as the last man standing between Trump and a second term, Buttigieg would certainly have my vote. His being gay wouldn’t be an issue.
This message was deleted by its author.
Lila15 · 22-25, F
@MarmeeMarch That’s hilarious, you’re the one who doesn’t want a woman or a “homo” in the White House, and because I called you (not “America”) out on your bigotry, I’m the intolerant one.

My question was whether America is ready for a gay president, I think we are even if you personally aren’t. A lot of people weren’t ready for a black president either, that didn’t stop him from being elected twice.
This message was deleted by its author.
Lila15 · 22-25, F
@MarmeeMarch OK, got it. You're a homophobic racist, but not all Americans are, so while you would never vote for a black or female or gay president, one could be elected because most of the country isn't as homophobic or racist or misogynistic as you are.

Just curious - imagine that Trump doesn't run, and the Republicans nominate a conservative black lesbian Muslim. The Democratic candidate is Joe Biden, and VP is Beto O'Rourke, both straight white men. Who do you vote for?

 
Post Comment