Tag: Pete Buttigieg

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News Round-Up: January 14, 2020

Ignacio Pérez Rey (via Instagram)
Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunk: Ignacio Pérez Rey (above), in Madrid, Spain, proves clothes are sexy, smiles are sexy, and Madrid is sexy. #grrr • Bloomberg News: Democratic Senator Tim Kaine says he has enough votes to pass a resolution that would limit President Donald Trump’s ability to carry out a military attack against Iran without congressional authorization. Kaine said Tuesday he has 51 “declared votes“ for his resolution including GOP senators Mike Lee, Rand Paul, Susan Collins and Todd Young. • The Gaily Grind: High school freshman Kayla Kenney was expelled from her Christian school after wearing a rainbow sweater while celebrating her 15th birthday with her family at a local restaurant with a rainbow cake. The school seems to have assumed celebrating with rainbows meant the teen was lesbian…? • Los Angeles Blade: Pete Buttigieg attended a primarily black gay fundraiser in Los Angeles at the home of Jordan Fudge, a managing partner of the venture capital firm Sinai Ventures. The event was co-hosted by Empire writer/director Lee Daniels, who called Buttigieg “a candidate that is worthy of serious, serious consideration.” • The Advocate: Tennessee lawmakers have approved a bill that would give faith-based adoption and foster care agencies legal cover to turn away same-sex couples and other prospective parents who offend the agencies’ religious beliefs. The governor has signaled he plans to sign the bill into law. • Netflix: The streaming giant offers this supercut of RuPaul’s most fab performances featured in the new series, AJ and the Queen. While I found parts of the series surprisingly flat and slow, Ru does bring some heat serving up lewks and body as she lip syncs for her life in these drag performances.  

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Buttigieg Picks Up Endorsement From Congressional Black Caucus Member

Pete Buttigieg & Rep. Anthony Brown
Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg has picked up his first endorsement from a member of the Congressional Black Caucus as Rep. Anthony G. Brown (MD-4) announced his support today. From the Washington Post:

“I firmly believe that Pete Buttigieg is the guy to lead our nation after we defeat Donald Trump and have to pick up the pieces and repair the damage of the last four years,” Brown said in an interview. “He’s well-versed and studied and really diligent about the issues from a policy standpoint.”

As Buttigieg has vaulted to the top tier of the Democratic field, he has struggled to attract support from African American voters and leaders. Brown will serve as a national campaign co-chairman, the first endorser the campaign has named to that position.

Brown acknowledged Buttigieg has received criticism for how he has approached racial issues in South Bend, but he said Buttigieg has not shied away from the critiques.

“We all suffer criticism,” Brown said. “The question is, how well do you take that criticism and sort of transform it into an overall constructive approach to addressing the challenges that are being raised? And I think he is really good at that and is open to it.”

Brown — who represents Maryland’s 4th Congressional District, just outside Washington — has other connections with Buttigieg. Both attended Harvard University and both are military veterans.

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News Round-Up: January 7, 2020

Pete Buttigieg (via Facebook)
Some news items you might have missed: • Deadline: Pete Buttigieg will appear at another Fox News town hall on January 26, a little more than a week before the Iowa caucuses, with Chris Wallace as moderator. This will be Buttigieg’s second Fox News town hall, having headlined a well-received event last May. He’s one of six Democratic candidates to appear at town halls on the network. • Instinct Magazine: A Canadian man has been busted for mailing an envelope filled with white powder – and a note with an indication that the powder was anthrax – to New York City East Village spot Nowhere Bar. • CBS News: A new CBS News poll ties Sen. Bernie Sanders, former Vice President Joe Biden and Mayor Pete Buttigieg for the lead in Iowa. Sanders, Biden and Buttigieg are tied at 23%, while Sen. Elizabeth Warren comes fourth with 16% and Sen. Amy Klobuchar falls in fifth at 7%. • Washington Post: Rep. Duncan D. Hunter will resign from Congress effective January 13, more than one month after the California Republican pleaded guilty in federal court to misusing campaign funds. The six-term congressman is scheduled to be sentenced in March. He faces a maximum of five years in prison, although he is expected to serve less than one year. • Politico: Donald Trump’s reelection campaign will spend $10 million on 60 seconds of television ad time during the Super Bowl next month as the president ramps up his push for a second term. • New York Times: Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell informed Republicans on Tuesday that he planned to move forward with President Trump’s impeachment trial without committing to additional witnesses or admitting new evidence, over the objections of Democrats who are insisting on both.

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Buttigieg Crushes Trump In 8 Words After The Donald Questioned His Faith

Mayor Pete Buttigieg (image via Instagram)
While speaking at King Jesus International Ministry in Miami, Donald Trump claimed that Mayor Pete Buttigieg and other Democrats are trying to replace religion with socialism. The Donald then openly questioned if Mayor Pete was as religious as he claimed. “And I see Alfred E. Neuman comes out and he’s trying to pretend he’s very religious,” Trump said, referencing the former mayor as the MAD Magazine mascot. “Now all of a sudden, he’s become extremely religious, this happened about two weeks ago,” Trump continued. Buttigieg, a former Catholic who is openly Episcopalian, clapped back with 8 simple words: “God does not belong to a political party.”

Buttigieg elaborated further on Trump’s remarks during a campaign stop in New Hampshire. “I’m not sure why the president’s taken an interest in my faith journey, but certainly I would be happy to discuss it with him,” he said. “I just don’t know where that’s coming from, you know. Certainly, it has been a complex journey for me, as it is for a lot of people, but I’m pretty sure I’ve been a believer longer than he’s been a Republican.”

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Poll: Joe Biden Continues To Lead By Double Digits

Former Vice President Joe Biden (image via Instagram)

From The Hill:

Former Vice President Joe Biden leads the field of Democratic presidential hopefuls by double digits a month ahead of the Iowa caucuses, according to a Harvard CAPS/Harris poll released exclusively to The Hill.

The poll shows Biden registering 30 percent support among Democrats nationally. In a relatively distant second place is Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who notched 17 percent in the survey. 

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is lingering in the No. 3 spot with 12 percent support. No other candidate registered double-digit support. Former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg came in fourth place at 7 percent, while former tech executive Andrew Yang notched 3 percent support.

Still, recent polls in early primary and caucus states show a more fluid race. 

An Emerson College survey of likely Iowa Democratic caucusgoers released last month showed Biden and Sanders in a statistical tie for first place, with 23 percent and 22 percent support, respectively.

And a WBUR-MassINC poll of New Hampshire Democrats from December showed Buttigieg and Biden knotted at the top with 18 percent and 17 percent, respectively. Sanders wasn’t far behind in that survey, with 15 percent support.

And here’s some eye-popping news – former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg has tied Warren for third place in the latest Hill/HarrisX poll:

The former New York City mayor is now in a dead heat for third place with top-tier candidate, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who also received 11 percent support. Biden, meanwhile, continues to lead the Democratic field with 28 percent followed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) at 16 percent.

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News Round-Up: January 3, 2020

Nathan McCallum (via Instagram)
Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: Where in the world is fitness guy Nathan McCallum…and how do I get there? 🙂 • Instinct Magazine: RuPaul’s nascent talk show, which had a three-week trial run this past summer, has not been picked up for syndication. • NewNowNext: The Equitable Restroom Act went into effect in Illinois on January 1, which requires single-occupancy bathrooms in public places to be marked with signs labeling them as “All-Gender.” • KIT212: Kenneth serves up his weekly round-up (below) of the what’s what in gay rags across the country. • LGBTQ Nation: A gay man’s sister kidnapped him & forced him into conversion therapy where he was beaten and flogged. His family thought being gay was “demonic,” so his sister hired a “prophet” to beat it out of him. • Variety: Kevin Spacey has settled a lawsuit with the estate of a man who had accused him of sexual assault, following the accuser’s death in September. A trial was set to take place in federal court in June 2020, but when the accuser died, the accuser’s estate filed a notice dismissing the lawsuit on Monday. Each side agreed to pay their own costs. • WRAL: The United Methodist Church appears poised to split into two separate denominations over the issue of LGBTQ inclusion. The United Methodist Church is currently the third largest Christian denomination in the United States. • Politico: Why Pete Buttigieg enrages the political left – “The unspoken truth about the furor Buttigieg arouses is that his success threatens a core belief of young progressives: that their ideology owns the future, and that the rise of millennials into Democratic politics is going to bring an inevitable demographic triumph for the party’s far left wing.” • Twitter: As many have pointed out, before the 2012 presidential election, Donald Trump repeatedly predicted (wrongly) that President Obama would start a war with Iran in order to secure re-election. We all know Trump projects his own thoughts on others as this video clip resurfaces:

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Trump, Sanders, Yang & Buttigieg Announce Fundraising Totals

Mayor Pete Buttigieg campaigns in Iowa
Pete Buttigieg raised more than $24.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2019, according to the New York Times. Buttigieg’s campaign announced it had now received more than two million donations from more than 733,000 people since he entered the race, and 326,000 people had donated to the South Bend mayor’s effort in the fourth quarter. Since entering the race, the 37-year-old White House hopeful has raised more than $76 million. CBS News reports Sen. Bernie Sanders scored $34.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2019. Sanders’ best fundraising month was December, when he collected 900,000 donations totaling over $18 million. Still seeking a last-minute boost in the polls that would allow him to qualify for the January Democratic debate, entrepreneur Andrew Yang’s presidential campaign announced he had raised $16.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2019 putting him among the Democratic field’s top five fund-raisers. And over in Trump Land, the Donald’s re-election campaign pulled in $46 million in the fourth quarter of 2019. The Trump campaign begins the 2020 re-election year with cash on hand of $102.7 million. Update – Rep. Tulsi Gabbard’s campaign announced the Democrat from Hawaii raised $3.4 million in the last quarter of 2019. The New York Times reports Joe Biden reported raising $22.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2019, a significant improvement from his lackluster fund-raising performance in the previous three months.

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News Round-Up: December 23, 2019

Alex Abramov (image via Instagram)
Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: Alex Abramov (above) offers this quickie #instagay take on getting ready for the holidays: remove shirt, add Russian fur hat and lights, shoot. • OUT: The mother of a child who committed suicide due to excessive bullying has sued the school on the basis of neglect and creating a hostile environment for LGBTQ students. • Instinct: The streaming giant teased its upcoming true crime documentary based on the real-life story of bisexual pro football player turned murderer, Aaron Hernandez.

• Christianity Today: The president of the evangelical magazine supported his editor in chief’s recent op-ed calling for the removal of Donald Trump. “The global Body of Christ — and the community of evangelicals — is vastly larger than our domestic political squabbles. But partly on behalf of that global body, we can no longer stay silent. We write for a readership of One. God is our Tower. Let the whirlwind come.” • The Verge: Theaters are receiving a new version of Cats with “some improved visual effects,” just days after it premiered to dismal reviews. Last-minute tweaks apparently left room for mistakes like Judy Dench’s human hand slipping through unnoticed.

• AP News: After Sen. Elizabeth Warren accused Mayor Pete Buttigieg of holding fundraising events in “wine caves” serving $900 bottles of wine, the owners of the venue that hosted the event pushed back. They say wine caves are common at wineries in Napa Valley because they’re good for storing wine at cool temperatures.; no $900 bottle of wine were served; and no one attended thinking they would become besties with Mayor Pete. • Advocate: Schitt’s Creek creator and star Dan Levy called out UK television channel 4Music for editing out same-sex moments from the series. • Will & Grace: Sean Hayes tweets a photo of the fab four taking a final bow as the last episode of Will & Grace was shot, and the unexpected revival of the hit sitcom comes to a close.

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Mayor Pete Goes Fanboy On Lizzo “I’m 100 Percent That…”

CBS This Morning hosted rising stars from both the political and music worlds as Democratic presidential hopeful Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Lizzo shared the green room this morning. Introducing the upcoming segments, host Gayle King turned to Buttigieg asking, “Mr. Mayor, what are three words that would best describe you?” Like a true fan, Mayor Pete replied, “‘Standing near Lizzo’ right now.” Responding to the same question, Lizzo – dressed in her diva best – answered, “Glamorous, talented, and booty-ful.” In a clear reference to Lizzo’s big hit “Truth Hurts,” King turned to Mayor Pete asking if he “had any DNA tests recently?” Fans of luscious Lizzo know the lyric, “I just took a DNA test / Turns out I’m 100 percent that bitch.” Showing he’s a Lizzo fan, Buttigieg didn’t miss a beat answering, “Yes, and I’m 100 percent (short pause) that nominee to lead the way to the future!” These are heady times for both Lizzo and Buttigieg. On top of her 8 Grammy Award nominations including Record of the Year and Song of the Year (“Truth Hurts”), the body-positive singer was just named TIME Magazine’s ‘Entertainer of the Year.’ And recent polls show Buttigieg surging to the front of the pack in the upcoming Democratic contests in both Iowa and New Hampshire.

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Campaign Ad: Cory Booker ‘The Other Rhodes Scholar Mayor’

Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) has a new ad spot out in Iowa in advance of the upcoming caucuses. “He’s a Rhodes Scholar. A successful mayor. A uniter,” says the voiceover while showing images of Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana. Cue the record scratch. “No, not that guy – It’s Cory Booker.” As was recently mentioned in the latest Democratic debate, both men are Rhodes Scholars who have served as mayors. The new spot runs down many of Booker’s accomplishments, and concludes saying he is the “Rhodes Scholar mayor” who “has what it takes to beat Donald Trump.” I think Booker is terrific, and definitely a worthy candidate. While I write about Buttigieg frequently here on The Randy Report, it’s due to two good reasons – this is an LGBTQ outlet and Mayor Pete is the first openly gay, serious contender for the Democratic nomination, and he’s rising in the polls. People have wondered why Booker hasn’t garnered more attention as yet. Some say it’s because he’s African-American, but I don’t think that’s the issue. My guess, in part, is Booker has spent several years stopping by news outlets, and so he has some national name recognition. For lack of better language, he’s not quite new news. Buttigieg came on the campaign scene this year as a much less known figure and became the ‘shiny new thing.’ But, after taking a look, folks were interested in the new guy’s resume (veteran, mayor, seven languages, openly gay) and his ability to speak extemporaneously on so many subjects. That’s not to say Booker can’t speak without preparation, I’m just saying it’s a skill that stood out quickly for Buttigieg as the world was getting to know him. Plus, at the beginning of the primary season, Buttigieg didn’t try to move as far left on issues as other candidates like Sen. Elizabeth Warren or Sen. Bernie Sanders. Coming from the midwest, Buttigieg seems confident in staying in the more moderate lane, which is where voters, where he comes from, are somewhat more comfortable. And just as there are lots of progressive Democrats, there are also a lot of moderate Dems. Also – the more vocal folks during primary season are generally the ones who support the biggest changes. As has been said often, Dem and GOP primary candidates tend to pull to their more purist edges before moving back to the center in the general election. I think in a world where a lot of people read headlines thinking they’ve read the news, voters like to “know” who a candidate is at a glance. And it seems like Booker hasn’t found his clear niche just yet. But I repeat – I think he’s definitely a strong candidate. And if he’s the Democratic nominee, I’ll be happy to vote for him.