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.
Killer Inside: The mind of Aaron Hernandez. From the studio that brought you Making a Murderer and Evil Genius, witness the rise and fall of the infamous athlete Aaron Hernandez. How can someone who had everything throw it all away? January 15, only on Netflix. pic.twitter.com/tak2JAwXj5
• 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.
This isn’t a joke: CATS was rushed into theaters before being finished so a new version is being sent to theaters with updated effects. How do you know if you have the old version? Look for Judi Dench’s human hand, wedding ring and all. pic.twitter.com/VDUOevePU9
• 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.
And that’s a wrap from Stage 22 on the backlot of Universal Studios. What a glorious end to an amazing experience. Thanks to all of the fans. This was all for you. ❤️ #WillandGracepic.twitter.com/KJgttteFRC
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.
What are three words that describe you right now? — @GayleKing
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.
Mayor Pete Buttigieg on the campaign trail (via Buttigieg campaign/FB) So, this happened… An op-ed titled “Pete Buttigieg is a lying MF,” penned by Michael Harriot for The Root on Monday, took Democratic presidential candidate Mayor Pete Buttigieg to task for remarks he made in 2011 during his first run for mayor of South Bend, Indiana. In a video clip which recently resurfaced, Buttigieg said: “Kids need to see evidence that education is going to work for them. You’re motivated because you believe that at the end of your education, there is a reward; there’s a stable life; there’s a job. And there are a lot of kids—especially [in] the lower-income, minority neighborhoods, who literally just haven’t seen it work. There isn’t someone who they know personally who testifies to the value of education.”
In his essay, Harriot took offense that Buttigieg didn’t point out inequalities in the U.S. education system which stacks the deck against low-income students of color in terms of funding and post-college employment opportunities. Harriot used a story from his childhood about having to jump a wide ditch in order to walk to the one high school in his town from what he described as ‘the bad section of town.’ He contrasted himself with Buttigieg, whom he called a “lucky motherf*ck*r” for being able to attend better schools because, being white, “he didn’t have to jump a ditch.” In reference to the brief 2011 remark by Buttigieg, Harriot wrote, “This is why institutional inequality persists. Not because of white hoods and racial slurs. It is because this insidious double-talk erases the problem by camouflaging it. Because it is painted as a problem of black lethargy and not white apathy.” He goes on to say Buttigieg didn’t “misunderstand” or “misstate” the issue. Instead, he called the mayor a lying motherf*ck*r” and characterized Buttigieg’s comment as knowing he had stated “a baldfaced lie.” It would be simplistic to try and summarize the full op-ed here, but I encourage people to read it for themselves to form their own opinion about the charges leveled by Harriot. It is worth pointing out, however, that Harriot takes over 1,100 words to express what he felt Buttigieg should have said in less than a minute during that 2011 television roundtable discussion with three other people. In response to the op-ed, Buttigieg’s campaign reached out to Harriot asking if the mayor could call him to discuss the issue one-on-one. In a follow-up piece, Buttigieg reportedly began the conversation with the writer saying, “I don’t think I’ve ever been called a ‘lying motherf*ck*r’ before.” During the chat, it appears the two were able to find some common ground or agreement on the issue of institutional racism in education. “I conceded that the problems with institutional racism are so complex and go back so far that I’m not sure that anyone—a mayor, a governor or even a president—could fix them,” wrote Harriot. “Buttigieg, however, insisted that there are some things that people in power could do to make things more equal, a point I actually agreed with.” Harriot shares that Buttigieg asked him if he disagreed with the point he had been trying to make back in 2011, that “sometimes children don’t get to see the possibilities.” “Do you think the lack of positive examples of educational success can lead to mistrust and a lack of confidence in the system?” asked the mayor. Harriot’s answer was both yes and no, saying, “The lack of confidence [in the system] doesn’t have anything to do with role models or support from parents, it’s because the shit is true!” The writer concluded saying he felt for Buttigieg to reach out one-on-one was “brave and it symbolizes that he is willing to engage with people and voters on this issue.” “I didn’t think that Pete Buttigieg was going to dismiss or ignore black voters,” he added. “But I think that in an effort to remain moderate, some candidates don’t want to be as confrontational about these necessary issues, because it does ostracize some voters.” Harriot says his initial op-ed “wasn’t meant to inspire outrage” but rather “to make a necessary point about black voters and real issues.” Near the end of the second article, Harriot writes, “The only thing I actually know about Pete Buttigieg is that he is a white man. But Pete Buttigieg listened, which is all you can ask a white man to do.” In reading the follow-up piece, it sounds like the two had a productive talk. Later, during a campaign stop in Iowa, Buttigieg told reporters about the 2011 remark, “What I said in that comment before I became mayor does not reflect the totality of my understanding then, and certainly now, about the obstacles that students of color face in our system today.” The mayor went on to say his point of the remark was to underscore “the need for mentorship and the need for career pathways.” “The problem is to the extent that that feels like it’s validating a narrative that sometimes blames the victim for the consequences of systemic racism, I understand why he [Harriot] was upset and I understand the perspective and largely agree,” he added. Some thoughts I had watching this all unfold over the course of 24 hours: Buttigieg’s difficulties in attracting black voters’ support have been widely reported and discussed. In the last Democratic debate, Buttigieg acknowledged the struggle saying he welcomes “the challenge.” There were several ways the mayor could have responded to the op-ed and ensuing kerfuffle. The path he chose was to reach out directly to the person who raised the issues and, as Harriot writes, “listened.”I think that shows an openness to learning. Reading Harriot’s first essay, it seemed to present the 2011 remark as the entirety of his thoughts on the subject. But as I mentioned earlier, the comment took place during a television roundtable with three others early in his political career. Besides having a limited amount of time to expound on a very complex issue, he was fairly new to the idea of encapsulating sophisticated answers in a 60-second window. I’m not sure how much nuance you can include in that opportunity. While I won’t even pretend to have the answers to solving the inequalities in education in the U.S., I do think role models and mentors are a good thing. Minority professional associations exist in great part for that reason. And speaking of nuance, reading the enormous amount of comments on social media it was clear that some folks were chiming in after glancing at a headline without bothering to read either of the essays by Harriot. In today’s heated political environment, I urge people to actually read what it is being discussed. To do otherwise perpetuates vague opinions without knowing the facts. I have no favorite in the current presidential cycle other than ‘voting blue no matter who.’ At this point in time, I see strong qualities in many of the leading Democratic contenders including (in no particular order) Sens. Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, Amy Klobuchar, and Bernie Sanders, as well as former Vice President Joe Biden and Mayor Buttigieg. And we’re a long way from Election Day on November 3, 2020. Over the next 11 months, I think it’s important that in the process of choosing the Democratic nominee we don’t participate in a circular firing squad. My stance is if you think your choice is best, how about extolling their strengths rather than tearing down the other guy. In light of the U.S. intelligence community’s certainty that Russia interfered in the 2016 election in part by sowing and supporting discord among American voters, yelling at each other only falls into the trap. We can all have an opinion about who’s the best choice to become the next president, and lord knows I love people with opinions. I think we all knew this could be a rough primary season. Here’s hoping candidates and their supporters can participate in our democratic process with civility and an ear for listening. All of the candidates have their own experiences, skill sets, talents, and intelligence. Other than Biden, whose years as veep give him at least some insight to the realities of responding to world calamities, everyone who sits in the Oval Office begins with some kind of learning curve. How a person handles a learning curve is important. In this situation, Buttigieg chose to lean in, ask questions, and listen. I think that’s a good thing.
From the 2020 Mitch Fit calendar Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: Yep, it’s calendar season and if you like gingers (umm, who doesn’t?), the new Mitch Fit calendar is for you! • Daily Beast: Robert De Niro declares he’s Team Buttigieg saying in a recent interview, “He’s got all the credentials — Rhodes Scholar, Afghanistan veteran — even though he’s young, and if he could get a chance it could be something special, I think.” • Men’s Health: Henry Cavill talks about what motivates him in the gym. “It’s not like I’m a golden god — I’m just proud of what I achieved. And then you can take your clothes off in front of your significant other, and they’re like, ‘Goddamn, you look great!’ Like, ‘Yes! I’m making other people happy.’” For the record, yes – it would make me happy for Henry to take his clothes off 🙂
• ABC News: Donald Trump, whose sons enjoy killing animals for enjoyment, signed into law today a bill that makes animal cruelty a felony. I totally support the new law, but the irony is inescapable. • Global Citizen: Italy has passed a law that will give garbage collection tax breaks to businesses that donate unsold to charities rather than throw it away. Currently, the country spends more than $13 billion USD on waste management. • New Music: Like the track itself, the new music video for “Oh Mama” from indie-pop group Milky Chance has a trippy, retro blues vibe. It’s pretty hard to avoid nodding in time with the song. From the band’s new release Mind The Moon.
L-R Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Mayor Pete Buttigieg A new poll conducted by YouGov/Out Magazine shows LGBTQ voters are definitely leaning towards a particular Democratic presidential candidate and it’s Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. I’ll say upfront any polling should be taken with a grain of salt, but this does provide a glimpse into what some folks may be thinking at this time. Announced as a ‘first of its kind’ survey of likely Democratic primary voters who identify as LGBTQ, the results show Warren easily outpaces her fellow Democrats garnering 31 percent of those polled. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) came in second with 18 percent, former Vice President Joe Biden pulled in 16 percent, and out South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg received 14 percent support. Everyone else in the field scored in the single-digit range. 31% – Elizabeth Warren 18% – Bernie Sanders 16% – Joe Biden 14% – Pete Buttigieg 6% – Kamala Harris 3% – Cory Booker 2% – Julián Castro 2% – Amy Klobuchar2% – Andrew Yang 1% – Tulsi Gabbard 1% – Marianne Williamson All other candidates scored zero support. The data-crunchers at YouGov surmise Warren resonates so strongly with LGBTQ voters because LGBTQ voters tend to be more liberal than the average Democratic primary voter. According to Alissa Stollwerk, Vice President of YouGov Blue, “Seventy-seven percent of LGBTQ+ Democratic primary voters identified in our survey as very or somewhat liberal, approximately 20 percentage points higher than the percentage of Democratic primary voters overall who identify as very or somewhat liberal in our surveys.” For instance, respondents said they overwhelmingly prefer bold structural reforms (68%) versus incremental changes in policy (28%). Asked who could beat Donald Trump in the general election, 53 percent said Warren could win, 52 percent said Biden would trump Trump, 46 percent indicated Sanders could come out on top, 29 percent gave the nod to Buttigieg, and 26 percent said Harris could beat Trump. More from the survey: • 93% disapprove of the job Trump is doing as president; 89% strongly disapprove • 89% say Trump should be impeached and removed from office • 73% say the epidemic of violence against transgender women of color is the most critical issue facing the LGBTQ Community today; 60% said complete nondiscrimination protections; 59% indicated LGBTQ youth homelessness In a statement to Out, Stollwerk notes that such polling “is a snapshot of a group of people at a given time” and should be viewed as such. But the results do offer insight into “the viewpoints of these Democratic voters, what issues are important to them, and what they want to see in the next Democratic nominee for president. (source)
L-R Sen. Kamala Harris, Mayor Pete Buttigieg Mmm, I find this disconcerting. And not very constructive. Speaking at a breakfast event today, Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) said South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg came off “a bit naïve” when he brought up the discrimination experienced by LGBTQ Americans as part of his response to a question about his difficulty attracting support from black voters at Wednesday’s Democratic debate. A recent Quinnipiac University poll showed Mayor Pete currently draws 0% of African Americans in South Carolina. From CBS News:
During a Black Women Power Breakfast hosted by Higher Heights, a national political organization for black women that endorsed Harris earlier this month, Harris said it was wrongheaded for Buttigieg to “compare our struggles.”
“Those of us who’ve been involved in Civil Rights for a long time we know that it is important that we not compare our struggles. It is not productive, it is not smart and strategically it works against what we need to do which is build a coalition,” Harris said Thursday. “We know that in our ongoing fight for civil rights if any one of us starts to differentiate ourselves in a certain way and in particular what he did on the stage, it’s just not productive. And I think it’s a bit naïve.”
Backstage after the debate, Harris told CNN, “I’m never going to engage or allow anyone to engage in comparing struggles. I think that is just misdirected.” “So we’re going to now say that my pain is worse than your pain?,” she continued. “We had 400 years of slavery in this country. We had years of lynching, which involved black men, in particular, being dragged from their homes and hung on a tree, often castrated.” During the fifth Democratic debate on Wednesday night, Mayor Pete agreed with Harris that the Democratic Party has sometimes ignored black women voters until elections roll around. He added that he looked forward to “connecting with black voters.” “While I do not have the experience of ever having been discriminated against because of the color of my skin, I do have the experience of sometimes feeling like a stranger in my own country, turning on the news and seeing my own rights come up for debate,” Buttigieg shared in his response. He added, “Wearing this wedding ring in a way that couldn’t have happened two elections ago lets me know just how deep my obligation is to help those whose rights are on the line every day, even if they are nothing like me in their experience.” Watching the debate live, I didn’t see the exchange as “comparing” struggles as much as he seemed to be relating to them via his own experience to what marginalized communities feel. CBS News asked Buttigieg about Harris’ accusation Thursday, and the South Bend mayor pushed back saying, “there’s no equating those two experiences.” “What I do think is important is for each of us to reveal who we are and what motivates us and it’s important for voters to understand what makes me tick, what moves me and my sources of motivation and ensuring that I stand up for others,” Buttigieg told CBS News. “Last night I shared that some of my sources of motivation included my personal experience, my governing experience, and my personal faith.”
Mayor Pete Buttigieg on the campaign trail (via Buttigieg campaign/FB) A reporter for the Los Angeles Times has issued an apology for misquoting Democratic presidential hopeful Mayor Pete Buttigieg in an article published on Sunday. Evan Halper seemed to have gotten a newsworthy quote from Buttigieg where the midwestern mayor appeared to blame President Barack Obama for the election of Donald Trump. At the end of Halper’s article, he quoted Buttigieg as saying, “The failures of the Obama era help explain how we got Trump.” What the openly gay mayor actually said was, “The failures of the old normal help explain how we got Trump.” Halper took to Twitter early Monday morning to apologize saying he misheard what Buttigieg as a “result of transcribing a noisy recording.”
My story about @PeteButtigieg ends with him referring to the “failures of the Obama era.” That’s an inaccurate quote — the result of transcribing a noisy recording at a loud rally. His exact words were “failures of the old normal”
I deeply regret the mistake When we make errors we own them. This one really hurts because it went viral. Here’s the candidate’s full remark: “I also fundamentally believe that there is no going back. My message is not about going back to where we were.
I think because I come from a part of the country where normal has been a real problem for a very long time, and I think the failures of the old normal help explain how we got to Trump, I am much more interested in building a future that is going to have a lot of differences."
Buttigieg was responding to being compared to former Vice President Joe Biden and billionaire Michael Bloomberg. “My message is not about going back to where we were,” said Buttigieg. “I think because I come from a part of the country where ‘normal’ has been a real problem for a very long time, and I think the failures of the old normal help explain how we got Trump period.” “So, I’m much more interested in running on building a future that is going to have a lot of differences,” he added. Apparently, the communications team for Buttigieg’s campaign records and archives his interviews. They’ve got the receipts and posted the audio recording to YouTube. Buttigieg’s statement comes at the 45-second mark:
Buttigieg accepted Halper’s ‘swift and honest’ apology via Twitter:
I appreciate this reporter’s swift and honest correction of a misquote on my views of the Obama presidency. From health care to DADT repeal to the rescue of the auto industry, my appreciation of the great leadership of Barack Obama comes from a very personal place. https://t.co/eWvSDtcpTQ
Apologies are nice, but in the time that the article was published and the apology was issued, the hashtag #ByePete had begun trending on Twitter. Some folks in the Twitterverse were not happy. Here’s just a sample:
You are a political journalist for the most illustrious newspaper West of the Mississippi — this kinda shit lost us the last election. You just ruined an entire campaign’s week, because you seemingly heard what you wanted to.
I’m so not a fan of Pete’s but this is a huge and extremely prejudicial error and there needs to be serious consideration given when reporting something like that.
Once seen as a ‘long-shot’ candidate, Buttigieg has continued to rise in the polls. And with higher polling positions, he has attracted closer scrutiny to his policies and public statements. The Real Clear Politics average of national polls currently shows Buttigieg in 4th place behind Biden and Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT). RCP average of polls for first-in-the-nation Iowa, however, indicates he trails only Warren. A first or second-place finish in the Iowa caucus’ for Buttigieg would give even more credibility to his candidacy.
L-R Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Mayor Pete Buttigieg The latest New York Times/Siena College poll shows the Democratic field tightening in the 2020 Iowa caucuses race as Sen. Elizabeth Warren holds a slight lead over Sen. Bernie Sanders while Mayor Pete Buttigieg is surging to third past former Vice President Joe Biden. From the New York Times:
Ms. Warren appears to have solidified her gains in the first voting state while Mr. Buttigieg has climbed quickly to catch up with Mr. Sanders and overtake Mr. Biden, the one-time front-runner. Ms. Warren is drawing support from 22 percent of likely caucusgoers, while Mr. Sanders is at 19 percent, followed by Mr. Buttigieg at 18 percent and Mr. Biden at 17 percent.
The survey is full of alarming signs for Mr. Biden, who entered the race in April at the top of the polls in Iowa and nationally.
He is still in the lead in most national polls, but his comparatively weak position in the earliest primary and caucus states now presents a serious threat to his candidacy. And Mr. Biden’s unsteadiness appears to have opened a path in the race for other Democrats closer to the political middle, particularly Mr. Buttigieg.
L-R Sen. Bernie Sanders, Mayor Pete Buttigieg As we begin a new quarter, Democratic candidates are touting their fundraising prowess with email blasts. Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s campaign writes that Pete for America pulled in over $19 million during the 3rd quarter, which brings his total haul from the beginning of the year to more than $51 million. And Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) announced his campaign took in $24.8 million in the 3rd quarter. More to come…the day is early.
