[ad_1]
LAS VEGAS – South Bend, Ind. Mayor Pete Buttigieg, faced on Saturday one of his biggest vulnerabilities as a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the presidency: to present himself as a white man who led a life of privilege relating to a time when many members of his party wish that a woman or a minority candidate become their next leader.
Speaking at a fundraiser for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender causes, Mr. Buttigieg was inspired by his own experience as a gay man in a society with heterosexual majority. But he also rejected the idea that there are "equivalences" in the forms of discrimination suffered by different minority groups and individuals.
"I can be part of L.G.B.T.Q. community. But being a homosexual man does not even tell me what it's like to be a trans-colored woman in this same community, not to mention an undocumented four-year-old mother, dad. a disabled veteran or a displaced self-employed worker, "he said at the event by the Human Rights Campaign.
Mr. Buttigieg recalled the experiences of several historically oppressed groups and political movements behind greater social and political equality, including Latino agricultural workers, black civil rights advocates and the first movement. gay rights advocate born of the Stonewall Rebellion in Greenwich Village. He called for "the beginning of a new form of American solidarity" among people who understand that they live "in a society that sees us for what makes us all different."
At the same time, Buttigieg warned that identity politics could be corrosive to right and left, and feared that this would often make people of his party share a common goal extremely different.
"The wall that worries me the most is not the imaginary wall of the president on the Mexican border that will never be built anyway," he said while addressing President Trump, who proffered insults to Mr. Buttigieg. the whole week. "What worries me is the real walls that stand between us as we are divided and cut up."
He then made an explicit appeal to his audience. "And what all homosexuals have in common with all the excluded is to know what it is to see a wall," he said.
A 37-year-old graduate of Harvard and Oxford, Mr. Buttigieg expressed his pride and astonishment at the cover of Time magazine with her husband, Chasten, under the title "First Family". he said that he could never have considered was possible when he was a closed teenager.
"I am ready to use my story, my energy, my covenants," he added, "and yes, my privilege, to get into the destruction of these walls."
Until now, one of the biggest challenges for Buttigieg lies in the persistent doubts of activists and their allies as to whether he could appeal to voters other than the crowd, mostly white, who have been more and more numerous at his gatherings. He also faced questions about his balance sheet at South Bend, including the dismissal of the city's first black police chief, and the frustration of some African Americans with not having equally benefited from the city's economic revival; he often stressed. In recent weeks, Mr. Buttigieg has addressed black leaders and campaigned at events organized by minority groups.
Buttigieg's appearance at Saturday's dinner closed a turning point on the west coast, including sold-out fundraisers in the Bay Area and Los Angeles, adding more money to already larger coffers. important than the vast majority of its rivals for the Democratic nomination. . A fundraiser took place at the actress Gwyneth Paltrow; another was at the Abbey, a popular gay bar in West Hollywood.
As he and his campaign evolved – he began by being a curiosity and in a few weeks became one of the most reputable candidates in an overcrowded Democratic field – Mr. Buttigieg managed to attract the Financial support from many rich and famous people in Hollywood, Silicon Valley and Wall Street who helped raise millions of dollars for Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
He also attracted a new notable enemy: the president. After initially ignoring Mr. Buttigieg and ridiculing other contenders for the Democratic party, Trump has commented on the mayor twice in recent days.
"We represent against President Xi of China," Mr Trump said at a rally in Florida on Wednesday night, heavy sarcasm. "That would be great."
Then he compared Mr. Buttigieg to the teenage, comic mascot at the carp base for Mad magazine. "Alfred E. Neuman can not become president of the United States," said president interview with Politico on Friday.
Mr. Buttigieg, who tried to convince voters of the need for a generational shift in politics, said he was a little puzzled by Newman's reference.
The humor magazine had its moment of glory several years before its birth. "I had to do a Google search," he told the question. "I guess it's a generational thing."
And in response to Trump's criticism of the impossibility of negotiating with the Chinese, Buttigieg said in an interview that he would be happy to put his diplomatic skills in competition with those of the president.
"There is very little evidence that the White House knows what it is doing in China," he said.
[ad_2]
Source link