Pete Buttigieg needs to be The Guy
Enough Chuck Schumer. Enough Hakeem Jeffries. The Democrats have modern politics' best messenger on their side. Unleash him.
So even though The Truth OC is primarily devoted to the political landscape out here in Southern California, every so often I might feel inspired to drift into the larger story of America’s ongoing Trumpian hellscape.
Why? Because it’s all interconnected. What happens there happens here. What happens here happens there. We all probably feel a bit protected living in a state this large, this (for the most part) liberal. But it’s a bit of an illusion. We are Americans, and whatever mad thought crosses Donald Trump’s skull impacts us all.
In short, we need to fight back. We need to throw punches. We need to puff out our chests, roll up our sleeves, dare Clubber Lang to take the first shot.
Instead, what’s going down right now with Democratic messaging can be explained in one image …
It’s soft. Melted butter soft. And if you think I’m exaggerating, here’s Hakeem Jeffries, minority speaker and a man I once very much believed in, addressing whether Eric Adams can continue as the mayor of New York City1 …
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If you’re thinking, “What the actual fuck?”—well, you and I are of one brain. What the actual fuck? The sitting president of the United States kills off serious corruption charges against the mayor of our greatest city, expects all sorts of grotesque kneel-before-Zod loyalty in return … and Jeffries says, “Well, um, we’ll see”?
Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, is no better. Dude is old. Uninspired. Sounds like your uncle. The one you don’t like. The one who hands you a folded up $5 bill as a Chanukah gift. The one who complained about Kendrick’s halftime show and longs for the days of the Benny Goodman Orchestra. The one who committed (dear God) this monstrosity …
We, the millions upon millions of Americans who see Donald Trump for what he truly is, are crying for leadership. We are crying for someone to stand up and say, “Fuck, no.” We are crying for boldness. Even if it’s boldness without a precise plan—we are desperately seeking leaders willing to call out the nonsense and take the gunfire and ignore the inevitable Twitter hate with a dismissive shrug.
In short, we need Pete Buttigieg.
The former U.S. Secretary of Transportation is an all-time great communicator; one who regularly went on Fox News and swatted away the bullshit like flies circling a pile of manure.
If you need some reminders, check out this …
And this …
And this …
I suspect Buttigieg is planning a run for governor of Michigan, which means placing him in the spotlight makes sense. And, unlike Jeffries and Schumer, he’s simply masterful. So let him hold weekly opposition press conferences. Have him stand outside the Capitol, joined by different Dems (depending on the topic) and tee the fuck off. Go after Elon Musk for attacking democracy with someone named Big Balls. Go after Marco Rubio for rolling over to Russia. Go after Pete Hegseth for being a moron. Every … single … week—make Buttigieg the centralized lead voice of resistance.
It’s only been a month of Trump’s presidency, but it feels like seven years.
Let’s stop cowering, and let’s start brawling.
Led by our own elite fighter.
He cannot.
Pete lives in Michigan and I hope he runs for the Senate.
Been a proud member of Team Pete since March 2019. While I think he'd personally hate to serve in the Senate, I think he's aware of the party's desperate need for a communicator like him.