Pete Buttigieg and the manosphere
Pete Buttigieg is comfortable in his own skin. Unlike Democrats who walk into a public space on the defensive or ready to do battle (fewer), Buttigieg’s affect is, “This is who I am. Take it or leave it.” It’s not only refreshing, but his openness allows some potential adversaries to lower their guards and listen.
On Wednesday, Buttigieg appeared on Andrew Schulz’s Flagrant podcast. “A Democrat has entered the manosphere,” declared The Verge:
According to co-host Akaash Singh, Flagrant, which has drawn controversy for its hosts’ willingness to engage with racist content, was unable to get Democrats to agree to come on the show, prompting Buttigieg to call them out for turning down the invitation. “We have to be encountering people who don’t think like us and who don’t view the world the way we do, both in order to become smarter and better and make better choices and take better positions, and also to persuade,” he said.
Piercing the bubbles
Coverage of the appearance is more about the novelty of it than the substance. Daily Beast presented a couple of quotes and described it as “the latest in a string of media hits for the former transportation secretary, popular Democratic surrogate, and potential 2028 presidential nominee who has urged the party to improve its anti-Trump attacks.”
The Advocate (no surprise) provided much more, describing Buttigieg as “just as fluent in barbershop banter and locker-room one-liners as he is in public policy”:
In a nearly three-hour appearance on Flagrant—the bro-y, wildly popular podcast hosted by comedians Andrew Schulz, Akaash Singh, and crew—Buttigieg showed that a Harvard grad, Rhodes Scholar, former mayor, and former presidential candidate can chop it up with some of YouTube’s biggest comedy bros without sounding rehearsed, robotic, or condescending.
Amid rising concern within the Democratic Party about its growing disconnect with male voters — particularly younger men — the conversation doubled as a political case study: What does it look like when a high-profile Democrat engages the “manosphere” not with disdain, but on its own turf, and its own terms?
Buttigieg described the learning curve he’s climbing in how to care for his Black daughter’s hair. He spoke to the threat posed by growing economic inequality, competition with China, and the risks of unchecked corporate consolidation. And about coming out to his parents.
Openness breeds trust
Hillary Clinton in 2016 was perhaps the most qualified candidate Democrats had ever run for president. Except after decades of relentless right-wing attacks, her public affect was a woman looking at you over the top of a shield. Even if it was Wonder Woman’s, it didn’t make her feel open and approachable to many voters. She was a highly skilled public servant. Not so skilled as a candidate. Buttigieg has skills.
The conversation turned to Democrat’s ability to speak to voters’ concerns. Or lack of it. Republicans know better how to reach voters on an emotional level, Schulz noted (Daily Beast):
“If you want to help them, say the thing that you think they need help with out loud directly and say that you’re going to do it and then endeavor to do it,” Schulz said. “We already expect you guys not to do it so the least you could do is f—ing lie to me. You don’t even lie to me!”
In the clip above, Buttigieg replies by laying out the kind of country he wants, Democrats want, even if they are ineffective at expressing it. [start at timestamp 1:38:55]
“I want you to have good public transit to get to where you’re going, and then when you get to that job, I want you to be paid well,” Buttigieg said. “If you’re about to have a kid, I want you to know that you’re going to have parental leave when you have that kid and if you don’t want to have a kid I want you to have the the right to choose whether to have a kid.”
Schulz said he agreed with Buttigieg’s ideals, but he felt that Democrats’ lack of action plans and emotional appeals contributed more to a Trump victory than Trump himself.
“Give me the solution to the feeling that I have,” Schulz continued. “I think that there’s a lot of Americans who are at the end of their hope.”
“It seems you know exactly what we’re feeling because that was beautiful,” Schulz added. “But I need the statements that are going to satisfy those feelings because that’s what gets people to sway over and that’s what [Republicans are] f—ing good at.
All of us should be so comfortable in our own skins and beliefs. The left is fighting an asymmetrical messaging war funded by right-wing billionaires. We need to turn their weapons to our advantage.
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