Mayor Pete Buttigieg has made history and is now Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Politics
The former Indiana mayor and one-time Democratic presidential candidate made history on Tuesday when he was confirmed by the US Senate as the first openly gay cabinet secretary in US history. Secretary Pete Buttigieg will lead the Biden administration’s Department of Transportation and is widely seen as a rising star within Democratic politics.
Secretary Buttigieg is a graduate of Harvard and Oxford universities and served as a US Navy intelligence officer during the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” era (when members of the military were required to keep their sexuality a secret). He came out while mayor of South Bend, Indiana, got married, introduced sexual orientation and gender identity to his city’s civil rights ordinance, and openly opposed Mike Pence’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act — which promoted discrimination against LGBTQ+ people under the guise of protecting religious freedoms. He’s also been extremely open about his Christian faith and has never shied away from discussing it in a gentle manner.
Now, Buttigieg is seen as a rising star within Democratic circles due to his impressive educational background, active military experience, calm and clear demeanor when discussing LGBTQ issues, and strong faith.
He was dubbed “Slayer Pete” after he went on Fox News last fall and successfully defended the principles of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris while leaving the conservative, Trump-loving anchors shocked and silenced.
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Pete Buttigieg – Fox News might not let you back after you destroyed their set like that 😂#Debates2020 pic.twitter.com/pWyCvBwxjo
— Nerdy Pursuit (@nerdypursuit) October 8, 2020
He is also expected to be the “go-to” cabinet secretary dispatched to speak on behalf of the Biden administration on the Sunday political talk shows.
There’s even talk that Secretary Buttigieg is a shoo-in to be Vice-President Kamala Harris’ running mate when she runs for president, creating the historic ticket of a Black/Indian woman and a Gay man.
So, congratulations are in order for Secretary Pete Buttigieg — a history-making cabinet secretary and rapidly rising political star.
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“The Republican Party likes to cloak itself in the language of religion. We should call out hypocrisy when we see it. For a party that associates itself with Christianity to say that it is OK to suggest that God would smile on the division of families at the hands of federal agents — that God would condone putting children in cages — has lost all claim to ever use religious language again.” – Pete Buttigieg
CNN: The Senate voted Tuesday to confirm Alejandro Mayorkas as Homeland Security secretary, the first Latino and immigrant to serve at the helm of the department. His confirmation will fill a critical role in the new administration and he’ll be expected to swiftly begin rolling back Trump administration immigration policies while juggling the response to a global pandemic and national security threats, along with restoring a department that’s been rattled by leadership turnover and vacancies in recent years.The Senate also voted Tuesday to confirm Pete Buttigieg as transportation secretary, making him the first Senate-confirmed LGBTQ Cabinet secretary.Buttigieg’s confirmation elevates the former South Bend, Indiana, mayor and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate to a top post in the federal government. The choice vaults a candidate President Joe Biden spoke glowingly of after the primary into a top job in his administration and could earn Buttigieg what many Democrats believe is needed experience should he run… Read more »