Pete Buttigieg blasted the ‘revolutionary politics of the 1960s’ and people were quick to point out the obvious
Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg was grilled by LGBT+ Twitter users for comments made during the Democratic debates. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg blasted the “revolutionary politics of the 1960s” and countless people were quick to give him a short history lesson.
In a barb aimed at rival Bernie Sanders, the former South Bend, Indiana, mayor decried the Vermont senator for his politics that go against “Donald Trump with his nostalgia for the social order of the 1950s”.
Yet, many users hurried to remind the Harvard history major of a little revolutionary moment of politics called, you know, the Stonewall Riots.
Oh, and, you know, the civil rights movement. That little thing, easy to forget, we guess.
Pete was a history major at Harvard.
When he rejects “the revolutionary politics of the 1960s,” he knows exactly what he’s referring to. https://t.co/7EbNtRHaor
— Simon Narode ? (@SimonNarode) February 26, 2020
Why did Pete Buttigieg say this?
Pete Buttigieg delivered the tone-deaf remark as a way to further fury aimed at Sanders after an old clip resurfaced of him praising Cuban leader Fidel Castro’s social reforms.
Fellow runner Michael Bloomberg attempted to stall Sanders’ momentum amid success in the caucuses by spotlighting Sanders’ support for the Marxist-Leninist politician.
During the Democratic debates Tuesday, Buttigieg gave his thoughts.
Democratic presidential hopefuls former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg (L) and former mayor of South Bend, Indiana Pete Buttigieg (R) both sparred with Bernie Sanders during the South Carolina debates. (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)
“The only way you can do [create change] is to actually win the presidency,” he said on the South Carolina stage, “and I am not looking forward to a scenario where it comes down to Donald Trump with his nostalgia for the social order of the 1950s and Bernie Sanders with a nostalgia for the revolutionary politics of the 1960s.
“This is not about what coups were happening in the 1970s or 80s. This is about the future.
“This is about 2020.”
After the debates, Buttigieg tweeted Tuesday, according to screenshots, to echo his words: “We can’t afford a scenario where it comes down to Donald Trump with his nostalgia for the social order of the 1950s and Bernie Sanders with his nostalgia for the revolutionary politics of the 1960s.”
Backlash bubbled, however, and the tweet was later deleted.
LGBT+ Twitter outraged by Pete Buttigieg’s ‘insulting’ comment.
Twitter users, armed with the power to screenshot tweets, hounded Pete Buttigieg for his comments. Many noted that he appeared to “close the door” on those who, ultimately, paved the way for a gay man to potentially become president of the US.
Buttigieg's dismissal of the social movements of the 1960s is an insult not just to the generation of LGBT people before him whose brave activism paved the way for a world where he could run for president, but to every social minority who dares to imagine a more just world— ? Smeallie ? C2E2 (@KyleSmeallie) February 26, 2020
The reason why many queer people dislike Pete is because he is one of many gays who openly and loudly shit on the exact movements that unlocked his closet door. https://t.co/v7ACfTZJAN— ruthlessly labour (@TKispeter) February 27, 2020
Historian here. Maybe Pete Buttigieg doesn’t know this, but “the revolutionary politics of the 1960s” is what brought us the greatness of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and the height of the civil rights movement.— Moshik Temkin (@moshik_temkin) February 26, 2020
Wow. Bernie organized sit-ins against housing segregation in the 1960s. Buttigieg says we shouldn't have "nostalgia for the revolutionary politics of the 1960s." #DemocraticDebate pic.twitter.com/LM5ggqs3rK
— 29 U.S.C. § 157 (@OrganizingPower) February 26, 2020
The comments have served only to yawn the divide between Buttigieg and black voters. The candidate was castigated last week by civil rights activists for appearing at a minimum wage rally – attended mainly by people of colour – who pointed out the hypocrisy of his presence.
A Buttigieg campaign team spokesperson told LGBTQ Nation that the tweet was removed for not “capturing the full context”.
“[The tweet] clearly referred to Bernie Sanders’ nostalgia for the coups and revolutions that were taking place in Cuba and around the world.
“Pete was making the important point that if Bernie Sanders is the nominee, it will hurt Democrats up and down the ballot if we have to spend our time explaining why our nominee is encouraging people to look at the bright side of the Castro regime.”
