NEWS WRAP

High roller green-lit for Las Vegas debate 

• Billionaire presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg has qualified the for Democratic debate in Nevada, the first time the former mayor of New York will face off with his Democratic opponents. Bloomberg hit 19 per cent in a national poll this week, giving him a fourth national poll result over 10 per cent – and subsequently a qualifying ticket to the debate. But Bloomberg is likely to come under heavy fire from Senators Sanders and Warren who have railed against billionaires and the former mayor specifically for his record on race and attempting to “buy the election”. READ MORE HERE
   

• John Bolton has publicly broken his silence for the first time since President Trump's impeachment trial. The former national security advisor celebrated President's Day by speaking at a Duke University event in Durham, North Carolina. Bolton was sparing in details about the President, saying he was restricted in what he could say. He did, however, discuss censorship concerns about his forthcoming memoir, The Room Where It Happened. When asked about President Trump's infamous July 25 phone call to Ukraine, Bolton touted his book, saying “you will love Chapter 14”. Bolton has reportedly spoken more candidly about his tenure in the Trump administration during paid, private functions. READ MORE HERE
   

• Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has a clear lead in the polls ahead of Sunday’s Nevada Caucuses. According to three recent polls, Sanders leads a three-way cluster of Warren, Biden and Buttigieg by double-digits. The Nevada Caucuses are, however, known to be immensely difficult to predict due to the complicated voting system and traditionally minimal turnout. Sunday will be the first time in the race so far that minority voters will figure distinctly. Large shares of registered Democrats in the state are black or of Hispanic or Latino ancestry, key demographics for the struggling Biden campaign. READ MORE HERE
   

• The United States has confirmed 14 new cases of the deadly coronavirus (COVID-19) from repatriated passengers of the Diamond Princess cruise ship. This outbreak has boosted the number of confirmed cases in the United States to 15, on par with confirmed cases of the virus in Australia. Some of the 400 American passengers were evacuated from the luxury cruise liner on Sunday, following the ship's mandatory 14-day quarantine period. Australians on board the Diamond Princess are set to board a charter flight on Wednesday, bringing them from Japan to Darwin where they await another fortnight of quarantine. READ MORE HERE
   
• A Manhattan jury has begun deliberating on the rape trial of disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein. The jury, made up of five women and seven men, will return on Wednesday morning after it was unable to reach a verdict on Tuesday. Over five hours of deliberation, the jury sent notes requesting clarification on legal terms and the verdict's structure, as well as a blueprint of Weinstein's SoHo apartment. The judge also warned lead defence lawyer Donna Rotunno against talking to the press after she wrote an opinion piece urging jurors to "do what they know is right". READ MORE HERE

ANALYSIS

Can America elect a gay president?

Bruce Wolpe
Non-resident Senior Fellow

As former mayor of South Bend, Indiana Pete Buttigieg emerges as a leading contender for the Democratic nomination for president following his strong showings in Iowa and New Hampshire, an issue in the background of his campaign is also moving onto centre stage: Can America elect its first openly gay president?

In a stunning political and intellectual profile in Commonweal, eminent historian and Buttigieg’s former professor at Harvard, James Kloppenberg addresses Buttigieg’s growth both as a scholar and in all aspects of his career. On the issue of his sexuality, Professor Kloppenburg observed:

“That fact seems to matter less to many voters than most people had expected. Yet there are clearly people who would not vote for him for just that reason; opposition to LGBTQ rights remains as persistent as racism..."

On the night of Buttigieg’s Iowa victory, the LGBTQ Victory Fund declared "America is ready for the first openly gay president!". In the wake of this success and as Buttigieg gained momentum to be in the top tier of contenders, President Trump’s core supporters have locked their lasers on their target, zeroing in on Buttigieg’s sexuality.

Radio behemoth Rush Limbaugh, who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom during Trump’s State of the Union address, recently took aim at Buttigieg, saying:

“They’re sitting there and they’re looking at Mayor Pete — a 37-year-old gay guy, mayor of South Bend, loves to kiss his husband on the debate stage. And they’re saying, okay, how’s this going to look, a 37-year-old gay guy kissing his husband onstage next to Mr. Man Donald Trump? What’s going to happen there?”

To which Buttigieg responded last Sunday on CNN:

"Well, I love my husband. I'm faithful to my husband. On stage, we usually just go for a hug, but I love him very much. And I'm not going to take lectures on family values from the likes of Rush Limbaugh."

In the Democratic Party, Buttigieg’s sexuality is not a matter that will significantly impede his quest for the nomination, as was the case when Barack Obama became the first African American nominee, and Hillary Clinton the first woman. It would actually be more disqualifying for Buttigieg if he were opposed to abortion – or supported more coal-fired power plants.

In 2008, there was widespread celebration across the country that Obama had broken the colour barrier for the presidency. The country was pleased with itself for being ready to elect a black man as president, and for taking the momentous step 400 years after the introduction of slavery and 155 years after its abolition.

Whether Buttigieg can accomplish the same as a gay man will turn on how effectively he presents his leadership qualities and how they stand up against Trump. Frankly, it will also depend on how people feel about seeing Buttigieg and his partner together on the campaign trail, contemplating their living together in the White House, alongside ever-more-visible on-air and online public displays of affection between them.

After Super Tuesday, we will know whether the former South Bend mayor will become a top contender, but should Buttigieg win the nomination, there will ultimately be a reckoning with the American people on the question of whether they are ready to embrace this man as their president. As is already emerging, the first openly gay major-party candidate for president will continue to face strong headwinds, especially from deeply conservative religious voters across the political spectrum.

Buttigieg faces daunting challenges ahead: to win more Democratic primary votes and delegates, to hone his message and to ultimately attract a winning majority.

The question is not whether Democrats could nominate Pete Buttigieg, or whether he is a highly able candidate. Instead, many questions around Buttigieg arise from his sexuality: Can most Americans accept, and will they elect?

This is an abridged version of a recent essay written by Bruce Wolpe. The full version is available on our website.

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