The process for choosing the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries and caucuses is just beginning and will peak when the 3,979 elected delegates gather in June to elect their preferred Presidential candidate and team.
There were 22 candidates and its now down to 19, and some of these have very high profiles. But overnight in the one of the litmus test states something really amazing happened.
Mayor Pete Buttigieg, 38, graduate of Harvard University, Rhodes Scholar and served as a USA Naval Intelligence officer for 8 years and was deployed to Afghanistan and earned a Commendation for Bravey under fire, has been a rising star ever since he announced his candidacy last April. He is smart, his policies and attitude stand for a more open and less divisive government, he is also a christian (Anglican) (NB: not having a faith doesn’t exclude you from any role. I note it here only to make the next point even more amazing, when you consider how much say religion has had in a secular nation) and when he wins the presidential vote in November 2020 be first openly gay President of the USA - I know I have taken a big leap there, but not really - because last night he surprised America.
He has been in the top five of the preferred candidates, his message is far different than the negative approach of others, I think it resonates more with many voters, but his sexuality has appeared from the media perspective to be a challenge for voters and unlike any of the other candidates its brought up time and time again by some columnists.
So what happened in the Iowa Democratic Presidential caucuses held over night? Well Mayor Pete came out on top with 26.8% of the vote and that gives him 10 delegates for the National Convention, Bernie Sanders scored 25% of the vote and will have 10 delegates and Elizabeth Warren came in next and has 4 delegates. The Iowa Causcuses are seen by political scientists and commentators as a strong indicator of how a presidential candidate will do in later contests.
It leaves me wondering what will Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his deputy Leader McCormack say when they are presented to President Pete and his husband Chasten. For the two homophobes it will be a challenging experience, no doubt they will have to rush home and wash their hands in case they get the gay virus, but I am hopeful that this is an event I get to see.
Why is this important - it changes the outcome for anyone who sees themselves as different or excluded from society. In this country if your LGBTIQ, you are still seen as unequal, we won a partial battle to gain marriage equality however Scomo and his trolls are determined to squash us even further with the proposed Religious Freedom legislation which is about to go before the House of Reps this week. Yet in the USA which is more conservative than Australia, we see an openly gay young bloke. ex army, married to another young bloke who is a teacher, put his hand to stand for the role of Leader for the Nation and people are embracing him and pushing him forward, and best of all he could get the job and what a breath of fresh air that will bring To the world stage. Imagine if you are young and identify as LGBTIQ and can see what is possible in the role models like Pete Buttigieg, it makes a difference, and something I never had.
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