We’re old enough to remember (last month) when Joe Biden, the front-runner in every Democratic poll heading into 2020, was shamed into a Twitter apology by actress and gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon for offhandedly saying that Vice President Mike Pence was “a decent guy.”

“There is nothing decent about being anti-LGBTQ rights, and that includes the Vice President,” Biden replied to Nixon after she called him out.

So it’s that environment in which BuzzFeed News asked South Bend mayor and presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg what he thought of Biden’s “decent guy” remark.

.@PeteButtigieg on @VP Pence: "it chills a lot of us, especially in the LGBTQ community, to see that somebody like that can be in that kind of position of power.” –

(@Mr_Berman @iSmashFizzle @BuzzFeedNews) https://t.co/nDVCp2uoUz — Matt Mittenthal (@mattmittenthal) March 13, 2019

BuzzFeed News reports:

Pete Buttigieg, the South Bend, Indiana, mayor who is running for president, understands how Joe Biden might think Vice President Mike Pence is a “decent guy.” But he believes that Pence’s demeanor is covering up something else. “I mean to your face, if he were sitting right here, you’d think that this guy is very polite,” Buttigieg told BuzzFeed News’ Profile of Pence after being asked about Biden’s comments in an interview filmed from SXSW last weekend. “But that masks this absolutely fanatical view about how the world works or how the universe works that has led to these incredibly hurtful, dangerous, and harmful policies, and that’s what we have now in the White House. And I think it chills a lot of us, especially in the LGBTQ community, to see that somebody like that can be in that kind of position of power.”

Wow, we’re really glad we missed SXSW, because apparently it was just people saying a lot of stupid things on stage.

Ambassador Richard Grenell stood up for Pence, from whom we have yet to see anything anti-LGBTQ — he must be waiting until Trump is impeached to throw all the gays into camps.

For those of us in the LGBT community who deal in facts, we are chilled by recklessly repeated gossip. Mike Pence is a humble Christian who loves God, and all His creation. I know him. You obviously don’t. https://t.co/5OQzWEWCfP — Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) March 13, 2019

Can you name one true thing about the man? Those of us in the LGBT community not driven by irrational fear and bigotry know he is a perfectly harmless, good and honest person who has done absolutely nothing to deserve this paranoid nonsense. https://t.co/A5yPNimeKy — Chad Felix Greene (@chadfelixg) March 13, 2019

Shhhhh!? You're cramping his narrative. — Paige Rogers (@PaigeTRogers) March 13, 2019

You've made a straw man. Congratulations. Obama was against gay marriage, so was Hillary. Talk facts. — MAGA RƎVO⅃UTION ?? (@Sheep2Wolves) March 13, 2019

Mr. Buttigieg came out with a sucker punch on an undeserving Mike Pence. A strange political first move to alienate a large segment of the population. Odd. Certainly lost me. — Dawn (@dcbwaggett) March 13, 2019

Congratulations on pigeon holing yourself as unserious just as you were getting some attention. — Tivis Sutherland (@tivissutherland) March 13, 2019

Wow… an LGBT not brainwashed into thinking the world is against them. Keep up the red pills, friend 🙂 — Q University (@evilaim) March 13, 2019

Maybe you should meet him and I think you’ll find that he doesn’t give a shit about your sexuality. — commonsense (@commonsense258) March 13, 2019

I'm gay. I challenge all leftist gay citizens in this country to point out how @VP has negatively impacted their lives?! It's BS that he has done anything to harm us. We have more rights, more access and gov representation thanks to Trump Admin than ever before. @LogCabinGOP — EJE (@Gene_972) March 13, 2019

How has your life changed? I would love to hear, matter fact I’ll just sit here until I hear back so I can make sure to ask my gay friends if it’s true. — Steph (@stephiemacb) March 14, 2019

Since he’s been VP has Pence tried to enact anything that would take away gay rights? Im honestly asking as I admit I’m not a news hound, but I don’t think I’ve heard of anything. — David Beebe (@dcbthink) March 14, 2019

Are you unaware of the worldwide initiative this admin has recently begun to protect LGBTQ community in countries that sentence them to death? — PoisonIvy (@kateandbryanmom) March 13, 2019

Probably … we covered it though.

"somebody like that" – meaning what? — 19_mo_86 (@19_mo_86) March 13, 2019

“Somebody like that” means traditional Christian. — Tom Giovanetti ? (@tgiovanetti) March 13, 2019

Stop attributing #hate to a great man who emulates Christ's love in his daily life. Why are LGBTQ so #intolerant? Not everyone believes as you do but we can all get along. Why run for office if you don't get that? — Liz Vallespir (@truthfirst7) March 14, 2019

That’s okay. It chills a lot of old-fashioned Americans that a blatantly anti-Semitic Muslim can be in a position of power such as Ilhan Omar. Guess we’ll just have to deal with these traumas as best we can. — Robert Blackmer (@TJTackleberry) March 13, 2019

Wouldn't worrying over two freshmen representatives being in power concern an lgbtq activist more? Seeing what their ideology does to lgbtq members in countries where that ideology is in total power? — Phillip H. Briggs (@thebaldtexican) March 14, 2019

The mayor demonstrates the very type of intolerance of which he falsely accuses the VP. PB has no tolerance for the Pence’s Biblically based views; instead, the mayor demands that the VP abandon his faith in deference to the mayor’s world view. — Ramblin' Man, Ph.D. (@RamblinManNC) March 13, 2019

This is the progressive view of tolerance in 2019. Demand tolerance from others but only be tolerant of others yourself if others agree with your views. When they don't – vilify them. It's intellectually tired. — Jay Alan (@YeahSureYouBet) March 13, 2019

oh L00k! no tolerance from those that demand tolerance for themselves.

? — CourtRoom12 (@CrimesTrials) March 14, 2019

Pence is a good man. — corgimom (@corgimom67) March 14, 2019

He seems like a decent guy.

* * *

Update:

We missed this earlier today, but dissing Mike Pence seems to be a litmus test for 2020 Democratic candidates:

MSNBC: Is Mike Pence an honorable man?@SenWarren: No. MSNBC: Want to explain? WARREN: "Anyone who engages in the kind of homophobia and attacks on people who are different from himself is not an honorable person. That's not what honorable people do." pic.twitter.com/4jNgCXWS6S — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 13, 2019

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