Courtesy Pete For America

I’m about to feel very exposed. Here I am rushing into my own internal battle, keyboard blazing like the weapon it can be, pulse quickened, and my own breath suddenly working its way into my conscious attention. But I have three secret weapons along with me. I have three secret weapons and their names are Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Antonin Scalia, and Pete Buttigieg.

Perhaps the most widely recognized name of the three is Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She’s a Supreme Court Justice, as you likely know. So was Antonin Scalia. To oversimplify, Justice Ginsburg is currently enjoying a late in life popular culture explosion of celebrity. This is of course… quite rare. Supreme Court justices rarely make appearances on t-shirts and bumper stickers or as character studies on Saturday Night Live. (link) Since I’m writing to expose myself in a personal way, I’m willing to also add that I’m slightly embarrassed to admit that I have an action figure in her likeness presiding over a quiet corner of my desk. She reminds me of certain things, not the least of which is that I should occasionally have the courage and conviction to dissent in spite of personal anxiety or fear. Its not just me, though. Ruth Bader Ginsburg has become an unlikely hero to… if you must… “The Left.”

Justice Scalia passed away in 2016. He was an extremely influential representative of… if you must… “The Right.”

My personal opinions regarding law, government, sociopolitical arguments, and political philosophy run much more consistently with Justice Ginsburg.

Justice Scalia and Justice Ginsburg worked together in the theater of the Supreme Court from 1993 until Scalia’s death. They were famously endeared to one another. By all accounts, they seemed to be the best of friends.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg spoke at Scalia’s funeral. During her tender eulogy, she recounted that he’d been asked, “How they could be friends given their many contrasting opinions and beliefs? Justice Scalia answered, ‘I attack ideas, I don’t attack people. Some very good people, have some very bad ideas. If you can’t separate the two, you’ve got to get another day job.’” This rendered warm, inclusive laughter.

She said, “We were different, yes… in our interpretation of written text, yet one in our reverence for the court and its place in the US system of governance.”

The dignity and respect in this relationship is so admirable that I’d call it an embodiment of the very thing that America is supposed to be. And I’d say their example, their relationship makes me feel inspired, hopeful, calm and empowered.

I am often proud that my extended pool of contacts, acquaintances, and friends are so eclectic. But if you really are connected to such a wide array of people, and you really are proud of it, and you really are a good friend, then you listen a lot. Listening is something that people take for granted. It’s a difficult thing to do really well. Sometimes I’m better at it than others. I’m human. I screw up. But if you’re really a friend, if you’re really proud and grateful for knowing a large variety of different people, then you have a responsibility not only to listen, but not to be so surprised if all of them don’t agree with you. And maybe not so offended. Maybe they don’t like their pizza the same way you do. But maybe they don’t interpret immigration rights the way you do. Maybe they strongly differ from you about music. But maybe they don’t feel the same way you do about abortion rights, climate change, gun control, or healthcare. Also, maybe there is more common ground than you first believe.

Maybe you aren’t ever going to see the changes in the world that you’d like to see if you’re only concerned about your own opinions and whether other people are right or not. Maybe it’s because we’re angry, hurt, scared, exhausted and told all the time by our environment that we must fight. We must rid ourselves of all “toxicity.” It’s true, these are unprecedented times. We as Americans and really just as human beings have faced collective adversity in the past. But there’s been a shift that is undeniable. I see the death of so many relationships that are proudly declared DOA after some errant comment or conversation about politics or politically based opinions. Of course the online world exacerbates this, but it’s not just online. We are as divisive as we’ve ever been. It’s volatile. It’s counterproductive. It’s particularly dismal when I think of it against the dignity and sophistication of Justices Scalia and Ginsburg’s relationship.

This is where the third name enters this coming out party. Buttigieg. If you aren’t following along in the world of American politics in preparation for the Presidential election of 2020, you may not know who Pete Buttigieg is. A quick Google search will give you all the regular factoids when getting to know him as a candidate. One of those factoids is the pronunciation of his last name. Don’t worry; you’ll get it. There was a time when you didn’t know how to pronounce “Obama” either, by the way. You may know there are many, many people who are campaigning for the Presidency. For me, Buttigieg is completely different than everyone else. He’s a listener. He’s one of the most impressive listeners I’ve ever come across, be it in a political arena or not. Great listeners make great leaders.

By the way, I’d be remiss if I didn’t also suggest you might Google Pete Buttigieg’s husband. His name is Chasten. I’ll let you discover Chasten on your own. I’d be forsaking in my love of happy surprises if I didn’t let you open your own gift. It’s absolutely a warm and loving running notion among Buttigieg supporters that Chasten is a special part of Pete’s campaign. He’ll immediately be one of your favorite people you’ve never met in “real life.”

Like many of the candidates running for President, Pete Buttigieg stops for a comically enormous number of selfies and photos. I’ve been one of his supporters since about the end of January. He and I share our birthday month as well as our wedding anniversary month. She goes by her middle name, but I share his Mom’s formal first name. I’m nerdy enough about my love for this candidate for those things to make me feel happy. I had the pleasure and good fortune to meet Pete Buttigieg here in New Orleans in the beginning of July. I’ve never shaken anyone’s hand before and thought, “this is the most perfect handshake ever in the history of the handshake.” It was quite arresting. His handshake itself conveys as much about him as anything else. When he was shaking my hand, and I told him my name, he was listening. He’s an active, thinking, and honest listener. He was really stopping to really listen. And if you’re a Buttinerd, you’ve heard or read countless anecdotes regarding first impressions upon meeting Pete Buttigieg. All of them are moving, and all of them include notation about how genuine he is. The most moving of all the responses about meeting Pete Buttigieg comes from Pete Buttigieg himself. Recently a reporter named DJ Judd asked him if he could change something about modern campaigning, what it would be. This was his response: “I wish I had as many interactions as I had selfies. Right? It’s like the selfie, it doesn’t even accompany the handshake now…I wish there were a little more humanity in those interactions.”

Pete Buttigieg is astute, direct, methodical, genuine, quick witted, caring, honorable, prepared, creative, brave, focused, and loved by the animal kingdom. (link)

I struggle with exposing my opinions about many things. I am often fearful. I often catch myself lowering my head just a little bit. Just a tiny bit. It’s almost imperceptible. But I do it. And I’m so tired of doing it. And I’m tired of noticing it. I’m tired of feeling dishonest. I’m so proud of my friends. I’m so proud to be a person who knows a lot of really different kinds of people. But if I’m truly in awe of the Ginsburg-Scalia Effect, and if I’m truly the friend I want to be, I should have the courage to be more candid. I’m not talking about being combative and telling people what I think and why they’re wrong. I’m just talking about being a good person, and I’m talking about giving people the credit they deserve for being the friend to me that I believe they are.

Other Pete Buttigieg supporters are very responsible about helping his candidacy take root. They engage their friends and acquaintances voluntarily. They boldly share articles, or make some other display of their support. They outright engage strangers to introduce them to Pete Buttigieg and his campaign. I have never been so personally involved in my support for a political candidate. And I feel that I owe it to myself, to Pete Buttigieg and all of the people who already know that he’s the best choice for President of the United States to come forward. It’s time for me to exercise an act of hope and come out in public support of a candidate whom I feel can help all of us. It’s time for me to really honor the relationship that so impressed me between two Supreme Court justices. And it’s time for me to do what Pete Buttigieg often says when discussing divergent opinions on any given issue. He always says that he trusts people. He trusts people. That’s lofty. Righteous and lofty. To you it may seem a trivial gesture. For me it’s a very large and bold thing to do. But I am compelled to make a fresh start for myself and stop being so afraid of everything all the time. It’s stifling. It’s stifled me in so many ways.

So I’m starting here.

Pete Buttigieg makes me a better person. His supporters have a saying. It goes like this, “Be like Pete.” (And often, “Be like Chasten.” Oh heavens, if we could all be like Chasten.) Today, I’d like to be like Pete Buttigieg and honor the people who deserve my honesty with courage, an open ear, an open heart, and the integrity to have the conviction to do what I know is right. It’s the kind of integrity that reminds me of Justices Scalia and Ginsburg.

I am here for a Pete Buttigieg Presidency and I’m proud to share it. I’m happy to explain why in greater detail for anyone who wants to know more about him. I’m happy to clarify information you may already have about him. I’m happy to have open, honest, respectful conversation. And I’m happy to reap the benefit of being so inspired that I feel a sense of steady courage.

I am often embarrassed or afraid of really nothing at all. I am an emotional person who also has very strong opinions about a lot of different things. Today I am ready. I am ready to turn my back on my anxiety. Today I am ready to expect to be loved in spite of, or maybe because of my differences with other people and I’m ready for them to expect the same of me. I have the courage, the inspiration, the calm, and the hope to do those things. The reason why I have all those things, is because of Pete Buttigieg. Okay, and also a little bit because of Chasten Buttigieg. If after 46 years, I am prepared to finally offer the honesty, respect, trust and love that my friends and acquaintances should expect of me, imagine what a Buttigieg Presidency can do for the world.