You've likely seen this video -- if so, it's short and worth seeing again. But if not, it shouldn't slip through the cracks. Plus a few added comments. It's Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg once again being eloquent, polite and pointed when dealing with blunt questions by a Fox "News" host. This time, the questions concerned the protests of Supreme Court Brett Kavanaugh when he went out to dinner. For starters, he doesn't let himself get sidetracked by the Fox "News" person trying to move the conversation elsewhere. It's not that Buttigieg talks over him, but just that he takes the acknowledgements of "Okay..." as being an acceptance of what he's saying and continuing on to finish his full point. And when he finally gets to his most-substantive point about comparing a peaceful protest outside on the street to Trump leading a mob to invade to Capitol -- the last place, I'm sure, that Fox wanted this to go -- and the host tries to ask a follow-up, Buttiegieg calmly finishes his point. And once he finishes and the host finally asks his follow-up, the host foolishly asks what he seemingly made a "gotcha"-type question by making it a personal "What would you do?" -- he forgot that more than maybe anyone in the cabinet, Buttigieg has faced protests his entire public career. And therefore had a directed, pointed answers to not only what he would do...but also what he has done. In addition, it's notable that in making the question personal the Fox "News" host brings up being out with his husband. Now, while it's perfectly fair to phrase the question this way, it's also completely unnecessary. After all, most of the news stories about Kavanaugh's dinner were about Kavanaugh being at dinner -- not Kavanaugh and his wife. But this seemed a Fox way to remind everyone, "Pssst, don't forget, he's gay and married!" But Buttieg accepted it unblinkingly. It was not an unfair question, just one that didn't have to be asked that way. And he responded it as the most natural thing -- which in today's America, it is. (Though we'll see what the far-right Supreme Court has to say about that...) Finally the mere fact that Pete Buttigieg again went on Fox "News" speaks volumes, compared to how Trump administration officials generally went out of their way to avoid requests to be questioned on MSNBC. Or often even CNN. Just mostly (if not exclusively) Fox "News", OANN and Newsmax. But Buttigieg goes on Fox so often it doesn't even register as anything more than par for the course.
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AuthorRobert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting. Feedspot Badge of Honor
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