“It’s a really weird cycle of anger and frustration and hope,†he told the paper. “You think it’s finally happening and you get so excited, and then it’s gone.â€
Pete Buttigieg has had a rapid rise in Democratic politics, going from the mayor of South Bend, Ind., to a treasured role in a presidential administration in just a few years’ time. In between, he made an unsuccessful bid to become chair of the Democratic National Committee and ran for president.
But he has proved himself to be a deft communicator of Democratic messaging, and the White House has regularly employed him on TV and other media outlets as a leading member of Biden’s so-called Jobs Cabinet.
Buttigieg has previously said that growing up he drew inspiration from the life of James Hormel — the first openly gay U.S. ambassador, who died last week at the age of 88 — about what it meant to be a gay person in American politics and public life.
“I can remember watching the news,†Buttigieg said of Hormel’s nomination, which was denied a Senate floor vote by social conservatives and instead received a recess appointment by President Bill Clinton. “And I learned something about some of the limits that exist in this country when it comes to who is allowed to belong. But just as important, I saw how those limits could be challenged.â€