Last updated on July 18th, 2023 at 01:40 pm
Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg took down Tucker Carlson for spreading homophobic smears about his parental leave.
Video:
Sec. Pete Buttigieg calls out Tucker Carlson for the attack on his parental leave, "This attack is coming from a guy who has yet to explain his apparent approval for the assassination of Harvey Milk, " pic.twitter.com/DsyQgCyUNO
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— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) October 15, 2021
Buttigieg said on MSNBC’s Deadline: White House:
 Look, in his case, I guess he just doesn’t understand the concept of bottle feeding, let alone the concept of paternity leave but what’s really strange is that, you know, this is from a side of the aisle that used to claim the mantle of being pro-family. What we have right now is an administration that’s actually pro-family, and I’m blessed to be able to experience that as an employee, being able to have the flexibility to take care of our newborn children, which is, by the way, work. It’s joyful work. It’s wonderful work. But it’s definitely work.Â
And we, as a society, I think, are starting to do a better job of recognizing that parenting is work, that caregiving is work, and supporting it as such, which is, of course, why the president has proposed paid family leave for all Americans, something most Americans already believe that we ought to do and something that most highly developed countries pretty much take for granted.Â
Nicolle Wallace followed up and asked Sec. Buttigieg where these smears are coming from, and he answered, “Look, this attack is coming from a guy who has yet to explain his apparent approval for the assassination of Harvey Milk, so obviously we know there’s some dark places where some of these attitudes come from. But I also note that that doesn’t speak for the country. I don’t think that even speaks for most people on the other side of the aisle from the party that I belong to. This is largely a consensus issue, not just a support for families like mine to have a right to marry and right to be treated equally, but also families in general, moms and dads, ought to be able to support their children, including with paid family leave. “
Tucker Carlson has never answered for his approval of the assassination of Harvey Milk. The Secretary made his point strongly without having to directly say that these attacks are homophobic.
The attacks on Pete Buttigieg aren’t about disagreements about family leave policies or issues with the supply chain.
There is something much darker at work in these attacks. It is homophobia and the far-right going to the ugliest place that it can think of to smear a popular member of the Biden administration, but vile culture wars are all that the Republican Party has left.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
