Pence was speaking at a roast — the Gridiron Dinner — and said that Pete Buttigieg took “maternity leave.” That was the set up for the joke: “Pete is the only person in human history to have a child and everyone else gets postpartum depression.”
Pence defended himself this way: “The Gridiron Dinner is a roast. I had a lot of jokes directed to me, and I directed a lot of jokes to Republicans and Democrats. The only thing I can figure is Pete Buttigieg not only can’t do his job, but he can’t take a joke.”
That's not consistent with the Pence brand, which is to be relentlessly civil and predictably strait-laced. Even aside from that, it's just plain wrong to claim that a joke is directed at one person when you are using mockery aimed at a group. To say that a gay man is taking "maternity leave" is to mock gay people in general. Why would he want to do that? Also, he's making light of postpartum depression, a mental illness.
If Trump had made these jokes, it would be consistent with his brand. He's a comedian and he steps over the line to shake up the squares. But Pence?! He is the square. If you're the square, be the square.
Posts
128 comments:
Example number 7,482 of "the left can't do funny".
The only thing I can figure is Pete Buttigieg not only can’t do his job, but he can’t take a joke
Ding ding ding!
Also, our Transportation Secretary has a lot of apologists who look after his "reputation".
Absolutely. Peter "Principle" Buttigay doesn't need to be the butt of jokes told by someone who only plays it straight.
To say that a gay man is taking "maternity leave" is to mock gay people in general.
Here I thought he was making fun of a man who took a pic of himself in a hospital bed with his newly adopted child and then took another picture of himself breast feeding his new child as if he was a mother. Just for the record I think any man, gay or straight can be mocked for that.
Buttigieg is a joke, a unfunny joke that Biden has inflicted on America. But then again, Biden is also a bad joke. Anyone really believe 81 million people actually voted for him as opposed to 81 million ballots 'cast' for him?
Can't say "gypped." Can't mock an extremely mockable political figure because of the group he's a member of. When did Schoolmarm Althouse take over?
The anti-gay dig wasn't necessary to set up the joke. Pence should have insisted he said paternity leave and that the transcript is incorrect. The shift is so small, it doesn't matter if the tape doesn't back him up. That's his story and he's sticking to it.
But Pence is done as a politician anyway, so, really, what does it matter?
Projection.
Pence's public image was square and nothing but square, but he was up with Trump and anything thereby must be perceived as square.
People in Blue states often imagine Red state people are super duper different and vice versa. In reality, they are 45% X and 55% Y while the others are 55% X and 45% Y. The big issue is when one side converts modest differences into superiority and in turn imagines pure evil in others.
Pence is a regular guy who was boring due to circumstances, and all his nuances were projected onto him as identical because no one had the time or energy to examine him.
BTW, let's check in with Whoopi again. Beyond Ted Danson, has she set anyone else up to be in blackface at a roast?
No, the joke doesn't mock gay people. It mocks an incompetent Secretary of Transportation who left his job for two months taking advantage of an idiotic, woke policy. And yes, I know what woke means.
Buttigieg’s marriage and parenthood are a ludicrous clown show.
We’ve gone beyond tolerance to saluting perversion and delusion. It’s still perversion and delusion.
I say, ridicule this ridiculous nonsense. It’s earned.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, I love Ann's perspective on everything except comedy.
KJP lied (as usual) in her press conference in denouncing the joke as homophobic.
How is the joke homophobic? The joke does not mention Pete's sexual preferences, nor does any portion of the joke depend upon him being gay to make the punchline.
As usual, it is the Left wielding their special pleadings. You should treat gay people exactly the same as everybody else, AND, your are not allowed to make any jokes about gay people.
Pence Buttedgeedge… quite a name!
help me out? What was the "joke"
If i say; "it's cold this morning", that's not a "joke"
If Pense says; "Buttigieg took maternity leave", that's not a "joke"
Real things, are REAL things, they aren't "jokes"
1: I hate Pence, and think he's a complete ass
2: Your claims are still garbage
Pence's joke: “Pete is the only person in human history to have a child and everyone else gets postpartum depression.”
Your whine: to say that a gay man is taking "maternity leave" is to mock gay people in general.
He didn't say that. he just said "have a child"
News flash: Men can take paternity leave. Even when they're heterosexual
So now you're completely mischaracterizing the words you actually quoted, just so you can say "that's not funny!"
Are you trying to turn yourself into a joke?
Indiana sent them
Lord, send ‘em back there
HERE is an actual JOKE:
How many Lesbians does it take, to screw in a lightbulb?
THAT'S NOT FUNNY!
Buttigieg’s marriage and parenthood are a ludicrous clown show. There is no such thing as gay marriage. Allowing shacked up gay men to adopt is a criminal offense.
We’ve gone beyond tolerance to saluting perversion and delusion. It’s still perversion and delusion.
I say, ridicule this ridiculous nonsense. It’s earned. Reality will eventually prevail, but a lot of shit will have to fall down on us first.
Pence has gone from being a fake social conservative to a fake Trump Supporter to a fake "square". Maybe the REAL Pence is just your typical Establishment GOP politician.
It would explain his Lindsey Graham like warmongering, his newly found hysteria over J6, and his love of Mitt Romney. Making personal jokes about Pete Buggergig is just part of the pattern.
Mr. Pete should be fired. He's not up his job. Does anyone care about East Palastine?
You left out the "civility bullshit" tag. Maybe the joke wasn't about Pete being LGBTQ+ but about Pete being AWOL. A more conscientious and dedicated gay official wouldn't be taking foreign vacations and three months leave while the transportation grid was falling apart.
Does Pence have a brand? Isn't he, like most vice presidents, one of the non-player characters of politics? Pence the square, though, can be understood in different ways. Maybe he really is upright in all things. Maybe he has a whole other side that only his cronies see. Or maybe he just isn't above telling stale dad jokes. In any case, he doesn't have much of a brand to worry about.
That lame joke might go with "Trump's brand," but it's not a joke Trump makes, so maybe it's not part of Trump's brand after all.
The post should have been titled: "How Mike Pence lost me." Mike should have known better: appearing to mock gays and women is a double no-no.
“Pete is the only person in human history to have a child and everyone else gets postpartum depression.”
It's a good line. Nothing wrong with it.
"The only thing I can figure is Pete Buttigieg not only can’t do his job, but he can’t take a joke.”
Do we know this for a fact? Did Pete take personal offense?
"it's just plain wrong to claim that a joke is directed at one person when you are using mockery aimed at a group. To say that a gay man is taking "maternity leave" is to mock gay people in general."
Why? The wrongness is in the ears of the beholder. It ridicules Pete's pose to good effect.
"he's making light of postpartum depression, a mental illness."
OMG! A joke is making light of a serious, serious issue! It should not be joked about! It's too serious!
As in the Stanford case, Althouse's reaction is a useful indicator of nice liberal women's reactions to events. In this case, showing that even the mildest of jokes by the mildest of men will earn him scorn and indignation. It's terrible! He's not as square as he pretends! In fact, he's just as misogynistic and homophobic as all those other deplorable righties! Next up: how DeSantis is a mean, uncaring man.
Two gay men lying in a hospital bed pantomiming motherhood deserve to be mocked.
That's not consistent with the Pence brand...
Civility bullsh*t posing as concern for some dopey politician's "brand."
Meet the new Jeb! same as the old Jeb.
I once worked at a law firm that pressured men to take parental leave. He's not just targeting gay men. He's targeting fathers who want to spend the early weeks of their child's life with them. Being a caring father: how gaaaaaaaay!
For my part, I returned to the office after a day and a half so I could show off how manly and masculine I was. Many years later, I wish I would have been there for my son and to support my wife instead of impressing everyone with my billable hours.
it's OKAY though, if he's Crude and Disrespectful of Trump.. right?
Mike Pence implies that Trump is a fake Christian during speech to room full of journalists
“I read that some of those classified documents they found at Mar-a-Lago were actually stuck in the president’s Bible … which proves he had absolutely no idea they were there," Pence said.
Let's use leftist logic and language to analyze this then, since that's the theme this week:
Gay dudes absolutely can be mothers too. Trans women can be mothers. So anyone can take "maternity leave" under these current language rules. To be offended by calling Buttigieg's leave a "maternity leave" just reveals the butthurt reaction as gay-hating trolling, people who don't understand gender. Admittedly, Pence does not pander well but at least he's trying, you fucking haters.
If Pete were hetero, you could make the same joke. This is a micro kerfuffle.
I think that blowfly what landed on Pence’s gourd during his 2020 debate was on to something.
“For my part, I returned to the office after a day and a half so I could show off how manly and masculine I was.”
How many co-workers did you fool, DD?
Wgat is woth Ann's takes lately? It's like I'm reading Rachel Maddow's blog
“Example number 7,482 of "the left can't do funny".”
It isn’t that Secretary Buttplug is gay, it’s that he is a grossly incompetent, who uses his sexual deviency from the norm to excuse his hedonistic abandonment of the duties of his office. No one, on either side, made jokes about Richard Grenell, who was the first Gay Cabinet member, because he was extraordinarily competent.he didn’t get the job because of his sexual preferences, which few on the right care about, but because he was the best man for the job. Buttplug is a standing joke on the right, showcasing the gross incompetence of the FJB Administration, putting someone in an important position solely based on his sexual identity, and ignoring that he had no real relevant experience for the job, having been a marginally competent small city mayor before that. HE then takes an extended maternity leave while ships pile up at CA ports, and shortages appear around the country. Instead of addressing the problem, we see pictures of him wearing his nursing apparatus and one of the babies he and his husband/wife had purchased. He’s on maternity leave and can’t be bothered. Never mind that real parents aren’t able to get formula for their babies, thanks to his hedonism on government time. And he still hasn’t stepped up to do his real job, never bothering to go to where hisDepartment is needed in emergencies. And, of course, he isn’t the only token in the FJB Administration, that hired based on membership in an identity group. There is the trans female admiral, still obviously a male, wearing a skirt, the cross dressing luggage their, etc. None are competent.
The left hates humor, because it points out their incompetence and venality. If they laugh at it, they will be reducing their ability to retain power. Indeed, they have become ludicrous in their attempts to eliminate criticisms of their incompetence and venality. They stole the Presidency and the Senate, and desperately don’t want their actions to be criticized, and the most effective way to do that is laugh at them.
Why Pence? Because he knows that if he doesn’t jump on the bandwagon, he has zero chance at the Republican nomination. Zero, not the 1%-2% he has now. He can still hope that Trump and DeSantis take each other out, and be the one experienced Republican still standing. Except that in reality, he can’t win the general election, after seemingly abandoning Trump at the very end. Still, the Republican base demands blood right now, and if he doesn’t offer them a little of it, he probably won’t win the votes of even his home state during the nomination process.
The real problem with Pence's joke is that it wasn't actually funny. Buttuvwxyz is so incompentent, it should have been a better joke highlighting that.
Not allowed to say anything critical of someone who is gay, no matter how valid the criticism. Unless, of course, the gay individual has been critical of something/someone related to a trans person/issue. Then they are fair game!
What's the point of Pence?
This entire post could have stopped at the first four words.
There's a point to Pence? Since when?
SECTRANS Pete is as empty a suit as exists in American politics, and deserves mockery, scorn, and derision as much as the guy who hired him.
My guess is that Pence is not actually all that nice. It's just his chosen persona. You don't get to be vice president by being nice.
Don't worry leftists.
Pence's wit may have been extremely accurate and extremely funny, but Buttigieg will still always be the clown!
How many co-workers did you fool, DD?
Now that's funny!
How is that 'Trump's brand'?
Good to see the 'pub pretenders will take themselves out of the race, with no help from president Trump.
Did Pence go to Vegas on a private jet instead of by rail to Ohio? I'll admit, Pence didn't seem to care about East Palestine anymore than the other guy, but I'm trying to gauge the gravity of the word "disrespectful" here.
The news is that Pence has a sense of humor.
D.D. Driver said...
I once worked at a law firm that pressured men to take parental leave. He's not just targeting gay men. He's targeting fathers who want to spend the early weeks of their child's life with them. Being a caring father: how gaaaaaaaay!
As numerous people have pointed out, the reason this stings everyone apologizing for Mayor Mr. Bean's (lack of) performance so bad is he really was AWOL for this reason during a period when a competent politician would have at least put in the appearance of being engaged. I'm a father, too, and newborns spend quite a bit of time sleeping, plus Petey Boy has a partner who presumably wants some time with the kid. He's not a single mom in the barrio cleaning houses for living.
Also, don't you know that in our brave new world where everybody that really matters can do their job from home there really isn't any reason to take actual leave? You're already at home with your kid 24/7.
If Pence is guilty of anything here, he’s guilty of being late to the party.
“stay in your lane” is un-American
Althouse is being obtuse here.
Blogger rcocean said...
Pence has gone from being a fake social conservative to a fake Trump Supporter to a fake "square". Maybe the REAL Pence is just your typical Establishment GOP politician.
Yup. Always has been. Took a pratfall over the Defense of Marriage Act a few years ago. Kristi Noem did the same thing, folded immediately once the trannies pushed back.
Mike Pence has a Brand? Who knew?
He won’t eat in a room alone with Pete Buttigieg or another woman besides his wife.
I distinctly recall seeing the photo of Buttigieg and his "husband" sitting on a hospital bed holding their new adopted infants. This was when "maternity leave" was announced.
I thought, "Whom are we trying to fool? Giving birth is physically exhausting and also leaves a new mother's body chemistry unbalanced, needing readjustment. These are not difficulties either of these volunteer fathers had to deal with." It would make better sense of them to stay home and adjust when the kids start crawling.
Buttigieg's leave had everything to do with publicizing his and the administration's support for "parental leave," including leave for what we might call non-biological parents. It deserves laughter.
I could probably count on two hands the number of times over the years that I've disagreed with the Althouse take on things. So I'm surprised to find two takes I strongly disagree with in the same week: Stanford, and now this.
Had Pence given anodyne jokes, he would have been criticized for being bland and humorless. There is no way for a conservative to avoid criticism at a media event. To me, the mystery is why they continue to play the media's games.
It was a ROAST. Was that Pence's only wisecrack? He just came up to the dais and said that one thing? Did other speakers joke about Pete's homosexuality? There was similar outrage by some Republicans at Sununu's crack about 'crazy' Trump? Pete IS gay. Trump only MIGHT be crazy. Either way, it's a roast, funny must be served.
Pete Buttigieg, the "butt" of a joke? How appropriate!
Leftist democrats - esp of the LGBDXTQ variety - cannot be mocked.
Those are the woke Soviet rule.
Same joke on SNL mocking any gay conservative = fine and dandy.
The joke isn't about women or about gay people, so it isn't misogynous or homophobic. It's about Buttigieg not feeling a sense of duty. Pete took two months off while the air traffic control system was failing and travelers were stranded at airports. He cares about his prestige and perks that coming from his position. He reiterated that point with his disregard for East Palestine, Ohio.
It's the Gridiron Dinner, and that joke was topical. Buttigieg is just surprised that a nice guy like Pence would take a shot at him. Good for Pence for not apologizing.
Republicans should be advised to always address gays, Blacks, and feminists in respectful even reverential terms. There are limits to the First Amendment. Hate speech is not covered. If the Republican is a practicing Christian, this should be considered an aggravating factor to his hate crime. Some leeway is given to Democrats, but they too should watch their step.... All jokes and criticism should solely be directed against straight, white men. The targets should be mostly affluent, but MAGA hat wearers are excepted. All this is clearly spelled out in the penumbra to the First Amendment..... Just as the First Amendment now allows us to burn the American flag, that right should be extended to the right to burn conservative Christians at the stake. You just know that Pence would carry on like a martyr if he were to be burned at the stake, but reasonable people would be assured that in such a way is democracy illumed.
Ann: "...But Pence?! He is the square. If you're the square, be the square."
I'm confused. I thought the Progressive religion was based on the power of each of us to be whoever we chose to be. Selfhood is an act of individual will, a heroic endeavor, and it is criminal to suppress or dismiss it.
Pence is acknowledging that Pete can be --is-- a woman. Even without a degree in biology, Pence can (excuse the expression) man up and recognize Mayor Pete for what she has chosen to be. In doing this, Pence himself has changed; has chosen to change. The very last thing we should do is try to pigeonhole him as "the square."
We are witnessing an historic process here. Please join me, and I hope many others, in celebrating Mike Pence's spiritual progress away from mere Squaredom.
Gridiron dinner supposedly doesn't allow phones or cameras for a reason.
Blogger Lilly, a dog said...
"Mike Pence has a Brand? Who knew?
He won’t eat in a room alone with Pete Buttigieg or another woman besides his wife."
LOL. Now that there is funny, I don't care who you are.
A) it is a pretty funny joke.
B) it was almost certainly written for Pence by someone else.
C) why do you automatically assume that "maternity leave" is an insult? He took time off for the very purposes of maternity leave, to take care of a newborn.
D) maybe Pence isn't concerned about coming off as mean because he has no real, national political future.
Randomizer said...The joke isn't about women or about gay people, so it isn't misogynous or homophobic. It's about Buttigieg not feeling a sense of duty.
The problem part is "maternity leave." That's either homophobic or misogynistic. Take your pick.
Since Pete Buttigieg pointedly refers to his partner as his husband, it’s pretty easy to see why parental leave might be called maternity leave in his case. I’m all in favor of this silly kerfluffle; the longer it goes on the more apt normal people are to notice that the Biden Administration’s Secretary of Transportation is so lacking in management skills that he apparently did not write a Delegation of Authority for the issues facing his department. I don’t expect a university professor to understand, but those of us who’ve worked in large, hierarchical organizations will immediately see what he did wrong.
In related Biden Administration news, it has come out that Sam Brinton, formerly of the Department of Energy, is apparently refusing to return women’s clothing and jewelry that he stole — and wore — when he walked off with the women’s suitcases. I eagerly await Althouse grandly informing us why the liberal groupthink believes that that’s okay in his case.
trans-portation... how apropos.
Transphobic projection is a state of psychiatric dysphoria.
Ironically, when trying to riff about childbirth, Pence produced a joke that was labored. One might fairly say he laid an egg.
maternity (n.)
1610s, "quality or condition of being a mother," from French maternité "motherhood" (15c.), from Medieval Latin maternitatem (nominative maternitas) "motherhood," from Latin māternus "of a mother," from māter "mother" (see mother (n.1)). Used from 1893 as a quasi-adjective in reference to garments designed for pregnant women. Maternity leave in reference to working women is attested by 1942.
This is the age of the transgender. You've come along way.
When I read about that a couple of days ago, I thought "Really?" I barely imagine Pence telling a joke of any kind
Full quote reported in WaPo:
"When Pete’s two children were born, he took two months’ maternity leave whereupon thousands of travelers were stranded in airports, the air traffic system shut down, and airplanes nearly collided on our runways. Pete is the only person in human history to have a child and everyone else gets postpartum depression."
What Rh said...
Pence is running.
Oh no! Pence support drops from 3% to 2.5%, among GOP voters for damaging his brand.
Part of that brand is “Clearly that guy hates vagina but takes one for the team in the name of Jesus.”
Genderfied jokes aside, womb bank and child are doing fine.
Is the juice worth the squeeze?
DIEversity.
Gays aren't oppressed... not anymore.
Gays are fair game, as far as I see it.
Change My Mind.
Rather than a homophobia tag, maybe there should be a homophilia tag. Indicating that no homosexual is ever wrong and all of their complaints are perfectly reasonable. From pimping drag shows for kids to demanding that their lifestyle choices be celebrated by everyone, everywhere. Everything and anyone gay is great, if you disagree you are a Nazi.
Not the least concerned about his jokes. They were jokes.
I am concerned about his comments regarding J6 at the same event. He appears to have bought almost every lie put out by Schiff and the J6 committee.
In US political history, how many Cabinet secretaries' spouses have been pushed into the media spotlight at our incompetent Trans. Sec. (excluding Hillary Clinton's)? The sole basis for the attention in this case is the sexual orientation of the couple. Jokes that riff off that are completely valid responses to the use of sexual preference as a prop.
What if Pence had said, "Lighten up, Francis," instead?
I thought it was damned funny. But then, I am always disgusted when I see two guys kiss in commercials. I turn away and make puke-y disgusted noises. I'm all for one guy boning another guy in his ass...in private... but don't rub my nose in it and try to make me the bad guy because I wanna retch.
- Krumhorn
Stop being a Karen.
Here's what Pence should have done: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vhvq02bi9HE
Here's what Pence should have said: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vhvq02bi9HE
I’d sooner say it makes fun of postpartum depression.
If Buttigieg took the leave(maternity)- and was awol on his duty- it’s not just a joke- it’s the truth.
The best part of putting ppl into boxes(he’s a square) is watching those who have been pegged a certain way- to climb into another box. Truly, do we honestly know the real Pence? Or only the version the media has allowed us to see.
They boxed him up.
Who knew he carried a box cutter?
So, the joke is "everyone else gets postpartum depression."
Of course, the punchline would make ZERO sense if the set-up didn't cast Buttigieg in the role of birthing a child.
“crudely disrespectful” to all the stranded travelers. Couldn’t the Biden administration have appointed an interim Sec of Transportation?
The news is that Pence has a sense of humor.
Well, at least his speechwriter does.
Yes, and what's the point of Pete Buttplug, if he is appointed Secretary of Transportation for no reason except that he is an obnoxious homosexual?
"Since Pete Buttigieg pointedly refers to his partner as his husband, it’s pretty easy to see why parental leave might be called maternity leave in his case...."
That really is very stupid.
I know mother, he's no mother.
Where's the womb?
We have no uterus today.
Perhaps guardian leave for couplets, and other adoptive parental units.
To say that a gay man is taking "maternity leave" is to mock gay people in general.
Trans/homosexuals are gay in cultural appropriation, transphobic for social distance. The politically congruent are albinophobic and misogynistic.
Even aside from that, it's just plain wrong to claim that a joke is directed at one person when you are using mockery aimed at a group. To say that a gay man is taking "maternity leave" is to mock gay people in general.
Tough. If you get a whole month in which the rest of us have to bow down to your tender sensibilities - not to mention Pride Nights and whatever else we're forced to endure while watching a simple sporting event - you can take a fucking joke.
This idea that certain groups of people are off limits is bullshit.
Dude.
Serious Question
If a republican DOT sec, that identified as a woman, had a baby right after getting picked..
And then SKIPPED the next two months, to stay home with the kid(s)..
AND there was a transportation issue..
Would the media (would Althouse?) have cut that DOT sec some slack? Or would they have crucified her?
Now, for fun! What if the republican DOT sec had ADOPTED kids? And then taken 2 months off?
The post partum depression line doesn't work if you call it paternity leave. It's as simple as that.
Wow. This is one of the greatest Althouse blog comments pages ever.
Althouse blogs about Mike Pence's personal brand (straight-laced, serious, Christian) versus Trump's brand (loose, nasty humor, combative)...
And the Althouse commentariat immediately proceeds to prove (a) how right Althouse was in categorizing the two brands and (b) how hopeless it will be for any non-Trump Republican to ever hope to ride the Tiger that is the Trump base.
OMFG you guys are so great. If you Trumpsters had a brand (I rather think that you do), you nailed it on this page. Beautiful stuff.
Ann Althouse said…
“That really is very stupid.”
No, it’s a sharp zinger. Let me explain. (Sarcasm follows)
WOMEN have babies. Even in 2023.
WOMEN, by virtue of having said babies, requested and deserve a period of post-partum recovery. You might know that as ‘maternity leave’.
Men, in contrast, do NOT have babies. Even in 2023.
So, in the never ending raised-stakes, pitched battle between the sexes (thanks, you bitter feminists), MEN, being in all ways fully equal to women, demanded and received (not deserved) paternity leave.
But, no, the battle can never end, the war must continue (Slava Ukraini! Or…something)
So now teh gays, incompatible, incapable of marriage, insisted upon corruption, and pronounced their gay mirage every bit equal to marriage. A massive game of “Let’s pretend” escalated.
But, yet, the battle rages on.
So, words having entirely lost objective meaning:
What, precisely, is your complaint? Only the Left gets to word-play? Only the Left gets to insult the Right?
Surely a “cruel neutrality” acquiesces to “good for the goose, good for the gander” rules of cultural warfare, right?
Or, in your eyes, are some animals truly better than others.
"To say that a gay man is taking 'maternity leave' is to mock gay people in general."
What are your thoughts about people who call Brazilians "Hispanic" ?
Gender dysphoria. Semantic dysphoria. We didn't start the fire...
Blogger Ann Althouse said...
"Since Pete Buttigieg pointedly refers to his partner as his husband, it’s pretty easy to see why parental leave might be called maternity leave in his case...."
That really is very stupid.
Ann, you should take up stand up comedy. You should good at it based on this week.
Hell, I thought it was funny.
I’m puzzled about the story that PB’s spouse is now telling, that the twins were medically fragile neonates and the adoptive parents needed the time to attend to them in the hospital. I remembered seeing the photo they’d posted and never had heard anything about any medical issues, and a quick search of the news stories covering the adoption never mentioned it either.
The most charitable assessment is that they kept that private but I can’t help but wonder about less charitable interpretations about him playing for sympathy now to increase the backlash toward Pence.
Frankly even if that story is true and PB needed to take leave of his job, you don’t just vacate a Cabinee position without having an acting surrogate while you’re away.
“For my part, I returned to the office after a day and a half so I could show off how manly and masculine I was.”
How many co-workers did you fool, DD?
My billable hours were very, very strong.
Jupiter said...
Yes, and what's the point of Pete Buttplug.
-----
That's what drives people away from Alhouse Blog. We all disagree about Pete's policies and his credentials. They are terrible. But every one of you fucking idiots have to make this into his sexual orientation. Why? My only conclusion is that Jupiter and all of his friends here are repressed homos. You need to come out of your closet, for your own sanity.
Pete-Wee Herman can't be president because he would be declared immune from criticism.
So Ann is saying that a man cannot be a mother? Pretty sure that makes her a transphobe.
But every one of you fucking idiots have to make this into his sexual orientation.
Maybe because without his sexual orientation, nobody would've ever heard of him?
Laurel,
That should be "good for the goose, good for the goose." Or are you homophobic?
Took a pratfall over the Defense of Marriage Act a few years ago
"Respect For Marriage Act"
Politically congruent ("="). Civil unions for all consenting adults, trans/homophiles.
Howabout if the joke went like this: Pete Buttigieg screwed the flying public, then he had the baby and we ended up with the postpartum depression. Better?
But every one of you fucking idiots have to make this into his sexual orientation.
He's transgender. The mother of the child is a womb bank. Genderfication (i.e. sum of sex-correlated attributes). You've come along way, baby.
Civil unions for all consenting adults. Why so politically congruent ("=")? Why the bigotry? Lose your ethical religion.
Lower the Rainbow banner, sequester the rhetoric, the albinophobic affirmative action. #HateLovesAbortion
That said, respect the pride parade of lions, lionesses, and their [unnPlanned] cubs playing in gay revelry.
But every one of you fucking idiots have to make this into his sexual orientation.
If it weren't for his sexual orientation, Buttigieg would not have taken "maternity leave" and several other leaves of absence which have rendered him unprepared to do the work he is paid generously to do, assuming he is even willing to perform such work.
I really don’t know how Althouse can stand her own majority rightist commentariat. You folks are getting more hateful and obnoxious as the months go by. As I do have to ask occasionally, what is wrong with you people?
Pence is one of the most unlikeable politicians in the past 100 years.
Truly an empty suit with zero personality.
I hope he runs so we can all laugh at him for his 1% vote total...
Blogger Inga said...
I really don’t know how Althouse can stand her own majority rightist commentariat. You folks are getting more hateful and obnoxious as the months go by. As I do have to ask occasionally, what is wrong with you people?
Well, truth is like sunlight to vampires. Is that what you mean ? "Hateful" means not agreeing with you, I assume.
n.n said...
“But every one of you fucking idiots . . .”
1. Beginning the sentence with “but” is a bit homophobic no?
2. Is “fucking” an adjective or verb?
Hey Gang, be kind. Think about it. Our beloved hostess has been losing her filter. What some of us have suspected for a while has become clear this week.
Inga - you leftists sure do lie a lot. and your hatred of (fill in the black) allows you to lie a lot. Then, you are so enraptured by the big lies you tell yourselves (Muller/Russia) that your hate spilleth over.
or did you forget?
lonejustice:
I don’t care. This crude default to “you’re all closeted homosexuals” is maddening. I’m done with “tolerance”.
We tolerated the end of The Closet with “Don’t ask, don’t tell”. That wasn’t good enough.
We tolerated “lifestyle choice”. (before switching to “born that way” nonsense) That wasn’t good enough.
We tolerated more crap like “love is love” and “if 2 people truly love each other”. Still not enough.
We “tolerated” ourselves into gay “marriage “. And, damn it, it STILL wasn’t enough.
Now we have to tolerate Pride month and gay flags; the bastardization that is homosexuality spawned additional, never ending depravity”: just how many damn perversions can the LBGT+ moniker hold?
And now they’ve come for our kids. Pretending that plastic surgery and silicone genitals is all that distinguishes male from female. You are so corrupt you can’t see the evil all around.
I’ve said repeatedly, the closet IS the compromise.
The blowback will be fierce, and you will deserve every bit of it.
They said that women would suffer social progress as breeders, they were right. The lack of empathy for the womb of his child is not unexpected, second only to the lack of empathy for the victims of abortion in the left-wing's wicked solution, revisited.
Poor Ann can't take a joke either.
MarcusB. THEOLDMAN
Ann is on her way to the fainting couch over a witty joke and just a few days ago was defending the asshat who told a visiting judge at Stanford that he couldn't find a clit.
Priorities!
MarcusB. THEOLDMAN
Thank God for the rain which has helped wash the garbage and trash off the sidewalks. I’m working a single now, which means stretch-shifts, six to six, sometimes six to eight in the a.m., six days a week. It’s a hustle, but it keeps me busy. I can take in three to three-fifty a week, more with skims. I work the whole city, up, down, don’t make no difference to me – does to some. Some won’t take spooks – Hell, don’t make no difference to me. They’re all animals anyway. All the animals come out at night: Whores, skunk pussies, buggers, queens, fairies, dopers, junkies, sick, venal. Someday a real rain will come and wash all this scum off the streets.
- Laurel?
Haven't read the comments, and I'm probably not the first, but:"Lighten up, Francis."
What’s the point of Pence …..?
Easy. Pence knows he cannot win. He also knows other GOP candidates are understandably reluctant to directly criticize Trump. He has accepted that role on their behalf simply because he loves his country. He is a good and decent man, a normie with a sense of humor.
Remember in the movie, Rocky, when Rocky joked to Adrian that the reason why he fought because he couldn't sing and dance?
It's really tempting to be forced by peer pressure to get up and tell a joke, but if it's not in your skill set; just say, no.
And even if Pence had Bob Hope's best joke writers, I still can't see him as being able to deliver a funny joke.
Plus, a lot of people who don't get comedy make the mistake of thinking that comedy is just about making fun of people. Don't get me wrong, you can make fun of someone, but it's very, very difficult to do that and not look like you're throwing a low blow. Also, times have changed and it's not funny anymore to attack people for simply being a part of a particular group. There has to be more, like they were a part of this group but they took something way too far so it's fair game to make fun of them for that.
Loudogblog said:
"Also, times have changed and it's not funny anymore to attack people for simply being a part of a particular group. There has to be more, like they were a part of this group but they took something way too far so it's fair game to make fun of them for that."
So Pete the Butt taking two months of (please fill in the blank yourself) leave for his cubs without a care for actually doing his job as Trans-Sec is not going too far so it's fair game to make fun of Lil Petey? Got it, Karen.
Professor Althouse is the prototypical AWFL.
sounds like Bootyjudge isn't the only one without a sense of humor.
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