Scott Bessent Criticizes Kamala Harris's Decision on Running Mate Selection

Scott Bessent Criticizes Kamala Harris's Decision on Running Mate Selection

Prominent political figure Scott Bessent recently expressed his discontent with Vice President Kamala Harris's decision not to choose former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg as her running mate in the last election. However, Bessent also voiced his own reservations about Buttigieg's performance as transportation secretary, indicating he wouldn't have selected him either.

Bessent's comments came during an appearance on a well-known business news network, where he discussed Harris's new book, "107 Days." In the book, Harris reveals her contemplation of selecting Buttigieg as her running mate. She acknowledged the challenges of running as a Black woman with a gay man, writing, "Buttigieg would have been an ideal partner—if I were a straight white man."

Harris's book reflects on the societal barriers they faced. "We were already asking a lot of America: to accept a woman, a Black woman, a Black woman married to a Jewish man," she wrote. "Part of me wanted to say, 'Screw it, let's just do it.' But knowing what was at stake, it was too big of a risk."

Bessent critiqued Harris's approach, stating that her focus on identity politics shows both an underestimation of the American public and her inadequacy as a candidate. According to a media outlet, Bessent remarked, "It shows her emphasis on identity politics and how little she thinks of the American people's progress."

Interestingly, Bessent agreed with Harris's eventual decision not to choose Buttigieg, although for different reasons. He pointed to current Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy's criticisms, attributing various transportation issues during the current administration to Buttigieg. Bessent opined, "You wouldn’t pick Pete Buttigieg because he might have been the worst transportation secretary in history. I can tell you, your friend, my friend, Sean Duffy is a great Transportation Secretary. Pete Buttigieg left him a mess; the FAA is a disaster, Amtrak—anything to do with transportation was woefully neglected over the past four years."

Bessent's remarks highlight a tension between evaluating leaders based on identity versus merit. He insisted, "So, she judges him on identity, his sexuality. Let’s look and see whether he did a good job, let’s look on merit, and I can tell you on merits a failure and on merits she is a failure."

Despite these criticisms, Harris emphasized in her book the personal friendship she and her husband, Doug Emhoff, share with Buttigieg and his husband, author Chasten Buttigieg. The relationship between the two couples remains strong, highlighting the complexities of political decisions intertwined with personal relationships.

As these discussions unfold, they offer insights into the broader implications for the LGBTQ+ community and the ongoing dialogue about representation and merit in political appointments.

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Tags:

Politics, LGBTQ+, Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, Identity Politics