Posted on 12/23/2023 7:42:19 PM PST by SeekAndFind
Vivek Ramaswamy has certainly lit things up during the GOP debates.
But as he campaigns, he's shown an interesting side with a talent for dealing with people who may be confrontational, be on the other side of the aisle, or have a different viewpoint than he does. He encourages such conversations, saying we don't have enough of them. He tells such folks they can have the mic for their question, then he gets to respond.
I wrote before about one such exchange he had with a single mother who stood up at one of his town halls in July. She started yelling about "protecting women" and being in favor of abortion. Ramaswamy demonstrated he truly believed in letting everyone speak "especially if they disagree with [him]." He even thanked her for raising her child. It was a great example of how to turn away wrath and deal with voters.
Ramaswamy had another exchange at his town hall on Friday night in Iowa, with a woman who stood up and started saying, "LGBTQ." It wasn't clear what the woman was trying to say. Vivek gave her the mic and let her explain.
Warning: adult language
A protestor came to my event in Iowa last night. I gave her the mic. And then something surprising happened. [ WATCH VIDEO AT LINK] pic.twitter.com/rKM1FPYPjS— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) December 23, 2023
She said some children were bullied for being gay, lesbian, or transgender. "What is your stance on LGBTQ?" she asked.
Ramaswamy said the same movement that said that the sex of the person you are attracted to is "hardwired" on the day you were born is now saying that your biological sex is fluid throughout your life. He said you can't think both of those things, not if you are operating according to principles of logic.
He said he believes transgenderism is a mental health disorder. The woman started making noise and gave him the finger. She started to walk out, saying, "It's how they f**king feel."
Then he was able to get her to stay there, with the story of two women who had surgery as teenagers because they thought they were transgender, that they'd had breast removal and one had her uterus removed. Now, in their 20s, they regret it. He said that it was not compassion. He said that when you have a person saying that their gender doesn't match their biological sex, you need to take time with that person to figure out what's going on with them, and help the person with "compassion and dignity."
"If you're an adult, you're free to live your life as you want, as long as you're not hurting someone else," Vivek said. "But kids are not the same as adults, and we have to protect them." Interestingly, the woman who was upset then came back in and didn't walk out. Vivek said he loved that they were having an "open debate."
Ramaswamy said right now, what we have is a "tyranny of the minority" that tells you to "shut up, sit down and do what you're told."
The woman said that she knew she was gay as a child, and that she knew she was attracted to women. She said that she had to hide it while living in that town.
Vivek spoke about how he thought something odd had happened when we got closer to racial equality, and just as you can marry anyone you want, we get the sexual identity revolution. Suddenly, there's all this division. He said the way he viewed it was you are free to live your life as you wish to, as long as you don't hurt anyone else in return.
"But that doesn't mean we change how men and women compete in sports," he said. And then something interesting happened, when the woman suddenly agreed with him that men shouldn't be swimming with women in women's sporting competitions.
"That's different," she said, as they fist-bumped and high-fived each other. He said it was great that they were able to find that point of agreement and said, if we could agree that kids aren't the same as adults, we'd made a step forward.
A fascinating conversation -- the lost art of listening to each other and truly trying to hear each other through the din.
Not as president, but I like this guy.
That woman has some serious mental issues herself or...shes just drunk. She wont let go of that brown bottle...looks like beer to me...and a large one. At her size that one beer would get her look, act, and talk just about as stupid as shes coming off on front of everyone. Pop a xanax or other med (which I’m certain shes got plenty of) on top of it and what do ya get? That! No way that chick should drive a vehicle in that condition.
I’m liking this guy!
He needs to withdraw, like they all need to.
Only if Trump could communicate in this manner, he would hit a home run every single day...he would be another Reagan.
That woman was nuts.
Unfortunately, he had to take her seriously, because she’s just another one of America’s protected neo-marxist classes
They agreed on SOMETHING (men in women’s sports), and that can be a stepping stone. I give Vivek credit for that scenario. It’s not easy to discuss subjects where there is such devout vitriol towards the opposition.
He’s right. It’s a religious movement as much as a political one. Kind of like another one that is popular in most of the world.
“The woman said that she knew she was gay as a child, and that she knew she was attracted to women. She said that she had to hide it while living in that town. “
She wasn’t hiding it from others she was kidding herself.
“Not as president, but I like this guy.”
Ditto!
He’d be great in Trump’s cabinet. Maybe Chief of Staff, to make sure Trump has people going after the real problems in this world.
"anything you want" is the Left progression.
He needs to withdraw, like they all need to.
I was apparently naïve about Nikki Haley coming into this campaign. She does say some good things.
Listening to the various candidates and then listening to Haley characterize what they said has made me seriously dislike Haley. She has been particularly egregious in regards things Ramaswamy has said.
One thing about Ramaswamy is that he will go anywhere and talk to anyone about anything, in long form.
I don’t think he is ready for the Presidency, and we have only a sliver of evidence he could function in that environment, but he is a seriously smart guy, and we all benefit that he is part of the discussion - even if he does apparently actually make Haley stupider every time she hears him.
I agree. And I was impressed with how he got that lesbian to calm down and listen and start discussing the issue more rationally instead of hurling f-bombs and giving the finger. It’s not easy to do that with a hardcore leftist.
I think he’d be great in a Trump Cabinet position.
He’s taking up resourses.
Like what?
Getting a ballot harvesting org up.
So someone who is speaking for a large group of loyal Americans is someone how taking “resources”? Are you trolling or actually that dumb?
It sounds like Vivek did a great job. The President has many functions. Therapist in Chief should not be one of them. I would have no patience for this woman or her messed-up worldview. While it is nice that Vivek can deal with the crazies, it is a sad commentary that anyone (outside an asylum) had to do so.
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