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Buttigieg? What are Democrats thinking?
Iowa poll reflects search for alternative to Biden
Many of us in the boomer cohort had an existential reckoning a while back when we suddenly noticed all of our doctors were younger than us. Should we, could we, trust a fresh- faced doctor who could be our son or daughter? Eventually, we accepted the inexorable march of time and got over it.
I’m reminded of that transition as Pete Buttigieg, the 37- year- old mayor of South Bend, Indiana, leaps into the lead in the first Democratic contest of the presidential nominating season, the Feb. 3 Iowa caucuses. Should we, could we, trust this man as president — as leader of the free world? I mean, come on. He’s 37!
The Democrats are blessed with many candidates of many attributes. But two in the top tier, former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, are well into their 70s — not an optimal age for the presidency. And Sanders and another top contender, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, are unsparingly, unapologetically further left than most U. S. voters — not a recipe for winning moderates and disaffected Republicans in a general election.
Now this top tier arguably includes Buttigieg, who would turn a slightly less preposterous 39 one day before Inauguration Day 2021. That’s only three years younger than Teddy Roosevelt was when he took the oath of office.
Why is there a Buttigieg boom, or at least boomlet? I’ve been thinking a lot about this and keep recalling my musical son’s interview at a school for creative kids. “If someone gave you $ 1 million, what would you do with it?” the admissions counselor asked. There was a long, painful pause, and finally my 13- year- old answered, “I guess the first thing I would do is pay my taxes.”
Old souls from an early age
Not surprisingly, he did not get in. And not surprisingly ( witnessing this firsthand, because that’s how this school did it), we were not surprised. Some people are old souls, grounded and responsible practically from birth. He was one and Buttigieg is another.
Biden’s less than stellar debate and campaign trail performances, along with repeated indications that his head is in a mythical Age of Bipartisan Comity with people like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, have sent many Democrats hunting for an alternative who, like Biden, is more center left than left but unlike Biden has the chops to compete in the TrumpMcConnell era of no rules, no mercy.
Buttigieg has checked many middleof- the- road boxes. His résumé includes service as a Navy intelligence officer in Afghanistan and three years at the management consulting firm McKinsey & Co. He’s religious and married ( and also, by the way, gay). And on health care, he emphasizes freedom of choice in his Medicare “for all who want it” plan, in contrast with the SandersWarren’s “Medicare for All” proposals that eliminate private insurance.
If Buttigieg were a bad or even mediocre candidate, none of this positioning would matter. But voters like the fresh way he talks about politics and the debate- stage sangfroid that suggests he would not crumple under President Donald Trump’s withering attacks. He has also shown that, as opposed to Biden, he knows an opening when he sees it. This was apparent in his answer to a debate question on professional setbacks — a short, affecting soliloquy about his fear that coming out as gay as a young mayor would end his career.
Not just white privilege
His life, of course, does have an aspect of “white privilege” — son of two professors, educated at Harvard and Oxford, and now a young novice catapulting to the top of a large, experienced field. But Buttigieg volunteered for military service, and he has struggled with hard questions most people never have to face about identity, honesty and living an authentic life.
Like everyone running, up to and especially Trump, Buttigieg has his political problems. For a start, there’s his trouble getting traction with the black voters who are a bulwark for Democrats in general elections. Race relations in South Bend have been tense, his outreach plan met mixed reviews, and the early primary state where he’s doing the worst is the one with the most heavily black Democratic electorate — South Carolina.
The age question is in large part an experience question, and it is valid. Yet it’s hard to take that seriously given that Republicans nominated and elected Trump, who often seems completely unfamiliar with American values, the Constitution and even how a bill becomes a law.
Being gay is another question mark. But as we saw with candidate Barack Obama amid the collapse of the economy in 2008, sometimes voters simply go with the person whose temperament best fits a desperate moment.
I don’t know how far Buttigieg will get or how far he ought to get. Sometimes the only way to know whether someone has what it takes is when that person proves it by persisting and winning. That could be Buttigieg. It could be someone else.
The only sure thing is that this moment qualifies as desperate. WANT TO COMMENT? Have Your Say at letters@ usatoday. com, @ usatodayopinion on Twitter and facbook. com/ usatodayopinion. Comments are edited for length and clarity. Content submitted to USA TODAY may appear in print, digital or other forms. For letters, include name, address and phone number. Letters may be mailed to 7950 Jones Branch Drive, McLean, VA, 22108.