San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
HarrisButtigieg ticket would throw Trump off
If the Democrats really want to generate some interest in the presidential race, the ticket should be Kamala Harris and Pete Buttigieg.
I’m not saying a combo of the California senator and South Bend, Ind., mayor would win for sure. But it could, because it would certainly throw President Trump off his game.
And the pairing of a female former prosecutor with a gay middle American who is both a Rhodes scholar and an Afghanistan war veteran would certainly get the nation’s attention.
Harris and Buttigieg are new, engaging, energetic and different enough so that the media would eat up their every appearance. Which would be priceless, because if there’s one thing Trump can’t stand, it’s
someone else in the limelight. Then come the debates. If Harris hits hard, which she most certainly will, Trump’s first instinct would be to hit back even harder.
That could lead to Trump lashing out.
There’s a fine line between hitting back and flipping out, and Trump is fully capable of taking things too far.
He could make Harris out to be the victim rather than the attacker. And in the process make himself look unhinged.
Meanwhile, the levelheaded and likable Buttigieg would be hitting the midlands, coming off as the most reasonable person in the race.
Pride fun: Walking the Pride parade route last Sunday gave me the chance to hear lots of people who just wanted to talk.
One parade watcher near Golden Gate University said he believed President Trump is so spooked by the spanking he’s been getting from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that he won’t even debate the Democratic presidential nominee, no matter who it is.
A woman in front of the Gap near the Powell Street cable car turnaround said she’s very concerned that if Trump loses the presidency, he won’t leave the White House. She thinks he may go allin on his dictator instincts and refuse to recognize the outcome.
One person asked me where Sen. Kamala Harris got her sparkling rainbow jacket.
“I don’t know, but I bet you anything it’s going back to where she bought it after the parade,” I joked.
The parade itself was the longest of 49 that I have experienced, and there were more children than I remember seeing at past celebrations. Which means the Pride Parade is becoming a family affair. And for what might have been the first time ever, a parade in San Francisco was shut down by protesters. The human chain that blocked Market Street for almost an hour was a protest over the parade taking corporate money and the presence of the police contingent that marches every year.
Interestingly, I saw one police officer give his bottle of water to one of the street blockers. It was warm out there.
Comic punch: Dropped in to the Punchline for Will Durst’s comedy show. His tongueincheek analysis of the political scene is priceless.
He said he has it on good authority that Joe Biden intends to have Kamala Harris prosecuted for elder abuse.
Movie time: “Yesterday.” I have to admit, I was confused by this tale of a modestly talented musician who discovers he’s the only person in the world who’s ever heard of the Beatles or any of their songs. He proceeds to recreate them from memory and become a supersongwritersinger, playing the Beatles tunes that only he knows.
At least the music is great.
Bon appetit: For those of you who follow The Chronicle’s annual Top 100 Restaurants, I’d like to add my own picks: Kokkari, Boulevard, Waterbar, North Beach Restaurant, Epic Steak House, Perry’s, Slanted Door, Tadich Grill, Town Hall, Original Joe’s North Beach and, of course, Le Central.
If you see me at any of these, please feel free to say “hello.”
Want to sound off ? Email: wbrown@sfchronicle.com