Diatribes of Jay

This blog has essays on public policy. It shuns ideology and applies facts, logic and math to social problems. It has a subject-matter index, a list of recent posts, and permalinks at the ends of posts. Comments are moderated and may take time to appear.

01 August 2019

Why Buttigieg?


For a brief review of the second and anticlimactic Detroit debate, click here.

For a morning-after view of the first Dem Detroit Debate, click here. For initial reaction to the first Detroit debate, including criticism of CNN, click here. For a discussion of how the US can arrest its decline by rebuilding its labor unions online, click here. For suggestions how to fix, not trash, America by adjusting corporate law, click here. For what we can learn from the strong third-party candidacy of Ross Perot, who died recently, click here. For brief analysis of the House’s censure of the President, click here. For reasons not to watch Trump’s empty shows, click here. For an analysis of reparations for the descendants of slaves, click here. For brief descriptions of and links to recent posts, click here. For an inverse-chronological list with links to all posts after January 23, 2017, click here. For a subject-matter index to posts before that date, click here.


A single candidate stands out above all others—even Warren—for his debate performance alone. That’s Pete Buttigieg, the former Mayor of South Bend, Indiana.

His performance was so stellar as to boost him, in my mind, into the top tier of candidates, worthy of inclusion in the September debates. This post explains why.

Buttigieg epitomized a cliche that experienced writers of fiction use to teach novices: “Show, don’t tell.” That means you introduce characters not by describing them, but by showing their actions and sometimes their thoughts. You “describe” them through their own deeds, not with words.

Almost all the debaters—except for Warren and Sanders, who needed no introduction—introduced themselves by telling us about their accomplishments and their plans. Too many attacked other candidates for supposed errors in policy or judgment.

Buttigieg did more. He showed us by words and deeds that he is a political “natural,” who understands what “politesse” means and can make a point without offending. In the Age of Trump, that skill seems to have gone by the boards, but those of us who still deeply miss Obama know how vital and telling it can be.

Two incidents illustrated Buttigieg’s skill. Not coincidentally, they were among the most memorable passages of the two Detroit debates.

The first was Buttigieg’s plea (or command) to Republican members of Congress to consider posterity before casting their lot and their legacy with Donald Trump. His words did four things. First, they reminded all Democratic debaters who the real enemy was and is. Second, they recalled that it’s not enough to have a good president; the Dems have to win the Senate, too. Third, they implicitly chided the other candidates for being hard on each other, rather than making their individual cases. Finally, his remarks revealed Buttigieg as the quintessential team player, able to forge fractious debaters, with a single remark, into a team, if only for a moment.

Buttiegieg’s response to a moderator’s question about age was even more skillful. The moderator tried to trap Buttigieg by asking, in effect, whether Buttigieg thinks Sanders is too old at 77. Buttigieg neatly sidestepped the question, saying, “I don’t care how old you are. I care about your vision.” In so doing, he focused attention on the issue of broad vision, the lack of which had doomed John Kerry’s candidacy in 2004 and which, to say the least, is hardly Joe Biden’s strong point. (Joe’s “vision” is mostly backwards, toward Obama’s presidency.) It was a pitch-perfect response that opened a serious question about the front-runner’s chance to win.

There is something about Buttigieg that’s beyond impressive. Perhaps it’s extraordinary native intelligence. Perhaps it’s the training from his Rhodes Scholarship at Oxford in philosophy, politics and economics. Perhaps it’s stellar articulation—the ability to use precisely the right words to make and emphasize a point. Perhaps it’s the broad “situational awareness” that comes from having served in combat for country—a service that only Tulsi Gabbard among the candidates shared. Perhaps it’s the sensitivity and resilience that come from being openly gay (and successful) in a state known for hostility to gays. Perhaps it’s the gravitas in his speech and manner, which somehow appears inviting, not overbearing.

Perhaps it’s all of the above.

Buttigieg, it seems, would make the perfect complement to Warren. She’s older; he’s young, barely old enough to run for president. While she avoids offense and demagogic traps by sticking almost exclusively to substance, he has the political skill and sensitivity of an Obama. While she’s untested in the art of answering crude insults, which Trump will no doubt deliver in abundance, Buttigieg can go for the jugular and stick the knife in without his victim even feeling it, until it’s too late.

The traditional role of a vice-president is defender, enforcer and enabler. Buttigieg seems a perfect fit for that role. And his superior intelligence and broad education offer so much more. He could be a superb political counselor and advisor. Last but not least, it wouldn’t hurt, after four presidents who never served in combat, to have a vice-president who did.

Before the debates, my “Dream Ticket” was Warren-Harris. But Harris’ performance in the debates was mediocre. She couldn’t seem to rise above her role as prosecutor, which gave her a start in politics. After the second round of debates, my Dream Ticket now is Warren-Buttigieg. I hope his performance in future debates solidifies that possibility, and I hope he gets the chance to continue to show his skill.

Endnote: More on CNN’s and the Dem Leadership’s Failure. CNN’s apparent failure to post a full (unedited) feed or complete transcript of the Dems’ second Detroit debate not only buried history for me. It made my task in writing this post much harder. I had remembered the circumstances of Buttigieg’s comment on age incorrectly and almost posted an embarrassingly false recount. Only the more reliable memory of my fiancée, Anna Mantell, and my ability to confirm it with the New Yorker article linked above, saved me from serious error. In the digital age, voters shouldn’t have to subscribe to cable with video recorders to have durable access to vital current political news that makes history. Shame on CNN for burying history and the Dem leadership for allowing it to do so!

Links to Popular Recent Posts

For a critique of the Dems’ anticlimactic second debate in Detroit, click here.
For a morning-after view of the Dems’ first Detroit debate, click here.
For an analysis CNN’s role in privatizing the news and history of the first Detroit Dem debate, click here.
For an intital reaction to the first Dem Detroit debate, click here.
For a discussion of the importance of labor unions and how to rebuild them online, click here.
For a recipe for fixing America by adjustment, without revolution or extremism, click here.
For what we can learn from the strong third-party candidacy of Ross Perot, who died recently, click here.
For brief analysis of the House’s resolution censuring the President, click here.
For good reasons not to watch Trump’s empty shows, click here.
For a discussion about reparations for the descendants of slaves and how to make the reparations work, click here.
For three things the Dems must do to win the White House, click here.
For an assessment of how the second debate propels the Dems toward losing, click here.
For suggestions on how to improve multi-candidate debates, click here.
For a more general discussion of how to improve debates, click here.
For a review of the first Democratic Debate, click here.
For a third, simpler look at why Trump won in 2016, click here.
For seven reasons not to make war on Iran, click here.
For discussion of Warren’s ability to defend science, and why it matters, click here.
For comment on the quality of Elizabeth Warren’s mind and its relevance to our current circumstances, click here.
For analysis of the disastrous effect of our leaders’ failure to take personal responsibility, click here.
For brief comment on China’s Tiananmen Square Massacre and its significance for our species, click here.
For reasons why the Democratic House should pass a big infrastructure bill ASAP, click here.
For an analysis why Nancy Pelosi is right on impeachment, click here.
For an explanation how demagoguing the issue of abortion has ruined our national politics and brought us our two worst presidents, and how we could recover, click here.
For analysis of the Huawei Tech Block and its necessity for maintaining our innovative infrastructure, click here.
For ten reasons, besides global warming, to dump oil as a fuel for ground transportation, click here.
For discussion why we must cooperate with China and how we can compete successfully with China, click here.
For reasons why Trump’s haphazard trade war will not win the competition with China, click here.
For a deeper discussion of how badly we Americans have failed to plan our future, click here.
For an essay on Elizabeth Warren’s qualifications for the presidency, click here.
For comment on how not doing our jobs has brought us Americans low, click here.
To see how modern politics has come to resemble the Game of Thrones, click here.
For a discussion of the waste of energy and fossil fuels caused by unneeded long-range batteries in electric cars, click here.
For a discussion why Democrats should embrace the long campaign season and make no premature moves, click here.
For a discussion how Trump and Brexit have put the tree world into free fall, click here.
For a review of how our own American acts help create our president’s claimed “invasion” of Central American migrants, click here.
For a review of basic facts that must inform any type of universal health insurance, click here.
For a discussion of how the West’s fall and China’s rise affect the chances of our species’ survival, click here.
For a discussion of what the Mueller Report is and how its release could affect American politics, click here.
For a note on the Mueller Report as the beginning of a process, click here.
For comment on the special candidacies of Beto O’Rourke and Pete Buttigieg, click here.
For reasons why the twin 737 Max 8 disasters should inspire skepticism and caution with regard to potentially lethal uses of software and AI, click here.
For my message to Southwest Airlines on grounding the 737 Maxes, click here.
For an example of even the New York Times spewing propaganda, click here.
For means by which high-school teachers could help save American democracy, click here.
For a modern team of rivals that might comprise a dream Cabinet in 2021, click here.
For an analysis of the global decline of rules-based civilization, click here. For a brief note on avoiding health lobbying Armageddon, click here.
For analysis of how to save real news and America’s ability to see straight, click here.
For an update on how Zuckerberg scams advertisers, click here.
For analysis of how Facebook scams voters and society, click here.
For the consequences of Trump’s manufactured border emergency, click here.
For a brief note on Colin Kaepernick’s good work and settlement with the NFL, click here.
For an outline of universal health insurance without coercion, disruption of satisfactory private insurance, or a trace of “socialism,” click here.
For analysis of the Virginia blackface debacle, click here. For an update on how Twitter subverts politics, click here.
For analysis of women’s chances to take the presidency in 2020, click here.
For brief comment on Trump’s State of the Union Speech and Stacey Abrams’ response for the Dems, click here.
For reasons why the Huawei affair requires diplomacy, not criminal prosecution, click here. For how Speaker Pelosi has become a new sheriff in town, click here.
For how Trump’s misrule could kill your kids, click here.
For comment on MLK Day 2019 and the structural legacies of slavery, click here.
For reasons why the partial government shutdown helps Dems the longer it lasts, click here.
For a discussion of how our national openness hurts us and what we really need from China, click here.
For a brief explanation of how badly both Trump and his opposition are failing at “the art of the deal,” click here.
For a deep dive into how Apple tries to thwart Google’s capture of the web-browser market, click here.
For a review of Speaker Pelosi’s superb qualifications to lead the Democratic Party, click here.
For reasons why natural-gas and electric cars are essential to national security, click here.
For additional reasons, click here.
For the source of Facebook’s discontents and how to save democracy from it, click here.
For Democrats’ core values, click here.
The Last Adult is Leaving the White House. Who will Shut Off the Lights?
For how our two parties lost their souls, click here.
For the dire portent of Putin’s high-fiving the Saudi Crown Prince, click here.
For updated advice on how to drive on the Sun’s power alone, or without fossil fuels, click here.
For a 2018 Thanksgiving Message, click here.

Links to Posts since January 23, 2017

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2 Comments:

  • At Saturday, August 3, 2019 at 4:20:00 AM EDT, Anonymous Jason said…

    Great post Jay, and good job describing some of Buttigieg's core virtues. He's as close as we have right now to a generational talent of Obama's caliber. In addition to having the right intellect and temperament for the job, there's something exceptional about the way he sells liberal ideas in conservative or centrist terms--almost as if he's trying to win the votes of people who aren't already committed to voting for the Democrat, but without backing off his principles to do it.

    I'm impressed with Warren's policy chops (and her life in general), but I don't think her political instincts hold a candle to Buttigieg's, and I worry about her chances as the nominee. Also, most of her great ideas are dead-on-arrival in a Congress with anything less than a Democratic supermajority. I loved her retort against the "can't do" attitude of the centrist also-rans, but they do have a point. And that's why Buttigieg's uniquely central focus on democratic process reform (voting rights protections, end Citizens United, strengthen SCOTUS against partisanship, DC statehood, and so on) makes him my choice for the top job. He's saying, "Yes, we can think big, but first we need to fix the system that kills big ideas." Others mention these issues in the kind of passing that suggests they won't be high on the list of causes on which they spend their limited political capital. Only Pete puts them front and center and really seems to understand how important they are as prerequisites to all the other ambitious ideas Democrats have.

     
  • At Sunday, August 25, 2019 at 12:05:00 PM EDT, Blogger Jay Dratler, Jr., Ph.D., J.D. said…

    Dear Jason,

    Thanksfor your interesting and insightful comment. I’m sorry I took so long to post it; it got lost in a bunch of spam, which seems to dominate comments here these days.

    Your points are all well worth thinking about. But as for practicality, cutting down Citizens United and strengthening SCOTUS against partisanship are even more doubtful in the short term than Warren’s “great ideas,” as you put it. Both would require a Democratic (or true moderate) president able to appoint two or more Justices, or a constitutional amendment. With Justice Ginsburg ailing again, it soon might take three reasonable appointments to put balance and common sense back on the Supreme Court.

    As I see it, the judicial branch will be the enemy of progressive ideas, economic equality and national recovery for the foreseeable future. Already the Supreme Court has wiped out eight centuries (since Magna Carta) of Anglo-American common law and equity in commercial relations by allowing corporations to write their own law in adhesion contracts with arbitration clauses. Congress could fix that blunder easily with amendments to the Federal Arbitration Act.

    As for the Warren-Buttigieg comparison, I agree that Buttigieg’s political skills and instincts are impressive. But so are Warren’s.
    She’s been on the national stage for seven years, while Buttigieg has been there about as many months. In all that time, she’s made only one mistake that I’m aware of—the minor one of making too much of her tiny Native American heritage. (Her following Bernie in touting “Medicare for all,” i.e., wiping out private insurance by fiat, is a substantive error but I think a reasonable political gamble for the primaries. I expect to see her “pivot” on this point if she wins the primaries.) And Warren stands head and shoulders above the rest, with the possible exception of Buttigieg, in making progressive ideas (taxing Wall Street and the rich, and universal health insurance) seem natural and sensible. Unlike Bernie, she uses careful language, calls herself a “capitalist,” and avoids talking about socialism.

    To add to that, Warren (like Obama) has a distinguished career as a law professor, focusing on some of the most important issues today: bankruptcy and how people get there. She really understands, in depth and in detail, how our economy is working against the middle class and how to fix it. I’m not sure Buttegieg has anywhere near that functional understanding. He certainly hasn’t demonstrated it in any concrete way.

    But I agree that he has extraordinary native political skill, plus the advantages of youth and energy. That’s why I’d like to see him as VP. He could get eight years of seasoning under Warren and then carry a progressive agenda and national recovery still further.

    Best,

    Jay

     

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