Beto O'Rourke was interviewed for an hour on David Axelrod's The Axe Files and I'm not sure if he said anything substantive, just the regular soup to nuts progressive talking points. He did talk about his bad boy background which I didn't know about but it did nothing to elevate him (who doesn't love a bad boy?) to someone I want to donate my hard-earned shekels to. Give him props for shaking up the Texas Senate race with an awesome ground campaign, making personal contact with thousands of voters, waking them from their somnambulism to get out and vote for chrissake and he almost made it but, as in all races, there's only one #1. His near win and the adulation of the campaign flipped his ego into overdrive and he thought he was Presidential material. Millions of people gave a whopping $80M to that race but, to me, it was more of an endorsement of the progressive message delivered by an attractive candidate.
Then, a super smart, honest-to-god everyman comes along and talks like a regular person...albeit a brilliant one...looks you in the eye and also talks progressive values. Straight as they come, but gay, Pete Buttigieg has a solid resumé of accomplishments as mayor of South Bend. In his announcement, the message is that it's time for his generation to take over, it's time for a bright new day, "Today is the first day of a new era." Hear, Hear! The significance of the pictures of Pete and his husband, Chasten, embracing on stage, walking hand-in-hand down the steps of the stage cannot be overstated. It made me and millions of people so happy. And delighted to think of how Conservatives are throwing up right now.
As many of you know, my first love is Bernie and had Mayor Pete not shown up, he would have gotten my full attention. But I can love two people at the same time, right? Does that make us a threesome? Interestingly, in high school, Pete won the first prize for the JFK Profiles in Courage Essay Contest awarded by the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston. Guess what he wrote about? Pete wrote about the integrity and political courage demonstrated by U.S. Congressman Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Imagine that. And here they are both running for President. Would love to hear their thoughts about this.
Neither Beto nor Mayor Pete have run for national office, a killer experience if there ever was one. There will be many tests, mishaps, mis-spokes, stumbles along the way...not just for them but for every one of the candidates, as there always is. Beto, who is full of boiling energy, makes me a little nervous, like I just want to hold him down for a second, to chillax. Pete couldn't be more opposite, calm, serious, thoughtful but not boring. There's enough crap roiling our nervous systems everyday that I welcome his assuring presence. There's that gravitas again.
Pete Buttigieg is the real thing. You know, I just reminded myself that I said the same thing about Barack Obama when he surprisingly showed up as a contender. And, we got the first black President. Now we have the first Monster President (I did not predict that.) Mayor Pete will be the first gay President. Bernie will be the first Jewish President. Why can't they be co-Presidents...you know, switch every year while the other one recharges?
Here's an apt reminder for those candidates whose deluded ambitions will eventually come smack up against the reality of the winnowing process - this tagline (thanks to Next Top Model): "One Day You're In & the Next Day You're Out'" Better have a Plan B.
