Renaissance Man

Let me start by saying that I will wholeheartedly support any of the Democrats who win the nomination without equivocation or complaint. They are all qualified and accomplished individuals who would make an excellent president.

When I first heard Beto O’Rourke was running I was excited by the idea of him bringing that energy and passion to the Presidential race. After seeing him in debates and listening to his interviews I came to understand that his unique charisma wasn’t carrying over for a national run.

I was also intrigued by Kamala Harris's resume and toughness. I thought as a prosecutor she would be a good adversary to put up against a lawless individual like Trump. During the 2nd debate she lost me a little, she seemed unprepared for the moment. I don’t think she was feeling well that night and I was hoping in subsequent debates to rekindle my enthusiasm for her candidacy.

I then turned to Elizabeth Warren as the one that might be able to capture the imagination of general election voters. Mainly the younger audiences. I still think she can. In the last debate she got called out for a lack of data to support the Medicare 4-All policy that has become her signature issue for the 2020 campaign.

As I have written here, I love bold ideas. I think bold candidates with bold policy proposals capture the imagination of the electorate and increase the turn out of first time voters. I worked in a variety of roles in the healthcare industry for 37 years. I have a concern that if Elizabeth Warren doesn’t leave the door open for some compromise on her stance, she is going to get boxed in to a corner on this issue.

The plan she released this past week is like a Rube Goldberg Machine that hasn’t been built yet. It would require a lot of hypothetical levers to work perfectly. Medicare might appear simple, in reality it is a highly complex, intricately structured system that would take at least ten years to implement and maybe longer to dismantle the existing insurance based infrastructure, one of the largest employers in America.

So let me make a case for Pete Buttigieg. It’s easy to get a little overshadowed on a debate stage that has twelve big personalities. Mayor Pete has used language and a keen intelligence to distinguish himself among the firebrand style candidates that dominate the debate stage’s more theatrical moments.

Today I listened to a thirty minute interview with him on NPR. I have caught some other shorter interviews with him on cable news, but this was the first in-depth one I had heard. I was more than impressed, I was blown away by the depth of his thinking process, his communication skills, humor and self deprecating manner. Midwestern folks generally tend to be pragmatic and thoughtful, he fits that style.

As I listened I thought to myself that we would be very fortunate to have someone like this leading the country. It can be argued that he may be the most “anti-Trump” of all of the candidates, as he best projects competence and calm, without the need for rhetoric or catch phrases. His vibe is one of thoughtfulness, empathy and intellectual honesty around the issues.

If you look at his resume as a person, a human being, I have to think there aren’t too many people walking around with these skills who might be willing to bring them to the field of public service:

High School Valedictorian

Winner of the National Profiles In Courage Essay Award

Harvard Graduate, History and Literature

Oxford Rhodes Scholar

Editor of Oxford Review

Investigative Journalism Work Experience

Naval Veteran, Afghanistan Deployment

Speaks 6 Languages

I like to think I have accomplished a few things in my life, yet compared to Pete Buttigieg, who is not yet 40, I feel like a slacker. We would be lucky to have this accomplished man as President of the United States.