Youth is not a drawback for Pete Buttigieg

Larry Baker | Guest opinion

How young is too young? Old, too old?

I’m old enough to remember when I actually used the expression “Never trust anybody over 30” in a political conversation. Fifty years ago.

Age is now a fascinating issue in the Democratic primary. The current front-runners —Biden, Sanders, and Warren- — are in their 70s. Are they too old?

The case against old age is grounded in two issues: stamina and mental acuity.

Biden is clearly the poster child for age as a negative factor. His energy is questionable and his nomadic answers to some debate questions have left audiences more confused than enlightened.

Sanders is still mentally sharp on the stage (even if a bit one-note), and he campaigns like a teenager, but he just had an 800 pound gorilla leap on his back: a heart attack. If he were elected president, he would be 80 in his first year of office.

Warren is the energizer bunny. Only 70 now, she is a blur on the campaign trail. Whip smart, verbally facile, she gives senior citizenship a good name.

At the other end of the age spectrum, however, is a more intriguing candidate for Democrats, Pete Buttigieg.

“Never trust anybody over 30?” All I hear from too many pundits now is, “Anybody under 40 is too young to run for President.” Ergo — Pete.

The dilemma? Almost everyone admits that Pete has a terrific resume: Naval Intelligence Officer and Afghanistan war veteran, honors student at Harvard and Oxford, Rhodes Scholar, multi-lingual, musician, successful two-term mayor, author, happily married man. Nobody disputes his intellectual firepower. Even cynics marvel at his calm demeanor on the campaign trail. Others have noted how he seems to be able to speak extemporaneously and in depth about almost any subject.

So, just as old age has two basic drawbacks, the case against youth also has two main concerns: maturity and experience.

You get older, you get more mature. You get older, you have more life experiences to help shape your critical thinking and decision-making skills; therefore you are a better leader.

Is Pete Buttigieg less mature than Joe Biden or Bernie Sanders? Have you been paying attention? Andrew Yang, Beto O’Rourke, Julian Castro, et al, are all older than Pete. More “mature?” In Democratic food fight debates, Pete has consistently been an adult. I repeat: have you been paying attention?

But the real catch is always “experience.” Pete does not have enough experience to be president. All the time, you hear, “I really like him, but I just wish he had more experience.”

Other major powers around the world are choosing leaders from Pete’s generation. But we want more gray hair in America? Obama only had six years as a state senator and two years as a U.S. senator, and America rejected him for lack of “experience.” He was soundly defeated by the vastly more experienced John McCain.

Oh, wait, I forgot. Obama won.

As I always remind skeptics, James Madison and Alexander Hamilton were in their 30s when they were writing the Constitution and founding the U.S. Treasury. Obviously, they should have stepped aside for their elders. The Declaration of Independence? Jefferson wrote it when he was younger than Pete is now.

When pundits demand more experience, they are invariably talking about government experience. More prep as a senator or congressman or state governor. You know, more like Kirsten Gillibrand or Tim Ryan or Jay Inslee. Remember how important their experience was to their appeal to Democratic voters?

The real question for any candidate is simple: Who are you now?

Pete’s “experience” has led him to the top tier of Democratic candidates, far ahead of other more “experienced” candidates. It has shaped his extensive and left-of-center policy proposals (go to peteforamerica.com and do your homework.) It has enabled him to come from relative obscurity to organize (and fund) a national campaign.

A year ago, nobody had heard of Pete Buttigieg. Today, you are reading this column about him. Tomorrow?

Larry Baker is an author and former two-term Iowa City Council member.