"Mayor Pete" comes out swinging
SAN DIEGO -- I confess that it took me awhile to convert to the Church of Pete. But now, I'm listening to the sermons. And I'm becoming a believer.
This is not to say that the 37-year-old mayor of South Bend, Indiana -- who recently entered the race for the Democratic presidential nomination -- is my choice. It's too early to pick a horse in this race. Everyone is playing to their strengths. But the weaknesses have yet to be revealed; the likable candidate might not be very smart, and the smart one might prove to be not very likable.
All I know is that I'm in the market for a Democrat who can save the country by defeating Donald Trump.
It's not enough to nominate someone who is "unlike" Trump. The idea is to pick someone who can unseat Trump.
In fact, the ability to trounce Trump is the second most important quality in a candidate. The first one is authenticity.
Pete Buttigieg has that base covered. With a Bill Clinton-like blend of book smarts and emotional intelligence, the fiery but plainspoken Harvard graduate, Rhodes Scholar and Navy veteran who served in Afghanistan -- hailing from a Red State -- offers something that doesn't seem fake or pre-packaged.
Mika Brzezinski nailed it. The co-host of MSNBC's "Morning Joe" drew a contrast between Buttigieg and the candidate formerly known as Robert Francis O'Rourke -- who prefers to spice things up by going by "Beto."
Referring to "this Kennedy concept, this young new millennial candidate concept" that some Democratic presidential hopefuls are selling, Brzezinski pushed back against the manufactured nature of Beto-mania.
"I feel like that concept has been forced on me," she said. "I'm not comfortable. Like don't tell me that this candidate is 'the one.' You hear about all these Democratic operatives flocking to Beto, and you feel this sort of contrived candidacy."
Tell me about it. Imagine you're Mexican-American and you're being told by Beto Bots and the liberal media not to worry, that a rich white guy from El Paso who speaks Spanish will stand in for you. You talk about contrived.
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