Mayor Pete surprised me

I was surprised by Pete Buttigieg, Mayor of South Bend Indiana, three times. The first was when he announced he was forming an exploratory committee to run for US president. The second was when I took the “I Side With” quiz and found he came out as my most-compatible choice. The third was when I started looking into who he is and what he says. It turns out, he’s impressive.

When I saw the news that he was running for president, my first reaction was, ”Who?!” When he topped my quiz list, my reaction was ”WTF?!”. I decided I better find out more about him.

The video up top is the first one I’d heard of was his appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. I liked what I heard, not just that he used the expression “the current occupant of the White House”, though that got extra points from me. It was the substance of what he said, how he put it, his poise, and confidence.

The second video I watched was a segment of MSNBC’s Morning Joe (which actually aired first, but I saw it second). He used some of the same talking points, which suggests he’s fully absorbed the points he wants to make, and can use them—and adapt them—as needed. He



I wanted to see the ABC This Week segment that Roger Green mentioned in a recent comment, but it’s not on YouTube. Instead, I watched a segment from CBS This Morning that aired before either of the other two:



Finally, I took a look at his first campaign video (below), because it’s good to see the way he presents his own message.

So, Mayor Pete surprised me three times. First when he announced, then when he topped a list of candidates compatible with my views, and again when I watched these videos. It turns out, he’s impressive. I don’t know where this campaign will go—and it’s far too early to focus on it—but right now, impressive is enough.