Perspective from the 19^th Hole is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

Rather than just focusing on the trials and tribulations of Donald Trump, the worst president in U.S. history, I like to think about who might succeed him in the Oval Office.

Of course, that’s more than two years away, an eternity in politics.  Plus, those of us who oppose Trump also contemplate that he may want to stay in office even after he is barred from doing so.  Legal bars rarely stop him.

So it was that one of my former partners in business, Gary Conkling, wrote a blog the other day under this title:  My Way-Too-Early Prexy Pick: Mayor Pete.

The subhead also was good:  From Trump Trash Talk to Pragmatic Straight Talk.

Conkling and I met in college where both of us established a relationship that continued into professional service and, in retirement, to this day.

So I choose here to reprint Conkling’s blog in total.  He makes a good case for Pete Buttigieg as a candidate for president.

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Nobody asked or perhaps cares, but my early choice for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination is Pete Buttigieg, better known as Mayor Pete.

My reason is simple: He speaks clearly and directly, reflecting thoughtful points of view. He isn’t a shrinking violet on issues, but doesn’t spout venom when he speaks. He is reasonable and well-spoken in a time of chaos and corruption. He would be a welcome change in voice, personality and intelligence.

A ‘We’ Guy, Not a ‘Me’ Guy
Reasonable and less self-assuming may not be enough for others to support Buttigieg. But I like him because he comes across as a “we” guy, unlike Trump who is a “me” guy.

Some may view Buttigieg’s political vita as thin – a middle-sized city mayor and U.S. secretary of transportation. As we’ve learned, being President is less about your previous jobs and how you would handle the job of leader of the free world. Buttigieg weighs options, does his homework and articulates his views, skills painfully missing from the current Oval Office occupant.

Naysayers question whether Americans will vote for an openly gay man as president. I would describe him as a family man who has been married for eight years and is a parent to fraternal twins. He is married to a schoolteacher, writer and political activist. A devout member of the Episcopal Church, Buttigieg and his family regularly attend church.

Buttigieg served as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Naval Reserve after enlisting in 2007. In 2014, he took an unpaid leave from his job as mayor of South Bend to deploy to Afghanistan for seven months where he worked on disrupting insurgent financing networks. He also commanded 90 convoys in non-secure territory.

His Family Tree
Buttigieg came by his well-spoken intelligence from his parents, who were both faculty members at the University of Notre Dame. His father was an English professor; his mother taught linguistics. You can imagine the Buttigiegs sitting around the dinner table carrying on engaging conversations about serious subjects.

Buttigieg says his parents emphasized promoting justice and well-being for others. His mother taught him to make sure people feel seen, a lesson Buttigieg says he has used to navigate public criticism and handle conflict. He said he formed the view from his parents that “ideas matter at least as much as the direct exercise of power.”

When he refers to people, including political adversaries, he doesn’t resort to adjectives like “crooked,” “sleazebag,” “loser” and “low IQ.” He doesn’t inject profanity into his speech. He doesn’t post manically on social media after midnight. He doesn’t generate AI images of himself as Jesus or the Pope.

A Pragmatic Progressive
I would classify Buttigieg as a pragmatic progressive. A good example is his support for Medicare For All Who Want It, a new public health insurance option as an alternative to private health insurance. He defends the Affordable Care Act and supports negotiating to lower prescription drug prices. 

As the former head of the Department of Transportation, Buttigieg supports federal investments in infrastructure, supply chains and workforce development. He backs ambitious emission-reduction targets, federal subsidies for renewable energy and the goals of the Paris climate accord

As an alternative to current policy, he favors comprehensive immigration reform, giving immigrants already here a path to citizenship and providing increased resources for asylum seekers.

Buttigieg supports traditional international alliances and global collaboration. He doesn’t support open-ended military conflicts without congressional authorization. While he supports Israel, he also favors a two-state solution for Palestinians and has criticized Israeli settlements on the West Bank.

Buttigieg believes healthcare decisions, including abortion, should be left to patients and their doctors.

He has advocated for eliminating the Electoral College, ending partisan gerrymandering and limiting corporate money in politics.

Buttigieg in the Political Mainstream
No one would call Buttigieg conservative or confuse his views with those of Bernie Sanders or AOC. His views stand in stark contrast with the current administration, which may put Buttigieg in the political mainstream approaching the 2028 presidential election.

What sets Buttigieg apart from other potential Democratic hopefuls is his ability to speak clearly and thoughtfully, without name-calling, hyperbole or pretension. He is a politician capable of talking to people, not shouting at them or communicating by midnight social media posts.

Daniel Meegan, a psychology professor, attributes Buttigieg’s articulate expression to “effective framing,” which means he is good at describing complex ideas in ways people can understand.

Buttigieg “seems to understand conservative morality way better than most liberals,” Meegan says. “More impressively, he talks about liberal ideals using conservative language.”

There is no better example of Buttigieg’s framing than his response to conservatives about being gay: “If you have a problem with who I am, your problem is not with me. Your quarrel, sir, is with my creator.” He says his marriage moved him “closer to God.” Quite a contrast from someone who peddles Bibles with his name on them.

Long Way Until Election Day
A lot can happen between now and 2028. Democrats will see familiar faces and some new ones who test the waters. Republicans will be doing the same since Trump is barred from seeking a third term.

My hunch and hope is that Americans will listen to someone who can talk to them and be straight on their priorities if elected. No candidate is perfect. However, Buttigieg may be the perfect antidote to Trump and Trump-speak.

A Reminder
In case anyone needs a reminder why Mayor Pete is needed, here’s what Trump posted on his social media platform regarding the final episode of The Late Show starring Stephen Colbert: “No talent, no ratings, no life. He was like a dead person. You could take any person off of the street and they would be better than this total jerk.”

The Late Show was the top-rated late-night TV show averaging 2.4 million viewers per night when it was canceled by CBS. Colbert received an Emmy for the show last year. In his finale, Colbert never mentioned Trump by name.