Mayor Pete's Wild Ride

Sun turnin' 'round with graceful motion
We're setting off with soft explosion
Bound for a star with fiery oceans
It's so very lonely, you're a hundred light years from home

~~ "2000 Light Years From Home" by The Rolling Stones

Pete's Rules of the Road

Not quite a year ago, I waited in line on a cold, rainy April day. A bunch of us were waiting together and despite the weather, the mood was happy and excited. An occasional person came by to pass out stickers and buttons. When the doors finally opened and we got into the venue, it wasn't much warmer, but at least we were out of the wind and rain. 

We were in a large space in one of the old Studebaker buildings. Part of the building had been renovated but not this area. Rusty beams traversed the high ceiling and water ran down some of the walls. As the song says, "We're packed pretty tight in here tonight," so it wasn't freezing cold. But it was damp and chilly and we had a while to wait. 

A large American flag was draped on one of the side walls. A stage and podium surrounded by risers stood and waited for occupants. The backdrop of the stage was a large banner stating "Pete 2020." We were there to see our two-term Mayor make a big announcement and it was no big secret what it was: our Mayor Pete was running for President. We waited through a few speakers and then it was time to hear from Pete. 

Even though we knew what was coming, when he said the words it made me cry: 

"My name is Pete Buttigieg. They call me Mayor Pete. I'm a proud son of South Bend. And I am running for President of the United States." 

In the subsequent months, I watched as people got to know the person I'd come to love and respect as my Mayor. His intelligence, his eloquence, his empathy, his pragmatism, his ability to throw shade when it needed to be thrown. Town halls, debates, media appearances every time you turned around (thanks to Lis Smith, his brilliant Communications Director), a whirlwind of events as he tried to talk to as many people as possible. In that entire time, I never saw him get rattled or flustered or lose control. As a Navy intelligence officer, I think it can definitely be said that he has an even keel. 

We saw him win—by the narrowest of margins, but a win nonetheless—Iowa and place a close second in New Hampshire. Then came Nevada and South Carolina, states where he didn't do as well. 

Last night, Mayor Pete's Wild Ride came to an end right where it started, here in South Bend. He and his campaign looked at the math and concluded that it just didn't add up to stay in. So right before Super Tuesday, he ended his campaign. If I had to speculate, I would guess that it was a combination of three things. 

1. He saw the fractured field and for the good of the party, he dropped out in order for his supporters to coalesce around one of the other moderate candidates. 

2. There were some dealings made between either another campaign or the DNC. 

3. His campaign was running out of money. Pete and Chasten are middle-class Midwesterners and far from millionaires, let alone billionaires. No self-funding there. 

So we are at the end of this run. However, this is actually the start of a new chapter for our Mayor Pete. As one website put it, "This is what a rising star looks like." I don't know what is in store for him in the future, but I know that he and Chasten had better put on their shades because I do know that it's a bright one. As the song above says, "Bound for a star with fiery oceans." 

While I'm sad, and I was practically in mourning last night, I know this isn't the end for Pete. He's got a lot left to do for this country and I know he will serve his country well. He will answer the call when it is made. 

Please allow me a moment of reflection. The graphic up at the top is Pete's "Rules of the Road." That's what his campaign workers and supporters signed up for. Pete's current campaign might be over, but those Rules are going to stay with me. We simply must remember the main goal for this 2020 election: make this current "president" a one-termer. Do not get lost in the weeds. It is possible to stay passionate without trashing other candidates. I struggle with that at times, but I try my best not to say it publicly! We can do this. We need to do this. Think of American livers everywhere. Please save our livers! 

I hope I get to see Pete downtown once in a while this summer. I hope I get to thank him. I'm a proud daughter of South Bend, and Pete...you made us all proud.