NOVEMBER 8, 2019 – As to all things Ukraine . . . the country fractures thusly:
One-third (“First Estate”), knows facts and truth, panics;
One-third (“Second Estate”) knows better, denies;
One-third (“Third Estate”) knows nothing, cares little.
However likely impeachment, conviction is equally unlikely.
It will be Trump vs. [Democrat] in 2020. As it turns out, unlike any ordinary criminal suspect, Trump will face double jeopardy.
I say we of the “First Estate” have say in the outcome, and we must say it next November. We must fire up the “Third Estate,” and unite behind “uniters” in local, state, and national elections.
We must remember the question that a woman put to Benjamin Franklin as he emerged from Independence Hall after deliberations of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, “Well Dr. Franklin, what have we got—a monarchy or a republic?”
We must remember Franklin’s reply: “A republic . . . if you can keep it.”
The stakes are higher than ever since the Watergate Era, the McCarthy Era, perhaps even Reconstruction. What candidate is up to the task of leading the Restoration of Rationality—and making it stick?
I wish I could say it’s a woman, because it’s time we elect a woman to lead these dis-United States. (See Germany, New Zealand, the IMF, and at one time or another, Israel, Chile, Sweden, Russia, India, Pakistan, South Korea, and Argentina, to name a few.) Maybe I could: “Amy Klobuchar.”
But she’s polling poorly, single digits, after months on the trail.
And so I listen to Pete Buttigieg, and the more I hear, the more I think, This guy has what it takes. He exudes integrity, steadiness, good judgment, intelligence, pragmatism, and a unifying spirit. He grasps our operating principles. He’s got unusual courage and assembles whole sentences, even paragraphs regarding the values and judgments essential to effective, constructive leadership.
As to his youth, he’s got far more maturity than most of his elders running around on stage. And if he’s just one year younger than senior White House advisors Jared and Ivanka, Pete’s got more relevant experience and better judgment than those two will ever accumulate.
Moreover, Mayor Pete is competitive against Warren in Iowa and against Trump nationwide.
One problem I have with Pete for president is, who would be his veep? Perhaps Cory Booker, espousing entrepreneurialism? But he’s not a she (but make him Housing Secretary), whereas . . . Amy Klobuchar . . . Put her on the ticket and promise her a role commensurate with her brain (she has one) and legislative experience (she’s developed it). And after all, Democrats, wasn’t Vice President Biden a lot older than President Obama?
I’ll acknowledge—two Midwesterners. Fine. That would be the best way to emphasize “middle,” “centrists,” and “unifiers.” Those qualities are essential for (a) winning convincingly; and (b) governing constructively.
After Trump-Pence, nothing in politics is too outlandish, too unthinkable. But my proposal is neither. It’s “Midwest modest.”
P.S. Please, someone tell Michael Bloomberg to come down off the diving board, and tell Joe to get out of the pool.
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© 2019 Eric Nilsson
