Mayor Pete gives me Jimmy Carter vibes

[Otto Lidenbrock]

Like Carter he started off as a virtual unknown but is slowly building a following by tapping into three categories: morality, pragmatism and possibilities.

- morality: goes without saying with who occupies the white house.
- pragmatism: he's not selling dream he knows he cannot deliver. There are problems that predate Trump but have been excabated by Trump. Progress in some areas might be incremental but it will get better if we work to it.
- possibilities: he took over as mayor of a really downtrotten area and revitalised it with new ideas, creativity and a desire for different solutions to lift people up and bring people together.

I really think he has potential, if not next year than the future.

[snowybirdie]

1. And the Washington establishment

never accepted him and ruined any programs he promoted. Jimmy Carter was not the beloved ex-president he is today. In today's raucous politics, I fear they would do the same to Mayor Pete.

[Kahuna7]

2. Yep. His own party ruined his presidency. nt

[IndyOp]

3. I think I understand your concern. Will think on it. (nt)

[marylandblue]

4. These are different times.

See "The Politics that Presidents Make" by Steven Skowornek. Lots of summary materials online.

The Democratic coalition was falling apart when Carter got there. Keynesian economics was helpless against the economic problems of the 1970s. The aftermath of the Vietnam War and Nixon made people distrustful of government solutions. Carter tried to deal with these problems and more by adjusting Democratic orthodoxy established by FDR. It didn't work, it split the Democrats, turned people off to Carter, and made them ripe for new conservative ideas represented by Reagan.

Now we are sick of Reaganism. We want government solutions for healthcare and other things now. Trump's trying to save Reaganism but all he did was offer an unpopular tax cut and blamed immigrants for economic problems.

If a Democrat wins the election, he or she has an opportunity to bring in a new progressive coalition and reshape the country. I like Buttigieg in part because he is consciously thinking along these lines. But it doesn't to be him. I do encourage you to explore the Skowronek's ideas and think about who best points in the direction you want to see the country go, rather than worry about whether someone is too much like Carter. Carter may have just been a great man who came in at the wrong time.

[ehrnst]

5. I never heard that about the Democratic Washington "establishment."

Do you have any sources on that?