First of all, how do you pronounce his Polish name? He says it's unpronounceable in English. The closest he can come is "Budda-judge." Okay, we'll go with that.
A native of South Bend, Indiana, Buttigieg ties his story tightly into the story of the city in his time. South Bend has suffered economically as has all of the Midwest as the economy changed. Manufacturing jobs were lost, changing everything. He returned to his native city to become mayor and lead South Bend into a new future.
Once there was an automobile company called Studebaker. South Bend was the home of Studebaker. The company went out of business in 1963. Change in the city starts from that date.
Interestingly I read in the book that Notre Dame is not actually in the city limits of South Bend. The author recognizes the importance of ND but he is not an Irish and/or football fanatic.
Let me say at the outset that Buttigieg will not be the Democratic nominee for President. He is polling in the low single digits. He is in the traditional, reasoned Joe Biden mold, and I like that, but his time is in the future if at all.
Born in 1982, Buttigieg can talk about the blizzard of '78 in Indiana. Weird coming from a presidential candidate! P. 5
He devotes much space to the fall of Studebaker, once a big auto maker in this country, in 1963 because their big plant was in South Bend. Studebaker's demise is a big part of the history of and economic redirection of the town and the centerpiece of the authors commentary on the decline of manufacturing in the Midwest. He thinks Hillary didn't connect with the people who lost with the economic reversals in this part of the country and he thinks he understands what needs to be done.
Pete tells his story in the context of his hometown of South Bend, Indiana, which relates to the ups and downs of the Midwest. He has tried to play a part in the revitalization of his home territory. P. 3
I did not know that South Bend was once the home of auto maker Studebaker. P. 5
History and Lit major at Harvard. P. 42
Modern culture connected to the Puritans. Connection to Winthrop and ideas of American exceptionalism. P. 43
Pete studies Arabic, a fascinating language he says. Just amazing! P. 45
Elected mayor of Democratic South Bend in red Indiana in 2011. P. 125
Two years as a consultant for big companies to learn data analysis. P 145
Took piano lessons. P. 165
A data-driven thinker. P. 167
Dealing with sewer management in South Bend. P. 177
Data-drive local government is what drives him as mayor of South Bend. P. 184
He was able to work across party lines in Indiana. P. 203
But not with Pence, who is fixated on social issues. P. 208
Pence desires to legalize discrimination. P. 210
As a member of the Naval Reserve he was deployed in Afghanistan in 2013.
There is no going back to a past that no longer exists. P. 322
Be attentive to everyday. He rushed to escape his hometown but came back to find home again. Lucky Pete! P. 327
Buttigieg projects as the prototypical, analytical, thinking, progressive Democrat that we need; it's just that he is too young at 37, too young in his his political career to a serious run this year. He has the right stuff. Maybe his time will come one day.
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