Re: Former U.S. transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg visits campus
When it was announced that former Secretary of Transportation and 2020 Presidential Candidate Pete Buttigieg would be visiting the Rockefeller Center for Public Policy, I immediately bought a ticket.
As the panel queried the former cabinet member on topics ranging from President Joe Biden’s 2024 withdrawal to his own 2028 aspirations, Buttigieg’s trademark Obama-esque articulateness was on full display. Yet, his political savviness seemed to act as a shield; decisive responses took a backseat to a vague, ultimately substance-less outlook on Democratic policy and the party’s future.
This discussion, while jam-packed with the minutiae of electric vehicle policy, lacked a declarative stance on nearly every party platform. It seems like the “Mayor Pete” who emerged as the 2020 dark horse candidate to edge out Bernie Sanders in the Iowa Caucus has taken a break from national politics. He suggested that his primary role is far humbler: father to two young children — though it’s worth noting that New Hampshire, home of the first-in-the-nation presidential primary, is quite a trek from his home in Traverse City, Michigan.
Yet, if Buttigieg is truly out of the game for the foreseeable future, he has no reason to hold back on the issues that actually matter — such as the Israel-Palestine conflict or why he aided President Biden’s selfish refusal to bow out of the race.
Unfortunately, it seems Buttigieg is much too calculating for his own good. Many recall his quick 2020 primary withdrawal and tactical endorsement of Biden, which secured his cabinet post. The measured, inoffensive talking points from Friday evening left me wondering what post he is eyeing in the next Democratic administration: secretary of state, perhaps?
Letters to the Editor represent the views of their author(s), which are not necessarily those of The Dartmouth.
