Really, It's Not Hype

You know that you're in the running when people start picking at you because you're in the running.  Axios was taking interweb hits for promoting Mayor Pete's emergence on the scene.  They ran along the lines of there are other people running too, y'know. He's just the latest shiny new thing.

Smells like sour grapes to me.  Because, really, it's not just hype.  I've been watching the clips all afternoon, because that's what I've been telling others to do.  What others, you wonder?  Quite a few in the last few days, it seems.

I was at Penzey's, where the salesclerk printed out a recipe I could easily find in my Gmail.  I protested.  She smiled and said "It's okay.  It's what Bill Penzey would want me to do,"  and from there we went to the founder's politics (Progressive and Practical and filled with love) to Mark Kelly, passing by Mayor Pete on the way.

It was a lovely interlude in the middle of the day, one in which I found myself saying Just go on-line and listen to him.  On anything.  It won't matter.  Before you write him off, listen to him... on any topic.

I played mah jong on Friday and had the same conversation.  I talked about it over lunch yesterday.  My Pilates partners have all heard my spiel.  So, this afternoon, I took my own advice and Googled Mayor Pete Bill Maher 

Bill Maher is one annoying human being, and his interaction with Mayor Pete was no exception.  Figure out how to pronounce the name of your guest, don't make your inability to do so the subject of inane conversation, and stop trying to play gotcha.  

Mayor Pete didn't take the bait.  He gave long form answers.  Listen.

The sidebar linked to the CNN Town Hall which propelled him to national attention.

Below it was a link to Fox News.  I have never watched Fox News, but I knew that Mayor Pete, the only Democratic contender who has gone on Fox, would be speaking to lots of the people who live in South Bend, even if they don't actually live in South Bend.  The people who were willing to burn the house down because if that's what it took to be heard.

So, I listened.

And I read the comments:

Impressed that he said that he has yet to solve homelessness in his city. Props for frankly admitting that and not spewing some BS. 

I’m republican, but almost everything he said with I feel the same way. I like him 

As a Trump voter, I quite like this guy 

Anyone that can transform fox comment section like this is worth following and has serious vote considerations 

The first comment refers to Mayor Pete's somewhat snarky response that no, he hasn't solved gun violence or homelessness.  The fact that the commenter didn't take offense, but admired his honesty, says volumes about the man.

Mayor Pete lives in and serves a community dealing with what he calls disruptions due to modernity.   He fleshes it out in the lengthier interviews, but he also has a condensed version, two sentences that re-frame the issue. 

When's the last time you heard a really smart conversation that was neither self-serving nor pandering?  Take a few minutes and listen to the man and see if I'm overselling.