The Glory of Pete Buttigieg

[LDAHL]

I started seeing a lot of mockery of this Wired interview with the protean genius in charge of the Dept of Transportation:

https://www.wired.com/story/pete-buttigieg-interview-god-beer-electric-mustang/

At first I thought it was satire, but eventually realized this simpering, oleaginous, obsequious panygyric was absolutely sincere. Personally, I agree with the guy who said it would shame North Korean State Media or Trump's press agents to produce such groveling worship.

My favorite take on it was Charlie Cooke's:

https://www.nationalreview.com/2023/05/i-love-pete-buttigieg/

[catherine]

Geez, I have a pretty good vocabulary and a daily inbox subscription to Word Genius, but, really, LDAHL, this time I only had to look up 2 words in your post.

Then there was a paywall for Wired.

This is hard work! I'm going back to my Saturday cleaning.

[LDAHL]

Geez, I have a pretty good vocabulary and a daily inbox subscription to Word Genius, but, really, LDAHL, this time I only had to look up 2 words in your post.

Then there was a paywall for Wired.

This is hard work! I'm going back to my Saturday cleaning.

Here's the first paragraph:

THE CURIOUS MIND of Pete Buttigieg holds much of its functionality in reserve. Even as he discusses railroads and airlines, down to the pointillist data that is his current stock-in-trade, the US secretary of transportation comes off like a Mensa black card holder who might have a secret Go habit or a three-second Rubik’s Cube solution or a knack for supplying, off the top of his head, the day of the week for a random date in 1404, along with a non-condescending history of the Julian and Gregorian calendars.

It builds from there.

[littlebittybobby]

Okay---It sounds like Buttagiggy is VERY brilliant. Very, VERY brilliant. But really--he might be better off back in an academic setting. But yeah--We all know he got the cabinet job due to getting out to raise the ALPHABET People vote for demmmacrats. Yup.

[iris lilies]

Geez, I have a pretty good vocabulary and a daily inbox subscription to Word Genius, but, really, LDAHL, this time I only had to look up 2 words in your post.

Then there was a paywall for Wired.

This is hard work! I'm going back to my Saturday cleaning.

this is exactly what I was going to say, that there are two words here I will have to look up. But I love Charlie Cooke so I will work hard on this post in making it makes sense.

[Alan]

While the original article was simply fawning fangirlism, the Charlie Cooke response was satire at its finest. To merge both On The Nature Of Things and King Lear into one short article was refreshing.

[LDAHL]

While the original article was simply fawning fangirlism, the Charlie Cooke response was satire at its finest. To merge both On The Nature Of Things and King Lear into one short article was refreshing.

It made me hark back to the early days when Obama was the “lightbringer” with perfectly creased trousers. I recall Chris Matthews feeling a thrill run up his leg at the very sight of him. Makes you wonder how much he’s been teased about that over the years.

I spilled a little coffee when Charlie Cooke wrote “He’s white, but he makes up for it by being gay.” Can’t wait for his next podcast.