May be you weren't born in a year of bad weather... if it was fine until you were born. :)
Talking about Indiana... as they, um, found out, or assume or what ever in Iowa, a Indiana mayor may be a hot candidate for the Dems in the next election? Buttigieg or something, the TV people are still trying to work out how this is pronounced. That would be quiet a jump up the ladder - from mayor of a town that hardly anybody knows, to the White House. But its still a long way to go, of course.
Yeah, well, what the media isn't mentioning is that Buttigieg (how is that spelled, anyway?) is the mayor of Gary, Indiana, which is a complete trainwreck thanks to the mishandling of a series of Democrat mayors and city councils--including him. It's crime-ridden, dirt poor thanks to overtaxation, and falling apart. That's why I suspect you'll hear very little about the actual condition of the city from the mainstream media.
They didn't just find out about him in Iowa, though--he's been a rising star in the party for some time. He's a war veteran and openly gay, plus he's a good looking guy and knows how to give a speech, so I expect he'll go far in the party. Oh--it's Pete Buttigieg.
Funny, here they said he is the mayor of South Bend, I think. Well, since wwhen does a poor performance stop a politician from climbing the career ladder? Look at our former minister of defense, Ursula von der Leyen. After 7 or so years of being in office, the German military is almost inoperational, many millions have been wasted, and she even faced accusations of fraud. And did she get fired? No - she got promoted to being president of the High Commission of the EU in Brussels. Basically the highest position there is in the EU apparatus.
So, ruining just one town isn't too bad, in comparison...
Well, I meant they found out in Iowa that Buttigieg is a serious competitor to Sanders, who was seen as the top candidate previously. Poor old Bernie... last time his own party shot him down, and now he has to compete with a young dynamic mr nice guy. But I think Sanders is too radical to have chance in a presidential election anyway. 50% think he is a proper communist, and of the other 50% perhaps 20% think he is right but overdoing it.
About Buttigieg's name - they are still practicing here. And the spelling... I really don't know where this could come from, never seen anything similar. I would assume, it's some east european name that got butchered when his ancestors immigrated into the USA. Something like Buteczic (Serbian/Kroatian) perhaps. Which would sound in english something like Boot-a-chitch. Nice work the guys on Ellis Island did there... :)
Sorry, you're right: he was the mayor of South Bend, not Gary. Both are in the same region, and both are a mess, but South Bend is a bit less of a mess than Gary is. South Bend has the advantage of being a college town, which helped it limp along when the region's steel industry started going overseas.
But in any case, you're absolutely right about something else: Poor performance--or no performance--won't stop a politician who's good at being a politician. You're also right about Sanders: He's not only a radical, but people are finally figuring out he's a radical. Add that to the number of young voters who are seeing him as just another old white guy, and he's in trouble.
Your comment about the name made me look it up:
Buttigieg. Buttiġieġ is a Maltese surname, derived from the Arabic kunya أبو الدجاج ('Abū d-dajāj), meaning chicken owner or poulterer.
His father was born in Malta ... so today we know more than yesterday, which is one of the things I aim for!
Yes, for american standards Sanders is certainly a radical. However, I think the USA really need some radical changes, even before Trump came to power, but even more after that.
But I do agree that Sanders is too old to start that. And from the other candidates I don't expect more than "business as usual". No matter what party they are from.
So Buttigieg is a maltese name? Well, that explains a lot. You don't see many of them around anywhere. I think there are not many of them - even in Malta. :)
Many--maybe most--people here think America needs some radical changes--the problem is agreeing what those changes will be! That's the biggest reason why Trump was elected, and if Sanders gets any traction at all, that'll be why with him, too. But as always, what they say during the campaign often doesn't equal what happens afterward.
I read a novel set in Malta, and that's the extent of what I know about the place. Time to do more nonfiction reading!