Buttigieg as a candidate was so verbally nimble that his campaign could and did send him everywhere: Sunday shows, cable TV shows, town halls and “cattle calls” where voters could easily compare candidates. He more than held his own in any of those situations as well as in debates, where his performances ranged from good to superior. His access to voters and the media alike set the gold standard for openness and should win his communications director, Lis Smith, plaudits.

Moreover, at a time of divisiveness and populist fury, Buttigieg projected a calm, rational approach to politics and warned that a president’s job was to unite the country, not to glorify himself. He spoke out on behalf of veterans, for responsible internationalism and for greater awareness about mental health. He was often the adult in the room among much older candidates who were making ludicrous promises or snap judgments about receding from the world.

Where some voters and commentators saw calculation and robotic delivery, I saw earnest preparation and self-possession, two qualities in short supply these days. In the face of outbursts of bigotry from the likes of talk radio host Rush Limbaugh, Buttigieg reacted with dignity and reinforced that he is, in fact, an exemplar of family values. Buttigieg also helped Democrats recover their comfort level with people of faith and reclaim the language of faith for his party. In this and so many ways, he brought dignity and grace to his campaign and his party.
. . . I count myself among those disappointed that a true intellectual with a first-class temperament could not make it to the presidency. His admirers should be buoyed, however, by the confidence that he might well make it there in the future. Of all the 2020 contenders who fell short, Buttigieg will be, I predict, the most memorable; certainly no one has a brighter future.