Thread by @MikeSigner

Thread: My email to Iowa friends about @PeteButtigieg on caucus eve.

I hope this finds you doing well. My name may ring a bell. As the 2008 John Edwards campaign’s national security director, I also ran our Iowa City office and came to know and love Iowa and the caucus. 1/

The next year, when I ran for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, friends from the campaign ran a phone-banking office in Iowa City! Family obligations in Virginia prevented me from traveling to Iowa to help with the caucus. 2/

And so with caucus day tomorrow, I wanted to send you this note to ask you to consider supporting Pete Buttigieg during either the first or second rounds. What I loved about Iowans was how seriously you took your choices, how hard you kicked the tires. 3/

With that in mind, I wanted to tell you a little bit about Pete from someone who has known him for 15 years, worked with him, relied on him, and believes he would be an incredible President at this national moment.We know from recent presidents that what matters most 4/

is not what we see now—bluster and showmanship—but character, judgment, vision, and persuasion. On matters of foreign policy where lives hang in the balance, or domestic policy where we need a bipartisan breakthrough, we need a president who can keep his calm, 5/

convince new supporters, listen to the best advice, and lead the nation in a calm yet forceful way. I see all of those qualities in Pete, and more. I’ve known him since he was right out of college and we helped found a national security organization together. 6/

He has always had the combination of insight, curiosity, calm, and conscience that you see today. We ran for statewide office together, and after he lost for Treasurer of Indiana, I was impressed with how quickly he got back on the horse & committed to his home town. 7/

For 8 years, he was a masterful mayor, someone much older mayors looked up to for wisdom, guidance, and mentorship. When I became mayor of Charlottesville and our community (which has a large population of political refugees) needed help supporting them, I didn’t hesitate 8/

to pick up the phone and ask for his help in helping Charlottesville craft a community ID program like one he’d created in South Bend—that could bring these folks out of the shadows and into public life. He was incredibly helpful and the program became a reality. 9/

And when white nationalists were going to invade the city for a massive rally, I picked up the phone again. From his time as a naval intelligence officer in Afghanistan to his experience leading a complex city through tumultuous time, I wanted Pete’s insights and guidance. 10/

He supported a plan to support the protesters and counter-protesters that was ultimately struck down in federal court. He also provided a tempered, practical assessment of the challenge of extremism in our time. I was glad but not surprised when he became one of the first 11/

candidates to speak out forcefully against extremism and political violence today. I was delighted to endorse his campaign and want to recommend him to you now. Our politics is so broken today. But we can’t give up on it. We need a new approach, someone who can see around... 12/

and beyond our logjams toward our potential. Especially with his experience as the successful mayor of an iconic industrial American town, and because of the bold yet pragmatic plans he’s introduced for heath care, climate change, investment in the African-American community, 13/

and education—but most importantly because of his personal qualities—his integrity, curiosity, thoughtfulness, and compassion—I believe he would make us proud of the presidency once again.

Thank you for reading this and for caucusing.

All the best,

Mike

14/14.

Autocorrect changed “separate” to “support” in the tweet above but I missed it. It should read “supported a plan to separate the protesters and counter-protesters.” Sorry!