Sorry, Pete Buttigieg, but South Bend hasn't prepared you to be president

We have nothing against South Bend, Indiana. In fact, two members of our opinion staff were born and raised in that city. But we all know that it’s no proving ground for the presidency. More generally speaking, service as a small-town mayor is not in itself sufficient training for the Oval Office.

Pete Buttigieg, who served two terms as the mayor of Indiana’s fourth-largest city, begs to differ. “Pragmatic and value-driven leadership — it’s what mayors practice every day,” he said in September. “We need a lot more of that in Washington right now.” The following month, Buttigieg said, “There’s no job quite like the presidency, but, when it comes to preparing for the presidency, I think there’s no job quite like being a mayor.”