If it seems like Buttigieg has been disproportionately reprimanded for perpetuating a cultural divide that other politicians exploit at will, then that is because the “them” side of the split explains at least as much about who Buttigieg is as the “us” side.

Think about it this way. When Pence pays tribute to the exceptionalism of Midwestern values, it is plausible that he is expressing a sincerely held belief rooted in his conservative, evangelical Christian worldview. When Buttigieg makes the same point, though, it comes across as inauthentic.

Buttigieg has pursued education and employment around the world, presumably because he finds value in a diversity of perspectives. Given that experience, when Buttigieg suggests there is something fundamentally estimable about the Midwestern existence, he provokes skepticism about what he is really getting at.

By pandering, Buttigieg is inviting nefarious interpretations of what kind of leader he wants to be.