Mutatis mutandis:
- : with the necessary changes having been made
- : with the respective differences having been considered [Merriam-Webster]
Noted in “It’s a new ballgame, with Buttigieg right out front,” Hugh Hewitt on behalf of The Ranking Committee, WaPo:
Back when this thing started, I expected Sen. Kamala D. Harris to be rising like a rocket at this point in the cycle. But it’s my job to call things like I see them, so since Latin phrases are so in vogue these days, I declare mutatis mutandis after Wednesday night’s debate and push Mayor Pete Buttigieg to the top of my leaderboard.
Recall how beloved was the moniker “no drama Obama”? Well, make room for “perfectly poised Pete.” The mayor is unflappable. This was supposed to be the debate in which everyone gang-tackled the upstart Rhodes scholar and military veteran, but the affable Buttigieg slipped through the net, untouched and smiling. He’s the candidate of generational change and a testament to the idea that intelligence and poise have a charisma all their own.
Personally, I have to wonder if Buttigieg has peaked a trifle too early.
