Positive Experiences with Elected Officials (1 Viewer)

Sure...its anecdotal stuff...but sharing any positive experiences you have had with meeting or interacting with elected officials.

-  Fred Thompson...or as he was usually referred to as Actor/Senator Fred Thompson.  Met him one Saturday at just outside of a University of Tennessee football game.  Was one of those people that just stood out...had a look that was easily recognizable, and well due to his size and that voice.  When we heard him, we knew for sure it was him.  Was a very nice man who spoke to several where we were before getting back on his way over to the game.  Had heard from others who had met him before that is how he always was.   Did not interact with him in his official capacity but know those who have and all had good stories to tell.

-His successor...Lamar Alexander.  Never really got to meet him face to face.  Was on a conference call (and had the privilege to speak with him prior to the start of that conference call as I was the one setting up the call that day) with him and had interacted through by letter and email...and a phone call myself.  He would actually respond (or I guess his staff...but I had heard he did a lot of correspondence himself ).  His replies were always to the point of the actual letter/email to him rather than some canned response and seemed to thoughtfully consider what was said.

-Jim Cooper...my current Representative.  Met him a couple of times through something I was working on as well as a Boy Scout thing with my son.  Both times he was gracious with his time and listened to things as well as offering his own insight into things.  Gave personal attention to people (and had heard that from other people I had worked with who knew him in an official capacity as well).  Is very responsive to calls and emails from what I have experienced as well.

Darren Jernigan...now a State Rep here for me...but had met him when he was more running for the smaller offices as well as around some school activities in the past.  Very responsive and generous with his time when it comes to listening to people.  One of those that you can sort of tell is doing it and running for these offices because he cares about the areas he represents and is trying to help the people around him.

Donald Trump.  I was completely frustrated with the direction of our country.  He gave a speech at a rally in 2016.  It was like he read my mind and made me believe he would make everything better.  He was so comforting and awe inspiring.  I never felt more patriotic and positive at anytime in my life than during his term.  

I met Mitch Daniels once at a Purdue fundraiser. Extremely nice guy, but short .

One time many years ago my buddy was a staffer in the offices of former Congressman Chris Shays (R-CT).  My friend invited me out to play softball one time for the team that consisted of Shays' office and the offices of a couple other Connecticut Congresspeople.  My friend is not an athlete, never really played any sports growing up, but these games were really just about socializing and drinking afterwards.

Anyway, we're playing the game and Congressman Shays shows up to watch!  And it comes down to the bottom of the last inning, bases loaded, two outs, game on the line, and my buddy is up at bat with his boss watching.  And somehow my friend connects with the ball and it makes it out of the infield, two runners score, a walk off victory!  Congressman Shays is so excited by the dramatic victory that he tries to pick up my friend and carry him on his shoulders, but somehow they're too stupid to figure out how to do it and Shays is walking aroung with my friend on his shoulders THE WRONG WAY!!  His face is buried directly in my buddy's balls for like a good three seconds at least.  Anyway, he put him down, the celebrations continued, but the Congressman didn't go out with us for beers afterwards,  Nonetheless, a fun interaction with a member of Congress. 

I have never met an elected official.

When I was a teenager, my dad met a colorado house of rep member at a mining convention. My dad asked the congressman for 3 tickets into Norad and the congressman said yes.

So when I was ~15 years old, me, my dad, and brother got to go on a tour of Norad. I did not know any better at the time, but my dad said we were out of place. There was 15-20 other people on the tour and all were VIP's and we were just schmucks.

I had the honor of meeting John McCain in Nashville when he was running for POTUS.  Legend.  

Rand Paul sent me what seemed like a legitimate response to an e-mail instead of some stock "I'll keep your concerns in mind" answer from a staffer.  

I've met Brett Guthrie several times in person.  Super genuine guy.  Sends stock e-mails, though. 

I've met Mitch a couple times.  Nothing really notable about the encounters.  

Fred and LaDonna Harris.

As i've prattled on about before, i covered the 1976 presidential campaign for a radio station, It became a pretty big deal when i started giving a southern governor some airtime when he was doing coffee klatches in suburban NH houses months before anyone else and ABC gave me a national press credential when i was their man-on-the-scene when one of the 13 Dem candidates (NC Gov Terry Sanford) had a heart attack on the campaign trail and i joined the national press train for much of the primaries. I saw George Wallace rally red-faced Bostonians at the height of the bussing controversy, Pa Gov Milton Shapp stumbling over his charts and graphs like a Chevy Chase character, became good friends with a lot of the people who would end up running the country (into the ground?) the next four years and, of course, got to see Jimmy Carter's penis.

But the greatest pleasure of all was getting to know one of the more obscure of the 13, OK Sen Fred Harris. Before or since, i've never met a person who could speak more plainly and sensibly and humorously about policy and history and every moment with him was imbued with a sense of Little Big Man listening to Ol' Lodgeskins.

Serendipitously enough, we both moved to Albuquerque about the same time - me, sick of my hippie commune in the mts, he to accept a history professorship at UNM. It was old home week when we went to the same political function and he got me involved in some local stuff, invited me to the lunch he hosted for Teddy Kennedy's 1980 prez campaign, and we went out to dinner a coupla times a year until i moved east a few years back. In addition, i was a regular at the Martineztown law center of his wife LaDonna, perhaps the greatest female Native American activist, 3rd-party Vice-Presidential candidate and, at 85 years of age, Grand Marshall of the Women's March on Washington the day of President Trump's inauguration, to get my own marching orders when stuff needed doing. Fred just turned 90, LaDonna will this year and they will live forever in many hearts. Simply, the best people i know.

Not someone famous that most anyone here will know, but...

Ken Pruitt -- One of the leaders of the Florida House and Senate for a long time used to be my little league coach when I was a kid.  Super nice guy that I always thought back on with good memories.

I live very close to an ex-mayor of Seattle in a neighborhood about 15 mins north of downtown (no clue why he lives in my dodgy part of town). Haven’t drank with him per se but have been in the same taproom as him on a few occasions.

Dude rides his bike or walks down there. Seems to enjoy a local IPA. Seems like a good enough guy. 

Met plenty briefly at the place in D.C. where I used to work. I never had really any great interactions with any of the national folk. I interned for John Rowland in CT and had met him several times. I had a really favorable opinion of him. Turns out he resigned in shame over embezzlement or kickback claims and then, when he asked for forgiveness and was given a radio spot on the local AM talk radio station in CT which he parlayed into making himself politically significant again, he got busted for fraud of some sort.

The thing is, you can never tell about a man just from passing meetings with him. It takes a long time to get to know somebody.

The General said:

I live very close to an ex-mayor of Seattle in a neighborhood about 15 mins north of downtown (no clue why he lives in my dodgy part of town). Haven’t drank with him per se but have been in the same taproom as him on a few occasions.

Dude rides his bike or walks down there. Seems to enjoy a local IPA. Seems like a good enough guy. 

Click to expand...

My experience with him backs your impression up. He's generous with his time and knowledge. And the reason he got involved is because the neighborhood needed sidewalks, he got involved, and his sidewalk hustle took on a life of its own. 

Not a great story but one day at work a couple years ago I went out of lunch and was walking the streets of downtown Atlanta.  Passed John Lewis and said hello without even realizing who he was until we were past each other.  I wish I would have realized it sooner and thanked him for his service and shook his hand.