As we approach the 248th birthday of our unparalleled experiment in democracy, I’m sitting just a few feet away from our nation’s capital as I write this. The sun’s shining brightly on its green bronze dome as a cold breeze nips at the corners of my black wool overcoat. A squirrel periodically patters over with all the charm of an errant Disney character approaching every passerby for a handout. If he were here, my dear friend (former Republican State Representative Wayne Krieger) would smile and say, “He must be a member of the Democratic Caucus.”
You know, as Americans, being able to laugh at ourselves (and with each other) about politics is a wonderful thing, but it seems in short supply these days. Carson (as in “Heeeeeeeers Johnny”) was the master of this. Equal opportunity heckling that was never too mean, but incredibly funny and spot on. I remember he said things like, “The last time George Bush (Sr) gave a speech, someone ran up and drew a chalk outline around him.”
As I walked the halls of Congress, building support for the Rogue Siskiyou Regional Wildfire Training Center (Oregon’s first wildfire fighter training center), I was reminded of the master of political humor who gently poked fun at his political advisories with the same enthusiasm he poked fun at himself. I was blessed to meet him when I was in high school attending Boy’s State and had the opportunity to tell him how much I admired him. That man of course was President Ronald Reagan. He learned from the home-spun humor of men like Will Rogers and Abe Lincoln…that in our darkest times, a smile is often the exact medicine we need. Long a target for his advanced years while President, one of his most wonderful responses about aging was a play on the then famous quote from Senator Lloyd Bentsen to Dan Quayle during the Vice-Presidential debates of 1988 when Quayle compared his experience to that of Kennedy.
“I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you’re no Jack Kennedy,” was Bentsen’s response.
Reagan bided his time and then when talking about Bill Clinton at the Republican convention a few years later, he said with that easy Irish smile, “This fellow they’ve nominated, he claims he’s the new Thomas Jefferson. I knew Thomas Jefferson. He was a friend of mine. And believe me, Governor, you’re no Thomas Jefferson.”
There’s a delightful book by former Speaker Tip O’Neill’s Chief of Staff Chris Matthews, that should be required reading for every student in our country. It’s called “Tip and the Gipper: When Politics Worked.” Simply put, it tells how the President and the Speaker would go at it hammer and tongs during the day over policy, but then spend the evening telling each other delightful stories in front of a blazing fire over a good glass of Irish whisky. They understood what was good for America…and sometimes what was good for America transcended their own political ideology.
Now it seems, we too often box ourselves into idealogical corners where both Republican and Democrat Representatives are afraid to say exactly what they think, for fear it might turn the farthest right or the farthest left against them. Reaching across the isle for a bi-partisan solution for the good of the country now seems like a no-man’s-land for even the most seasoned representatives.
On my last Friday afternoon in Washington, I had the rare opportunity to play tourist for the first time in 20 years; from the Speaker’s Office, to the floor of Congress, to the place where Lincoln’s desk sat when he served in Congress, and the beautiful Congressional Chapel (thanks to ex-Navy Seal and tour guide extraordinaire Congressman Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin and the delightful Senior Producer of CNN, Kristin Wilson).
My sense of joy of who we are as a people and the Capraesque part of my heart was deeply moved. All of my Mr. Smith sensibilities were reawakened, and it made me realize everything we’re going through as a country right now is no worse than anything we’ve faced before, and nowhere near the challenges our darkest times as a nation have presented.
Here I was, just a regular guy from a small town in Oregon, who had the freedom to walk into a Congresswoman or Congressman’s office and persuade them what we’re doing out here on the frontier is important to our entire nation. To tell them we have a project that transcends politics and is a wonderful non-denominational cause. I’m blessed to work on issues that resound with each of us, from preventing catastrophic wildfire to insuring our magnificent salmon are here for our grandchildren’s grandchildren. Walking the halls of Congress working on issues that mean so much to me reinforced in my heart that every American has the freedom to do exactly this…and that thrilled me.
Because people everywhere simply want to be free and nowhere is there a greater exorcise of personal freedom available than being able to walk into the highest levels of government and tell them exactly what you think. And the wonderful thing? Representatives on both sides of the isle said they could support our efforts to build a wildfire fighter training center here in Oregon, with Congresswoman Val Hoyle (whose family is now in their 4th generation of firefighting) leading the Congressional effort, while Senators Merkley and Wyden lead the effort on the Senate side.
As Americans, none of us are that far apart when it comes down to it, and we all care deeply about this incredible country of ours. Every one of us holds onto and defends what we feel the most strongly about in our hearts, and that’s uncompromising…but the day to day aspects of government and our country…that’s where we want things to work and common sense to prevail. As Democrats and Republicans we can have legitimate disagreements over policy, but still work to move our country forward. I believe there’s still a place where we can come together in that “radical” middle and help this wonderful country of ours succeed.
Because at heart, we’re a nation of barn builders. We want to show up with a hammer and nails to support our neighbors and build something greater than the sum total we can achieve as an individual. We’re still a nation where kindness counts…compassion counts, and love counts. I have a deep and abiding faith in the American people, and I think through all the little things…the day to day actions we take each moment in our lives…we’ll continue to make that dream of a sum total greater than ourselves…a bright and shining future for America. So I want to thank each of you for the wonderful little things you do each day to give “our” home that shining future. And honestly, I can’t think of a better place in this world to be. On this wonderful birthday, God bless you and your family, and God Bless America. Happy 4th of July!
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