So I’m standing in the check-in line at the Atlanta airport on my way to the SEO Roadshow. I turn around and do a double take. I ask the tall gentleman behind me, “So how many times a day to you hear that you look like Senator Trent Lott?” He smiles, extends his hand and asks, “What’s your name?” I tell him it’s [perkiset] and he says, “I’m Trent Lott.”
OK, so the universe is funny. My dad and brother go to the DNC and visit with Jesse Jackson, in this historic election season I get to meet Trent Lott.
Not one, however, to fall prey to sour grapes, I strike up a conversation with him about a variety of topics, knowing I’ll get around to politics at some point. We cover quite a bit of ground until we finally get around to his visit to Arizona and the McCain “summit” a couple months ago, so I see my opening. In an easy sort of way I make it clear that PinkHat and I would have sat on the other side of the building than he and he chuckles. We start talking about the election and he says he thinks Obama is a fine man, but just doesn’t know if we want a president that has so little experience. I said, “Irrespective of his not having yet been assimilated by the Washington machine, perhaps the American people would just really like to be governed by a man that they believe, and they believe has their best interests at heart. Perhaps they’d like to be lead by a man worth following, rather than people and policies that have let them down.” He says, “Well, that could be.”
PWND!
Oh alright, it was a gentlemanly, relaxed discussion and there was no pwning – in fact, he was a delight to speak with and I enjoyed the conversation immensely. Truth said, I feel deeply that one of the major problems with our government and the people we’ve hired for that job is a lack of respectful disagreement – we’ve become rude, polarized, name callers that see no value in the other position. No, this doesn’t mean that I’ve gone soft – and history will still show that Newt essentially wrote the manifesto that lead to the Rovian horror show we see today – but perhaps with the new direction we seem to be seeing, we can have a return to gentlemanly debate about what’s best for the future of America, rather than the partisan bickering and tone that has essentially hamstrung our government.
That said, I’m glad he’s retired and we’re about to see a very different Congress. Time for a new direction. If you’re reading this Senator Lott, I hope you have a great trip and good luck with your new consulting firm.
lol. I love those kinds of happenstance meetings. When I traveled a lot, it used to happen to me all the time. And being a kind of unimposing person that I am, I usually get a pretty good foot in the door, with even the most stand-off people.
not for a long time though.
Cool Perk. I bet you guys had a nice discussion. I think our debates are too gentlemanly already. I like how the brits do it! You watch the prime ministers questions… see how all those brits hem and haw and boo out loud? lol.
I thinks its a riot! They same some crazy stuff in parliment. A rowdy bunch for sure.
It’s nice an all to talk about civil debate and the days of congressmen dueling with guns in the street are over. However, on certain issues when person ‘a’ is correct and person ‘b’ is wrong, there is no reason to compromise or meet in a happy little middle. There is nothing to be gained for person ‘a’ by respecting the conclusion of person ‘b’.
So this whole ‘meet in the middle and everyone be nice’ utopic delusion is only for the lukewarm. Those who believe in what they say will always fight hard for what they believe is right, and that’s how it should be imo.
I never said anything about moving everyone to the middle Edgar… but I do feel that there’s room to utterly disagree with someone and yet not have to slander them as a person to push your point.
In our businesses, we had a motto which guided meetings: be hard on the issue, easy on the people. The point is that we can assume that John McCain is essentially a good man who wants what’s best according to his view of America – his outlook, decisions and methods are simply wrong. If he can concede easily that they are flawed, we’ll have a relaxed discussion. If he pushes hard he can expect equal and opposite push back.
The point is, we should be talking about the economy, not trying to strengthen a weak link to Bill Ayers. We should be talking about global climate change, not whether or not Obama’s wife is subversive. That’s the bullshit that Newt really spearheaded and has taken hold in the Republican party.
And yes, I said it – it has been a MUCH more predominantly Republican effort than a Democratic effort. Unless you hear Fox tell it.
And I do like the British Parliament BTW, it is a hoot.
“be hard on the issue, easy on the people”
Right. Biz or Politics, no different. If a choice was bad, and all the metrics show it, hindsight is not to be used as a paddle to punish with. Learn, discuss, move forward without prejudice. I many times have to defend the decisions of the “owner of that mistake”, because at the time, it was a valid choice.
Meeting in the middle is a bogus concept politically, and it’s obvious at this point. They, of course can disagree, but it becomes a problem when the parties refuse to see the other side, or even listen. I blame it on multi-proposition bills. You can use your politics to get extras stuff into bills. I want 1 bill 1 topic. That will eliminate the “he voted against funding the troops” type of bullshit.
Does anyone seriously think Obama campaigns are as “rude” as McCain’s? I have not seen a single clip with “kill him” or anything remotely like that (and I watch FOX every few days to see whats going on in the twilight zone). They boo, of course, and even that gets a reprimand from Obama.
Agree, I think it’s laughable, the notion that the Obama campaign has been ANYWHERE NEAR as nasty, horrible and lying like the entire Republican body-politic – not just the McCain ticket, but it seems everyone that carries water for them. Despicable.
I am concerned that the Republicans are setting up a block of people that DESPISE Obama and there will be … um, security concerns for him. I hope from the bottom of my toes that the SS is on him like no one they’ve every had to protect.
“be hard on the issue, easy on the people.”
I like that.