An Admission of Sorts

Politics is a lot of things and a big part of stuff political is ambition. You start out doing scut work, mailings, door hangers (I'm old), showing up at the campaign office to do whatever they ask you to do. 

Shortly after finishing the MPA Program at West Virginia University, I was called by somebody who worked in Jay Rockefeller's staff, who asked if I would like to work in a campaign to elect Rockefeller the next governor of the state.

I would be a paid staff member coordinating his campaign in an eight-county region in the northern part of the state and have a car and a small salary of $300 @ month and the promise of a much better job if "we" won.

I would need to return to Charleston from sunny South Florida and asked the guy on the other end of the line if being a current resident of Florida would be an issue.  I told him I was in Miami, had developed a "Florida Tan" and in my opinion the candidate did not need another out of state person in his campaign,

I thanked him for calling me and he thanked me for being frank.

I have often wondered about how my life would have changed had I taken that chance and gone back to West Virginia. Many of my classmates dreamt of a good job in the state. Jay Rockefeller went on to be a United States Senator.

A few days ago, I listened to Cassidy Hutchenson who worked in the White House and had what seems to have had a great job, and what might have something political junkies dream of: a launching pad for an interesting career.

She handled herself well in front of the January 6th Committee and not surprisingly had to lawyer up and try to thread the needle of politics, public service and her experience at the White House.