Jill Long Thompson for Governor of Indiana
http://www.hoosiersforjill.com/
I first spoke to Jill Long in the Fall of 1988, when I was doing some research work for USA Today for their federal election coverage, specifically, interviewing House candidates from all over the country about what personally motivated them, aside from their own parochial district issues and pet peeves.
There were lots of crazy people running for office that year, as there always are, but they were outnumbered by the hundreds of very dedicated people I spoke to, not all of whom were well-to-do, but all who were willing to put their family's life on hold for a bit while they did something they felt compelled to do, for whatever reason.
After listening to literally dozens and dozens of smart, well-meaning and earnest candidates from all parts of the country for weeks -and all the others- I wasn't prepared for my conversation with Jill.
I spoke to her fresh from her having just shaken some hands with some prospective voters outside of a 7-11 store near her campaign office, where she'd gone with the intent of just grabbing some things for her and her staff.
Though my phone call to her from Washington was out-of-left field, her charming personality and compelling policy answers just knocked me out.
What was supposed to be a short, to-the-point interview -it was USA Today after all- turned into a really interesting 15-20 minute conversation about her district and what she thought it needed and how she could best accomplish that feat.
I had a better grasp and memory of political news and its cross-currents than most people, but frankly, I'd never heard of Jill Long until I called her.
(Perhaps that was perhaps I hadn't met Charlie Cook yet, which was four years later.)
But that day changed everything -she was no longer an unknown name to me .
Sadly for my copious notes, Jill eventually lost that '88 election to incumbent Dan Coats, but despite being an underdog in what'd long been a very safe GOP district -formerly represented by both Dan Quayle and Coats, who'd be appointed to succeed Quayle in the Senate- her powers of persuasion were such that in 1989, she convinced enough Hoosier voters in Indiana's 4th Congressional District to elect her to congress, after all, to fill the vacant seat.
Once Jill was elected and had gotten her feet on the ground in Washington, I came by her office to try to arrange a meeting and find out what it felt like to actually have the responsibility of her district on her shoulder.
Well, even before I got a chance to walk through her doorway and arrange a chat, I ran into her in the hallway on her way to a hearing or meeting.
I introduced myself again and after a bit, as we walked and talked together towards her meeting, she laughed at my being able to remember exactly what she'd said that day out of a couple hundred conversations with candidates I'd had.
Then I reminded her that just because I no longer lived in Indiana, "I always looked after fellow Hoosiers." Or words to that effect.
That was the first of perhaps a dozen or so conversations I'd have over the years with Jill while she was in Washington, and every time we spoke, her friendly, calm and confident demeanor betrayed none of the condescending attitude I'd seen quickly infect other newcomers to the Hill, even Dems I'd once liked, contributed to, or, even personally campaigned for.
(Believe me, my friends and I knew exactly who THOSE Dems were! We had a growing list.
When our friends or friends-of-friends expressed an interest in wanting to work for someone on this carefully chosen bad boy honor roll, they were quickly educated as to the relative shortcomings of their pol of choice, whether intellectual, character or personality.
If we'd only had a blog back then!)
When I ran into Jill one afternoon in 1993 while on my way to get to my Capitol Hill softball team's game on The Mall, sponsored by DNG, Democrats for a New Generation, I showed Jill the t-shirt logo we'd agreed upon.
With the great help of my teammate Michelle Marinelli, then in the office of Congressman Tom Lantos, and one of the team's vocal leaders, it was based on a unique Democratic donkey button I'd been given years before at a political rally.
Happily for me, since I really LOVED the design, once I showed it to them, the rest of my
softball team liked it enough to want it to represent us.
(The very same softball team where I'd meet my dear and now life-long friend from Hope, Arkansas, Shannon (Lauterbach) Morales.)
Jill just loved the design, and once I saw her positive reaction, I quickly promised her that I'd somehow scrounge one up for her to wear -eventually.
Once again, weeks later, with her button in my gym bag, as always seemed to happen, I ran into Jill a below-ground congressional hallway on my way to her office.
She was so pleased with how the button looked that, much to my amazement, she immediately placed the button on her jacket lapel to show it off, while dozens of people gawked and walked past us, curious as to what this little button this Member of Congress had actually looked like, which greatly pleased me.
Quick to see the humor, Jill then joked that it'd quickly become a must-have for fellow Dems on the Hill.
I laughed and thought -and not for the first time- that anyone who was as politically savvy and intelligent as Jill, but more importantly to me, as genuinely sincere, plus a straight-talker to boot, was just what the Democratic Party desperately needed in Washington.
A 'breath of fresh air' to use an old cliche that I've never uttered here, to cut through the myriad geographical and institutional cliques/niches that have long bedeviled the party on the Hill, especially over at the DNC.
Sort of like how I view another SouthBeachHoosier favorite, Stephanie Herseth Sandlin of South Dakota's very positive influence on things on the Hill ever since she got elected.
See http://southbeachhoosier.blogspot.com/2007/06/thoughts-on-bill-richardsons.html
and http://hersethsandlin.house.gov/
Though I personally try my best to keep up and read the online papers and blogs, I'm clearly no expert about what's currently troubling or frustrating Indiana voters these days.
What sorts of new policies and strategies they'd like to see given a chance and actually get
implemented to improve the economy or their quality-of-life, and which ones need to be jettisoned as dead-weight, good ideas that couldn't be publicly reconciled with the current political reality, for whatever reason.
(See Former Bush Aide Fights Nickname: Gov. Privatize, By Monica Davey, June 16, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/16/us/16indiana.html)
And I'll be honest, every time I had a chance to speak briefly with, see, or even be in the same room as present Indiana governor Mitch Daniels, back when he was working his magic in Washington for Senator Richard Lugar, it was hard not to come away impressed.
I've always been fond of folks, regardless of party, who are known as real ideas people.
(But then I've always prided myself on being a better judge of politicians than most of the people I've known, esp. in the media, since my track record in those things has generally been better by far.
I was behind Carter, Hart and Clinton when they were getting near zero name recognition, and still remember the names of the know-it-all reporters and columnists, national and local, who buried them prematurely.
I told just about everyone I know that Dukakis would select Senator Lloyd Bentsen for Veep exactly a week before Chris Matthews mentioned it on Larry King's then-late night Mutual radio show broadcast out of Arlington.
Days later, I told some folks on Bentsen's staff who had a group hose on Capitol Hill, who were looking for a new housemate. They laughed, but I, of course, had the last laugh on them in more ways than one, and eventually moved into a much nicer, cheaper and more spacious place in Arlington.)
That consistent intuition tells me one thing.
That I'd trust Jill's combination of character, drive, intelligence and personality more than just about anyone else in politics you could possibly name.
Personally, I only wish that South Florida had more people down here who had half as much to offer the public as Jill does to the people of Indiana, to help clean-up the myriad ethical, financial and public policy messes/scandals down here -and in Tallahassee.
Jill for Governor? Absolutely!
http://www.hoosiersforjill.com/
http://www.southbeachhoosier.blogspot.com/