It’s on, um, like I said.
John Roberts from “American Morning” playfully told me as I got on the set with him that I’ve been on TV more than he has over the past few days.
Oops. My bad.
That’s a little embarrassing to hear. I don’t mind doing public speaking but I usually don’t watch what I do – that is, I don’t go looking for myself on You Tube or anything like that. With ears like mine (are you listening, Senator? President Bush? Dumbo?), watching myself on TV is just a nightmare of counting down when the ears are going to start flapping and pull me right out of my seat.
Anywho...
To John’s point, though, we have been pulled in a lot of different directions. Even those that disagree with our viewpoint want to talk to us because of how we present the argument. That is cool because that means that we are relevant in the conversation and responsible (hopefully) for expanding open-mindedness, which increases the odds for sound solutions to our challenges.
One thing that stuck with me was when Claudio came back from a radio interview today. The guy interviewing him wanted Claudio’s and Richard’s straight, honest opinion/assessment of what was going on at the convention and with the ticket. Claudio came back and said, “It shocked me – this guy really wanted MY feedback.”
Well, yes he did, but it’s not just about Claudio. This experience is highlighting to me why we as HHR exist and what we are trying to do aside from Republican politics. It’s about getting engaged on both sides of the aisle enough so that your opinion, vote, and perspective constantly matters, not just every 4 years or when a major issue breaks. Government needs to listen to the 23-year-olds, the 40-year-olds, and the 65-year-olds all of the time because they are the very reason that government exists.
That’s the cool stuff. Being able to walk down the bristle of Radio Row here at the convention with a sense of purpose. People asking us for our opinion, availability, etc. Granted, you may think that it’s just about HHR, but it’s not. If they listen to a young Republican, you know that they will listen to a young Dem as well just by the very fact that there are more of them. This is an election – especially with the Obama/Palin presence – that younger people and their definitions within society can become more of the norm.
The moment is ours to seize– yours and mine. Are we game?
