I’ve been content to email Chris and Mel for the past couple weeks. When Mel told me that he would be at a local bagel shop this morning and needed bookmarks I hurried over to give him some. While there he had me pass some out. Because I had a lunch planned with Chris I spontaneously invited Mel to join us so that the two of them could meet.
I’ve already commented in the last post about our desire to beat the self-fulfilling prophecy but we talked with great animation for two hours about a great many aspects of our campaign. I told them both after we left that I was already ahead of any previous campaign because other than absentee chairmen telling me what to do this was the first time that I actually had two people working with me hand-in-hand. Their emails back and forth have been invaluable for brainstorming.
Chris told me that his son Rob (one of my paraders) had gone to my campaign site and ended up finding my little tease about the 1977 Scandal that intrigued him very much. I explained that the way things are going I may not have time to get much further on my book but that the historian in me is fascinated by this chapter in Minnesota’s political history. I also said that if I lost this book would be my next project.
Mel raised the objection that because the story was unflattering to one of my opponents I could be regarded as slinging mud. I hid behind the well-worn excuse that history is history. I admitted that when the information fell into my lap I paused before pursuing it because I had no interest in being a mud thrower. Besides, I’m still not sure what happened and, in addition, what happened 32 years ago may not be relevant today except as evidence of the character of the people involved. I’m inclined to think this may be important.
At a time when we are in a war that seems to have been dictated by the character of the people in charge of the White House, it may be well worth pondering the character of the fellows I’m challenging as well.
