Jed
I spent the day yesterday on the road with Mike in Robertson and Sumner Counties.
The visit to Robertson was a last minute addition to his schedule. Earlier in the week, I called Mike’s long time friend Larry Wilks and asked, if on 2 days notice, could he pull a visit together for us. Without missing a beat, Larry said no problem. His only two questions were, “What time will you be getting here,” and “What time do you need to leave?” I gave him the times and his response was a simple, “No problem.”
I arrived in Springfield a few minutes ahead of Mike. The drive up was horrible…the rain didn’t let up for a minute, but almost like magic, it stopped the moment I pulled into Larry’s office on the court square. If you have never been to Springfield, its worth a visit if for no other reason than to see their beautiful square. One of my favorite hobbies, other than visiting the beach, is taking pictures (I rarely travel without my camera) but i didn’t have it with me yesterday and really wish I had brought it, that square is so picturesque. Once at Larry’s office, he and I chatted for a few minutes about his plans for the day for Mike. Let me just say this, when Larry says no problem, he means it. In less than two days, he had put together a great few hours for Mike.
Within a few minutes Mike arrived and we promptly headed out to the County Office Annex Building where we got to meet several of the elected officials. Unfortunatally, due to the short notice of our visit, a few of the office holders had other plans already and were not around when we came by. We were able to visit with a good number of people though. One of my favorite things about Mike is that he does not miss the chance to ask someone for their vote. Of all the things that go on in a campaign, the days like this where he is out visiting the communities of Tennessee and campaigning door to door, business to business is definitely Mike’s favorite part. As we went through the Court House and visited the various businesses around the square, he did not miss an opportunity to shake a hand or ask for a vote, be it the local attorney whose office he dropped in, the bailiff at the courthouse and even the random person that just happened to be on the square at that time, he shook every hand in sight.
We ate lunch at a local meat and three by the name of (coincidentally) Larry’s. The owner, Larry, was very gracious in allowing Mike to do a little campaigning before and after he ate…and by a little campaigning, I mean Mike shook the hand of every customer in the restaurant. While at lunch, I was telling Mike and Larry that while most people that work on campaigns eventually get very tired of eating at these meat and three type restuarants (we do eat at lots of them), I love it. Really, I do. It is far and away my favorite part of being on the campaign trail. I bet I have tried mac & cheese and mashed potatoes in almost every county in Tennessee…and rarely have I been disappointed. Yesterday was no exception, Larry’s makes an excellent country ham, mashed potatoes and mac & cheese plate! Not to be outdone by me, Mike had a nice helping of Catfish and turnip greens that he seemed to really enjoy! I can’t say this enough, I love getting to sample food from the great local restaurants all over Tennessee.
Once we finished up with lunch, Mike spotted a local firehouse and insisted we cross the street so he could meet the local firemen. I always get a little excited when we visit fire houses … I mean what guy hasn’t wanted to be a fireman at some point in his life. Not only do these guys do an amazing job for their communities, but they are almost always very active in the political process. Back during Lowe Finney’s campaign, Mike’s dad told us to never pass up a firehouse as we were out on the campaign trail. A piece of advice I still adhere to.
We spent a couple more hours campaigning around Springfield, visiting City Hall, the County Courthouse, the local newspaper as well as various other businesses. I can’t thank Larry enough for the great day he put together for us, I know I’ll never set foot in Robertson county again that Larry Wilks is not my first call. Thanks Larry.
Like clockwork, as we pulled out of Robertson County, the rain started to pour down once again. It made the short drive to Sumner County slightly annoying, but we made it without any problems. Our next visit was to Vol State Community College, where Mike was taping an interview on “Inside Politics.” This was Mike’s first in studio interview of the campaign. If he was nervous, he never let on or showed it. He was interviewed by Nancy Hauskins and did a great job…I look forward to seeing it. It was kinda cool being in the production room as they did the taping…a side of TV that most people don’t get to see. They told me it will be up soon on their website, I’m sure the gurus that work their magic on our campaign website will have it posted for everyone to see once it airs.
This was the last stop of the day for me, as I had to return to Nashville but Mike went on to meet with the Sumner County Democratic Party for their Meet the Candidate series. I have not talked with him since, but I’m sure it went well.
Next trip, I’ll try and remember the camera so I can pass along some pictures. Oh, and not to worry, I’ll be sure to include some Jimmy Buffett or beach references in the future, as neither is ever very far from my mind and obviously extremely important pieces of Mike becoming the next Governor of Tennessee.
-jrb
If you were up in the are, why didn’t McWherter come to the Montgomery Co. Labor Day Celebration with the other candidates?
Mike had previously committed to attend the Sumner County Democratic Meeting that evening and felt he needed to keep his commitment. Hope to be in Montgomery County soon.
Mac n’ cheese – food of the gods.