It’s funny how being a history buff has given me a better sense of how to approach my first campaign. Not that I expect it to happen, but if anyone ever asks me how to prepare for a campaign, I’d suggest that they read American history starting with George Washington and finding someone whose background, values, and approach to public service matches yours. Pretty much everything I’ve needed to know has come from Harry Truman. He’s someone you just can’t beat. He noted that power and money are two things that can ruin a man, but since he had never sought power and never had any money he was free to focus on serving his fellow citizens. Sharing those traits with Harry gave me a measure of confidence that if I focused solely on my desire to do the most good for the most people, things would turn out alright. You have to have faith that if you’re willing to run for office and work on behalf of the people, they may be willing to place their trust in you.
That’s where your reputation comes in. By the time voters got to know Harry, they knew he’d gone broke in a pre-Depression recession in 1923, yet didn't walk away from his debt (he was still paying it off in the late 1940s when he was president). When he left office, his only income was $112 a month from his WWI army pension and he lived on that until he signed a contract for his memoirs. At the same time, he was rejecting offers to sit on corporate boards because even after he left the White House, he said the office of the president was not for sale.
One practical lesson I gained from Harry is speaking to voters. Just a few months ago, I’d be invited to speak to a club or organization and arrive to find a handful of people waiting for me. Sometimes ten, sometimes less. That’s when I’d put into practice something I learned from Harry. In his first race for judge of Jackson County, Missouri, he arrived for a speech and found just three people in the audience. A biographer asked if he still made a speech. “Of course I did,” said Truman, surprised by the question. “It wasn’t their fault they were the only three people there.”
So whether in lonely civic hall where three people have waited or in a ballroom where a hundred or more have gathered, I speak anywhere and everywhere I can. If you ever run for office yourself, you’ll find it energizing to chat with folks who are thirsting for truth and express their willingness to work to have that simple virtue return to government. In an age where, each day, we’re beaten down with new lies and new lows, it’s a lifeline. A lifeline tied to our history.
PS: If you have time, there are some things I’ve written about where I stand at www.Gary2018.com, and if you’d like to like my facebook page, that’s at www.Facebook.com/GaryForFlorida.