When I was a teenager, I was active in politics. All of the ASB stuff, but some local, real politics, and a little national involvement as well. I met more politicians and office-holders than I can remember, and with a few exceptions, they all had one quality in common. I would call it distractedness, but that word doesn’t quite fit.
It is a feeling that, when they are talking to you, they’re thinking about 10 other things. They are looking at you, but not really listening. The best illustration of it I’ve seen is Al Pacino’s performance in City Hall. The combination of distractedness, deflection, and denial he uses to define his character is an incredible performance in an otherwise average film.
I understand that I’m not particularly important, and most of these politicians do have other things on their minds. What for me might have been a memorable moment, was for them something quickly forgotten. They seem to want these meetings with the public to be quick, predictable, and uneventful.
In the summer of 1986, I was a delegate to Boys’ Nation. For those who are not familiar with Boys’ Nation, it is a fantastic program sponsored by the American Legion. Every year, two boys are selected from each state to travel to Washington, DC and learn about the nation’s history and government. One hot August day, all 100 of us delegates were waiting in line to tour the Old Executive Office Building. I was talking with my friends Dan and Mario when guys wearing dark suits and fusilli wires in their ears started pulling a few people out of line. One of those pulled out was Mario.
After a few minutes, Mario got back in line next to me and Dan.
“What was that about?” I asked.
He handed me a small piece of paper. On it was typed, “What are your impressions of Mikhail Gorbachev?”
I looked back at him. “Is this…?”
He held his hands up. “I dunno. They just asked me a few questions, and then gave me this piece of paper.”
After a trip through the metal detectors, we were corralled into a small auditorium in the OEOB. A woman walked to the front of the stage.
“OK, welcome to the OEOB!” she said. “As you probably have started to suspect, in a few minutes, you are all going to meet with President Reagan in the Rose Garden.”
The audience started murmuring, and a few people cheered. Though I hadn’t yet conceived of the list, I was about to fulfill item #21 – Meet a US President.
Once we settled down, she continued, going over some basic rules and the protocol of meeting the President. Then she told us one last thing.
“The President will be taking questions, but only those who have already been spoken with are to raise their hands. If I didn’t speak to you personally before we came into this room, you are not to raise your hand when the President asks for questions.”
My friend Dan was excited, but for a reason I hadn’t considered. As we stood and started to walk over to the White House, he shook his head and said just one thing.
“I’m gonna raise my hand anyway.”