I had the opportunity to speak to a group of folks gathered in the sandy backwoods of Franklin County last week. I shook hands, handed out cards, and asked each of them for their vote. One very distinguished very gray haired lady sat, arms folded, and deliberately looked at the wall as I passed by. At first I thought it was a teasing slight.
But as I stood there it became apparent that it was not teasing. I politely moved on. As the night progressed and the time came near for my five minutes of fame I thought of her and slipped my prepared remarks in the bib of my over'alls.
I took the mic and said " I have no idea what I am about to say, but I want to mention a little about who I am before I go into the political rhetoric that I know you are all tired of anyway "
"You see" I proceeded, " I was born a few miles over, but fifty years ago next month I came to visit a house less than three miles from where we stand. I came here to pick cotton with my mother, for Sam Adams, my daddy gone to Memphis. We hadn't been here a week when Mr Green came knocking in the night to say that my daddy was dead. I didn't leave that place for two more years"
I went on to tell them about the day grandpa gave me the first and only honest to goodness country whipping I ever had, The cool water from the well and hot days in the garden, and the 36 biscuits my grandmother cooked every morning in the wood cook stove. An eight year old boy lyin' in the the fall fields of sage grass on that sandy hillside below the the two room house. The color of the sky and the feel of the clouds falling into space. Just an eight year old boy and his own private universe.
I went on to talk about job creation, the need to raise incomes instead of income taxes. I said that I had not considered myself a republican before this election and that although the circumstances choose me rather than the other way round, I was running on the Republican ticket but for my money they could vote them all out.
I went on for a while, then the band started to suit up again and I stepped off the stage. I shook some hands. I had more than one tell me that I was going to force them to vote a split ticket this time and thanked me for my talk. Then as I was slipping for the door, a graceful hand caught my arm. She said with a genuine smile. " Before you go, I'd like to dance with a man who picked cotton for Sam Adams".
I still don't know how she's going to vote, but she's a dang fine dancer.
But as I stood there it became apparent that it was not teasing. I politely moved on. As the night progressed and the time came near for my five minutes of fame I thought of her and slipped my prepared remarks in the bib of my over'alls.
I took the mic and said " I have no idea what I am about to say, but I want to mention a little about who I am before I go into the political rhetoric that I know you are all tired of anyway "
"You see" I proceeded, " I was born a few miles over, but fifty years ago next month I came to visit a house less than three miles from where we stand. I came here to pick cotton with my mother, for Sam Adams, my daddy gone to Memphis. We hadn't been here a week when Mr Green came knocking in the night to say that my daddy was dead. I didn't leave that place for two more years"
I went on to tell them about the day grandpa gave me the first and only honest to goodness country whipping I ever had, The cool water from the well and hot days in the garden, and the 36 biscuits my grandmother cooked every morning in the wood cook stove. An eight year old boy lyin' in the the fall fields of sage grass on that sandy hillside below the the two room house. The color of the sky and the feel of the clouds falling into space. Just an eight year old boy and his own private universe.
I went on to talk about job creation, the need to raise incomes instead of income taxes. I said that I had not considered myself a republican before this election and that although the circumstances choose me rather than the other way round, I was running on the Republican ticket but for my money they could vote them all out.
I went on for a while, then the band started to suit up again and I stepped off the stage. I shook some hands. I had more than one tell me that I was going to force them to vote a split ticket this time and thanked me for my talk. Then as I was slipping for the door, a graceful hand caught my arm. She said with a genuine smile. " Before you go, I'd like to dance with a man who picked cotton for Sam Adams".
I still don't know how she's going to vote, but she's a dang fine dancer.
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