Hillary

  It was February 2016.  Hillary Clinton had won the South Carolina Democratic Primary over Bernie Sanders.  No surprise there.  She was holding a victory rally in front of the Columbia Art Museum in the freezing cold, and I had to be there.  As I have said earlier, I have seen every President of the United States in my lifetime, except for Kennedy.  I had to hedge a bet.

 As I was now hip to how these rallies worked, I had to get a ticket before attending.  The tickets were free, but they had to know how many people would be there for safety reasons.  I went through the security check and went into the area about 45 minutes early.  I scouted the site and saw a tent with some metal railings.  I figured this would be where she would enter into the place.  I staked out a spot next to a metal railing and stood my ground.  There was a lot of pushing and shoving, but this was my spot.

 A small group of supporters came into the area through that path from the tent to the stage.  The only person I recognized was Star Jones.  She spoke for a couple of minutes.  Then, there was an actress who spoke, but I didn't get her name.  We were all cheering to try and get warm.  It was a losing battle.  Then, Hillary came from under the tent followed by her husband Bill.  They were all smiles.  Bill's Secret Service detail wasn't smiling.  No surprise there.  Huma Abedin was there, too.  I didn't know who she was then, but I know now.  Anthony Weiner's ex now.  

 Bill Clinton made it to the stage.  This was the second time I had seen him in person.  The first time was years ago, when he was running for President.  He was vibrant back then.  He looked gaunter now.  He got the crowd going to almost a fever pitch to introduce Hillary.  She got to the stage and thanked everyone who had voted for her in the primary.  Her speech didn't last long, because it was really cold.  

 After she finished, she and Bill started shaking hands in the crowd.  I was wearing a NAMI hat.  As she got to me, I reached out my hand to her, and she gave me a firm handshake.  I yelled out "God bless you". She responded, "Thanks, I need that".  Our close encounter was captured by a newspaper photographer, and it appeared in the paper the next day.  A few people later, Bill came by.  I had thought what I would say to him.  I could have been rude and say something like, "Bill Belk says hello".  He and Belk used to be friends until he insulted Hillary, and his remark got back to Clinton.  So, I decided I had better be nice.  He shook my hand, not as firmly as Hillary did, and I said "God bless you".  He said, "What?"  I repeated, "God bless you".  He responded, "Oh, okay".  I don't know what he thought I said, but I hope he didn't think I had initially insulted him.  

 They were quickly whisked away from us, and I caught a warm bus home.  I got a Hillary for President sign, that I gave away to a neighbor.  I wish I still had it, because it could have been worth some money.  In the end, I was glad I went.  As history would take us, I have had a thumbs up from Reagan, and I have shaken hands with a former President (Clinton) and a future President (Biden).  I had one more President to go.

Huntsman

  There are times in the political world, where someone wins the nomination for President of the United States, and there is someone else more qualified.  I have studied politics pretty much my entire adult life, and I have seen many examples of this fact.  One of which was Jon Huntsman who ran for President in 2012. 

 He was a governor in Utah.  He had been the United States Ambassador to Russia and later China.  He had been our government's trade ambassador.  Unfortunately, that year also had Mitt Romney running for President, and he was also from Utah and more well known.  Credentials and experience are not as important in politics as name recognition.  

 I met Ambassador Huntsman at the South Carolina Republican Party Headquarters in 2012.  He had a really big family, and I saw them all pour off of a bus out front.  One of them was his daughter Abby, who later went on to co-host "The View" on ABC.  After he filed for the Republican Primary in SC, he went outside to greet those in the parking lot.  I spent a few moments with him talking about the homeless and the economy.  He seemed truly interested.  You can tell who listens, and who wants to just blow you off.  I have seen many politicians do both.  He listened.  

 After a while of just hanging out with us, he and his family boarded their bus and left for a campaign stop.  I really wished that the voters had listened to what he had to say in the campaign.  He just never gained any traction.  If a candidate is covered non-stop by the media, others are left begging for airtime.  You see this time and time again.  One could make the case that media exposure is more important than the issues.  In some cases, the media has had a role in who gets elected, whether they are qualified or not, by ignoring others in the race.  That was the problem with Jon Huntsman.  Not enough people took a look at him and his experience.  He would have made a very good President.

Transit

 The MTRA was getting recognized around the country for our successful work in getting better bus service for the Columbia area.  There was a national advocacy group, based in Washington, that got local groups together for training and community work.  The meeting was going to be in Atlanta, and we were invited to attend.  We could only take three people to the conference, so I was nominated to go, since I was the president of the MTRA.  Two women from our Board of Directors said they could go.  One of them, I got along with very well.  The other?  Not so much.

 The Progressive Network said they would pay for our rental car and hotel rooms.  I went with the head of the Progressive Network to rent a car at Enterprise.  We got an SUV.  I had never driven a car like that before.  It proved to be very easy.  On Sunday morning, I picked up the two women at their respective apartments, and we headed toward Atlanta.  We stopped at a Golden Corral outside Atlanta for lunch.  We had each been given cash for our trip to pay for food and the hotel rooms.  One of the ladies lost her envelope of cash.  We looked all around the car but found nothing.  The other lady and me would pay for her stuff for the rest of the trip.  When we got to the hotel in downtown Atlanta, it was pretty swanky.  We went up to the front desk to register.  We told the clerk that we had reservations.  He didn't see our names.  Maybe under the Progressive Network?  Yes.  Okay, we pulled out our cash and were told that we could only pay if we were the Progressive Network.  We told the clerk that we had been sent by the Progressive Network and had been given cash for the rooms.  The clerk wasn't budging.  I asked the clerk if I could call the head of the Network to smooth over the confusion?  He said I could, so I called the head of the Network to see if he could explain to the clerk what was going on.  After a few attempts, I finally got hold of him and told him of our predicament.  He spoke to the clerk and gave his credit card over the phone for our rooms.  I was ready to sleep in our car.  

 That night, our meetings started in the hotel's ballroom. After the meeting, we went to get supper at a nice place near the hotel.  I saw the neighborhood we were in, and found it was near the place I had been back in college, where I got stoned on marijuana.  A blast from the past.  I confessed to the two women that I used to have terrible road rage, but I was taking medication for it.  They were surprised and said they had not noticed any anger.  The drugs worked. On Monday, we continued meeting in small groups.  I really liked the work that the folks in Tampa and Pittsburgh were doing.  We promised to stay in touch.  We never did.  Nor did they.  As we were going to leave to come home, I went to the desk and asked them how to get on I-285 to get back to I-20?  Nobody knew.  Great!  Hotel workers who don't know how to get around town.  It turned out that I-75 was near the hotel, and their suggestion was to get on that, and eventually we would find 285.  

 As we got back in the car, the woman found her lost money.  It was under the seat.  That was a blessing.  She could pay for the gas going back.  They asked me if I knew where I was going?  I lied and said yes.  We were going to get back on 285.  I just didn't know where.  We came upon some road construction two miles ahead.  There was a sign that said to merge right.  The traffic was kind of heavy, but everyone began to merge right.  All except one fool in the left lane.  He wanted to get ahead of everyone and merge at the end of the lane.  Nobody would let him do it.  After all, it had been a pain for everyone else to merge during the two-mile warning.  He was mad.  We just laughed.  We finally got to 285.  It had been 20 minutes out of our way from how we could have gone, but I pretended it was the right way.  I don't think they knew the difference.

 We got back to Columbia late into the evening, and I took the car back the next day to Enterprise.  We had to settle up with the Network, but we ended up keeping most of the money.  It was a good trip, and we learned a lot what others were doing with their transit systems.  I would like to think we taught them something, too.  At least, the MTRA was on the national map.  Being recognized for your work outside your community is a good thing.  And, we got to go to Atlanta, however briefly.

Huck

  I was in seminary with Mike Huckabee at Southwestern in Ft. Worth.  He was a year ahead of me.  Mike was a pastor for many years, before he decided to run for Governor of Arkansas and later President.  In 2015, Mike came to Columbia to file with the state Republican Party to have his name on the ballot for our primary. 

 When I heard he was coming, I wanted to reconnect with him.  I went down to the Republican headquarters to say hi.  Those of us who wanted to do so were ushered into a little room to wait for him.  Among those were my pastor, Wendell Estep, who was a good friend of Mike's, and our new Senior Adult minister whose name was Richard Humphries.  We would later become good friends, but that's another story for later.

 Mike came in and greeted everybody.  I had brought something from our seminary days which was fondly called the "funny book".  It had pictures of all the students and faculty for that year.  Just before he was to step before the press, I showed him his picture and mine.  He quipped that was when we both had hair.  He was laughing, when he got before the cameras.  I know the press wondered why.

 After the event was over, we all adjourned to the parking lot.  Mike introduced me to his daughter Sarah.  He and I chatted about our seminary days, and he had remembered seeing some of my drama work at school.  He then asked me if I had been back since graduation.  I told him no, and he proceeded to tell me about all the changes in buildings and the like.  We had a good time remembering those days, but Sarah was antsy about getting her father in the van and onto a campaign stop.  We said our goodbyes.  

 Mike is a good guy.  I wish he would go back to the ministry, but in some ways his ministry has now taken the form of his TV show.  We all don't have to be on a staff of a local church to have a ministry.  It is whatever God has called you to do.  I pray that you will find what God wants you to do.  

Kemp

  You are probably tired of my saying this, but I am a political junkie.  I will go to see anyone I deem to be a political figure.  This was the case in January 2016.  The Jack Kemp Forum on Poverty was going to be at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center.  It was billed as a time when all of the Republican candidates for President would be there.  I was a big fan of Jack Kemp.  He had an empathetic heart, and I was interested in what the candidates would do about poverty in America, so I had to go.

 When I got there, they had metal detectors in the lobby.  Apparently, the machine went off, as I walked through it, or else I had the "look".  A woman from the Secret Service pulled me aside and proceeded to wand me.  She was wearing a bulletproof vest and was armed.  I was a little scared of her, which I guess was the point.  I passed the test and got to go inside the auditorium.

 The event was hosted by Senator Tim Scott and Speaker of the House Paul Ryan.  They announced that candidates Donald Trump, Carly Fiorina and Ted Cruz would not be coming to the forum.  They said those three had "scheduling conflicts".  I guessed that Trump and Fiorina didn't want to be there, because both were rich and felt uncomfortable talking about Poverty.  With Cruz?  Who knows?  Maybe because very few people liked him.  Those candidates who did come were Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Chris Christie, Mike Huckabee, John Kasich, and Marco Rubio.

 Each candidate came out and presented a short speech on Poverty.  They also allowed questions from the hosts and interactions between the candidates.  When Rubio came out, there was a group of protesters in the back that got vocal and tried to get him off of the stage.  They were complaining about some comments that Rubio had said days before about immigration.  The security people came in and got the protesters out.  He was the only one to be heckled that day.  

 Most of the candidates used their stump speeches, but I was impressed by Kasich and Christie.  Both of them had concrete solutions, as opposed to abstract ones.  We broke for lunch, and they had a catered boxed lunch for each of the forum goers.  That was better than going outside and then have to be wanded again by a Secret Service woman.

 The forum went past its allotted time.  Toward the end of the event, Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski did a live MSNBC show from the forum and interviewed several of the participants.  I stayed for that.  I wanted to get my money's worth, even though the event was free.  I was sure one of those guys would be the Republican candidate for President of the United States.  Probably Jeb Bush.  It turned out that I was wrong.