When one meets a politician, you can usually tell if they are genuine or not. Whether they care or not. Or, whether they just want your money. I met two people, who I felt were really genuine people.
The first was Tim Scott, who was the United States Senator from South Carolina. He was speaking at my church as part of a celebration for our former pastor. He said in his speech that his life verses from the Bible were Proverbs 3:5-6: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths." He said that he has used those verses in his everyday life to get through the challenges that come his way. After the service was over, I went up to him and told him that those were my Life Verses, too. They were the first verses I memorized after John 3:16. Those verses kept me going, when I was homeless. We shared a prayer together. He was truly a man of God.
The second was Tulsi Gabbard, who was a United States Congresswoman from Hawaii. She was in Columbia for the Martin Luther King Rally at the Dome in 2020. She was running for President, although she dropped out of the race soon after. I was standing on the side of the State House's steps, where the speakers were. It was a very cold day. After her speech, I saw that she was leaving, and I went up to her. There were others who wanted to take pictures with her, but I just wanted to ask her something. I introduced myself to her accompanied by a very firm handshake from her. She had said in her speech that we needed to do more for the veterans. I told her not to forget about the homeless veterans, and that I knew some personally. She said that she never would, and then we hugged. Despite her lack of name recognition like Biden, Sanders, Warren, or Klobuchar, she seemed to really care about the veterans and their needs.
Tim and Tulsi represented two different political parties at the time. Later, Tulsi became an independent. But, they had one common thread between them. That thread was "caring". No matter what one may think of their politics, and I may disagree with some of their positions, they both listened to me. That is very rare in most politicians. I never met Dick Gephardt who served in Congress from Missouri, but he ran for President in 2008. On the campaign trail, he went to a small restaurant and saw a little girl. He bent down to her and asked her name. He didn't hear it and asked her to repeat it. He then shook her hand and called her by name. Then, he went on shaking hands with others. I have never forgotten that moment. He took the time to shake her hand and ask her name. She couldn't have voted for him. She may not even remember that moment now, but I do. He wasn't looking for a photo op. He just cared. You can't ask for much more.
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