We Win!!

It is the Wednesday after Election Day and I am home after a week and a half on the road.

But it all was worth it last night when the numbers came in and we won!!

Hopefully in the next couple of days I'll have a better idea of what my future holds, jobwise, but for now, I'm getting ready to spend the weekend at the ranch shipping cattle and then go on vacation next week.

While I was on the road, I spent a lot of time with one of my favorite families! One night we were enjoying an adult beverage and I was telling them a story from my past. When Gert* asked me if I kept a journal. Then it dawned on me that Antique said this blog was like my journal, so I figured this was as good a place as any to tell this story and preserve it for posterity.

So picture this, it is October 2004, I'm living in Albuquerque, NM. The Great White Hope and I were working on a Presidential reelection campaign and had been sent to New Mexico for the last month of the campaign. While we had been working in Arizona, we had helped plan a couple of Presidential events, so we were aware of how things typically flowed and what needed to get done in order for an event to be successful. 

A little background (and I realize this part may be a little boring), when a member of the Presidential team such as the President or Vice President have an event, they have what is called an "advance" team, who sets up the event. Basically, deal with logistics, staging, everything to make the event go off without a hitch.

Apparently, former Presidents and President's daughters do not travel with and "advance" team. Or so we found out in Oct. 2004. 

You see, the people running the campaign had sent a low level staff member, who had never even attended a Presidential event to Los Alamos, to set up for former President Bush and Jenna and Barbara Bush to come to a campaign rally.

The day before the event was to take place, TGWH and I were sent in as closers (Brian Wilson has nothing on us!). We literally pulled up to the local rec center gym, where the event was to take place, around 8pm. Doors were scheduled to open at 10am and the event was to begin at noon.

We went inside and got to work. When we went to the hotel that night, we felt good about the set up of the event and all was well. 

Then we woke up. 

We were at the gym, waiting for people to arrive and the doors to open, going over final details of the event. We realized that without an advance team there was no one to do the off-stage announce. (Basically, stand back stage and introduce the guests over the PA system.) We were talking to the peeps back in the main office and they told us that we would have to be in charge of that.

Wizzah wuh?

After I realized that the responsibility would fall on me, I asked the next question - what is the protocol for announcing the former President of the United States? The inform me that you introduce the people with the lowest titles first. Check.

So is he "Former President Bush," "The 41st President of the United States," "President Bush's Dad?"

Do you know what they told me?

"Ask him."

I'm sorry - what did you say to me?

"Ask him."

"Oh, and by the way, MSNBC is going to pick up your rally live, so make sure nothing goes wrong."

Oh teeny tiny baby J, be with me.

Sure enough, President George H.W. Bush showed up and I walked up to him:

Airplane: Excuse me, Sir. My name is Airplane.

HW: Hello, Airplane.

Airplane: I will be introducing you today and I just need to know how you'd like to be introduced.

HW: What are my choices?

Airplane: Former President Bush, the 41st President of the United States...

HW: Uh, I think I like "The 41st President"

Airplane: Ok, thanks.

Long story, short. I was the off-stage announce and it went off without a hitch. Our event was carried live. Everyone was thrilled with us! And we won our campaign!

I would say it was one of my favorite moments from the campaign.

"41" is taller than I would have thought, and he was VERY nice!