"Okay, so outcome number two - I win. Then we have to make some changes. I can't run this place and be a Congressman at the same time. That doesn't mean we shut this place down. This place is too good to break up. No, I resign, but I keep my shares, and the rest of you keep running it. We are not going to shut down this place! We have all worked too hard to do that."
There was a brief sigh of relief around the room, and some nods. I turned to Missy, a potential wild card. "What are your feelings about this? I know you're a Democrat." Then I looked at the two Jakes. "What about you guys?"
Jake Senior admitted he was a Democrat and Junior replied he was a Republican. Senior's response was, "You can't be any worse than some of the idiots in there now. Hell, I'll vote for you."
Missy smiled. "I'm a little more dedicated than that, but I won't be leading any protest rallies outside your door. You'd better be nice, though. I know where we keep the stash of silly photographs!"
That got some laughter, and then we turned to business. We had to craft a response to media inquiries, and Jake Junior was designated the responsible 'talking head.' We needed a statement that would both reassure our investors and our clients, and demonstrate corporate neutrality. Then we worked on my responsibilities. Missy pointed out that since I was a director at Microsoft, Dell, and Adobe (I had given up the one at Autodesk) I had a fiduciary responsibility to inform them, and possibly resign my directorships. I knew I would be making some phone calls that afternoon. I wondered what Bill at Microsoft would think of this.
I got a call from Rich Miller to be available Tuesday afternoon of the following week to be in Washington. The reason – meet the powers that be! I had a command performance in front of the Minority Leader and Minority Whip. That would be Bob Michel and Newt Gingrich. In one sense I was expecting to meet them ahead of time, but in another, I was a touch surprised. There were 435 Congressional seats in the House, the majority of which were Democratically controlled. Would they be meeting all of the contenders one on one? That would be well over 200 meetings. Maybe they would split them up? Or maybe this was so important they would take the time? I just didn't know.
I quizzed Brewster on this and he said it was important that I attend. He didn't need to be there, but Miller would be, to sponsor me, so to speak. I could assume that they would have some sort of background on me, whether provided by Miller or somebody connected with the Maryland Ninth. Michel I knew very little about; he was on the way out, so to speak. He would be retiring in a few years. Newt I knew quite a bit about! He was brand new to the Whip position, getting it when Dick Cheney was selected by Bush 41 as his Secretary of Defense. Over the next decade he would rise to become one of the most powerful men in Washington, and then self-destruct and be cast out.
I drove down Tuesday morning and Rich and I went to lunch. Our appointment was at 2:15. I asked, "So, am I meeting with both Michel and Gingrich? Together? One and then the other? Is it a group thing?"
Rich shook his head. "Actually it will just be Newt. I found out this morning that Bob had to fly back to Chicago for a funeral."
"As long as it wasn't his own.", I quipped, which earned me a smile. "What's Gingrich like?"
That got me a little shrug. "Smart, very smart, that's for sure. He can turn on the folksy country charm when he needs to, but don't let the down-home West Georgia good old boy routine fool you. He has a doctorate in history and taught college before running for office. You two will get along on that score. You've got the accent, too. How'd that work for you up north, by the way?"
I grinned. "City girls just love a country boy, don't they.", I replied with my thickest drawl.
That earned me a smile and a snort. "I'll bet. Anyway, he's one of the sharpest political minds in the city. He's got a memory like an elephant, too, and an ego even bigger. Don't ever piss him off. You'll have to drive a stake through his heart and shoot him with a silver bullet to be free of him."
We had to wait about ten minutes in Gingrich's anteroom before we could see him, but I didn't get the impression he was playing power games with us. When the door opened, a few people scurried out, and we were shown in only about five minutes after that.
Newt stood and came around his desk, smiling and extending his hand. "Doctor Buckman, it's a pleasure to meet you." He turned and shook hands with Rich Miller next. "Rich, good to see you again."
"Thanks for seeing us, Newt."
"I appreciate the opportunity, Congressman. By the way, you don't have to call me Doctor. I almost never go by that.", I said.
He showed us over to a sitting area and we sat down. "Why is that, Mister Buckman?"
"Please, call me Carl. It's just that I haven't been an academic since the late Seventies. I keep it on my business cards because some people seem to like that sort of thing, but it's almost a totally different life now." I explained. I cocked my head to the side a touch and asked, "How do you feel about that? You have an academic background even more than I do. I've never taught, for instance. Did you enjoy that?"
"Yes, or at least some parts of it. I don't think anybody can really enjoy reading some of the term papers I received.", he answered lightly. "Were you ever tempted to teach?"
"I never really gave it any thought. Maybe if I hadn't gone to school through ROTC, but that trumped everything. I had to do a few years before I would get the chance."
"I never served, myself. I sometimes wonder what I missed. Did you like your time in the Army?"
I nodded. "Quite a bit. Before I was injured, I was planning to go career. When I blew out my knee, that ended my plans."
"Career? With your kind of money? That would have been pretty unusual, wouldn't it?", he commented.
"You know about that? Well, unusual, yes, but not unheard of. There have been other officers and soldiers with money. Look at the Kennedy's, for instance."
"That was their family's money, not their own. I must admit, I am curious why you are running for Congress. I've seen your name on the Forbes list. You can buy a Congress! What in the world do you want to give up being an influential businessman for, and become a junior Representative?"
I laughed at that. "I've been asking myself that for a couple of weeks now. The quick answer is that I was talked into it by some friends and my wife, and someday I might just be on speaking terms with them again." That earned a chuckle, but Gingrich was watching me closely. "The more accurate answer is that money isn't everything. I'm actually a fairly simple fellow. I don't have a dozen houses or boats or sports cars. My family lives nicely but simply. I have more money than I will ever spend, and I passed that mark several years ago. About that time I started wondering about the direction our country was headed. If we just go along our merry way, I think we as a people and as a nation have some serious problems ahead of us. I've written about this since then, and given a few speeches and talks. Those friends I mentioned, and my wife, they told me to put up or shut up. To make a real difference I needed to get involved, and not just with money. I needed to step up." I held my hands wide. "So, here I am."
"This isn't a neat and clean business, not compared to actually running a business.", he remarked.