Why I Listen to John Thune

And how you may be able to get people to listen to you too

In August of 2002 we road tripped from Colorado to South Dakota to show our kids Mount Rushmore. By coincidence, President George W. Bush was there at the same time to discuss homeland and economic security. I thought that we could make the trip even more fun and memorable by attending the President’s presentation which would be held right at Mount Rushmore!

Photo by Jéan Béller on Unsplash

We found out where and when tickets to the presentation were being distributed and made a point to get ourselves there as early as possible. Getting anywhere early in the morning has never been my forte, so it’s worth pointing out that we were not the first to arrive. In fact, by the time we did arrive, all of the tickets had been distributed; there were none left.

But all was not lost because there was a man in a room to greet us and he was handing out pieces of salt water taffy. My son and I went in to get the tickets, and we each received a piece. My husband and daughter waited in the car, so like a “good” mom, I gave our daughter my piece of taffy. The kids considered the effort to get the tickets a success. Sorry, President Bush, it’s hard to compete with salt water taffy.

The “nice man” handing out the candy was a guy, who according to a big sign behind him, was the South Dakota Representative to the US Congress. That left an impression on me, and even though we only exchanged pleasantries, I was left with the impression that he was a good and decent man. He’d certainly treated my 7 year old son and me well, and his willingness to sit in an empty room, greet strangers, and offer them a small consolation treat impressed me.

For the last 23 years, the name and face of John Thune, now the US Senate Majority Leader, has been popping up on my TV screen and a lot more lately. While I don’t label myself a “Republican” like he does, I’ve always paid close attention to what he says. And that’s just because he extended a small kindness to me, looked me in the eye, and left the impression that I mattered.

Today, after listening to John Thune on TV, I got to thinking that we all have that power; the power to be respected and heard. Imagine how well each of us could defend democracy if we took the time to show respect to all people, even when we disagree with them, listen to them, and extended them small kindnesses.

Post submitted by Kathy Haselmaier, a volunteer with The Union from Fort Collins, Colorado

Note: The views and opinions expressed by volunteer contributors are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the positions of The Union, a single-issue organization that welcomes all and is dedicated to protecting democracy.

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