The most interesting person I met at the Tea Party Express Rally in Orlando, Florida. How I happened to be at the right place, at the right time.
I had been asked by Mary to monitor the steps while she took a short break to her vehicle and to stop anyone from going backstage.
A handsome well dressed gentleman was my first and only trespasser, when he started to remove the rope, "I said excuse me, but you can't come back here, he looked at me sorta like I can't believe you said that to me. Me being shy and retiring continued I'm sorry but no one is allowed back here. About that time Mary rescued him and told me it's O.K. he's with the Tea Party and I jokingly asked, Do you have identification? Stuck my hand out and introduced myself. Then we started talking . . . My lead question was how do you happen to be working for the Tea Party?
One of the brains behind the movement is Sal Russo, of Russo, Marsh and Associates, a Sacramento campaigning firm, formerly an adviser to Ronald Reagan and Rudy Giuliani.I asked him a montage of other questions including the usual where he was from etc. and finally got around to asking his name. He told me Sal Russo {I was clueless as to who he was} we continued and he told how a young man out college got involved in an actor's campaign who wanted to run for governor of California, my comment was that wouldn't have happened to be Reagan of course he affirmed it was and told me that after Reagan won he went to work for him in Sacramento, didn't say doing what and I didn't ask.
My first smartest comment was did you work for him in Washington? He told me he wasn't able to move to Washington that he had small children but he sometimes went back and forth. My second smart comment was Oh! That's too bad I think that would have been interesting. We then started talking politics and the 2010 and 2012 elections and Sal started asking me questions who I liked etc. I gave him my opinion about the various potentional candidates and he parted some of his wisdom. He told me the names in the news that generated the most thunderous applause across America at every stop. Yep, you are correct. I'm going to leave you guessing.
I will share with you that he thought Jack Kemp would have made an outstanding President, I told him my perception of Jack Kemp was that he was honest, told it like it was and I would have voted for him. He then told me that I was correct and that Jack was his friend for forty years and how sadden he was by his death. I realized Sal must be a well known person when "The Other McCain" wandered up and I introduced him and I think Stacy said OH! Yes I interviewed you for: and at that point we had our picture taken made some more small talk and went different ways.
Why am I sharing this with you? When I got back to the Hotel I did a Google search and this is one of the most accomplished men in politics, The Tea Party Express movement was his idea. Never once did he indicate that he had held positions of influence in the Reagan Administration or the extinct of his involvement in the Tea Party Express or any of his other accomplishments. In my humble Texas opinion he is a class act and I will vouch that he is certainly is not braggadocious.
My advice to anyone who wants to run for a higher political office such as President, Vice President, Senator or Congressman enlists this man to advise you. If he can take a group of citizens and channel their energy into the success of the Tea Party movement, with over a million people coming together at their own expense to march on Washington, D.C. think of what he could do with a candidate that has the values Americans believe in.
- Sal Russo, Chief Strategist Sal Russo got his start in politics by working as a Special Assistant to Ronald Reagan. Mr. Russo has spent over 30 years in the field of political consulting and public affairs. He has been a senior advisor to several Republican presidential campaigns. A renowned consultant and strategist, Mr. Russo's expertise extends to every aspect of the profession. Russo's early conservative influence can be traced back to Barry Goldwater, who inspired Russo to become active in political causes while in college. Soon thereafter he met Reagan and his life was forever changed. Mr. Russo went on to become a leader in Republican campaigns at the state and national level, and helped freedom-loving people in campaigns around the world.
