Saturday, January 24, 2009

Hi Patrick! It's Me, Drew! I Baked You Some Cupcakes. Okay If I Drop Them Off With You At Work?

Wow! I know a member of the Obama administration! And not just anybody, but Patrick Gaspard, President Obama's political director.

Way back when, he was the volunteer coordinator when I worked on a congressional campaign back in NYC. I doubt very much that he would remember me or that the cupcake ploy in the title would be successful.

Still, I can't help but being filled with thoughts of What Might Have Been. When Hillary first won her Senate seat, a few people suggested to me that I should apply for a job with her. I possibly would have had a shot, although I was dissuaded from that because although I like working in government, I really hated standing outside of subway stations at six in the morning handing out campaign literature, and those thing pretty much go together. In NYC anyway. Which is, in part, why Patrick Gaspard probably wouldn't remember me: I wasn't a stand-out volunteer, much preferring tasks like sitting in the office and putting things in alphabetical order.

Still and all, with a bit of immodest Well-Get-A-Load-Of-Me, Patrick will join the President of the New York City Council, a member of the New York State Senate, and a few journalists and activist types on my personal list of "Notable People With Whom I Am On A First Name Basis."

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Oh boy, did that kick up stuff for me! Been mostly jobless since august, though now I'm working two days a week for another nonprofit consulting firm, thinking about grad school which I can't afford and looking at some other types of professional development in this economic catastrophe we're living through. I've always been on a decent, first name basis with our new governor, David Paterson and thought perhaps I could seek a position in his administration. However, he is crashing, what with his mishandling of the Caroline Kennedy thing and the fall of Wall street as the source of most state revenue. I'll just limp along as I am, thank you!