This episode, a companion piece to my talk with Senator Jeff Bingaman, constituted an attempt on my part to try to understand the work of government as a job with a definable work process for which “doing the work” or “juicing” — throwing out takes, pandering to the base, &c. — is mere marketing, “window dressing” if you will. As I was recording this episode, it occurred to me that nearly every interview I’ve done over the past decade or so speaks to some version of this: how does the person I’m interviewing do their job? What is under the hood or behind the curtain?
As noted in my conversation with Oliver Traldi, much of the time we can simply dispense with all this worthless verbiage (there is no there there, as Gertrude Stein wrote of her childhood home in Oakland, CA) and proceed to the work itself. What is this person actually doing? In Florida Congressman Ric Keller’s case, a lot of what he was doing was fundraising to protect his unsafe seat, which he eventually lost when Obama’s victory in 2008 lifted all Democratic ships.
In this episode, I talk to former Florida Congressman Ric Keller about his 8-year stint as the representative for Florida's 8th district as well as his new book Chase the Bears: Little to Achieve Big Dreams.
Ric and I discuss the challenges of serving in a "swing" district, the impact of primary elections on polarization, the fundraising costs associated with serving on congressional committees, the importance of civility in public discourse, and the difficulties associated with achieving wholesale reform in a large, complicated political system. Along with that, we discuss topics covered in Ric's new book, such as the value of networking and the necessity of maximizing one's talents and opportunities to achieve personal success.
Suggested Links
Ric Keller on the power of self-deprecating humor,
Ric Keller on the importance of networking,
Keller's "hamburger bill," https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/109/hr554
The Work of Government, Part 2 (w/ Congressman Ric Keller)