Lifetime of politics
PETER FINGER
E
lection night 2016 was as much a surprise to me as it was to Over all that time, I’ve kept in touch with the College directly and just about everyone else on Earth — even having spent my through great friends I made when I was there. Former Admissions adult life in politics. Director Ross Lenhart ’66 (a Democrat) and I have been pen pals While I was a student at Marietta I participated in the College for years. We rarely agree on policy matters, but have never argued. radio station — and later, with friends Ernie Hartong ’70 (Ohio), Bill Learning how to think at a liberal arts college has stood us in good Cohen ’69 (Maine) and others, stood up the college TV station. The stead. Ross lives in South Carolina. first election night I “covered” was the 1972 presidential election The poetry class I took from Professor Steven Blume was just as between incumbent Richard Nixon and Democratic challenger Sen. important in formulating my thinking as the Con Law class I took George McGovern of South Dakota. from Professor Bob Hill. As I remember it, Professor Bernie Russi and I anchored the I was a TKE when I was at MC. Three of my still closest friends are coverage, which was a nail biter — Nixon won 49 of the 51 contests Tim Byrne ’68 (Wisconsin), Tom Sweet ’68 (Connecticut) and Gary (50 states plus the District of Columbia), signaling the end of the Pyne ’68 (Florida and Baltimore). Gary was also the stroke on the Democratic Party as we knew it. Less than two years later, August 9, freshman crew, of which I was coxswain. 1974, Nixon resigned in disgrace. I’ve sat in green rooms at CNN, MSNBC, Fox and the other netWhile I was still in school, I became the news director of WMOA, works chatting amiably with the likes of James Carville (LSU) and the commercial radio station on Harmar Hill. With little crime to rePaul Begala (University of Texas at Austin). We’re not enemies; we port on, I covered local politics. I became very interested in how pol- are political opponents. James is a lawyer. Paul is a history profesitics worked, to the point that I ran for City Council sor. But, because of the broad experience I’ve as a Republican. I lost the primary 902-900. In had that began with Marietta College, I have no ABOUT RICHARD A. GALEN ’68 those days, it cost $10 per precinct for a recount. trouble holding my own when we go on the air. Rich Galen is a columnist and There were 26 precincts in Marietta at the time, In the run up to, and the days following, the Republican strategist who also and I hadn’t spent (nor did I have) $260. Four years election of 2016, I have been on most of the served as the press secretary to Vice President Dan Quayle later, I was married and had the good sense to let domestic networks plus CNN International (I’m and Speaker of the House Newt my wife run my campaign, and I was elected. big in Jakarta), BBC (friends from the UK often Gingrich. Galen is a frequent About midway through my term, we decided to email me when I’m done) and Vietnam TV guest on MSNBC, FOX and CNN. take a plunge and move to Washington, D.C. “If you (don’t ask me why). He was inducted into Marietta want to build cars,” I told myself, “you go to Detroit. I will confess, here, that I got tossed out after College’s Hall of Honor in 2013. If you want to make movies, Hollywood.” If you want the first semester of my sophomore year for to do politics, there’s only one place to be. getting really terrible grades. After two years of There’s a Marietta connection there, too. I found out a night school, summer school and six months of active duty with the Congressman from Illinois was looking for a press secretary, so I New Jersey (and then later the Ohio) Army National Guard, I applied went to his office to drop off my résumé. The woman sitting at for re-admission and got a positive response from the Dean of the the front desk took it and was about to put it at the bottom of a College, Dr. Merrill Patterson, that began, “All is forgiven. You may rather large stack of résumés when she glanced at it and said, in return.” surprise, “You’re from Marietta?” I nodded, and she said, “I’m from I did, and the decision to come back to MC set the arc of my life Williamstown!” as she put my résumé on top of the stack. over these many decades. I got that job in 1977 and learned that politics in “the big time” I have written an Internet-based column called Mullings.com wasn’t so much different than politics in the City Council chamber since 1998. In that column, I often refer to my days at MC as havon Putnam Street. ing been at “Marietta College, Marietta, Ohio, 45750.” When I give Over the years, I’ve been Newt Gingrich’s press secretary (when speeches, someone from the audience will often ask how things are he was Republican Whip) and the communications director of the going in 73240 — mangling the ZIP code for Marietta, but underpolitical shop (when he was Speaker). I’ve also been press secretary standing the deep affection I retain for MC and the fact that, as the to Congressman-then-Senator Dan Quayle. College anthem goes, “Thy walls to [me] are dear.” I’ve worked for both George H.W. Bush and for W. — the latter RICH GALEN ’68 as a civilian member of the Department of Defense, spending six months in Iraq in 2003–04.
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