From the desk of the Secretary:

They say that all PR is good PR, and I am inclined to agree. Tuesday morning, I joined 2012 Personnel Chair Tucker Pribor and law student Bill Larson at Politico’s Playbook Breakfast in Washington. The event was hosted by Playbook’s author and W&L alum Mike Allen and featured a question-and-answer session with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. In order to make sure that we arrived in time, the three of us had to rise at 3 am and I made the long drive to DC wedged in the back of Tucker’s cluttered Jeep Wrangler.

As we entered the breakfast, Mike Allen met us at the door and thanked us for making such a long trek. A perpetual fount of energy, he absorbed our reciprocal “hello’s” with all the joy of a true W&L alum, while simultaneously extending the same gracious greeting to each of the other attendees. Once everyone had wandered into the reception room, Mike disappeared, and several minutes later reemerged alongside Leader McConnell. True to form, Mike’s interview was light-hearted but direct, and as we listened, I was struck by the unusual combination of gravitas and humor that the senator exhibited throughout the interview. As he discussed his agenda for the coming months, McConnell maintained the same firm stance on issues like health care and spending that he is known for; however, the senator’s tone was optimistic, and he smiled easily during the friendly back-and-forth.

At the end of the interview, Mike opened the floor to questions, and turning to Tucker and I, asked if the delegation from Washington and Lee had anything to ask the minority leader. Put on the spot, we each froze, but Tucker salvaged the moment with a wry grin and invited Senator McConnell to attend the 2012 Mock Convention. The same smile that he had worn throughout the interview broke across McConnell’s face and without missing a beat, he gave an emphatic “No!” The word hung in the air for a moment, but the shock was negated by McConnell’s warm expression as he hastened to explain why. “You know,” he said, “one of my predecessors did that…his name was Alben Barkley,” and with obvious joy, McConnell recounted to us the well-known story of the former Vice President and fellow-Kentuckian who suffered a heart attack on stage during the 1956 Convention. Stammering a little, I recited Barkley’s famous last line for the benefit of the audience: “I would rather be a servant in the house of the Lord than sit in the seats of the mighty.” “So, great question” McConnell concluded, “but there’s not a snowball’s chance in hell I’m doing that, the Mock Convention at Washington and Lee!”

Tucker, Bill, and I lost ourselves in the ensuing laughter, and despite the fact that Senator McConnell had turned down our sincere (albeit spontaneous) offer, in that moment I felt a glowing sense of pride in our organization. Moreover, I think each of us appreciated the subtle tribute that McConnell had just paid the Mock Convention, whose storied legacy continues to garner recognition and respect not only from the students who have enjoyed being a part of it, but from the outside world as well. Plus, thanks to Senator McConnell (and the cameras at CSPAN), even more people have heard about our beautiful university and its favorite tradition.

Laura Ball, Executive Secretary
Class of 2012