We Can All Just Get Along

Friday, I had the honor of attending the YWCA's Leader Luncheon with members and supporters of the Daughters of Penelope (a wonderful Greek women's organization.) Along with recognizing six very deserving women for their commitment and contribution to the community, the luncheon offered a keynote by former U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, who addressed compromise, collaboration and bipartisanship.

Now everybody knows that when it comes to politics, I am ensconced steadfastly on the left.  But there was a time where the discussion, friendship and collaboration Sen. Snowe highlighted was a part of my political life.


In 1984, my neighbor Jed W. Wasden was elected to the Utah state House of Representatives. As liberal and staunchly Democratic as I was, Jed was conservative and Republican. Yet earlier that year, he accepted my offer to go door-to-door together to increase voter registration in our precinct, where we both served as our respective party's captains.

Later that year, after his election to the state House, Jed called and asked me to be his intern. I had changed majors and declined, suggesting someone else may need the internship more. He was persistent and asked me to be his unassigned aide instead.  At that time I was the Democratic vice chair of the district he represented.

During that 1985 session, I was on the Hill almost every day. Jed would tell me what had happened in committee meetings, and we discussed various bills. Did we always agree? No. In fact, one day, Jed asked me to push the voting button for him. It was a bill that I believed unjustly hindered unions, so I refused - telling him that unless he wanted a "Nay" vote, he was going to have to press the button himself.

But on other issues we found common ground. It wasn't all that unusual to see Wasden had joined one or two other Republicans voting with the Democrats.

One afternoon, I came to the House floor and Jed took me aside to chat. With a charming twinkle in his eye, he told me that one of his colleagues had earlier that day accused him of being overly influenced by that, "damn liberal kid." The colleague was none other than Frances Hatch Merrill, sister of Sen. Orrin Hatch.

It was a great day for both of us.