Happy New Year!... and how about that Rick Perry?

Yes I'm a Texan and a big Rick Perry fan.  My dear friend and often written about fellow on this blog named Billy Ray is not. 

Rick just got exonerated and you can find the story elsewhere via google news. I'm very happy for former Governor Perry. He's not my bro or anything, but I got to work in his campaigns for many years and got to spend a bit of time talking to him. He always remembered my name, and that of my wife. 

The night I got to spend about 4 hours sitting next to him at a dinner, about a decade ago, he was introduced and took my name tag off for a photo. We talked about his drumming with ZZ Top and Delbert McClinton at President Bush's then recent inauguration. A friend of mine who was there and who is also a good drummer said Governor Rick did a great job on the skins that night, doing several numbers with each band.

After talking for several hours, mostly about drums and drummers, he gave a speech and in the course of the evening probably greeted a thousand people as it was a large affair. At the end of the night, he remembered my name, and I had no name tag on and my date that night, a friend whose husband was ill, had not mentioned my name.

I was highly impressed he would recall my name with all the people he saw that night, after about 4 hours of hearing it once.

I saw him several years later during a legislative session at the Capital. Again, he greeted me by name. That's a great memory, and pundits attack his memory. 

I feel fairly sure, although I am a relative nobody politically speaking and I'm not a big contributor to anyone, that Governor Perry would recall my name were he to run into me at the Apple store or a gas station.

Most of my friends, other than Billy Ray, are very happy for the Governor. Rick, we feel your vindication!