Is She the Gun?

Only me. Those of you who know me personally, know that every so often I like to test my ability to talk myself out of a situation by sending emails to the wrong recipients. This faux pas can be an attempt to forward someone's email to another recipient with a comment such as, "I can't believe what an ignorant, psycho, slut she turned out to be" accidentally sent back to the subject of the comment or a snarky editorial comment meant for one or two people sent out to our entire laboratory system instead. You know, something that initiates a full body tap dance with a sprinkling of BS flinging... The dancing starts almost immediately, preceded only by a surge of adrenalin and the desire to crawl in a hole.

Apropos of nothing, somehow Steve Schmidt's mother stumbled on my little blog about her son (The Bullet) less than 24 hours after it was posted and left a comment. This woman scared the crap out of me in high school. I can't remember the specifics, but I know that when I think of Steve and then think of his mom, I tremble a little. And let me tell you, when I read, "I'm Steve's mom," a mighty tremble began anew!

I had to remove her comment because she used my name, but here it is in its entirety otherwise. I get the distinct impression that she thinks because I'm not a fan of the Republican party that I'm an Obama fan. I am not. And for the first time since I was old enough to vote, I'm seriously considering not voting in this election. But that's a blog for another day. And anyone who knows me, knows that I won't ultimately forfeit my right to vote. So there will be some soul-searching and some concessions made on my part. Sometimes one votes for the party and not the man. But damn, it's always a man...

Regardless of whether Steve's mom scares me or not, I suspect this whole process has been incredibly frustrating for her. Our mothers typically want to come to our defense (even when we're in the wrong) over minor infractions, so I can't even imagine what it's like to read and hear incorrect information about your son at this magnitude. And yes, I know the media twists and turns information and quotes to suit its needs, so I am not naive in that respect. But I also have my own opinions of the party for whom Steve is working (voluntarily) and how its members operate, so I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt to some of the more respected political analysts out there.

Herewith, a mother's response:

"Is that you, [AJ]? I remember you well fro No. Plfd. HS. I'm Steve's Mom. I love to read about my son and your blog came up. You're just discovering what he's doing now in 2008? He's been in the news, on the news and written about for quite a few years now.

[Hang on, I have to interject here. Is she really taking me to task for not knowing what he's been doing since HS?? If I heard his name in the news over the years, I'm sure I thought it was someone else and not the kid I went to school with. Nor did I have a tendency to pay that much attention to news concerning Bush/Cheney or Schwarzenegger. Get a grip.]

There's lots you still don't know about him. Did you know he was Assistant Deputy to the President after the 2004 election? He spent a month in Iraq trying to improve the communicationd coming out of there that were being so skewed by the left wing media. He shepherded the last two Supreme Court nominees through the process in getting them confirmed. He then moved to CA to run the Schwarzenegger campaign. He brought him from an approval rating of 29% to a landslide victory in a year when Republicans lost big all ove the country. Get in touch with Lauren P. to hear about her visit to his White Office the lunch she had with Steve, her kids and parents at the White House Mess. She met all of his staff and was very impressed with the love and respect they all have for him. When he left the WH for CA, he had 75 resumes from young people begging to go with him and work for him. So much for this "angry tyrant" described in the media. Steve does instill a kind of fear into his people.....fear of disappointing him. He lets them no what's expected and they work hard to achieve those goals. He has mentored numerous young people in his field who are now working all over the country. They idolize him. I've read their quotes in articles.

Did you know that Steve tried to talk Arnold into changing his position on gay marriage. My daughter is gay. Steve loves his sister and her partner and wants them to have the same rights as everyone else. You might be surprised that you and he might have lots of issues that you agree on. Don't believe everything you read, especially from the left wing blogs. I find my son being described there as some kind of monster that bears absolutely no esemblance to who he is and what he's really like. I have never seen him get really angry....the worse moments have been the remnants of some Jersey road rage. He let the F word slip out in my presence a few years ago and immediatedly apologized. Does that sound like the raving maniac you're describing.

He is one of the kindest, gentlest people I know. He is the most amazing Daddy to two beautiful children. When he is home, he is 100% theirs.

Did you know his real job is as a partner in a media affairs company in CA? Did you know that his work for Mc Cain is entirely voluntary? He takes no salary at all. That's how much he truly believes that this man is the best leader for our country.

Posted by barbarae to Cranial Vault at August 8, 2008 2:24 PM"