Copyright © Jeff Hampton 2016
November 7
THE FINAL WORD ON ELECTION EVE:
“When we left from this airport six months ago, I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t know if people would listen. Heck, I didn’t know if people would even care. But we got out into the countryside and into the communities and what we found was that people did want to listen, and they really do care. We had the opportunity to visit with a lot of folks, and I want to tell you that despite what you hear on the news and read in the papers, this is a kind and generous nation. It’s a nation full of people who really do care for each other, who really do want what’s best for each other. If there is a conflict, then, it’s about how best to go about making things right.
“And that’s what tomorrow is all about. This campaign journey has come to an end. Our work is done, and now, it’s time for you to decide how you want this nation to move forward. It’s time to decide who can best lead us in taking care of things.
“Now, a good number of people think that I might be that person, and it goes without saying that I’d like to have that opportunity. But this isn’t about what I want, or what (the other candidates) want. It’s about you, your families, and your neighbors, and what you need. So when you go into that voting booth tomorrow, don’t think about us. Think about yourselves and the people you care about. Make a decision that will be best for you and those folks close to you. And then when the votes are counted tomorrow night, get behind whoever comes out on top. Give them your full support and attention. And while you’re at it, say a little prayer for them every now and then.”
Jack Dodger
September 8
ON DOOMSDAYERS:
“Every four years during one of these national races there are always a few loud people who say they are leaving the country if a certain candidate is elected. People who think that way should go ahead and leave because they really don’t belong. The greatness of this nation comes from people who run toward trouble, not from those who run away from it.”
August 31
ON ELECTIONS:
“It seems to me these contests have become less about what (the candidates) want to do and more about what they want you to believe the other feller wants to do. The Republicans would have us believe that the Democrats want to make (everyone) slaves of the welfare system, while the Democrats say the Republicans want to cut us off completely.”
August 25
ON POOR LEADERSHIP:
“We’ve entrusted our personal well-being to total strangers, and between you and me, I think America is suffering as a result. We’ve got people leading us that have the money, the good looks, and the energy to get elected, but they don’t have the character or experience it takes to lead. Not the kind of experience that comes from real life in the real world. They look for short-term solutions to long-term problems. They want instant satisfaction rather than long-term commitment. They tell feel-good tales because they’re afraid of the criticism that comes from telling the hard truth.”
August 19
ON CAMPAIGN FINANCING:
“The way I see it, fundraising is simply the election before the election. People with money give it to the candidate with the ideas and the resume that they find most attractive. But you know what? Come November, the man who gave a million dollars and the man who gave ten dollars are on the same footing, because they only get one vote each. Now, I do believe that the amount of money folks are throwing at this thing is obscene.”
August 10
ON VOTING:
“It’s about you, your families, and your neighbors, and what you need. So when you go into that voting booth (in November), don’t think about us. Think about yourselves and the people you care about. Make a decision that will be best for you and those folks close to you. And then when the votes are counted . . . get behind whoever comes out on top. Give them your full support and attention. And while you’re at it, say a little prayer for them every now and then.”
August 3
ON WASHINGTON POLITICIANS:
“There’s a feeling out in America that (Washington) is eaten up with scandal and hypocrisy. . . . I’m not saying that all the politicians in Washington are bad, but I think too many have forgotten what they came here for. . . . I was there in Korea, and I can attest that those brave young men never once forgot what their job was. It was to fight for freedom and democracy. And they did it not by fighting with each other—they did it by working together. To do otherwise was to bring certain defeat.”
July 27
ON GETTING INTO POLITICS:
“I’ve always been too busy trying to make a living and taking care of things at home. It always seemed to me that I could do more good right in my own neighborhood than I could sitting behind a desk in a courthouse somewhere.”
July 20
ON AMERICAN IMPERIALISM:
“We Americans have this notion that we can fix everything. We always have. It’s one of the things that sets us apart – makes us special. But our population is getting larger and older and more diverse, and we’ve got to be careful not to overextend ourselves. We’re gonna end up like a doctor I knew in East Dallas who worked night and day to help indigent patients, all the while neglecting his own health. One day, he had a massive heart attack. Now he’s not helping anyone. He can’t, because he’s dead. We’ve gotta take care of ourselves here at home too.”
July 13
ON GROWING UP IN THE DEPRESSION:
“We just kept pushing and working and moving forward one step at a time until we climbed out of the hole we were in. Some folks even figured out new and better ways to do things. Main thing is we never gave up. We just kept trying. We helped each other along. And you can do the same.”
July 6
ON LIVING IN A LAND OF PLENTY:
“When I was five years old, my parents took me to my first big Independence Day celebration, and the sights and sounds of that day are still vivid in my memory. Most of all, I remember sitting on a lakeside in my father’s lap watching fireworks, and him telling me how ordinary people like us endured the danger and harm of real missiles and bombs so that we might enjoy the freedom and life that we have. That was during the Depression of course, but even then, my father said that the little we had could be measured as wealth compared to what some people had in other lands.”
July 1
ON INDEPENDENCE DAY:
“I’m asking you on this July Fourth to recommit yourselves to being good citizens. Remember what this day is about. Remember that the greatness of our nation was built by the greatness of individuals. Each of you, as an American, has inherited that legacy.”
June 22
ON THE PRESIDENCY:
“The problem with most presidents is that they think it’s just about leading. They forget that it’s also about serving, and you can’t do that without listening to folks.”
June 15
ON POLITICIANS:
“I think it might be refreshing if they’d quit talking for a while and do a little listening. I think they’d find that with our experience, we might just have a thing or two to tell them about how the world works.”
June 8
ON FOREIGN POLICY:
“First and foremost, we’ve got to stop this business of basing our activities abroad on personal ego or political legacy or public opinion polls. And we’ve got to be more consistent. Why do we rush in to help one group of people, but then, we sit back and watch this other group over here starve or get slaughtered? Makes no sense.”
June 1
ON NATION:
“I’ve come to understand what ‘nation’ really means. It’s not about states, borders, cities, rivers, or natural resources. A nation isn’t just a mass of land on a map. It’s a people who, while living lives as different from each other as night and day, share a common history and a common hope and dream for the future.”
May 25
ON CITIZENSHIP:
“When a new family down the street is harassed because they look or speak differently, will you go along with the crowd, or will you risk being humiliated to be their neighbor? When your boss oversteps his or her authority at the expense of others, will you play it safe and hold your tongue, or will you risk your job to stand up and say, ‘That’s enough’? When a friend makes a miserable mistake, will you turn your back and walk away, or will you risk embarrassment to help with their rehabilitation? If you make a mistake and someone else is blamed, will you hide in the shadows, or will you step forward to accept the consequences?”
May 18
ON DOING YOUR PART:
“Friends, there’s never been a better time to live in America. We’ve got so much to live for, so much to gain. It’s out there, and it’s yours if you want it. But you can’t just wait for it to come to you, you can’t just wait for someone to toss it in your lap. You’ve got to pick yourself up and go get it. You’ve got to join the march, join in the great parade. This is no rehearsal, you know. This life that you are living is the only one you get. There’s no turning back the clocks, there’s no starting over. So why waste another day, why waste another minute?”
May 11
ON CITIZENSHIP:
“We live in a culture of growing self-centeredness. And I fear that each time we, as individuals, take the selfish way out, we chip away at what’s made our nation great—our collective moral character.”
May 4
ON HIGHER EDUCATION:
“(Making more) money isn’t the reason you should stay in school. You should stay in school to find out who you are, what you can do, what you like and don’t like. Then you focus in and build on your natural skills so that you can go out and do something meaningful and exciting with your life. And that’s where you find happiness. Not in what is printed on a paycheck, but in the quality and the way you spend your time.”
April 27
ON BEING YOUR OWN PERSON:
“You can’t use someone who won’t let himself be used. I’ve got my eyes wide open, my ears to the ground, and my hands on the wheel.”
April 20
ON GAMBLING:
“Want to hit the jackpot? Invest in yourself and your family. Go back to school so you can get a better job. Give your children what they need to become smart, happy adults. Find someone down the street who’s fallen behind and help them get caught up. Sitting on a stool and throwing your money down some machine—is that really the best you can do?”
April 14
ON GRATITUDE:
“Never go to bed angry, and never start a day without thanking Almighty God for another chance to give it another try, another chance to use the extraordinary gifts he’s given you. Every new day is a blessing, and every new day should be treated as such.”
April 7
ON FAMILY:
“You can never do too much or fight too hard for your family.”
March 31
ON THE ROLE OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT:
“Defend our borders, protect our constitutional rights, give folks a helping hand when they’ve got no other choice, but mostly stay out of the way.”
March 23
ON THE MEDIA:
“I’m always a little skeptical when the media tells us what people are saying ‘out there,’ because I don’t think the media spends much time ‘out there.’”
March 16
ON RESPECT:
“I think there’s a lot of individual problems out there: violence, greed, drugs, hate, poverty, abuse of all types, just to name a few. But I think those are all symptoms of a bigger problem, and that is a simple lack of respect—for each other, for our ideas, our desires, our ambitions, and our rights. Too many people spend too much time thinking just about themselves.”
March 9
ON GENEROSITY:
“I want to tell you that despite what you hear on the news and read in the papers, this is a kind and generous nation. It’s a nation full of people who really do care for each other, who really do want what’s best for each other. If there is a conflict, then, it’s about how best to go about making things right.”
March 2
ON POLITICIANS:
“The fact is that neither side truthfully represents what their opponents actually stand for. But they gotta keep talking and troubling people in order to drum up votes. The press calls it negative campaigning, but I call it just plain disrespectful. And I’m not talking about them being disrespectful of each other. I’m talking about them being disrespectful of us, the voters. They talk to us and about us like we don’t have a lick of sense.”
February 24
ON TECHNOLOGY:
“This computer and this web is a wonderful tool. It’s amazing what we can do with it. . . . But try to remember that it is just a tool. Don’t let it become your life, don’t let it become your only contact with the world. Use it as you need to, but then push away and turn it off. Go outside and watch a sunset, read a book, go to a museum, visit family and friends, help a stranger. Life’s too short and precious to waste it sitting in front of a computer.”
February 17
ON BIPARTISANSHIP:
“I realize that in government as in all aspects of life, there’s always going to be some differences of opinion. But at some point, folks have to put that aside and pull together. In politics there’s always going to be some in the majority and some in the minority. Those in the minority are going to have to work a little bit harder to get their ideas heard, but in the meantime, they’ve got to find some part of the majority view that they can work with. And those in the majority are going to have to lead graciously and fairly and honorably. Instead of running people over, they’ve got to work harder to bring them along. This is important business, and there’s no place in it for bullying and ugliness, and certainly no place in it for slander and lies. As Abraham Lincoln once said, ‘Nothing is politically right that is morally wrong.’”
February 10
ON THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT:
“People are just interested in living their lives. They could care less about politics and issues and who wants to do this or that. It’s all irrelevant (out) here. I think that’s what the folks in Washington seem to forget—that most of the time folks just want to be left alone to live and enjoy their lives. They don’t want the shadow of government hanging over them all the time. They just want to sit in the sunshine.”
February 3
ON TRUST:
“In the end, we have to trust that the other person is going to do what’s right. I believe our neighborhoods and communities are eaten up with distrust—folks avoiding each other and harboring suspicions based on nothing more than a lack of information. And while I believe that trust must be earned, it’s not right to make someone a slave to the process. You have to unlock the shackles, step back, and give them enough room to prove themselves trustworthy.”
January 27
ON GRATITUDE:
“We have so much to be thankful for, and we owe so much of it to common people who accepted uncommon challenges. I believe America will continue to be great as long as people continue to step forward and accept challenges. Granted, we don’t face threats from invading armies, but the strength
and character of our nation is still being tested—from within, and in subtle, yet dangerous ways.”
