Landmine Hopscotch

Was it always like this? Also, we give tips on being a professional adult and a conversation on reconciliation. Our Big Get is my buddy, Jim Swift. And, of course, On the Bottom Shelf.

Nov 04, 2020

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You

Last Sunday evening we did our test drive with a new feature that we are calling “Monticello Live.” It is basically a live video chat via Periscope (Twitter) chatting with Jessica and myself. Despite a few technical issues we were flattered by the number of people who joined us and we had an excellent discussion with my friend, MaryAnna Mancuso. We’re hoping to do this each week, with the next episode this Friday evening at 8pm Eastern.

Jacob Perry on Periscope

We Finally Did It

So, yesterday happened. Regardless of who you voted for and was hoping would win, here’s something we all should be desperately hoping for, regardless of the winner: reconciliation.

Here’s an idea: find someone who voted differently than you did. It probably won’t be hard to find someone and it’s likely you will run into them at work or even at Thanksgiving. But do this: go out and share an adult beverage or a milkshake with that person. Engage them in an open dialogue. The thing that I think we have lost in these times is the ability to recognize just how many of the same things that we are all hoping for. Everyone wants safe communities, better schools, fair opportunities to get ahead, more effective government, and on and on. We can disagree on the methods to solve those problems (and disagreements are healthy) but I believe we have arrived at the point where we are so busy demonizing each other that we forget this basic point.

Here’s what Mark Manson had to say on this topic:

2. Seek out people you disagree with - Last week, I wrote a newsletter about American democracy and institutional decay. I also shared who I’m voting for. Predictably, this upset some readers. Some were upset because of my choice. Some were upset that I didn’t vocally condemn the side I disagreed with as horrible people. Some were upset that I talked about my political beliefs at all.

Well, you’re reading the "not give a fuck" guy, so let me just say it: I don’t give a fuck.

That said, I did it for a reason. One, I believe in transparency. And if I’m going to write extensively about American politics, I should at least suggest where I lay my hat. Second, and more importantly, such information shouldn’t be controversial or incendiary. It should be just another boring detail about me—like the fact that I prefer soccer over baseball or that I find superhero movies boring.

This summer, I wrote out a few principles on which this newsletter is based upon. Those three principles were:
Just because I write something doesn’t mean I necessarily think it’s true, it just means I think it’s interesting and/or worth considering.
Research I share is not fact, it’s evidence.
Being wrong and changing your mind should not be shameful or embarrassing—it should be encouraged and celebrated.
Well, allow me to add another principle to that list:
There is value listening to people you disagree with. The point is not consensus but understanding.
A lot of Trump voters replied to me last week. I did my best to engage with as many of them as possible. And I am happy to say that 80-90% of the conversations went well and reached a place of mutual respect, if not some sort of shared understanding. Many thanked me for taking the time to reply and share my ideas as they said that they had not talked to someone from "the other side" in years. I consider that a win.

I think it is incredibly important that you seek out writers and thinkers you disagree with, and then listen to them. Similarly, I think it is incredibly important to have readers that disagree with me. I think it’s important that I hear from them regularly and that they hear from me. It makes me a better writer and all of you better readers. It makes us each smarter and better thinkers. And it makes our societies more functional and understanding.

Landmine Hopscotch

Was it always this way? Am I the only one who remembers a time when you didn’t know who your pastor, neighbor, teacher or brother in law voted for? When you automatically didn’t know everything about another person based solely on what was on their television screen when you entered their house?

I had a friend once — let's call her Janice. I first met Janice and her husband after their son was killed while serving in Afghanistan and I volunteered to work with them as a pro-bono PR advisor and for a while they were nearly as close as family. Long phone conversations, dinner at each other's homes, etc. I helped write their first public speeches and suggested ideas for creating a platform for their new voice. But then, politics.

I suggested to them that they should write a book about what they were going through. So far, so good. They then came to me with an idea for a book that they wanted to write that would tell the “true story” about what happened to their son, which basically involved extreme politics and how the Obama Administration played a role in his death. At that point, my choice was clear: sign up for their tour of a grief-fueled world of suspicion and hatred or walk away and lose the friendship. I chose the latter and nothing was ever the same.

Things got testier when Trump was elected. Janice and her husband were the most rabid of Trump supporters and I, well, wasn't. The gulf widened even further. They came to a head this year, when despite raising a small sum for their charitable foundation for my birthday, Janice unfriended me on social media and cut all ties.

I have no doubt that many, if not most of you could tell a very similar story. Maybe it’s not Janice and Trump, but perhaps “David” and Joe Biden as the key players. We live in a tribal society where one’s identity is now determined by where you go to church, what news channel is on your television and who you vote for. And everything ends up feeling like we’re playing hopscotch inside of a minefield.

Being a Professional Adult, Part One

Several years ago I was invited to give a commencement address for a small private school in my area. This is a version of my prepared notes for that day.

While preparing my remarks for today I was reminded that next week marks the 20th anniversary of my own high school graduation. Strangely enough, I can remember the day very vividly, from what I was wearing, to the weather outside, to where my parents were seated. I clearly remember walking across the stage and shaking my principal’s hand. I swore he said under his breath, “good riddance!”
But what I don’t remember at all was the commencement speech. I have no idea who spoke or anything about what they said, and knowing that has set the bar pretty low for my own performance today.
Well, today is an exciting day for all of you, and I hesitate to do this to you but I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that you will never again have to refer to yourselves as “high school students”, and that is a true milestone. Do you realize that just 100 years ago less than 10% of all students actually finished high school? Even 50 years ago it was only 70%, so be proud of what you have achieved.

The bad news is that you both now have a new job -- one which you will have for the rest of your lives: that of being an adult.
Like any other profession, whether we are talking about teachers, doctors, police officers or pastors; you can either be an amateur or a professional, and what I’d like to talk about today is how you can be a professional adult. Being a professional adult is hard work, though I am reminded of what Ronald Reagan once said, “It’s true hard work never killed anybody, but I figure, why take the chance?”
Becoming a professional adult isn’t about getting a fancy degree to hang on your wall or racking up career accomplishments. Instead, being a professional is more of an ideal, a belief system, a personal mantra declaring you won’t give into the status quo around you. It is a mindset alteration, a mental switch that flips on every day, ready to fight back.
Here are a few tips on becoming a professional adult:
1) When life throws you a curve, hit it!
Though it’s entirely possible that Yogi Berra once said something similar, I’m going to claim that as a Jacob Perry original. Believe me, life will throw you many curveballs, few of which you will ever see coming. The trick in life (as in baseball) is knowing how to hit them.

It’s often said that a Hall of Fame baseball player will fail 7 out of 10 times, and that is true. I will go a step further and say that it isn’t always the most talented players who make it into the Hall, but the ones who can combine their talents with an ability to deal with failure 70% of the time. You see, you will fail in life. In fact, if you’re doing it right you will fail often, as the only people who don’t fail are the ones who never challenge themselves. But the true test is how you handle the failure.
Accept each failure as a learning experience and move on. Fail forward, because every failed experiment is one step closer to success. It isn’t foolish to fail, but it is foolish to repeatedly make the same mistakes over and over again. That’s the mark of an amateur.
2) Show Up
There is truth to the cliché that 90% of life is showing up. But it goes deeper than that. Not happy about things that are happening at your church? Show up and be part of the solution. An amateur complains to everyone around them while sitting on the sidelines while the professional quietly gets involved, seeking not recognition but a solution to the problem.
On a related note, I can’t stress just how important it is to be visible. As I look back over my own career (or careers), I’m struck by how often I’ve been given opportunities simply because I was there, or because I had been there so often that people were comfortable with me. It’s often that simple.
3) Stand On What You’re For, Not On What You’re Against
No one likes a cynic. In fact, I would argue that those who have made the greatest difference on this Earth are those who have spent the least amount of time being cynical. If you desire to make an impact upon your church, your job, your community or your nation, focus more on what you stand FOR and less on what you are against. You will discover that many more people will be interested in helping you if they see you as a positive agent for change instead of an angry critic.
So don’t define yourself by what you’re against; define yourself by what you’re for. Turn your passion into creative action and make a positive impact.
4) Don’t Become Your Job
This one is kind of pet-peeve for me as one of the things that annoys me the most is when someone says to me, “so, what do you do?” It’s not that I’m embarrassed or ashamed of what I do; on the contrary I am very proud of what I have been able to accomplish over the years. But my identity isn’t “Jacob Perry, Political Consultant.” That’s just how I provide for my family.

I am a Christian, and I am Melissa’s husband and Isaiah’s father, and the son of Frank and Terri. That’s the identity that matters to me. Never let your identity be based upon what your job title is. You are so much more than that. Only amateurs are obsessed with their job titles; a professional is above that.
Don’t be confused: You should take pride in your work. You can work late - you can work the weekends. But your job title doesn’t define you. The amateur over-identifies with his work, and the results are usually devastating. When you focus on your job title, you become over-invested in success and terrified of failure.

Continued next week…

The Big Get

Jim Swift

Before I met Jim Swift I had never before eaten lunch in a Moose Lodge. At least, I think it was a moose but it could’ve been elk, or muskrat, elephant, or whatever. In the Midwest we have a saying about someone: They’re “good people.” This basically means they are humble, kind, hard working, and trustworthy. My friend Jim defines “good people.”

Jim is a senior editor at The Bulwark. He worked at The Weekly Standard from 2012 to 2018, where his last post was as deputy online editor. His writing has also appeared in the Washington Post, the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, and elsewhere. Before TWS, he worked for five years for members of the House and Senate as a tax staffer, working for Rep. Geoff Davis (R-KY) on Ways and Means Committee matters and Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) on Finance Committee matters. In 2004, he worked as a field staffer for President Bush’s re-election campaign. He holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Saint Louis University.

You’re an Indians Fan. After watching this incredible World Series, how disappointed are you that the Indians didn’t trade Francisco Lindor for 2020 World Series MVP Corey Seager?
I was pulling for the Rays. The time to trade Lindor would have been years ago, but the Dolan's don't do Moneyball like others. Part of me thinks they try and guilt the stars into staying. Obviously it doesn't work.
Speaking of, which is tougher, being an Indians fan or a Browns fan?
It depends on your age I guess. People who are my parents age remember when the Browns were a powerhouse. People my age have seen the Indians make it to the world series three times and lose and only have witnessed absolute failure by the Browns. I was alive and a Browns fan in the late 80s and early 90s but to be honest it's hard to remember.
Do you still have a Bernie Kosar poster?
I do not have any Bernie Kosar posters left. I have an autographed Phil Dawson poster in my office. Phil Dawson was the Cleveland Browns kicker when they reorganized in 1999, and the Browns were so annoyed they had to use their franchise tag not to pay their kicker another million.
What got you into politics? Was there something in your background or family history that made it seem like an obvious path?
I think the fact that my dad was a tax lawyer and I was always interested in nuance because of him and his job is what got me into politics. Everyone wants to know what their dad does for a living, and it's very easy to understand if your dad is like a butcher or a mechanic or a mail Delivery Man. Children can understand those concepts. When your dad's a tax lawyer that is very much a steeper slope for a young person to understand the concept of taxes and why you would need a lawyer. In my efforts to understand I think that motivated me too care more about policy and particulars.
You were a tax policy expert on the Hill. Do you do your own taxes?
I did work for members of the Senate finance committee and house ways and means committee for about 5 years, and I have to tell you if you're doing your own taxes you're an idiot. Pay a professional who will accept the liability if they make a mistake on your behalf.
Campaign field staffers always have the best stories. What is your favorite story that you’re allowed to share?
I don't have any amazing stories really since I only worked on a few campaigns. I think one of the most fun stories was on the Bush campaign in 2004 we held a rally in the Boot Hill of Missouri and the town called Poplar Bluff. This local activist named Hardy Billington (publisher’s note: Mr. Billington is now a Missouri State Representative for Poplar Bluff) got something like 10,000 signatures and took out billboards encouraging the president to come visit their small town because no president had ever been there. He came to our office in St Louis to make the pitch and I took it to my boss thinking he was a little bit crazy. Couple weeks later I get an email on my Goodlink device (think of it as a blackberry that only does emails and calendar invites) telling us to prepare for a presidential visit to Poplar Bluff. I was sitting at a bar and I laughed and I'm like “that fucking guy pulled it off. “
Now at this event right before the present landed on Marine One my boss sent me message over our radios saying he needed a bar stool. I thought he was rising me because I had recently turned 21 but it turned out he really needed an actual bar stool. I enlisted a local law enforcement officer and we went to Walmart and picked one up, and I kept it as a memento. I mentioned this in my newsletter for the Bulwark and one of the guys who wrote the speech is a reader of our publication and telling this story triggered some memories for him about being interrupted on the golf course. Keep in mind cell phones were not smartphones then and when you're making points about tax policy you kind of have to have the code in front of you.
It was very neat to hear from somebody who worked at the Treasury Department reading my newsletter 16 years later about a very specific speech.
How good are you at giving tours of the Capitol Building?
I was an extremely good tour guide. For those who don't know, your first job on Capitol Hill is either the tour guide or the mail manager. My boss asked me to give capitol tours to his friends years after I had been promoted to work on the policy side. At the time I kind of hated it because I had other things to do but in retrospect I look back on those tours very fondly.
Right around the time I started working in Congress the architect of the capitol considered banning staff led tours. Politico did a feature on the story based on one of my tours. I understand why they wanted to do it: a lot of house offices sent stupid interns who would make shit up. I took history and the job very seriously. Maybe this was an omen of my future life is a pundit, but if I heard somebody else giving a tour and making a stupid claim like the chandelier on the Senate side in the small rotunda was rescued from the Titanic I would call them out on it in front of their tour.
Not enough people are called on their bullshit.
When did you transition from Hill staffer to writer and how smooth of a transition was it?
Transition is a nice way of putting it. Before my boss Jon Kyl announced he was going to retire I went over to the House side. It was a mistake. I hated it. I burned out very quickly and before I could get fired I quit. I was unemployed for a couple of months since nobody hires in Washington in the fall. I took a freelance job at Congressional Quarterly as a researcher and did that for a couple months until my then-girlfriend told me that the Weekly Standard was looking for a fact checker. I had subscribed to or read the Weekly Standard and National Review since 1999 and that really would be a place I wanted to work. so I applied for an interview for the job but I didn't get it. And then a couple weeks later they called me back because they had another job opening and offered me that job. That's a blessing in disguise because being a fact checker is a horrible job.
Joseph A Bank or Men’s Wearhouse?
I don't wear suits much anymore and haven't for about 10 years. But I was a Joseph Bank guy but I suppose that's a distinction without a difference since the two corporations merged.
Best pizza in DC?
Ledo Pizza.
Your favorite Whiskey?
Maker's Mark. If that were the only whiskey I bought I would be broke, I tend to go with Evan Williams. (Publisher’s note: Jim is a fan of Evan Williams Green Label, instead of the much-better Black or White Label varieties. We’re still friends in spite of this.)
Follow Jim on Twitter

On The Bottom Shelf

Clontarf 1014

One of my favorite things to do is wander the aisles of one of our fine local liquor retailers searching for offerings that I was not previously familiar with. And the staff in those stores are always very cool about answering questions and making recommendations.

So it was when I found myself wandering the whiskey aisle last week searching for something new that I could write about. I know, the things I do for you people. I came across a brand I’ve wanted to try, an Irish whiskey named “Clontarf.”

At the start I am a big fan of Irish Whiskey. It’s just a very approachable and sippable whiskey that can be enjoyed by nearly anyone. Like it’s more famous cousins Jameson and Bushmills, Clontarf is a blend. But the difference being that it is finished in bourbon barrels (as opposed to new oak barrels that are used by other Irish whiskeys) which provides a sweeter finish than you would normally expect from an Irish whiskey.

This whiskey has a very sweet, almost butterscotch nose to it. I definitely picked up some floral notes as well. On the tongue it’s much like most Irish brands, but with the honey/butterscotch notes that you often get from good bourbons. The finish is perhaps a little grainy, for lack of a better term, but with the same sweet notes and easy finish that you should expect.

I liked this very much and would rank it above Jameson’s and Bushmills. At roughly $20 it’s a pretty solid value. Try some and let me know what you think.

Writer For Hire

I’d be remiss in not pointing out that my writing services are currently available. I can assist you with speech writing, digital content creation and management, and creation and management of an email list. You know, like the one you are reading. Heck, earlier this year I drafted a letter to the United States Justice Department to appeal for clemency for a client and it was successful.

Serious enquirers can reply directly to this email.