Oh, my goodness. That’s just beautiful. Rob, thank you so much for your kind words. And the fact that Rob is present and presented this award to me is an honor in itself. You know, Rob Portman lives the Bryce Harlow tradition. His integrity, his honesty and his ability to work with both Republicans and Democrats has resulted in tremendous positive trade benefits for the United States. And while we’re all the beneficiaries of Rob in his current role, I predict, those of us who are here tonight, will see, hear and work with Rob in other prestigious roles in the years to come. Rob, count me in as one of your most devoted fans.
Senator Inouye, you are a great American, a gracious gentleman and a most effective lawmaker. And I am honored to be sharing this program with you this evening. Having just returned from 10 glorious days in Hawaii where I would like to move, I have to tell you that if I did, I promise you I will become a loyal voter on your behalf. Congratulations to you for such a distinguished career. The first thing I want to do is to introduce my favorite date and husband, Bill Hoover.
And I want to publicly thank Bill for being my number one advocate. Bill, thank you. I would also like to recognize our daughter Kim, our son-in-law Cary, and my very, very handsome grandson Ian. They are with us this evening. Our other children are all in the witness protection program. But it was a surprise to me tonight that my brother-in-law Steven Hoover and his wife Jane are with us this evening. Steve, I don’t know where you are but…
You will find it interesting to know that both daughters-in-law are named Jane. Let’s be honest here, the Hoover men like to keep it simple. To Linda Dooley, president of the Bryce Harlow Foundation, to the board members of the Foundation and to Vic who is our dinner chairman this evening, I thank you. Linda, you brought spirit, enthusiasm and purpose to this organization, and I commend you on its 25th Anniversary. To the Bryce Harlow fellowship recipients, I offer my heartfelt congratulations.
To my fellow colleagues who are here this evening, I am very, very appreciative of your presence. And while I’d like to recognize each of you, I’m trying to adhere to the speechmaking advice of Franklin Roosevelt who said, “Be sincere, be brief and be seated.” Also, I don’t want the price of your parking ticket tonight to exceed your mortgage payment. I want to begin by dedicating this prestigious award to the memory of Bryce Harlow who opened Procter & Gamble’s Washington office in 1961, and to the outstanding team of P&G’s Washington office so ably headed today by Carolyn Brehm. P&G, thank you. I salute each of you.
My remarks are twofold. First, I would like to share with you a couple stories about Bryce Harlow since so many of you never knew him or had the opportunity to meet him. And, secondly, I would like to address the current state of lobbying and offer some thoughts on what I believe is a very honorable profession. Ronald Reagan once said, “Politics is a lot like show business. You have to have a hell of an opening, you can coast for a while, and then you need a hell of a close.” So I’ll do my best. Bryce Harlow had a delicious sense of humor. Upon reflection, I think the only reason that he hired me was because I’m tall. While he was a giant in stature, as Rob mentioned, he stood 5’4.” And he often told me, with a gleam in his eye, that when he came to Washington he was 6’6″ but he shrank after years of being beaten down by Congress. When he turned 65, he told us that his back went out more than he did; when he sunk his teeth into a steak, they stayed; and his knees buckled but his belt wouldn’t.
Bryce served four U.S. Presidents. He got into his office and he’d be talking to either a past or current president. He knew everyone in town. So one day he came into my office and he asked me if I knew who Robert Redford was. He said, “I think he’s an actor.” Well, I had just seen The Way We Were and, like most women, fantasized meeting this man. Bryce said, “Redford’s going to star in a new movie, All the President’s Men. He’s called me and he wants to talk about my experiences in the White House and Richard Nixon.”
So he said, “Do me a favor. Would you get some research on this actor and, by the way, could you join us for the meeting?” Well, my life was getting a lot better. So I dutifully did the requested research, which frankly didn’t take very long. What took long was my getting ready to meet Robert Redford. I got up at about 6:00 a.m. and I started teasing my hair. And in those days big hair was in, so I piled it all on top of my head. Then I put on the tightest dress I could possibly find. Spandex hadn’t been invented then. I applied more makeup than Alice Cooper. And I finally slipped into a pair of three inch stiletto pumps. I was divine but I was about 6’6″ tall. [LAUGHTER] When Redford arrived, he was about as shocked to see me as I was him. [CLAPPING/LAUGHTER] He had on a beige leisure suit and wore puka beads. He was about 5’8″ tall and, believe me, I towered over him. It was embarrassing. What I remember most, however, was not the attire but the discussion between Bryce and Bob.
We were tight by then. Bryce told him Watergate essentially reaffirmed the old truth that eternal vigilance remains the price of liberty in this country. He talked about integrity saying, “In politics one’s word is one’s bond. Habitual truth telling and square dealing are of paramount importance. If you lose your integrity, you should leave town.” I never forgot those words and they set a framework for the remainder of my career. [CLAPPING] Bryce was a mentor to me, as he was to hundreds of other aspiring lobbyists.
He led by example and he managed his work by doing the right thing. This philosophy leads me to make some observation about our current state of lobbying. Advocacy, as some would prefer it to be called, is an honorable profession, worthy of talented people. I personally equate lobbying to education and believe both are fundamental rights in a free society. Bryce often said, “Those who are effective and principled advocates of the interests of their companies and of the business community as a whole help government arrive at better informed and, therefore, potentially better decisions.”
In essence, a good representative of good business contributes a great deal to good government. Every profession has had its share of embarrassments, and lobbying is no exception. This has been a particularly difficult year for us. When individuals compromise professional integrity and manipulate ethical standards, we are all affected. As Congress considers lobbying reforms, and this debate is far from over, our profession should proactively embrace principles that, one, promote transparency.
And, in my opinion, this should cover 527s and grassroots efforts. Two, provide clear and simple rules uniformly applicable to all participants in the process. Three, require timely reporting obligations to members of Congress and their staffs. Four, don’t restrict our constitutional right to communicate with government officials. To me, this reaffirms the importance of lobbying as education. And, five, ensure strict compliance of enforcement mechanisms for all involved.
I would also hope that Congress doesn’t restrict travel. As 96% of the world’s population lives out the United States, members need to see… …members need to see, hear and learn from these individuals as well. Now, more than ever, each of us in the business of advocacy must lead by example. Reforms that genuinely improve the system should be the mandate of organizations such as the Bryce Harlow Foundation and other groups who represent this profession.
As lobbyists, your personal involvement in this debate is crucial. After all, politics is the art of making civilization work. The Bryce Harlow Business Government Relations Award is something that I will cherish forever. As Kathryn Graham once said, “To love what you do and feel that it matters, how could anything be more fun?” Actually, I think getting this award is more fun. As a “has-been” who now views herself as a will-be (because I think I’m going to have many different careers), I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
My husband often jokes that women and elephants never forget. Tonight is an evening I will never forget. I’m humbled by this award and by your presence. Thank you and goodnight.