Baton Rouge, LA
While in the process of interviewing for the NRCC communications director job in April 1991 with the help of my buddy, Mike Murphy, Mary Matalin called and asked for a meeting.
Democratic Louisiana Governor Buddy Roemer had just switched to the GOP, needed experienced campaign staff, and Matalin made a proposal: if I would go to Louisiana as Roemer’s communications director, and write his campaign announcement speech, she would hook me up with either a White House speechwriter job for Bush 41, or, ensure I got a major communications job on the imminent Bush/Quayle ’92 re-election campaign.
This was a dicey campaign and situation by any measure — and I was still reeling from Texas defeat. Roemer, with just a 50/50 shot at winning is running in ‘jungle primary’ against former Governor Edwin Edwards and ex-KKK grand wizard David Duke. Additionally, LA GOP Rep. Clyde Holloway was angry the RNC anointed Roemer as GOP nominee. Roemer would need every break possible to win.
Bush pollster Bob Teeter is designated chief strategist and pollster, signaling White House and RNC seriousness. I decided to do the race — it was a no-brainer, as I already had my presidential re-elect gig lined up.
I was now traveling in GOP circles just a distant dream as a freshman House press secretary five years ago.
While seeing far fewer Grateful Dead shows the past few years, my sense of wanderlust was still highly active — especially for exotic political cultures, and Louisiana politics was ‘it’ for exotic.