Politics

It’s a beautiful late summer evening. The tickets were free, the beer is cold, and you’re about to sit down to what appears to be a great matchup between starting pitchers. Whether it’s Yankee Stadium, Minute Maid Park, or Camden Yards we’ve all felt that excitement of being part of a pennant race or wildcard chase. And then things go from bad to worse—an error here, a strikeout there, and suddenly your team is way down before they’ve even played “Sweet Caroline,” “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” or “Thank God I’m a Country Boy.”

Have you ever visited Washington in August? It can be miserable. Today’s high is expected to be 97 degrees (the reading in my car was 103), with 60%+ humidity. Even pre-Covid, downtown D.C. felt like a ghost town during the month of August; the only pluses being you could finally snag a reservation at the city’s hottest restaurant or grab a decent tee time on the weekend.

“Country Roads, Take Me Home…To the Place I Belong…West Virginia, Mountain Mama…Take Me Home, Country Roads.” The iconic John Denver song holds a special place for me. Few people know, but the country road referred to in the song is actually Clopper Road in suburban Maryland.

After two years of Covid lockdowns and travel restrictions, my college golf teammates and I traveled to Southwest Ireland for a once-in-a-lifetime bucket list vacation. We last teed it up as a team more than 35 years ago, and it was a chance, to not only play some of the finest golf courses in the world, but also reconnect as a group with three I consider among my closest friends

Years and years ago, my wife and I were debating about where to take a summer vacation. I advocated for a “staycation,” saying we could save money by avoiding travel and hotel fees, see the sights locals rarely visit like Mount Vernon and the Library of Congress, and take the kids to the community pool. My wife argued for week-long beach vacation. In the end, we compromised—and went to the beach.

This week, I attended back-to-back National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) briefings to gauge the likelihood of the China Competition bill’s passage; the legislation includes the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB), which is important to our subsidiary Presperse.

Have you filled up your gas tank recently? I did this morning on my way to work, and after the pump clicked off, the tally caused me to remember nostalgically how I used to add, almost instinctively, the $15 car wash to the total. As I drove away, I thanked the stars that my children are grown, and I no longer have to fill an SUV or mini-van more than once a week.

Outside of each year’s sprint to the month-long August recess, in Washington, there’s nothing quite like the dash to the July 4th recess to focus legislators’, policymakers’, and staffers’ minds. It’s a second-to-last- chance to get something done before Labor Day, the end of the fiscal year, and, this year mid-term elections.

This past week, I attended the Conference Board’s Government Relations Executive Council meeting. Much of the discussion revolved around current social issues—abortion, equity, guns, January 6th, ESG—and their potential impact on corporate operations. For instance, Jen Stark, Co-Director of the Center for Business and Social Justice spoke on the need for businesses to prepare themselves for the fall of Roe vs. Wade. And Anna Palmer, the founder and CEO of Punchbowl News, led a discussion about the outlook in Congress heading into the midterms.

I’ve never seen The Crown, and I couldn’t name one character on Downton Abbey. I’ve never been to London, and I can barely remember my mother’s excitement watching Prince Charles’ and Lady Di’s wedding…Still, today, I admire the British people.