by Darryl Wilkinson
This website brought to you in part by the following sponsor:
Find out how to advertise here - Email us! [email protected]
Congressmen espouse a renewed emphasis on "civility" these days. Last night President Obama spent an hour challenging those in Congress to work together to do more than just sit politely beside each other during the televised address. The economy, tottering on the brink of peril with high unemployment and runaway debt, prompted our president to declare this time as a "Sputnik Moment" in our country’s history.
He’s right.
Obama gives a nice speech. But I found myself wondering where he was last Friday at lunch. While munching on a sandwich, a small group of Northwest Missourians reviewed highlights of political dialogues voiced during the more immediate aftermath of Sputnik – where political rivals conversed openly amidst a growing audience – surrounding the invited speakers so that it didn’t matter where you sat.
Last Friday the video entitled "Bringing Government to the People: The Jerry Litton Dialogues" was shown during the Northwest Missouri Press convention at St. Joseph. It was introduced by Ed Turner, vice president of the Jerry Litton Foundation, who offered many personal insights from his years of service on Litton’s staff.
Ed’s insights are marvelous – if you’re in charge of putting together a program anytime soon, I heartily recommend Ed Turner introducing the Jerry Litton video. Ed witnessed all 27 dialogue shows. Places like the old Robidoux Hotel, the TWA offices, and the Hilton Hotel across from then new KCI Airport were briefly converted into TV studios.
Popular? Yes, and free! If you wanted to donate $5 to help offset production expenses, you got a "Congressional Club" sticker for your lapel. And as more voters got interested, more politicians participated.
How did it snowball into multiple TV and radio networks so quickly? Ed laughed, recalling that the first guests Jerry invited were the two people who probably knew more Congressmen and Senators than anybody – the House doorman and photographer. Jerry’s connections and interests in the common man were genuine. If you view the video, you’ll see the names and faces of people from towns throughout Northwest Missouri. These dialogues weren’t scripted. At first, the politicians didn’t know what to make of it: honest, open, informative dialogue that commands attention.
Last night, the president talked about what could be done. Last Friday the video proved it can be done.
It wasn’t that times were any easier back then, either. The video showing polyester leisure suits, wide wild ties with checkered sportcoats, and hairstyles popular only in that day served as the proper backdrop for questions about runaway inflation, farm export policies, unemployment, unending military commitment (Vietnam) and spending, racial inequalities, women’s rights and more.
It amazed me that so many of the topics discussed then are still topics of concern today. History matters. If we don’t learn from history, it will repeat itself.
Oh, yeah, Friday’s luncheon program was a bit of a trip down memory lane. Missouri Press Executive Director Doug Crews (whose football knee brace I painfully remember during practices before we both graduated at Odessa R-7 High) paid tribute to former publisher Joe Snyder’s connection to Jerry Litton.
Friday marked an anniversary of Joe’s introduction of Jerry Litton to NW Press, when Jerry was a bashful native of Lock Springs maturing as an FFA leader from Chillicothe. Joe did much to solidify Jerry’s confidence, no small thing in launching a political career many believed destined for the White House until the airplane crash.
But the nostalgia, though welcome, could also be an introduction to perhaps better times. "The Jerry Litton Dialogues" features no pundits or talking heads interpreting or doing our thinking for us. There are no commercials sidetracking attentions. Captured on film were discussions where the intelligence, as well as the personality and demeanor, of political leaders on opposite spectrums were revealed – and in positive ways, with respect for your personal edification as you sat and listened to opinion leaders like (then governor) Jimmy Carter, Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz, Senator Thomas Eagleton, Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, Chet Huntley of NBC’s Huntly-Brinkley Evening News, and so many others.
A segment of "The Jerry Litton Dialogues," as presented by the State Historical Society of Missouri, is just a click away on the website we host: www.DaviessCountyHistoricalSociety.com
As I said, Ed Turner’s anecdotes are priceless. Chuck Haney, former Chillicothe publisher and current Chillicothe mayor and Ad Pages columnist, also added to Friday’s presentation. He mentioned it was the third time he had personally viewed the video program, and that it never gets old.
Of course, Ed’s personal memories aren’t limited to the TV shows. During the last month before his fatality accident, Ed recalled that Jerry considered over 200 requests to present programs before citizen groups ranging (literally) from the Chula Garden Club to the national press corps.
I couldn’t help but wonder if Ed Turner ever recovered from the abrupt loss of the Litton family with the pilot and his son. You know, it’d be natural to get a little distant from all the emotions after so many years and now, perhaps a bit numbed after repeating so many video presentations. It was a question I decided not to ask, hearing Ed’s voice tremble at one point as he turned slightly to privately whisk a teardrop away. It was genuine and intensely private despite the onlooking crowd, one of those million dollar moments that has nothing to do with money, and perhaps the best tribute given to Jerry Litton that day.
The Jerry Litton Dialogues show elected leaders listening to us, then listening to each other. Civility wasn’t the goal, it was the example in a setting where nothing was controlled. It showcased the intelligence of people in positions of leadership. It was evidence that our system works, that even as we differ we can face our problems together with confidence. And that even as we realize we’re not the One who’s in control of all things, we’ll be alright by keeping faith in things that matter most.
Following the video, perhaps the most interesting question posed to Mr. Turner was, "Since we hear so much about problems of civility in our Congress, do you think Jerry Litton would have liked serving in Congress as it operates today?" Without hesitation, Ed emphatically said "No," paused, and said nothing more.
I wish President Obama had pointed to the Litton Dialogues in his State of the Union address last night. Wouldn’t it be great if this history did repeat itself?