Senator Amy Klobuchar Isn't Afraid of Your Stories--Good, Bad, Salad Comb

[question everything]

Amy Klobuchar announced her run for president last February while standing outside in the middle of a snowstorm. It was a badge of honor for the third-term Minnesota senator and native of the state, a metaphor for her midwestern common sense and effectiveness during one of the most unsettling times in American political history.

A graduate of Yale and the University of Chicago Law School, Klobuchar served as prosecutor for the most populous county in Minnesota before becoming the state’s first elected female senator in 2006. Her ability to reach across the aisle to target the opioid crisis, inflated prescription drug costs, and sexual harassment led Vanderbilt University to hail her as the most effective Democratic senator last Congress. Meanwhile, her affable, folksy charm (she encourages constituents to call her Amy) makes her one of the most popular politicians in office. That “Minnesota nice” image was dented, however, by a series of news reports in February detailing her demanding and sometimes humiliating behavior toward her staff. Nevertheless, she’s betting her genial pragmatism and penchant for bipartisanship—and her potential to pick up Midwest swing states that sealed President Trump’s victory in 2016—will be just the antidote needed to win in 2020.

(snip)

Staffers have suggested that things aren’t so pleasant behind the scenes. What would you say are your strengths and weaknesses as a manager? My strength is to get things done. We have gotten 34 bills signed into law while President Trump has been in office. I know that I can be tough and push people too hard; you can always improve, and I’ll do that. I have high expectations for myself and my staff, and most of all, I have high expectations for the country.

Do you think your managerial strategy has been held to a different standard than that of your male peers? I find it interesting that we have really strong, incredible women running for president who have had some criticisms along the same lines. Three of us have run major offices, and when you are in these tough jobs, you have to make tough decisions and deal with things in a way that doesn’t always make everyone happy. We can get some enemies here and there. But those are the kinds of skills you have to have when you’re president. It’s not a popularity contest every day.

(snip)

It was reported that you once ate a salad with a comb after realizing you didn’t have a fork. Were you surprised by how much press that generated? When you’re running for office, you’re gonna have all kinds of stories come out—the good, the bad, the funny. That’s just how it is. I have a sense of humor, and I do see the humor in some of the craziness every day. Whether it’s the president calling me Snowwoman [on Twitter] to all the people running on the Democratic side. You just have to stay grounded in the reason that you’re doing it: for your neighbors and fellow Americans across the country who want to see someone in office who’s going to bridge the divide and work to get things done—which is what I’ve done my whole life.

https://www.elle.com/culture/career-politics/amp27471981/senator-amy-klobuchar-2020-election-interview

[oasis]

1. Amy K. will have her day!