by Laura Jane Cohen
The first time I met Benjamin J. Kirby, my boss was half slumped over the table, fast asleep, during Ben's interview to become our Director of Communications. I sat across from Ben and watched him as he spoke, certain that anyone with any sense might motion to my boss, politely excuse themselves and run from the room, as far away as possible from our floundering non-profit. But not Ben. He patiently and eloquently answered our questions, never seeming to notice the strangely narcoleptic man who would be his boss. At the end of the interview, I walked Ben out, certain he would quiz me about what had just occurred. He didn't. As the door closed behind him, I turned to my colleagues and said, "that guy is either the smartest guy on the planet, who understood that we're really running the place, or he is the most desperate". I was wrong, he was both.
Ben endured several more interviews and even tolerated being called "a real bullshit artist" by a board member (also a fox news contributor) who, as my mother would say, is so full of it that his eyes are brown. Ultimately Ben took the job and was the best thing that ever happened to our little non-profit.
What I learned about Ben through the hiring process and my time working along side him was his incredible ability to see the world for what it actually is and to never be deterred by the obvious roadblocks in the way of the truth (even when they are fast asleep on the conference table). In the years since I first met him, I now have to agree that Ben is a real bullshit artist. This blog masterfully maneuvers through the bullshit and gets to the heart of what actually matters, what politics is supposed to be about.
I am now a stay at home mom who, between PTA meetings, occasionally offers up my take on what is going on in our country. Sometimes political, but more often than not, just my ramblings about my kids and the world I'm afraid we might be handing off to them someday. I confess to be a bleeding heart liberal, though my criticism is not limited to one side of the aisle. The current make up of our national, state, and local governments provide enough material for an almost daily rant about what this world is coming to.
I am deeply honored that Ben would ask me to contribute to this incredible blog. I'm guessing it's payback for convincing the sleeping guy to hire him many years ago. I'll take it, nonetheless.
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