Thread by @JohnJHarwood

amusing (to me) thread on Dino Rossi and someone else

very early in 2004, when he was working for John Edwards’ presidential campaign, @davidaxelrod told me i needed to check out another of his clients - state senator in IL running for US Senate 1/

https://twitter.com/mkraju/status/1060565211525058560

it was an African-American guy named Barack Obama

i was skeptical such a candidate could win statewide in IL

David said you just have to meet him

so the next time Obama came to Washington to meet w/Democratic senatorial committee, i did. we talked for an hour 2/

i was blown away. one of the most impressive politicians i had ever met

i decided to write a column for WSJ, where i then worked, about how this obscure guy might be on his way to becoming a national star

(this was months before his breakthrough Dem convention speech) 3/

but journalistic convention dictated that i needed to balance the column by identifying an obscure Republican also on the way to national limelight

i asked around among Republican political types for ideas for path-breaking, stereotype-busting possibilities 4/

somebody suggested Dino Rossi, then running for governor of Washington state

so my little-known rising stars column paired Barack Obama and Dino Rossi

one became an historic figure

the other lost that election and multiple elections since

at least i made Obama the lead

/end