On meeting Jim Klobuchar for the first time

LEIGH POMEROY

Very rarely will you see a personal note on these pages. But I'm up at 5:45 trying to convince the cats it's not time to be fed yet and thinking about the stories Jim Klobuchar related at Gustavus Adolphus College last night.

For those among our national and international readership, neither Jim nor Gustavus will register much on the recognition meter unless you've read Jim's columns on these pages, in the Minneapolis Star Tribune or in the Christian Science Monitor. In Minnesota he's somewhat of a minor god (though of an emeritus sort) for his longtime work in journalism, both as a sports writer and a columnist.

To the younger generation he's known more as "Amy's dad", as his daughter, Amy Klobuchar, is the Democratic frontrunner in the Minnesota campaign for the U.S. Senate.

Jim is a not-very-tall, unassuming man who today doesn't look at all like his photos in the jacket covers of his 20 or so books. The photos show him round faced, longer haired, clean shaven. Today his features are thinner, his hair shorter, and he wears a little moustache on his upper lip. But all this is, I'm sure, unimportant to the adoring fans who filled the Melva Lind Interpretive Center Tuesday night at Gustavus.

To me, what was unique about the audience was its age, folks on average somewhere in their mid- to late-60s. I guess that's not surprising given that this is the same demographic of folks who have followed him throughout his long writing career.

Jim is a wonderful public speaker. His eyes twinkle as stories roll out like he's just now relating them for the first time. Yet you know he's repeated some of them 100 times or more since they've all appeared in his columns and books, and he no doubt repeats the best ones often at his numerous speaking engagements.

For most of his presentation Jim is lighthearted and anecdotal, yet he gets serious when talking about the state of our country. Jim grew up on Minnesota's Iron Range, whose deep roots of labor activism was fueled by hard work made even more difficult by bitter winters. That's why it's not surprising he's a lifelong progressive, and why he's so disappointed in today's leaders.

After World War II, he said last night, "what we had was a feeling we were together." We were united as a people and a country towards a common goal of rebuilding and of making this country great.

Today things are different. There is the fear, he said, "based on reality, that America's government is being sold to corporations." Rather than steering the ship of state with a common goal of benefiting all the people, the motivation of today's leaders is simply to stay in power. "I don't have the feeling," he admitted, "that the people who are making decisions are very competent."

This was the first time I had heard Jim speak or even met him, despite the fact that we've communicated by email and talked on the phone since January, when he started writing for Vox Verax.

I have to admit that I was impressed, not so much by finally meeting this gentle man, but by his ability to tell a story wherein even the pauses carry meaning, and by his ability to charm audiences whose youthful interests have long been replaced by a more mature appreciation of great stories and storytellers.

Even as a retiree Jim's awfully busy. In fact, he's taking a group from his Adventure Club to Peru next week, then on a 450-mile bike trek in June. Meanwhile he's on the campaign trail every week for Amy, plus writing for his own web page and other publications.

That's why Tom and I are damn glad he can periodically share his wonderful vision with the readers of Vox Verax, even if it is only every other week or so.

To see Jim's articles on Vox Verax, go here.