business backgrounder | economy
when politics wasn’t personal
The “Morning Joe” team of Scarborough and Brzezinski completed the slate of speakers with their mix of personal reflections
and political analysis.
Their address came a few weeks before the partial government shutdown occurred, but their anecdotes about the older,
friendlier style of politics in Washington, D.C. seemed to predict the acrimony that led to the standoff.
It used to be that politicians could fight during
the day and get drinks in the evening, they said.
Politics wasn’t personal.
As recently as the 1990s, when Scarborough
was part of the Congress that impeached
— “Morning Joe” host Joe Scarborough, lamenting the sorry state
President Bill Clinton, a divided White House
of relations between rival politicians in Washington, D.C.
and Congress managed to balance the
federal budget for the first time in a
generation, Scarborough said.
“It makes a difference if you can
additional information
disagree and still work together,”
h e s a i d . “ T h a t ’s h ow b u s i n e s s
• AWB President Don Brunell delivered his final president’s report during the Sept. 19
works, right?”
board meeting at the annual Policy Summit. The meeting also saw a passing of the
“It makes a difference if you can disagree and still
work together. That’s how business works, right?”
gavel from outgoing board chair Doug Bayne to incoming board chair Mel Russell.
• AWB service awards were presented to legislators, lobbyists and business leaders:
o Jim Matson Award: Sens. Rodney Tom, D-Bellevue, and Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville
Morning Joe: mojoe.msnbc.com
o Ron Gjerde Award: Brad Tower, Tower Ltd.
Results Washington:
www.results.wa.gov
o Heavy Lifter Awards: Richard Settle and Patrick Schneider, Foster Pepper PLLC,
Seattle; Ron Bueing, Pivotal Law Group, Seattle; Gregg Barton, Perkins Coie, LLP,
Seattle, Duke Schaub, Duke Schaub & Associates, Lacey
The Curious Capitalist:
business.time.com/category/curious-capitalist
fall 2013 49