THE MINNESOTA ROADRUNNERS - My project to aid a Republican candidate for Governor in 1966 (Adventures with Bill Book 2)
Book Details
Author(s)Bill Mack
PublisherThistlerose Publications
ISBN / ASINB0057YDPQ0
ISBN-13978B0057YDPQ6
MarketplaceFrance 🇫🇷
Description
Personal adventure story #2
As a native of Detroit who now resides in downtown St. Paul, Bill joins the Young Republican League of Minnesota, wanting to help Michigan’s governor, George Romney, should Romney run for President in 1968. The head of the local club becomes a candidate for state legislature. Bill takes his place when this man resigns from the club.
Bill is a dreamer. While riding on a Greyhound bus, Bill has the idea of organizing a group of relay runners who run a long distance on the highways to promote a particular cause. He thinks this idea might apply to a political campaign. He mentions this idea to the candidate’s wife, who enthusiastically supports it, as does the man’s campaign manager.
One thing leads to another. Harold Le Vander becomes the Republican Party’s candidate for Governor. Bill gains support for his idea from Hap LeVander, the candidate’s son, while on a fundraising cruise on Lake Minnetonka. He volunteers to run one of the legs. Gerald Olson, the campaign manager for Harold LeVander, also endorses the idea.
Since it is Bill’s idea, the Roadrunner scheme becomes his project. He presents the idea to the Congressional District organization of the Young Republican League and receives tentative support. He makes the rounds of local Young Republican clubs, signing up runners. Bill also contacts the College Republicans organization. He receives the list of persons who have given their names at the Republican booth at the Minnesota State Fair. Letters are written to them.
The proposal calls for runners, each taking a half-mile segment, to run from the north end of Duluth down highway I-35 to St. Paul and Minneapolis and eventually reach Fort Snelling where a ceremony involving gubernatorial candidate Le Vander would take place. The relay runners would carry a hollow baton carrying a message written on a scroll. Olson signs off an all aspects of this plan although he wants to know more about the message to be carried in the baton.
Bill composes a statement that portrays the Republicans as a party of honest government and the Democrats as a party that uses trickery and pitches its message to a variety of special interests expecting government to help them. The message begins by observes that the Europeans who first visited Minnesota were looking for the Northwest Passage to Asia rather than being persons interested in settling there. The Northwest Passage proved an empty promise but Minnesota is still a good place to live.
Bill delivers his proposed message to Jerry Olson. Several days later, he receives a message asking that the Roadrunner project be cancelled. The stated reason is that the Democrats have lately become involved in an insurance scandal. Republican Party leaders do not want to draw attention away from that event or risk that their own ventures might fail. Bill dutifully announces cancellation of the Roadrunner project.
Sure enough, the insurance scandal does carry the Republicans to victory in November 1966. Harold LeVander is elected Governor of Minnesota and Jerry Olson becomes his trusted aide. The Republican Lieutenant Governor candidate, also elected, features a bicycle marathon in his campaign.
A year later, George Romney is running for President. His chief rival for the Republican nomination is Richard Nixon. Jerry Olson is hired as Romney’s organizer in the Upper Midwest. Bill decides to approach Olson once again about organizing a relay of runners to promote the Romney candidacy.
Bill has several appointment with Olson to discuss the project but they are each cancelled. He is again scheduled to meet with Olson on Saturday, March 3, 1968, but Romney withdrew from the presidential race on the previous Wednesday.
This is the second in a series of Bill Mack’s personal adventure stories. Bill, a college-trained idealist, is someone ready to act on his ideas even if some of them are unrealistic.
As a native of Detroit who now resides in downtown St. Paul, Bill joins the Young Republican League of Minnesota, wanting to help Michigan’s governor, George Romney, should Romney run for President in 1968. The head of the local club becomes a candidate for state legislature. Bill takes his place when this man resigns from the club.
Bill is a dreamer. While riding on a Greyhound bus, Bill has the idea of organizing a group of relay runners who run a long distance on the highways to promote a particular cause. He thinks this idea might apply to a political campaign. He mentions this idea to the candidate’s wife, who enthusiastically supports it, as does the man’s campaign manager.
One thing leads to another. Harold Le Vander becomes the Republican Party’s candidate for Governor. Bill gains support for his idea from Hap LeVander, the candidate’s son, while on a fundraising cruise on Lake Minnetonka. He volunteers to run one of the legs. Gerald Olson, the campaign manager for Harold LeVander, also endorses the idea.
Since it is Bill’s idea, the Roadrunner scheme becomes his project. He presents the idea to the Congressional District organization of the Young Republican League and receives tentative support. He makes the rounds of local Young Republican clubs, signing up runners. Bill also contacts the College Republicans organization. He receives the list of persons who have given their names at the Republican booth at the Minnesota State Fair. Letters are written to them.
The proposal calls for runners, each taking a half-mile segment, to run from the north end of Duluth down highway I-35 to St. Paul and Minneapolis and eventually reach Fort Snelling where a ceremony involving gubernatorial candidate Le Vander would take place. The relay runners would carry a hollow baton carrying a message written on a scroll. Olson signs off an all aspects of this plan although he wants to know more about the message to be carried in the baton.
Bill composes a statement that portrays the Republicans as a party of honest government and the Democrats as a party that uses trickery and pitches its message to a variety of special interests expecting government to help them. The message begins by observes that the Europeans who first visited Minnesota were looking for the Northwest Passage to Asia rather than being persons interested in settling there. The Northwest Passage proved an empty promise but Minnesota is still a good place to live.
Bill delivers his proposed message to Jerry Olson. Several days later, he receives a message asking that the Roadrunner project be cancelled. The stated reason is that the Democrats have lately become involved in an insurance scandal. Republican Party leaders do not want to draw attention away from that event or risk that their own ventures might fail. Bill dutifully announces cancellation of the Roadrunner project.
Sure enough, the insurance scandal does carry the Republicans to victory in November 1966. Harold LeVander is elected Governor of Minnesota and Jerry Olson becomes his trusted aide. The Republican Lieutenant Governor candidate, also elected, features a bicycle marathon in his campaign.
A year later, George Romney is running for President. His chief rival for the Republican nomination is Richard Nixon. Jerry Olson is hired as Romney’s organizer in the Upper Midwest. Bill decides to approach Olson once again about organizing a relay of runners to promote the Romney candidacy.
Bill has several appointment with Olson to discuss the project but they are each cancelled. He is again scheduled to meet with Olson on Saturday, March 3, 1968, but Romney withdrew from the presidential race on the previous Wednesday.
This is the second in a series of Bill Mack’s personal adventure stories. Bill, a college-trained idealist, is someone ready to act on his ideas even if some of them are unrealistic.
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