Would
you go to the White House for dinner?
That’s
a serious question. I’m asking you, sincerely, if you would go.
I mean, obviously I can’t score you an invitation to a big formal
affair (or even a casual afternoon sandwich in some kitchen corner).
But the basic idea is there.
If
you were invited to go to the White House for some type of meal,
would you?
As
most of us know, we are still being battered around a bit by one
of the most awesomely intense political storms ever unleashed
on the United States. Regardless of your opinions, beliefs, actions
and more… beyond any definition of embarrassing, great, horrendous,
unimaginable, striking and so on… despite any other factors or
stories you would like to explore… and without regard to the claims
of it being the most important election in our lives, until the
very next election becomes the most important… the reality is
simple, this has been staggering.
Right
now, as we approach the national celebrations associated with
a presidential inauguration, we are seeing all sorts of speeches,
actions, statements, and… and… and…
(Good
lord, will it ever end?)
I’m
tired of all this stuff. Don’t like the finger-pointing. Don’t
like the chest-thumping. Don’t like the over-played-emotional-outbursts
telling me what I’m supposed to feel, believe, or appreciate.
Don’t like it from any corner of the debate.
And
that brings me back to the original question.
Would
you go to the White House for dinner?
Most
of us will never set foot inside the White House.
Depending
on what sources you investigate, approximately 1.2 million people
do visit the property every year. Impressive. Breaking those numbers
down however… repeat visitors, where the visitor has travelled
from, etc.… is a bit more problematic. Hard to tell who has been
there before. Worth considering American citizens and foreign
guests. Plus, most people seem to believe that 100,000 per month
is the high end of visitor totals, which would likely bring our
rough number down.
Still…
at one million visitors per year, it would take more than three
hundred years for all of the American citizens in our current
population to stop by and say hello. (Again, most of us aren’t
going to make it.)
I’m
going beyond stopping by the fence for a picture though and being
at the White House… beyond reaching out to your representative
(or embassy) to request a visit. I’m talking about being invited
to dinner.
Imagine
an invitation being extended for you and a guest to attend a presidential
state dinner at the White House. Would you turn that down?
It’s
an interesting thought.
As
of right now, I have never been invited to dine at the White House.
Not a state dinner… no sandwich.
My
family did visit the White House decades ago. My parents worked
out a family vacation to Washington, D.C., that included a ton
of stops. Smithsonian museums, the Supreme Court, Capitol Hill,
and more were on the itinerary. And one day, we stepped inside
the White House. (We didn’t eat there.)
Behind
my question is, naturally, that other thing I opened the essay
up with… the topsy-turvey-stormy political climate. A meal at
the White House is kind of a big thing. It’s that intimate connection
that goes along with breaking bread united with the White House.
And I do wonder…
If
presented with the honor of an invitation to one of the most amazing
evenings and experiences possible, how do your values and thoughts
influence your R.S.V.P.?
You
don’t have to tell me. And don’t just think in terms of today
and any specific occupant of the White House. Be honest with yourself.
What might change your mind… make you accept… make you decline?
Would
you go to the White House for dinner?