‘Hey, you’re that YouTube guy.”
More often than not, that’s the way David W. Hedrick says he’s greeted.
Hedrick — running for Brian Baird’s congressional seat — had a fateful “discussion” with Baird last August at a town hall meeting.
That discussion ended up on YouTube. And 1.3 million views later, here we are.
Hedrick was able to ask Baird a question after his number was drawn randomly at the town hall.
If you look at the video — The Columbian actually shot the video as part of our coverage of the meeting — it’s certainly more of a statement by Hedrick than a question.
And part of that statement is more like a demand if you hear the conviction in his voice: “Stay away from my kids!”
The now-famous line had to do with the government’s involvement in educating our children. But Hedrick would tell you, from a larger perspective, it had to do with way too much government — period.
And guess what? There’s a “throw all the bums out” resonating in the country now. Baird didn’t wait for any possible butt-kicking. He just opted out.
That opened up the entire race. But is Hedrick the guy? There are so many choices.
Well, that remains to be seen.
I ran into Hedrick at an editorial board meeting he and others attended.
So I threw a few questions his way. I asked him if most folks view him as a curiosity. He agreed. But he added, after they have heard him speak, they see he is much more than just the video.
Still, the video — the media if you will — launched his career. Put him in the spotlight. And he agreed he probably wouldn’t even be running if it weren’t for that video.
But that doesn’t mean he loves the media. Not even close. How do I know? Well, I asked.
“Do you consider the media a friend, an enemy or neutral?”
“An enemy,” he said.
OK, we’re the bad guys according to Hedrick, but I have to be upfront with you all. I still like this guy.
He could have gone all Rush Limbaugh on us, but when he labeled us the enemy, he did so in a measured, respectful way.
And he did add he has been surprised, on occasion, with what he has viewed as good reporting.
OK, here’s the point. Personally, he exceeded my expectations. We’ll be endorsing candidates in this race, and I don’t have a good feel for who we’ll endorse yet. We still have other candidates to interview.
But Hedrick — for me — has the chops for this job. I certainly don’t agree with all his views, but if I were a betting man, I’d bet I won’t agree with all the views of anyone in this race.
Views aside, Hedrick is more than just that YouTube moment. He handled himself with a sense of assurance, he was polite, he was passionate about his views, he was articulate and well-reasoned.
Still, winning this race — any race, frankly — is a crap shoot.
So good luck to everyone in this race. It should be a fun one.
Lou Brancaccio is The Columbian’s editor. Reach him at 360-735-4505 or lou.brancaccio@columbian.com.
