Mark Souder’s passing earlier this week hit me harder that I would have expected.
Unfortunately, his biography inevitably includes the sudden end to his promising political career. I for one had forgotten those details. My focus has always centered on how intelligent Souder was.
Years ago the Chamber of Commerce sponsored a DC Fly-In for our people from our region to meet with our Indiana representatives. I was in my 30s at the time and was reluctant to go. What can a relative youngin’ like me get out of this opportunity? Looking back, that trip changed my perspective on many things and played a part in shaping my political views.
The first person that met our group at the U.S. Capitol was Congressman Mark Souder. The first time I heard him speak in person was at a Rotary meeting. I remember thinking this was the smartest person I had ever met. I later heard him speak multiple times without changing that opinion.
His ability to speak intelligently about seemingly any topic at the drop of a hat was awe-inspiring.
Oftentimes politicians are caught off guard with a question and respond “I don’t know, but I’ll get back to you.” A perfectly acceptable response. Whether they follow through or not, I can’t say. Congressman Souder, without fail, answered each and every question with an informed, well spoken response. He never missed a beat.
As Souder addressed our northeast Indiana contingent, he reaffirmed my opinion once again. He eloquently spoke about the history of the grand building we were in while seamlessly handling questions about the hot button issues of that time.
We had a tight itinerary with precious little downtime. I recall a lunch with Paul Helmke, former mayor of Fort Wayne, who was President of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. The space nut in me geeked out at the National Air and Space Museum. We toured the Pentagon and saw where it had been struck during 9/11, a poignant moment for me.
The frantic pace of those few days keeps me from remembering many details but I vividly remember the disappointment when we were divided into smaller groups to meet with our U.S. Representatives. I wasn’t in the Mark Souder group and wasn’t happy about it. My group met with another randomly assigned person. He was running late and I found a spot on the desk to lean on while we waited. When Congressman Mike Pence walked into his office minutes later, his eyes immediately went to the guy leaning on his desk. I quickly moved but for the entirety of that meeting, I was the lowly guy who had been leaning on his desk.
You never know who you’ll meet in Washington D.C.
When Souder resigned in 2010 after his extramarital affair became public, I didn’t view him as a disgraced politician. My thoughts focused on how someone so smart and God-fearing could make that mistake.
It could happen to any of us. A quote hanging in the News-Banner breakroom reads ‘it takes a lifetime to build a reputation and only seconds to destroy it.’
How true.
A tribute to Souder, written by Congressman Jim Banks earlier this week said this, ‘His life after leaving Congress in 2010 is an example to many of us of grace and redemption.’
There is hope for us all.
Rest in peace Mark Souder and thank you for your service to Indiana.
dougb@news-banner.com
