Savage Words: Pulling the rope in the same direction again - Remembering Tim Johnson

Tim Johnson passed away last week.

The 77-year-old former Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senator succumbed to a stroke.

It got some headlines last week, but not enough. That’s a shame. Given the rift in our country right now, remembering someone like Johnson would be good for all of our divided ideals at the moment.

I didn’t know him well. However, I met him once while I worked for Republican Senator Larry Pressler in Washington, D.C. Johnson was a member of the House at the time and we were at the same function where a large contingency of South Dakotans gathered.

We met, but no doubt he didn’t remember me.

However, I got to know some of his staff. I don’t remember them now, but our Pressler staff played in a softball league. We played other congressional staff around Washington. Johnson’s crew was one of them.

Read that again: Staffers representing a Republican and a Democrat got together twice a week to play a game, to enjoy each other’s company, to congregate, to talk. We played a lot of games during the softball season, but the ones against Johnson’s staff were always the most intriguing to me. We were all South Dakotans relocated in Washington, and although we clearly had differences, we all pulled the rope in the same direction to help our state, our country.

Imagine that now.

I met Johnson again two years ago in Sioux Falls. There is a particular coffee shop where I often write from. Above it, are apartments with a common area on the main floor.

Johnson obviously lived there and I saw him come off the elevator as I was eyeballing my laptop. He was riding in a red scooter, which he used after his ability to walk was hampered from a 2006 stroke.

My guess is almost all of the young people in the common area had no idea who this man was riding a scooter. But I approached, introduced myself, and told him I used to work for Senator Pressler in Washington.

“How’s Larry doing,” was his immediate response with a true look of interest on his face. 

That actually warmed my heart. Johnson and Pressler were adversaries for many years in Washington. Johnson defeated Pressler in 1996 for a U.S. Senate seat.

But for as much as they were adversaries, they were fellow Americans, fellow South Dakotans.

I saw Johnson a few more times in the common area over the last couple of years. We always had some small talk to share. I never knew Johnson the way that some of my friends did that held higher positions with Pressler. But I’m grateful for the non-political talk we shared outside the coffee shop in Sioux Falls.

His was an amazing career that spanned more than three decades serving South Dakota. At the end of his third term in the Senate, Johnson took to the Senate floor on Dec. 11, 2014 to say goodbye.

“To the people of South Dakota, thank you for the honor and the privilege for serving you in your state legislature, the House of Representatives and the United States Senate,” he said. “Thank you for working side-by-side with me to improve the lives of South Dakotans and our nation.”

Working side-by-side to improve the lives of South Dakotans and our nation.

Again, imagine that today.

When I listened to Johnson’s message from the Senate floor in 2014, it broke my heart a little. We – as a nation – are so far from that now.

I wish I could get all 326 million of us together for just one softball game in Washington again where we could play a game, enjoy each other’s company, congregate, talk, and get everyone pulling the rope in the same damn direction again.