I know that after 25 years in Washington, DC, I should be immune to “Political Starpower,” but I fully admit that I was thrilled this afternoon when I picked up my phone and heard “Hi Shirley, this is Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture.” The Secretary had called to let me know that he and President Obama have been talking about rural America and the President was particularly impressed with broadband deployment in rural America and the level of innovation in that deployment and intends to reference that in his State of the Union speech tonight. I was so excited to hear that our member’s story has been heard and is resonating on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue! We need to keep looking for ways to work with folks in Washington to ensure that the great work that is being done today, can continue in the future.
