Latest / Rick Outzen: (we don’t) color on the dog / Lumpy DeWeese Returns from DC
Transcript
- Rick Outzen: Welcome back to Rick's Blog Live. I'm Rick Altson. This is the fun part for me. ⁓ we've got l ⁓ Liam Lumpy DeWis, UWF student athlete, ⁓ player, as well as this summer an intern with Jimmy Petronas. and now start football right on top of this, not much of a break from coming back from DC. ⁓ Lumpy DeWeese: It's it's kinda getting punched in the teeth with reality after summer up in DC which is not real world. Rick Outzen: Yeah, tell how as working as an intern, how do you negoti how did the day go? How did you find a place to live? How d how did that all work? So Lumpy DeWeese: I I got lucky. I had a buddy who knew some guys that went to Georgetown, so we leased out their apart or their townhouse out Georgetown for the y for the summer. And then my typical day would be wake up around six, catch the metro into town, go get my in to stay somewhat up to date with football and you ⁓ Yes Staff Jim. and then go in, go into the office, do my news clips from the day, the news throughout the ⁓ Rick Outzen: Use the house. Lumpy DeWeese: the country, news from the district, stuff like that. kind of just get settled in and see what projects I had for the day. Rick Outzen: Yeah, how many interns did the congressman have? Lumpy DeWeese: He had three for most of the summer. okay. Yes, sir. There was three of us and we all kinda just acted like a secretary role, answering the phone, giving tours to constituents, stuff like that. Rick Outzen: What was, you know, as you looked at w what surprised you about as whole, that that, you know, going up there not you know, you're were familiar with it, you took the the courses, you've studied politics and all that and government, but ⁓ what surprised you about it? Lumpy DeWeese: All that goes into just getting something to the floor, let alone through Congress as a whole, but the committee markups and the rule bills and stuff like that that you don't really see from the outside eye, all has to happen before they can even vote on passing the bill. that and of how friendly everybody is outside of the public eye. Mm-hmm. You'll be coming back. I got the chance to go to the floor for votes, and you'll be coming back and on the in elevator with people from all over the country. both parties and everybody's polite and cordial. It's kinda it's kinda theatrical at times. Rick Outzen: That's w my friends that that have there and have lobbied and worked with them, it's said that the good w the good politicians are the one that can have a drink ⁓ afterwards and and kinda laugh about w what you know the the political part of it and and still they're gonna s do what they need to do the next day, but they can b can be friends away from the the floor. Lumpy DeWeese: Yes, sir. And that was cool. One of the cooler experiences I had up there is one of my roommates was from California. so he interns both sides of the aisle go out and hang out and have dinner and stuff like that. And that one of the coolest things, getting to just hear everybody's perspective and where they're from and stuff like that. ⁓ I got to meet Nick Saban, which was probably coolest one. I met former speaker Newt Gingrich. Rick Outzen: Now who who'd you meet that surprised you? Lumpy DeWeese: I got the chance to go see Nancy Pelosi speak and do an intern lecture series which was really cool, just legend in politics. f speaker Johnson. got to go to a bunch of different hearings and committees and kind of just see everybody and put a put a face to a name. Right. Rick Outzen: Well, I I remember your dad sent me a photo of you in the gallery when Nick Saban was testifying on NIL in college football. How was that? Lumpy DeWeese: It was unreal. And you wouldn't believe the way have a committee panel of all the powerful senators and way Sabin commanded the room over all Rick Outzen: Yeah. I'm not surprised. Yeah. You know, ⁓ it's w ⁓ you know, D C Reeves was a sports reporter, ⁓ in he covered Jimbo Fisher at Florida State, he covered Saban ⁓ at So every time we have a ⁓ pretty press conference, I say, Well you know, any w you know, you're not any worse in dealing with Sabin. So, you know, no you know, it you understand how the game's played. He said, Yeah. Yeah, but it it's Lumpy DeWeese: Yeah. Rick Outzen: Yeah, looking at the issue I mean, everybody says Congress doesn't do anything, but they are doing something. Lumpy DeWeese: And even if that's just on a day to ba day to day basis, their offices is handling stuff for people in the district, whether that be casework or ⁓ with a federal agency. And ⁓ was probably the most rewarding thing is to be able to pick up the phone and answer a constituent's call and be able to help them through something. 'cause you know, their office is there to help and they're they're happy to. It's it's what their their goal is, is to take care of the district. Rick Outzen: Now did you get a taste to want to do more in politics? Lumpy DeWeese: I did, I did. I mean, I'm not sure what I'm gonna do after school but I could see myself going back up there to work full time. Rick Outzen: That would be cool. It really truly would be. The as far as D C what were some of your favorite places to go? Lumpy DeWeese: caught a lot of Nats games. They do they do five dollar Tuesdays so you can go it's a good deal, go get five dollar sodas, five dollar hot dogs, stuff like that, cheap tickets. Rick Outzen: I guess I guess the the some interns y'all learn the best deals in town. Absolutely Lumpy DeWeese: Absolutely. Yeah. D C is a happy hour town. It's the happy hour capital of the world. that's that was the fun part is just everybody leaving work and going to hang out and you get to network and get to meet people because nobody really goes up there with friends. So you just gotta meet people with mutual friends and stuff like Rick Outzen: like starting college all again, isn't it? Absolutely. I'm gonna meet every you know, I'm gonna be nice and ⁓ meet a few jerks in the in the process but you'll make more friends. Lumpy DeWeese: Absolutely. And the vast majority of people up there, they want to help you, they want to get to know you. inviting and welcoming ⁓ of people. Rick Outzen: Did you get to see any of the sites up there? Lumpy DeWeese: I did. I mean, every Sunday I'd try and go for a walk or a run and go see all the monuments everything and I did my best to get to most of the Smithsonians as well when I had some free time. Rick Outzen: Yeah, you know, that's to me the the first time I went up there, was I think it was a chamber event in the nineteen nineties, and the first time I'd ever been. And didn't I I saw the Washington Monument, but didn't realize Lincoln Memorial was on the other side of my life. I stopped there. I just I stopped and didn't look over the hill ⁓ to it's so But I did do the Masonians and did the ⁓ the National Art which was ⁓ unbelievable to sit and and d you know, later on d in other trips going back to the Library of Congress and seeing how phenomenal that is. ⁓ Lumpy DeWeese: It's probably the prettiest building in DC. Every time I'd give a Capitol tour I'd be like, yo now y'all need to go walk in the tunnel and see the Library of Congress because it's unreal. ⁓ Rick Outzen: You know, football season starting up, and you and I were talking a little bit before we started the show, is that it's so different now. You you went to on full ride from Gulf Breefs High School to Stetson, you were in D one there. you saw an opportunity to come back home and and be a part the of the Argos, which championship team, level team in D two. The but the world has changed much. I think every team is gonna need name tags when you go back when you go back to practice. Lumpy DeWeese: Yeah. know, Arc we great team last year. We were a top five team in division two, but we majority of that roster. They a lot of them went up when are at big schools now. So I think we did a good job of reloading and most of those guys were there in spring balls, so we kinda got the chance to see what we have, but ⁓ we've made good additions and we we should ⁓ should make noises here. ⁓ Rick Outzen: Yeah, it's it's gonna be a very ⁓ different kind of league because you're playing with some of these teams have done very, well. Austin P when you look at them, it they an amazing you know, the the talent level is even more than what saw at Stetson, you're seeing a b a big move up. but I think you've got the coaching staff to deal with. ⁓ Lumpy DeWeese: Absolutely. high level staff and that's biggest thing I think is 'cause I've had the chance to play with some guys from Texas and coaching makes all the difference. They all came out of high school well coached and stuff like and I think that really will ⁓ be able help us compete this year. ⁓ Rick Outzen: Yeah, now how's your clo case load, cl ⁓ class load this time? Lumpy DeWeese: It's interesting. I'm ⁓ I got a lot of finance classes and I gotta get over the hump and finish my senior year strong, but it should be good. So you Yes sir, I'm graduating in May. maybe back up to D C and work or jump on a campaign or something like that. Right. Rick Outzen: Your goal is try to graduate this year. Right, well it it'll be it'll it'll be interesting. I think that i if you're looking at it you know, someone who's thinking about going to college, what would some of your advice for them? Let's say not not even as an athlete, because you've always been a a strong student, but how what would your advice to someone entering school now? Lumpy DeWeese: Just get there and put yourself out there. Meet everybody you can and be afraid to apply for something that you might not feel qualified for because I was just sitting doing homework one day and I was like, I'm gonna apply to intern in Congress this summer thinking that's something for strictly Ivy League kids or something like that. And you know, I got the opportunity to go up there and enjoy So if there's something that even interests you, go find out if you really like it was ⁓ one I'd say. Rick Outzen: Yeah, and of course you always make every year you make the all nickname for college football particularly, Lumpy Deweys, Lumpy is in there, the which is giving you some notoriety. helped you in the recruiting process, didn't it? It did. Lumpy DeWeese: It did, it did. And that was one of the funny things sitting up there. worked the front of the office for the congressman and people would walk in and I'd have to host his meetings and everything before he'd take him. I'd say, Hi, I'm lumpy and they'd step back and be ⁓ you say? But it was it was good and people remember me when they'd see me around. Rick Outzen: Right. That's that's the the b the the big the beauty of it. the other side of it is you know you worked very ⁓ you were very social media savvy when you in high school to get your name out with with coaches. What advice would you for a kid who's who thinks they can play at the college level? Lumpy DeWeese: Say Twitter's the biggest thing, especially for football. I know other sports it varies, but your film out on Twitter, following as many coaches as you can, reaching out, saying, Hey coach, watch my film, make good grades and that pops when they see four point ⁓ GPA, they're much more likely to respond to your DM than if you put your grades. Rick Outzen: great. Well Lumpy, it's so great to have you here. I mean, I've it's been fun to you. I've watched Lumpy when he was a little bitty kid ⁓ with Coke Cups rocks in it, making it like it was a baseball ⁓ behind the games at UWF. So it's been so so much fun follow your career. I think we'll be able to ⁓ i it's just it's you know, of the things I've we've always tried to do with the paper is promote ⁓ young leaders, and I think definitely one of the ones we're proud of. Lumpy DeWeese: I'm a big fan of Pensacola. Any chance I get to represent Pensacola in a good positive way, I try to jump at, you know, this town's done a lot for me and it's raised me. So I feel like I owe it to it to serve it, in the best way I can. Yeah, I appreciate it. Rick Outzen: Lumpy, thank you so much. Thank you. We'll take a break. We'll be right back. Lumpy DeWeese: Mm-hmm.