Few examples of the American Dream compare with Dennis Hastert's leap from comparative obscurity to speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.
"Twenty-five years ago I was teaching high school history and economics, coaching wrestling and football, and driving a school bus," Hastert said by telephone on his way to Salt Lake City, where he'll promote his new book, a memoir titled "Speaker: Lessons from Forty Years in Coaching and Politics."
"I never thought I would one day be speaker of the House," Hastert said. "In fact, I got into politics through the back door."
That was also the case with the speakership. The year was 1998 and Congress was embroiled in a bitter controversy over impeachment proceedings against President Bill Clinton. Republicans lost House members and Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., the obstreperous speaker of the House, lost support. In the wake of Gingrich announcing he would not seek the speakership again, Bob Livingston, R-La., was quickly elected. He resigned amid personal controversy. Hastert, then the deputy whip of the House, was catapulted to the post of No. 3 person of authority in U.S. government.
"I served in Newt's leadership for four years," Hastert said. "He had a huge intellect, a very creative mind — he had a new idea almost every five minutes. But he could go on TV, and afterward someone would pick out 12 seconds of what he said, and he was in trouble.
"I just try to get things done. A good coach needs to put the best people forward and close the gaps — but he should not be in the spotlight every day. If I have to go on TV, I'll do it, but I don't look for it."
Hastert said he is astounded when he looks back on his six-year tenure as speaker. "The invasion of Kosovo, the fight between the House and Clinton over the surplus, the hanging-chad election of 2000 when I thought temporarily that even I could be president, Bush ushering in the largest tax cut in history, the events of 9/11, a downturn in the economy, wars with Afghanistan and Iraq — I don't have Alzheimer's but I have somezheimer's trying to deal with all that."
Hastert says he learned as a coach that it is important to "get the team focused, to have patience, direction and get people to look over the horizon. It's the same way in Congress. It takes years to get some bills passed. You have to have grass-roots support.
"Driving a school bus was good training, too. You have to keep a big yellow machine going down the street, at the same time watching your back in the mirror to make sure the inmates behave themselves."
One of the most difficult things Hastert has ever done is "to teach 16-year-olds the laws of economics, and in retrospect those kids had other things on their minds. Now I have to teach basic economics to the members of the House. Most things, I've found, have economic implications."
Hastert sees himself as "the ringmaster of a circus. I have to keep the acts going, but I don't have be a lion tamer or a trapeze artist myself. I just crack the whip. I'm pretty conservative in my voting, but I listen to everybody. We have a pretty broad perspective in our party — people from the far right to moderate. When you have a narrow margin — five, six or 10 votes — you have to be patient."
Hastert would like to continue as speaker as long as he considers himself effective. "I'm not setting any records — I'm just trying to get things done. The tax cuts are my proudest accomplishment. I'm glad people have more money in their pockets now. I think now we need to get more done on health care. I've always said, 'If health care is not affordable, it is not available.' I would also like to see tax reform."
When President Bush said recently that he might favor a national sales tax, it was Hastert who gave him the idea. "Some people say it is regressive, but it is not regressive. We already have a tax on the poor. You can adjust for that. You can give rebates to people to make up for it. It's time for us to change our system and adopt a national sales tax."
If you go . . .
What: Book signing, Dennis Hastert
When: Thursday, noon
Where: Deseret Book, ZCMI Mall
E-mail: dennis@desnews.com