Episode 143: Dan Bartlett Part 1

Dan Bartlett Part 1

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 The accounts shared on this Podcast, including this Episode, reflect the guests’ thoughtful recollections and opinions of experiences perceived and occurring over many years, including childhood memories, which may be fallible and limited by perspective and trauma. Persons may have different memories regarding certain events.

THE PRESIDENT: Good evening. Today, our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very freedom came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist acts. The victims were in airplanes, or in their offices; secretaries, businessmen and women, military and federal workers; moms and dads, friends and neighbors. Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of terror.

Like many of us, the memory of September 11, 2001, is etched in our minds. On that fateful day, I was at home with my two young daughters while my husband took our oldest to school. Our upcoming guest, however, had a remarkable experience on that day as he found himself in the presence of history while accompanying President Bush. Dan Bartlett, who happened to be filling in for his boss Karen Hughes, offers a unique perspective on the events. It seems that Dan's life has been marked by being in the right place at the right time, often without even realizing it.

Who is Dan Bartlett, and what unique experiences has he had in his life and career? 

DB When I got put in some of these jobs at very early ages in my life, I was probably too naive to to understand that I didn't deserve so I just took advantage of them. And, and, and I, you know, I was I believe the youngest communications director to ever serve in the White House and I think was at 33. Most of the people in the room with me could be my parents, parents of no older and I'm like what the heck am I doing?

 Dan's journey started as the youngest among four siblings, setting the stage for his unique path in life.

It I grew up with four I was the youngest of four. I was we had I have an older sister and two brothers, and we moved.

What's interesting is that I'm very much identified as a Texan, but I was actually born in Waukegan, Illinois. And my parents moved here when I was about six months old, and we moved to Dallas, and my earliest recollections is probably playing with my brother in our house in Dallas. I know we had a swimming pool and they were always so fearful of us falling in the pool. And I remember just playing you know, those early days of being in the backyard playing with I have a brother who was very close in age we we moved to Rockwall when we were going into the second grade, okay. And my brother and I are 10 months apart. Irish Irish twins, right?

KA So you grew up in Rockwall, Texas?

DB Yes.

KA And then do you have any favorite childhood memories?

You know, we grew up I grew up first place we live for most of when I was young was out more than town as the shores that way. It's all been developed now but at the time that was very much in the country and I you know, my earliest you know, my fondest memories is just, you know, being out on motorcycles or flights or that just exploring with my buddies from from that time frame Chris Burks and Burke's family lived down the road from us and in deadlines. There was longtime state senators from Rockwall. Mark, the Avera twins with, Mark and Andy there, the other everybody thought there are two sets of twins as well.

KA Right, right.

DB So there's a whole gaggle of us that lived out that way and just the freedom the freedom of exploration, you know, we would never give our children now but you know, that that part of my childhood is, is you know, that I think about the most

And we I remember during so when it was hunting season, we would be in the field hunting and we'd see the bus coming and we'd run and store our guns in the garage and jump on the bus with Camo on. And it wasn't thought of as being crazy or anything it was. It was so yeah, it was a that kind of independence that came with that obviously at the time it didn't appreciate it. Looking back on it. It didn't you know what I think those boys learn how to take care of things. I'm sorry. Learn how to take care of things and ways that they don't necessarily now because if their four wheeler broke down, they had to fix it and get home some no doubt about it. It was you you had to problem solve, you had to fix things. You had to be creative. We had three wheelers, four wheelers go karts. Yeah. We would be Frankenstein looking do you suddenly break on one and you steal a tire for another or whatever and you just may do or we built forts for for those types of skills, you know, it pains me to and we all also worked a lot too. And you know you think about I remember a lot of the jobs I did growing up that that feeling of being bone tired. And it's it's something that probably motivates me today. Because I don't want to do this for the rest of my life. I mean, I so yeah, it's all those things are, you know, when you look at it that way we're doing it that how formative they can become and they certainly are.

Dan’s family began in Illinois but quickly made their way to Texas.

DB parents both were families and grew up more from Illinois. I think it was a bit of my dad trying to escape the shadows and my mom's family and they said we're going south. We're going to Texas back this must be done and this was in 1971 72 timeframe and and then they like I said, originally in Dallas moved to Rockwell decided they wanted to live out the country and my parents didn't think they could have children at first. So actually my first my oldest brother and sister adopted and you hear this a lot. It's kind of common. That the you have adopted children kind of take some pressure off and then my mom had two biological kids within 10 months of each other. And so we're there were four of us within about six years. So I graduated high school in 1989. Okay, my sister, my oldest sibling, Karen, she graduated 1984 My and then my brother, my older brother graduated 1987. So we were at 84, 87 and two of us 89. So pretty close together. And and then but you know, I was you know, it was interesting. I we were one of the My parents divorced when I was going into seventh grade. And my dad moved out of Rockwall. So my mom raised the four of us. From there on for the most part, and we lived out in the country. We ultimately moved. We did end up moving into town when I was in high school going into high school.

But yeah, so there's the four like I said, I'm the youngest of four and unfortunately not a you know that my siblings are such living live Rockwall anymore, but I still stay in touch a lot of my friends.

KA Right, right. Your mom is an amazing woman.

DB She did a lot. Not only like parenting for children so close in age, but then she did a lot of work for children advocates, right? She did. She wasn't a casa advocate, court appointed special advocate in Dallas. She basically she ran a school for gifted and talented, underprivileged children in South Oak Cliff. I can't tell you how many times and then she's a single mom at this time that she would get calls. You know, middle of the night, the school getting broken into they used to have to remember early going going to I guess maybe we're we had a break at our school or something. We weren't in school. So I went with her one day to see what she did. And the first thing you did when you got to the school was to survey the playground to make sure there weren't any empty bottles of beer or syringes or drug paraphernalia. And so it was in a really rough part of town in South Dallas. But it was so fascinating to see once you get inside Eleague and see just the hope and and curiosity and spark of young children even those who are in are in a difficult environment and my mom ran a school for many years.

It was always very inspiring. Inspiring. Yeah. That is awesome. I did not know that about your mom. I knew that she were she was a casa and my husband knew her. He was a casa. He was on the state board. And so he knew her through those avenues and she was amazing, amazing things that your mom did.

 Can you explain Dan Bartlett's background, including his childhood, family, and the role of his mother in his upbringing?

In addition to raising her four children, Dan's mother dedicated herself to supporting and empowering other children in need. She held the position of Executive Director at the Creative Learning Center in Oak Cliff, TX, where she played a crucial role in providing a secure and nurturing educational space for gifted and talented children from underprivileged communities. Furthermore, she selflessly served as a volunteer Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for children in Dallas and Rockwall counties, advocating for their rights and well-being. In 1995, she took on the role of Co-President of Rockwall CASA, further amplifying her impact on the lives of vulnerable children.

 KA So what are some of the significant experiences you face that you'd like to share?

DB Wow.

I've been unbelievably privileged to had a front row seat and a lot of things that have happened in the last you know 25 years. I I've found my way into life and politics that I never anticipated.

It basically you know, I was that my exposure to to politics when I was young was essentially my one of my best friends. Chad Crawford's dad was the county judge.

Yeah, remember campaigning for his re election. And then Chris Burke's, you know being a good friend of mine has been Ted Lyon is JR, his dad being a state senator. And that really was when I was in Austin going to school in Austin, at the University of Texas. He and I wanted to stay in Austin for the summer. My mom think we got to have a job and you're going back are awful. And so I got a job at the state capitol. Really just the fact that I could stay there instead it helped me that job as an intern.

And I kind of got the political bug man and you know, they somewhat say things turned out to be the rest turns into history. And it is at this point that Dan's life takes an unexpected turn, unraveling in ways he never could have anticipated.

I I was working at the Capitol just would have been 1991 92 timeframe. And, and a friend of mine, took me who I met there got a job for this really obscure guy named Karl Rove is now turned out to be a pretty well known political consultant. He at the time was a consultant in Texas and I didn't know that he was from Adam, but he was paying more. And so I needed more help and ended up going working for him and he was doing some work on the Bush Quayle campaign in 1992. And, and, you know, one of the more unfortunate aspects of he was doing a lot of he was a Republican consultant. And at that time, this was right at the at the, the precipice of Texas politics changing I mean, we had a lot of what was called Yellow Dog Democrat or conservative Democrats and Ted live in Texas was one of those, but we it was right on the verge of change going on and and and he ended up losing a Senate race to Florida Shapiro was a mayor out of mine on American remember that day.

And so, Karl was her consultant. And it became, you know, your I have the guy who got me a job into politics and then went to go work in COVID was working for his opponent. And, you know, just it was one of my early lessons about you know, politics is personal and and, you know, that that was a that was not it was a very nasty campaign, because to be honest, there was there was a lot of mudslinging on both sides. It was my first kind of exposure to help out, you know, the rough and tumble world of politics.    

How did Dan Bartlett's unexpected entry into the world of politics shape his life, and what lessons can be drawn from his experiences?           

But to fast forward, I mean, look, I, I probably traveled to 40 plus countries. I've sat in on meetings with President Vladimir Putin. I was on Air Force One with President Bush on 911. The types of experiences that I've been afforded are just there are surreal, even though I know there was a lot of attention most recently with the 20 year anniversary of 911. Right. And to this day, it still boggles my mind that I was I played a very small role in that room was a participant in a pretty extraordinary way. And I look at pictures and I know your image that comes to my mind is, is you know, for the famous movie Forrest Gump and there's all the pictures that before us is in these pics, the famous like Forrest Gump, business being in these pictures.

And so you know, there was all these types of kind of pinch yourself moments.

Incredibly, because I was I mean, I in always I have to say this because I know we have a lot of mutual friends and family and they will validate that I was not in an extraordinary I was I was called what I would like to say as a late bloomer, okay.

I, you know, and there's something to be said for that. And some of the things that has stuck with me is that it's never too late to start getting serious about things and it was you know, I always did enough to get by right in the great grades but I made good enough grades. I didn't I didn't knock it out of the park on my SAT but I did enough and it was always kind of just enough to keep moving on and probably the best thing that happened to me in college was my fraternity got kicked off campus. I didn't track it anymore, like politics.

And you know, these opportunities presented themselves and I right, and it wasn't, I didn't have a grand plan. I wasn't in some of the things I look at young people now is that I'm marveled by their ambition, but I also worry a bit by that they there's almost too much expectations and rigidity that I need to be at this point. plays I need to if I'm not progressing here and I'm not there, then something's wrong. I've got to always and sometimes you can't dictate the path. The path has to take you on it and you've got to be able to, to ride with that. And and since I didn't have this really drawn out plan or vision for where I was headed.

When I got put in some of these jobs at very early ages in my life, I was probably too naive to to understand that I didn't deserve so I just took advantage of them. And, and, and I, you know, I was I believe the youngest communications director to ever serve in the White House and I think was at 33. Most of the people in the room with me could be my parents, parents of no older and I'm like what the heck am I doing? And, and so there was, you know, but the old adage of fake it till you make it, there was probably some of that going on.

KA Wow. Okay, so, being in a meeting with Vladimir Putin, what in the world is that like?

DB Extraordinary

Putin was a he could be everything you think he is he was in his very can be intimidated. He's also very charming. He's very tiny. In the early times that I met with him. He, he generally did not know. He didn't speak English very well, in the later parts of the relationship. He he could speak English, but he acted like he could. But there's so the meetings were very confrontational. Very, you know, they he and President Bush had a way of working with each other.

But they it was tense and it was unpredictable. Most of these kind of big meetings are almost pre scripted. Like when you meet with the Chinese or you meet when you have a pretty good idea what's going to happen. You never really knew that to be the case with President Putin. He would take the conversations and very in very unpredictable ways. And which made them obviously very fascinating.

What are some of the key takeaways from Dan Bartlett's extraordinary experiences, meeting with world leaders,

such as Vladmir Putin, Hu Jintao and Pope John Paul II? 

Dan has had the privilege of witnessing and being part of extraordinary moments and experiences.

You know, like I said, I've had the chance to sit in on a lot of meetings with a leaders, international leaders, President who Jintao when he was president of China to sitting in in the Middle East peace talks to you know, as somebody who grew up Catholic I got to meet two Pope's yeah, there's a I remember my wife was just would have been in 2004 When my mom my wife was pregnant with our our first two boys are twins. And she couldn't sleep and I was traveling, I was overseas with the President. And she kind of turned on CSPAN. She can't sleep at night because the kid you know, she's right got to this was near term and she's incredibly uncomfortable on TV and they're coming up to to bow for example. So these moments like I said that to be Forrest Gump moments.

In the upcoming episode of Qavah, Dan takes us on a remarkable journey as he recounts his experience aboard Air Force One during the events of September 11, 2001.

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