Galva, Illinois is smack dab in the middle of America’s heartland.    That plain-speaking, hard-working and rock solid part of the U.S. is where one of the most valued women in state and national politics was born.  Anne Hathaway is no doubt one of the most traveled people from Galva, a railroad town of 3000.  Her journey through life has taken her from Illinois campaigns, to the halls of Congress,  to the Republican National Committee where she served as Chief of Staff, and even to the White House.

You may not know her, but all of the important political strategists and players in the country do. She isn’t ANNE Hathaway, she is ANNE HATHAWAY, a political professional who is  paid to make things:  happen.  She is a professional and a treasured one, in grassroots organizing and strategies.  She has her own company Hathaway Strategies and is the first call for many top tier politicians across the U.S., and is on speed dial for the biggest funders and political experts in the country.

Anne Hathaway is a perfect blend of patriotism, political animal, and small town girl.  Not only can she boast of a dozen

glorious years in “4-H” , a lifetime of business experience in the family hardware store, and a college degree in Interior Design, but somewhere along the way she also developed the precious skill of working well with not just women, but men, in the high-pressure business of politics.

Hathaway’s  passion for politics started in the 3rd grade when her mother discovered that little Anne had stayed up all night watching the 1968 Republican National Convention!  Her teacher and her mother capitalized on this early appetite, and encouraged 8-year old Anne to be a class reporter on the convention.   Hathaway says, “politics was just instinctive with me.”  After college at the University of Illinois, she went to work on a congressional campaign.   Her candidate lost, but her fire was lit.  Within a couple of years Anne and some friends decided they were meant for Washington.  Her father refused to support the move, unless Anne had a definite job.    “A friend of a friend, 27 times removed, needed an assistant” and Hathaway was on her….way.

Anne turned a clerk/typist job,  ” So new, I still had hay in my hair”,  into a launching pad.  She guaranteed her future in politics by being the last one to turn out the lights each night…or in the  early morning.    When George Herbert Walker Bush won the White House and brought Dan Quayle with him, Anne was lucky enough to win the assignment of scheduling for Mrs. Marilyn Quayle.  Because of her no-nonsense professionalism, Hathaway became a favorite of the Quayles, and she worked for both of the high-powered mid-westerners for several years.   Opportunity at the Republican National Committee followed, and not surprisingly by 2008,  with decades of experience and a love for politics, Anne Hathaway became the Chief of Staff for the Republican National Committee.

Yes, she has met…..everyone.

Former RNC Chairman, and present Chairman of the Board of American Crossroads Mike Duncan pays Hathaway the highest compliment:  ” Anne Hathaway is one of the country’s top political strategists and operatives.   She excels in grass roots politics and has experience at every level from the courthouse to the White House. ”  Former Republican National Committee Co-Chair JoAnn Davidson of Ohio echoes the same support:  Anne Hathaway is one of the very best at organizing on the ground, and her skills unmatched.”  says Davidson.

Today Anne Hathaway  consults regularly for the biggest names in conservative politics, and helps to sustain the important Richard Luger Excellence in Public Service Series which encourages and trains women in many states for political involvement.  Anne still has a hand in the family hardware business back in Illinois, but her political consulting practice takes her across the nation looking for the next “win” which could transform the country.  She is probably the only political operative in America who has never been to an election night party.  “Because I’ve always been working!”  says Anne.

“My goal is to use my talents, if we aren’t able to take the presidency, to make sure that we hold the House and the Senate.  That’s a passion for me.  We need to have that important firewall to stop Barack Obama, if he is somehow re-elected.”

The Kitchen Cabinet asked Anne to share some of her insights about the the political climate of America:

TKC:  What do you think Americans are looking for in a leader?

HATHAWAY:    I think that America is looking for someone who will tell them what they need to hear, not what they “want” to hear.  In addition,  someone who is a leader and who is willing to take risks and do the right thing, as opposed to the politically-correct thing.   In addition I think Americans want someone who has a vision for where our country needs to go and can articulate that and is willing to use political capital to get it done.

TKC:  What do you see as real solutions for turning the nation around?

HATHAWAY:  The number one thing we need to do in America is cut spending and live within our means.  That means we’re going to have to cut back and we have to CREATE JOBS.  I live in a rural state, and coming from a small town there are just a lot of places where there are no jobs.  How do we put jobs back into those communities?

We need to recognize that agriculture IS an industry.  There’s got to be a way that we can learn to appreciate that small towns, the local convenience store, the library, and the school system are all interdependent.  When we start putting them into silos, we shatter that backbone of America.

I’m a mid-westerner.  There is a a mid-western work ethic, as there are similar ethics in other parts of the country.   We really believe that you roll up your sleeves and pitch in and do it to the best of your ability until you get it done.

TKC:  What are women saying in your neck of the woods?

HATHAWAY:  I think women in the heartland of America are saying that we need a leader who is fearless.  We need a leader who can multi-task like women do all day every day.  It’s really pretty simple.  We need people who are willing to take the risk to do what needs to be done.  I have had to look in the mirror at myself on many occasions and make sure I can live with myself and the decisions that needed to be made.  Sometimes I’ve made the hard decision instead of the politically-correct decision.  Women do that all the time, when it comes to their families, their children, and their professions.  Women try to make the right decisions and they want a president who will do the same.

 

 

 

 

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Filed under: Featured, Inside The KC, Politics, Uncategorized, Women Changing America by Sonja Eddings Brown, Aug 29, 2011