Randall Cunningham: “I think even more important than the votes is that we should know the character of Bill Natcher. I have three Members…”

“I think even more important than the votes is that we should know the character of Bill Natcher. I have three Members from the other side of the aisle who really touched me and helped me, especially when I was a freshman. One was John Lewis, and another was Craig Washington. And I say, yes, Craig, I will support you. The other one was Bill Natcher. But I was madder than a hornet at Bill Natcher one day when he was on the other side of the aisle and we were arguing and debating an issue. Being a hot-headed freshman, I was steaming. Bill Natcher walked over to this inexperienced freshman and put his arm around me, and he said, 'Duke, you know, in Kentucky, we have these young horses that run and they get so much adrenaline that they break their legs and we have to shoot them.' I thought, man, he is threatening me. Then he looked at me and put his arm around me and he said, 'Duke, if you will just slow down a bit, I'll show you how to win the race.' And more than just win the race, he did help me. It is that kind of leadership that I think all of us enjoyed.”