I Lost Gov. Dean's Favorite Tie...

Written by: Staff Writer on Aug 31, 2004 11:28 PM EDT

I hate to admit it... but, I lost Gov. Dean's favorite tie. I was supposed to be his dutiful staff person—the person he relies on in any situation when he travels. I am his spokesperson, I field phone calls, set up media interviews, hold onto briefing papers and gifts people give him—and as strange as it may seem—the week of August 2nd, I was in charge of four ties.

Yeah, I know what you're thinking... how hard can it be for a grown woman to keep four ties? I know, I know—trust me—the staff at DFA hasn't been shy when it comes to teasing me about this.

Here's the story: when Gov. Dean hosted Topic A with Tina Brown, he brought four different ties with him to New Jersey so we could see what looked best with the cameras on the TV set. It was my job to hold onto the ties that he decided not to wear.



Yes, the tie I lost was Gov. Dean's favorite tie—not just because it was nice-looking or trendy, but because it was sentimental. This is the tie his mother recently gave him, not to mention the tie he wore for his speech at the Democratic Convention and all of the presidential debates during the primaries.

It has taken me a few weeks to 'fess up to this mishap. I was convinced Gov. Dean or another staff person traveling with us, (*ahem* Tom McMahon), misplaced the tie, but after retracing my steps, I can say with full confidence, TieGate is 100% my fault.

I want to get him a new one, but I haven't been able to find it anywhere. I thought the tie was by Vineyard Vines, but their Web site doesn't seem to have the exact same color. It's hard to tell in the picture, but those are little whales on the tie.

I've searched stores in Burlington high and low, I've done more Google and Yahoo! searches than you can ever imagine, I've even called my mother in Atlanta and asked her to look at all the stores in her area, but alas, I have had no luck. I just can't find the tie.

—Laura Gross
Communications Director (Just don't let her hold your tie...)
Democracy for America

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