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Health & Fitness

Bachmann, Baldwin — they should have a tea party and just leave the politics at home.

Why, with all their baggage, do I continue to find both Alec Baldwin and Congresswoman Bachmann equally likeable?

This may be a stretch, but I am probably one of only a handful of Long Islanders who can honestly say, “I’ve met both Alec Baldwin and Michelle Bachmann and I have sincerely enjoyed both encounters.”

Yes, I know it is probably hard for you to believe…

To many of you on the right, Alec Baldwin is that left wing “nut job” who has made a slew of outrageous political statements – not to mention that infamous voicemail message he left for his daughter. Likewise, those on the left believe that Michele Bachmann has made some equally outrageous statements too — just not the four-letter kind.

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So, why, with this type of baggage, do I continue to find both Alec Baldwin and Congresswoman Bachmann equally likeable?

Well, for one, I have met and have had face-to-face conversations with both. And, I walked away from these two conversations with a completely different opinion afterwards than I had of them before.

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My encounter with Alec Baldwin took place several years ago in Southern California. It was a Saturday morning, and my fellow New York pal and I had just finished our traditional weekly political “cawffee tawlk” at the local Starbucks.

As we walked off the caffeine, we spotted Alec Baldwin sitting at a table outside the Riverside Cafe, a local eatery far-removed from the typical Zagot-rated, Southland breakfast bistros visited by Hollywood celebs.

Star-sightings in Southern California were not unusual. In fact, bumping into Jay Leno at Bob’s Big Boy was a familiar Friday occurrence. So, we acknowledged Alec Baldwin’s presence, politely nodded, and maintained our steady pace forward.

Alec Baldwin nodded back, then, to our surprise, stood up and approached.

He quickly turned his attention to my friend’s two-year old and he said, “Hey Little Man, your old man’s too involved in conversation with his buddy (that would be me) to notice that booger handing out of your nose.”

Baldwin lifted his napkin and gently wiped away any remnant of nasal mucus from the two-year old’s nose.   Mission accomplished.

My buddy thanked the 30 Rock star. Immediately, Alec Baldwin picked up on his accent and asked if we were New Yorkers. His eyes widened when he discovered that we were not just New Yorkers, but fellow Long Islanders.

“I’m a Long Islander too!” he declared with child-like enthusiasm.

“Yes, we know. Everyone on Long Island knows,” we replied with typical New York sarcasm – a sure sign to Mr. Baldwin that we were not imitations (a real possibility in Hollywierd.)

We talked for over thirty minutes. Soon, we discovered that we shared much less than the “Six degrees of separation” typically involved in Left-coast “Industry” conversation. In fact, my friend pointed out that his parents and one of the Baldwins Bros. attended the same church. (I believe it was Billy.)

The conversation warmly ended when, like old buds, we pointed out to Alec that his “significant other” had returned to the table he abandoned when he volunteered for Operation: Nose Wipe.

Responding to her glare, he turned to us, winked in New York fashion, and bid us adieu.

Blocks away, my friend and I, both “Right-of-Center” hyphenated Americans, openly admitted to enjoying our conversation with Mr. Baldwin. As we continued on, we both tried to come to terms with the Alec Baldwin we read about in the BLOGS and the person who went out of his way to wipe a stranger’s kid’s runny nose.

Similarly, I met Michele Bachmann on a Saturday...

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