AND THEY JUST WOULD HATE IT AND IF WE OULD BE MORE CIVIL TO EACH OTHER.

♪♪ >> YOU JUST SAW HIM THERE.

SENATOR.

THEY JUST CALL YOU CWOD.

RATHER THAN PRONOUNCE THE NAME.

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU LOOK BACK AND YOU FLIPPED A SEAT HELD BY THE CAUCUS LEADER.

DID YOU THINK THAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN?

>> YOU KNOW, I DID.

I JUST HAD FAITH AND I HAD SO MUCH HELP AND THE CWOD SQUAD.

AND IT WAS JUST A UNIQUE TIME AND I LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT.

BI, YEAH, I JUST KIND OF NEVER ONCE THOUGHT.

>> DID YOU FEEL THE SUBURBAN POLITICS SHIFTING THEN AND WAS IT SOCIAL ISSUES, WAS THAT THE KEY?

>> THAT AND I THINK AT THAT TIME SOUTHWEST LIGHT RAIL.

THE MAJORITY OF EDEN PRAIRIE AND MINNETONKA WANTED IT TO BE FINISHED, OR STARTED I GUESS.

SO, YEAH, I THINK SOCIALLY AND SOUTHWEST LIGHT AIL WERE THE TWO BIG.

>> AND MARRIAGE AMENDMENT.

THAT WAS -- >> THAT HAD BEEN A COUPLE YEARS PRIOR, BUT, YEAH.

I THINK THAT WAS THE SPILLAGE OF THAT WAS, AND THAT WAS PROBABLY THE ONLY TIME IN MY 33 YEARS THAT I TOLD THE STUDENTS WHAT I THINK OF AN ISSUE, PRIOR I ALWAYS JUST GAVE BOTH SIDE TO EVERY ISSUE BUT THE MARRIAGE AMENDMENT WAS ONE THING I JUST, BECAUSE I HAD SO MANY -- NOT SO MANY, BUT QUITE A FEW STUDENTS HAD COME OUT AND IN SUPPORTING THEIR, THEY HAD -- YEAH.

>> YEAH.

HOW IMPORTANT WAS BEING A GOVERNMENT TEACHER AND THEN GOING TO SERVE IN YOUR GOVERNMENT?

[ LAUGHTER ] >> OKAY, THAT'S GOING TO BE MY SECOND BOOK.

BUT I JUST, IT WAS LIKE A DREAM COME TRUE, YOU KNOW, YOU PRACTICE, TO PRACTICE WHAT I PREACHED ALL THOSE YEARS, 33 YEARS OF TELLING STUDENTS TO GET OUT THERE AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND HAVE A SENSE OF CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AND POLITICAL EFFICACY AND CIVIC VIRTUE AND LEAVE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE THAN YOU FOUND IT, TRY TO SOLVE AS MUCH OF THE PUZZLE AND OCCASIONALLY A KID WOULD GO WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU DO?

AND I WOULD KIND OF TURN AROUND AND START WRITING ON THE CHALKBOARD.

BUT I LOVE THAT MY FORMER STUDENTS WILL SEE ME, YOU KNOW, WHEREVER AND JUST GO, YOU KNOW, YOU FINALLY GOT TO PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACHED AND SO I'M VERY GRATEFUL TO THE PEOPLE OF EDEN PRAIRIE, MINNESOTA, TO PROVIDE ME THAT OPPORTUNITY.

>> YOU GOT TO SEE A LOT OF FOOTAGE THERE OF YOU WORKING ACROSS THE AISLE AND HAVING A TRUE FRIENDSHIP.

HOW HARD WAS THAT TO MAINTAIN IN THIS PLACE THAT GOT INCREASINGLY PARTISAN?

>> YOU KNOW, I THINK IF I'VE LEARNED ANYTHING ABOUT LIFE IS THAT THE BEAUTY OF RELATIONSHIPS AND REACHING ACROSS THE AISLE IS JUST WHAT IS, IT SHOULD BE INNATE IN THE SPECIES.

AND SO IT'S NEVER BEEN HARD FOR ME.

I THINK SOME OF MY BEST FRIENDS ARE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE AISLE HERE.

I THINK -- >> ID YOU GET PUSHBACK?

>> NO, NEVER.

>> PEOPLE NEVER CRITICIZED YOU FOR IT?

>> NO, NEVER.

>> OKAY.

>> YEAH, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.

BUT NEVER, MARY.

>> DID THAT SURPRISE YOU?

>> NO.

>> BECAUSE SO MANY PEOPLE DON'T DO IT OR ARE AFRAID TO DO IT OR THINK THEY'LL BE CRITICIZED.

>> AT THE END OF THE VIDEO CLIP ONE OF MY FAVORITE PHOTOS BECAUSE IT'S IN THE PASSAGEWAY BETWEEN THE BUILDS IS ME AND THREE OF MY REPUBLICAN COLLEAGUES AND WE'RE ALL JUST CRACKING UP.

SO YOU JUST TAKE TIME TO GO INTERACT WITH THEM AS MEMBERS OF YOUR SPECIES AND, YOU KNOW.

>> YOU HAVE FUN HERE.

DOES THAT SURPRISE YOU?

>> I DO.

>> THERE ARE SO FEW PEOPLE WHO LAUGH AND EMBRACE AND HAVE A GOOD TIME.

HOW ARE YOU ABLE TO HAVE FUN HERE?

[ LAUGHTER ] >> SOME PEOPLE SAY I'M NAÏVE AND IGNORANT.

BUT I JUST, I'M JUST ONE OF THOSE LUCKY PEOPLE THROUGHOUT MY TEACHING CAREER I NEVER REGRETTED A MONDAY OR LOOKED FORWARD TIE FRIDAY.

I JUST LOVED WHEN I'D SAY TO MY STUDENTS I WAS DRIVING INTO WORK TODAY AND JUST PAUSED BECAUSE IT SOUNDED WEIRD TO SAY I WAS DRIVING INTO WORK BECAUSE CONFUCIUS SAID CHOOSE A JOB THAT YOU LOVE AND YOU'LL NEVER WORK A DAY IN YOUR LIFE.

AND I'M VERY FORTUNATE THAT THERE'S SO MANY OF THESE 20-SOMETHINGS THAT JUST FUEL ME WITH THEIR ENTHUSIASM AND EXUBERANCE TO, THROUGH THEIR EFFORTS AND HARD WORK TO TRY TO LEAVE, YOU KNOW, THIS PLACE BETTER THAN WE ALL CAME ACROSS.

AND SO I'M JUST BLESSED, ALL 67 SENATORS ARE, WE MIGHT NOT AGREE BUT THEY'RE ALL HERE FOR THE SAME NOBLE REASONS TO HELP FAMILIES AND BUSINESSES AND, YEAH, SO.

>> WOULD YOU TELL SOMEONE TO DO THIS FOLLOWING YOUR FOOTSTEPS?

>> ABSOLUTELY, YEAH.