As Republican John Shaw explains it, he's been reaching out to Democrats his entire career (in other words, before it recently became fashionable).
As senior vice president of government relations for the Portland Cement Association (PCA), he not only provided input on the recent congressional economic-stimulus package, he also huddled with the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, chaired by Sen. Barbara Boxer, California Democrat, about the 2008 climate-change bill, saving his industry over $1 billion annually in production costs.
"There is no us-and-them in this new administration," explains Mr. Shaw, who was an assistant secretary at the Energy Department (confirmed at age 33) before he began lobbying for the PCA. "The smart people in this town are working together, focusing on solving the serious problems that face our country."
Otherwise, the one-time aide to Dick Cheney during the 2000 presidential election and counsel to then-Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee has something else in common with Mr. Obama. Both are collectors of rare comic books.