As a preview of his remarks at the Washington Public Policy Conference on Sept. 12, Former Clinton White House aide Paul Begala, offers advice for United Fresh members in an interview with United’s Ray Gilmer.  Begala served as senior strategist for the Clinton-Gore presidential campaign in 1992 and appears as a political analyst on CNN. Following is an excerpt of the complete interview, which appears in this week's issue of The Packer.  For more information or to register for WPPC, please click here.

Gilmer: What kind of reputation and clout does ag have [in Washington]?

Begala: Agriculture is very important. When I was in the White House, our president was from Arkansas, which has a tremendous agricultural base. President Clinton knew a lot of people in agriculture in his state. For President Obama, his time when he served as a senator from Illinois, the key to his political strength was not just Chicago but downstate as well, which includes a lot of wonderful agricultural communities.

Gilmer: The food safety bill passed the House of Representatives. We anticipate the Senate will be able to take it up this fall. Do you think Congress is ready to pass legislation that will improve the nation's food safety?

Begala: Food safety is something that becomes very emotional, not only for families, but also for politicians. In the Clinton Administration, our focus was more on food safety associated with meat. I happened to be with President Clinton when he called the family of a child who had died from eating a burger at a fast food place. And that prompted us to do a whole lot more on food safety on meat.

Gilmer: It seems that produce has received much of the attention lately.

Begala: That's right. More recently, we've had the spinach issues, and then the jalapeños, which they first blamed on tomatoes. That's an example of where we need to make the system better.

Gilmer: Any advice you can share (for people coming to Capitol Hill)?

Begala: This may be counter-intuitive. When they show up, I wouldn't bring a briefcase full of statistics. I might bring a box of tomatoes and I'd bring a head full of stories. You know, politicians each have an expertise in something, but they all have an expertise in human nature - that's how they got into the business of politics. They like stories. So tell them a particular story about a farmer and what he or she is going through, and how that politician can make their life better. Personal stories will resonate with a politician and stick in his or her mind much longer than a statistic ever will.

I think sometimes produce is more invisible. It is sometimes neglected, and we can't let that happen. One of the best ways is to tell stories about folks from home and bring that box of tomatoes up to Capitol Hill.