Lens on Liberty: Nashville, the Constitution, and the Best Dagum Selfie Photographer in Congress

Rich Washburn
24 hours ago
4 min read

Lens on Liberty

6:41

Some assignments feel like work. Others feel like a mission.

For the past several years I’ve had the privilege of photographing the annual fundraiser for the The 917 Society, an organization dedicated to putting pocket copies of the United States Constitution into the hands of eighth-grade students across America. It’s one of those ideas that sounds simple until you realize how powerful it really is: if young Americans actually read the Constitution—not a summary, not someone else’s interpretation, but the real document—it changes how they understand their country.

This year’s event in Nashville was another reminder of why I genuinely enjoy being part of it.

First off, a sincere thank-you goes to Joni Bryan and the entire 917 Society team. What Joni has built is something special. The organization has grown from a passionate idea into a nationwide effort to promote constitutional literacy, and every year the energy around the event seems to grow right along with it.

And from the photographer’s side of the lens, I’ll say this: the crowd was fantastic. When you’ve got a room full of enthusiastic people who actually want to be there—patriotic gigachads and gigachicks bringing great energy, laughter, and conversation—the photos practically take themselves.

Music, Dinner, and the Warm-Up

The evening started the right way: with good music and a room slowly filling with conversation.

The The Austin Brothers Band played as guests arrived, found their tables, and dinner got underway. It was the perfect Nashville-style opening—great musicianship, relaxed vibes, and the kind of live music that makes a room feel alive before the formal program even begins.

By the time the speaking portion of the evening kicked off, the crowd was already warmed up and ready.

Enter Congressman Tim Burchett

The evening’s featured speaker was Tim Burchett, and I’ll say it plainly—I like this guy. If you’ve ever watched him in interviews, you already know he’s not your typical polished politician. He’s relaxed, sharp, funny, and refreshingly comfortable just being himself. And if you listen closely, you’ll hear one word come up a lot. “Dagum.” It’s kind of his thing.

Which makes what I discovered about him that night even funnier.

Because Congressman Tim Burchett may very well be the best dagum selfie photographer in Congress.

All evening people were walking up asking for photos. And every single time he did the same move: grab the phone, extend the arm, frame the shot, snap the picture. Quick. Clean. Perfect.

At one point he did it with me. I handed him my phone and before I even had time to think about lighting or composition he had already leaned us into the light and fired off the shot. One take. Perfect framing. Honestly impressive.

But then I learned another detail about the congressman that made the whole thing even better. He builds skateboards. Actual skateboards.

Which of course leads to the natural question: WTF Tim… you welding those too?

Somewhere in Tennessee there’s apparently a workshop where a sitting member of Congress is making skateboards between committee meetings, and honestly that might be the most American side hobby imaginable.

When He Took the Mic

When Burchett stepped up to the podium, the room settled in.

His speech carried the same personality he brings to interviews—relaxed, conversational, and occasionally hilarious—but underneath the humor was a message that clearly meant something to him.

His core point was simple: The Constitution only works if people actually understand it.

That’s exactly why the 917 Society exists.

Put the Constitution into the hands of young people.Let them read it.Let them understand what it says. Burchett spoke about the sacrifices made by generations of Americans who fought to defend the freedoms protected by that document. When he talked about veterans and the responsibility we have to preserve those freedoms, the room went quiet in that unmistakable way crowds do when something hits home. It didn’t feel like politics. It felt like conviction.

The Little Moments

One of my favorite parts of photographing events like this is catching the unscripted moments between the big ones. Like the gentleman dressed head-to-toe in full Revolutionary War colonial attire…casually sitting at his table scrolling through his iPhone.

That image might be one of my favorites of the entire night.

Somewhere between 1776 and 2026, apparently the Founding Fathers upgraded to iOS.

A Perfect Ending

As the evening moved toward its close, the stage came alive once more.

Two talented young performers—Miles Nixon Mary and Chandler Hicks—took the stage and delivered powerful performances of “America the Beautiful” and “God Bless America.”

With the American flag behind them and the lights filling the stage, their voices carried through the room in a way that felt both powerful and deeply personal. It was the perfect way to close the night.

Sometimes you can feel a room collectively pause and take a moment in together. That was one of those moments.

Final Frame

By the time the night wrapped up and I packed up the camera gear, it was clear once again why I enjoy covering this event so much. It’s not just the speakers. It’s not just the venue. It’s the mission.

Organizations like the 917 Society are doing something important—reminding the next generation why the Constitution matters and giving them the chance to read it for themselves.

My sincere thanks again to Joni Bryan, the entire 917 Society team, the fantastic crowd that made photographing the evening such a joy, the musicians who helped bring the night to life, and of course Congressman Tim Burchett—who is not only one of the most down-to-earth public officials I’ve met, but also quite possibly the best dagum selfie photographer in Congress… and maybe the only one building skateboards on the side.

As always, I’ll let the images tell the rest of the story.