Eugene Goodman Is Still One of the Great Things About America

He might not think of himself as a “hero,” but it’s clear that he rules.

I love it when a private person has a moment in which they are accidentally thrust into the public eye and then, when that moment is over, immediately goes right back to being a private person. They don’t give interviews, they don’t go on a reality show, they don’t start Tweeting constantly. Any famous person, even people who truly love being famous, will tell you that anonymity is something that should not be given up lightly — that in many ways, it’s the only way you can remain truly you.

It’s difficult to think of someone who became more famous more quickly, in such a fraught and terrifying way, than Eugene Goodman. Goodman is of course the Capitol Police officer who may have saved several lives, including Mitt Romney’s, when he somehow stayed calm while diverting the mob at the Capitol away from members of Congress. It really can’t be overstated how impressive Goodman was in one of the most shocking moments in American history.