SpringfieldNewsSun.com

WASHINGTON - Dan Young of Yellow Springs and Rick James of Kettering are by no means swing voters — Young, of Young's Jersey Dairy in Yellow Springs and James, of Rick James Chevrolet in Piqua both plan to vote for Sen. John McCain in November.

But when both men were invited to meet with McCain in Columbus on Thursday, July 24, they expected a mammoth rally ahead of McCain's Thursday night appearance in Columbus  at the "Livestrong Summit"  with famed cyclist Lance Armstrong. Neither even bothered to pack a camera.

What they got instead was a cozy lunch at Schmidt's Restaurant und Sausage Haus in  Columbus with McCain, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. and three other Ohio businessman.

McCain even picked up the tab.

Over a lunch of "Bahama Mama" sausages, McCain picked the businessmen's brains about health care and energy, talking about 20 percent of the time and listening about 80 percent of the time, said Young, who met McCain in February when McCain and former U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, stopped by his shop. "It was a very casual conversation," Young, 54, said, "Just, 'what's on your mind, what things are important to you?'"

Young said he talked about health care – how he wished he and other small businesses could unite to buy the same health plan under one umbrella. He said the group also talked about energy prices.

The meeting "reinforced my thoughts of him as someone who will tell you what it is, not what you want to hear," he said.

James, also was known to the campaign. He signed up to volunteer on the senator's campaign website earlier this year, and was ultimately tapped for the Ohio Small Business Leaders Committee. Still, before Thursday, James said the only federal employee he knew was "the guy who delivers my mail."

He said he felt somewhat like a rock star as he and Young rode the Straight Talk Express to the Schmidt's from a Columbus hotel. The experience continued at the restaurant.

"The people sitting at the table next to us were like, 'My God, what's going on,'" James, 46, said. "And I was wondering that myself!"

Hours after meeting with McCain, James was still a little stunned about the impromptu lunch.