The Rookies’ First Steps in Congress

Bob Schilling is very moved about being here today. “Yes, I sometimes get teary-eyed and have to pinch myself to really believe it,” says the new Congress member, a Republican and member of the tea party movement. Before getting involved in politics, he managed a pizzeria in the state of Illinois where he won by an 11 percent margin a seat in the House of Representatives that had, up until then, been held by a Democrat for the past 30 years. But Bob is not intimidated by Washington D.C. and its gigantic political machine.

“I feel that I am exactly where I’m supposed to be. The engine called America is losing its wheels. The people have sent us here to fix it and cut expenses. I know how to manage a budget, I’m a business man. And I’m discovering that people here aren’t better than I am. They are absolutely normal,” explains this square and determined 46-year-old conservative, whose freshness and slightly naïve enthusiasm reminds us a little of the first steps of Mr. Smith in the Senate, in Frank Capra’s famous movie.

On this Thursday evening, during a cocktail party at the congressional review “The Hill” held in the Enfant Plaza hotel, Bob Schilling is relaxing over a glass of wine and listening to experienced congressmen giving advice to the freshmen class, a particularly large group since it counts a total of about 100 people — House and Senate included. His wife Christie, a pretty and smiling blond and a stay-at-home mom dedicated to raising their ten children (!), is at his side. Both of them are laughing when they hear veteran Democratic Representative John Dingell explain to them, “The enemy is not the other party but…the Senate!”

“During the first six months, you will ask yourself what you are doing here,” says Dingell. “Then, you will spend the rest of your mandate asking yourself what the others are doing here.” The wife of a Democratic congressman advises the spouses not to hesitate “giving their men a kick in the butt” if “they become too arrogant.” During the entire week, the new congressmen and women took part in the “sacred” orientation session during which new congress members are introduced to the tricky rules of “life on the Hill,” a world that is filled with obstacles. Like college freshmen, they went from seminar to seminar, learning about topics as varied as matters of ethics to managing a budget and building their team. Some had never set foot in the Federal Capital before and were fascinated by the majestic beauty of the place.

“When we saw police escorts coming towards us with their sirens, we thought someone important was on their way when we realized they were here for us,” exclaims the wife of a representative from Mississippi. The wives received their first class in deontology, as well as in the market price of apartments in the D.C. area. One of the dilemmas faced by the couples is deciding whether they will all settle in the capital as a family, or whether the Congress members will rent a place and go home to their families for the weekends. Christie Schilling will stay in Illinois with the children, and Bob will make the return trips to see them. He explains that he will sleep on a sofa in his office until something better comes along. Joe Walsh, another tea party congressman from Illinois, made the same choice. His obsession is to not lose touch with his political base at home.

Almost all Republicans, the new members of Congress, are wary of the Federal Capital as one would be of the plague. “We don’t want to become Washington creatures,” says Joe Walsh, whose main goal is to “get Obama’s health care reform bill repealed.”

On Friday, the Congress members took part in a raffle for their new offices. Those who got the top numbers were able to pick those best situated, in one of the six buildings surrounding the Capitol and linked to the Congress chambers by two private metro trains. Joe Walsh was lucky to get the nice office that his predecessor, certain of winning, had reserved for herself before the ultimate results had come in. But he keeps a cool head.

“We have come here with a gun pointed at us. The people gave us their vote and brought us to office with a clear mandate: to cut expenses. If we don’t do it,” he warns, “if Republicans fail, we will be swept away in two years and a third party will emerge. It’s as simple as that!” The new tea party-elect promises to make no compromise with the president on the nature of tax cuts and expenses, even if he makes a move in their direction.

“He went too far, the hour is not for compromise but for battle,” insists Joe. This question is bound to create a loud debate within the Republican Party, between the old and new arrivals. Bob Schilling, who voted Democrat in the past, is more conciliatory than Joe. If the President makes good proposals, he will support them. But he shows the same concerns regarding Washington and being swallowed by the “Washingtonians.”

“I attend church every Sunday. That will help me,” says the “honorable Congressman” Schilling.

*Translator’s note: original quotes by Congressmen Schilling, Dingell and Walsh could not be verified.