5:56 Staurday and we are still in session!!!!

We went through the energy bill easily, but I think I am starting to breakdown...we had subway for lunch and the staff wouldnt roll my bosses tuna wrap, they gave it to him in a bowl. there is no end in sight...this is must be they way people feel when stuck on an island or a when they are adrift.... S.O.S.

August Recess and Saturday Session

Take summer school and wrap it up with a trip to the dentist while having blue balls and you understand the pain I am feeling right now.

We are trying to wrap up session and bring the people more access to environmental friendly energy policy like bike tax credits, car pooling, and incentivize solar, wind and maritime energy sources.

We are trying to wrap up work and it is a gorgeous saturday monring. The schedule that came out says we will be here all night and most likely into tomorrow morning. Our republican friends are offering amillion procedural moves to prolong the agony. We still have an energy bill, FISA gap fiz, defense appropriations. We have already increased minimum wage, provided health care to 5 million children without any access to care, passed preventative care and more access for dental care, we pushed more math and science education, increased global competitiveness....we are so close to our goals.

The Hill on Saturday session is weird, people are grumpy, the Cafeteria is open but not full service so bacon but no eggs, deli meats no bread etc...

Waiting for August Recess

It's like the last day of school and it is 8th period. You are watching the clock but for some unknown reason your teacher is still teaching. Doesnt she know it is summer!

We are working our way through some legislation we still have an energy package to pass, which will take bigs step to move to alternative energy and create more energy efficient products, we have a defense appropriations, a "close the gap" FISA bill, and an Iraq "whats the plan" bill.

We have taken some good steps forward... i would ove to see a time when we work together and get things done, unfortunately we are in a 24 hour press cycle, where sound bites rule and substance is boring. Yet we all read newspapers...

Why do people think that constantly looking at their blackberry is necessary...it rings or buzzes when you have a message. Do you pick up your phone looking for calls to come it? I mean its an email not a life or death message. Looking busy in DC is important...what a bunch of crap...you have people speeding around acting all inpatient.. my good you are a staffer...I am guilty of this, i'm addicted to my blckberry and I check it all the time but its like smoking, i have to slowly control my urges so that I dont do it anymore...I find that most o fthe people that make the really big decisions dont flitter about...I guess because the world comes to them...

Now i will differ to a Member of Congress. getting elected isnt easy, its not fun and everyone hates you but you get the chance to make something happen....

I really want a Tune Inn Burger...so yummy with gravy fries..yes you will die but whatevs...I really want to be in Spain with my family...

finaly we are voting

Working late

i work late, always work late, I always seem to be here...so I answer the phone whenever it rings and people are always shocked that I am here. Most of the time it sounds like they want o go off but the restrain themselves. Over the past few days people have said they were impressed that someone was here. Its called doing our jobs.

Actress Lobbies the Hill

Its not often that a staffer gets lobbied by a rock star of actor. Usually they come in are conservatively dressed and are generally informed on the. They do a good job of not forcing hands but providing as much education as needed. Today Marisol Nichols came in to talk about FDA reform and the over drugging of our children. I do appreciate the effort to give back and she did a good job of not overshadowing the families that came in as well. I wonder if there is a lost of stars and what they lobby for?

Work Retreat

We had our work retreat, 2 days of communication exercises and discussions and a ton of unresolved issues. Mainly trust and what we need from the office or expectations. I wish someone could put me under a spell so i feel like i have gone fishing sll day.

Its been like every night

I have been at work late every night for the past two weeks. It sucks. Last night we had a fundraiser at the baseball game but we had series of votes both early and late so I drove my boss from DC to Baltimore for 20 minutes at his fundraiser before we had to come back to DC for votes. I did get to have a hot dog though. We were back by 900PM but votes didn't end until 12:30AM.

Tonight we had a dinner, but again, because of votes, my boss was there for only 20 minutes before we had to leave for votes and we are supposed to wrap up at 1:00AM. I had a piece of bread, sometimes my job is the greatest but most of the time it is hurry up and wait and wait and wait. The worse part is that we have an internal cable system for the Capitol and we have like 10 channels all news channels and ESPN. We really need to get OLN, or whatever it is called now so that i can watch America's Cup and Le Tour. i love Le tour and head to head sailing rocks the house! Anyway a small thing to make life easier.

Week of Weeks

Its has been a long week with a lot of late night votes. Besides losing the upper ground on earmarks we are actually making some headway in clearing the approps bills. We still have a long way to go and most of july will be approps related. I have had a ton of late nights but this month has been longer then most and i am tired.

Mark Ups and Past Memories

The committee schedule is frantic and painful. Subcommittee marks on top of full committee on top of floor action. The pace is frantic but exhilirating. So a mark up is a committee function where we go line by line through a bill to make changes via amendments. the best part is that you can offer an amenemdnet at any time to change things. It makes people scramble and the staffers better be on their toes! I like this part of the job. it makes me happy and excited. I just hope I am ready.

When I was a young LA working on commerce issues I used to work with a girl Blair and she worked for a member from the midwest. Every mark up her boss would turn around and smash her about her quality of work. Blair's boss would ask her a question and if she couldnt answer quick enough you would her her say, "Why did I hire you?" now Blair is an incredible intelligent and articluate person, but man, her boss beat her up. The worst is that on the dias you sit on top of each other so everybody could hear the dressing downs.

Another time, C-Span was covering one of my mark ups. I was sitting there with Christian and we were talking about the amendments. E&C was a very bipartisan committee and dems and reps always walked back and forth between sides to talk about what they were doing and what people were thinking. During this mark, Christian and I were talking and the Chairman's counsel a totally smart and beautiful blonde walked by us to speak to Mr. Dingell who was at the end of the dias. When she walked by Christian and I totally checked her out. We kept on talking and when she crossed our field of view on her way back to her side we totally stared at her. Now all of this was on C-Span. The mark up was quick and when I got back to the office my Chief of Staff callled me into his office. He shut the door and just started to bust out laughing. he told me the whole story, i was a little mortified but who watches comittee marks. Apparently alot of people do because I had 8 to ten messages in my in box when I finally made it to my desk. Most of th emessage were, "Dude do you have to stare?"

Work has its moments.

Reason

I know why I dont like work right now. There is no desire or emphasis on thoughtful discourse. Everything is dumbed down and sound bited. it is sick. But that is what sells in our society or more precisely that is what is youtubed, John Stewarted, Colbert Reported or Foxified...it is a five second clip. Democrats are right on every issue across the board even taxes but we lose to sound bites. It is ok to talk about the issue. It is ok to not know everything. It is ok to be wrong just dont dumb it down anymore. get into the discussion.

Budget Reconciliation

Does anyone really know what this means or the process by which this occurs? In a recent Roll Call article they talked about staffers going to a refresher brieifng where no one asked any questions and when the briefing was over the Budget committee was flooded with calls and questions from staffers. If you don't know ask a question. It's not going to kill you and it'll make you a better staffer.

Anyway, my stupid rant... In terms of reconciliation why would you cut Medicaid and Food Stamps and then allow drilling in ANWR? Does that make sense? For the party that claims to be fiscal conservatives to have this deficit, provide tax cuts for the wealthy and then slash programs for those in our country most in need is heartless.

The question of ANWR raises one question, know I would do anything to protect the environment. I support tax credits for business to do what is right and implement more 'green' technologies. I support the efforts to move to hybrid and hydrogen vehicles but do we have the right to prevent a state or community from doing something that will benefit them?