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| Swearing-In Day at the U.S. Capitol |
January 05, 2005 |
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Dear Friends,
Swearing-in day is a little like High School graduation. Lots of friends and family come. There are cameras and strollers and waves from the balconies of the House.
Most freshman members have open houses at their offices and many members have their children with them on the floor. My kiddos weren`t here this week, but I unexpectedly had six tow-headed charges on the floor.
My good friend Nancy Johnson from Connecticut had her five grandchildren and a great niece with her on the floor for her swearing in. One is a teenager, but the rest ranged from about two to eight. She was surprised when the clerk of the House designated her to be a tally clerk for the election of the Speaker. That meant sitting at the front desk in the House chamber while they called the role of the House and record each vote. She had that "now-what-do-I-do" look on her face.
As a veteran of balancing motherhood and public service, I knew what she was feeling and offered to sit with the kids while she did the tally.
It takes about an hour to do a voice vote of 435 members of the House -- the clerk calling each name and each member voting "Hastert" or "Pelosi.” That`s a long time and pretty boring if you are really just there to be with grandma.
So, while Denny Hastert was being elected Speaker of the 109th Congress, we played tic tac toe and hang man. We played falling numbers on my cell phone and found secret hiding places in the arm rests. We wrote notes on my Blackberry and drew on my notepad. I noticed some others on the floor had wisely allowed their children to bring their game boys and fidget toys. It made the time pass without meltdowns.
I don`t normally have to play zone defense, but they were good kids and I was happy to spend some unexpected time with them. Historic events aren`t always as stuffy and formal as they appear.
Wish you were here,
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