Name: Moutray McLaren
Hometown: Greenville, S.C.
Occupation: Legislative assistant to Rep. Mick Mulvaney, R-S.C.
Age: 32
Alma mater: Furman University for undergrad, Charleston School of Law for law degree
Washington Examiner: How did you come to be on the congressman’s staff in the first place?
McLaren: I was kind of late to the party on Capitol Hill. Usually people come here one to two years after finishing college. In my case, after undergrad, I worked in college admissions for a couple of years. Then I took a few years out of the “real world” and went and played poker full-time for a couple of years. After that, I was looking for a way to get my career back on a more traditional path and thought that law school would be a good way to do that. You know, they say, and in some senses, this is true, there is a lot things you can do with a law degree. Certainly, coming to D.C. and getting involved in policy work here is one of those and the path I eventually chose.
Examiner: What part of being a professional poker player does carry over to doing policy work on Capitol Hill?
McLaren: Both are very similar in that you are making decisions in high-pressure environments. Now certainly, as a poker player, I was making them myself. As a policy staffer, I am helping my boss to make those decisions in an even higher-pressure environment. Thinking clearly and being able to use all of the information that you have at your fingertips to help your boss arrive at the decision, there are a lot of parallels. You need clear thinking, rational thinking. You need to be able to take a lot of the emotion out of your decision-making. That’s incredibly important in both scenarios.
Examiner: You had also been a Senate intern many years prior. What parts of that experience carry over to being a House legislative aide?
McLaren: Working in a personal office, you inevitably get a good bit of contact with your constituents. Both folks that actually live in your state and even the folks that you encounter that just call around random congressional offices. I was working in the Senate during the Terry Schiavo controversy. You would hear from folks that have an incredible emotional investment in certain issues and you still get that kind of contact when you are a full-time staffer. It inevitably filters up to you then. Beyond that, I think the experiences are pretty different. The main connection is the exposure to the constituents.
Examiner: What do you specialize in for the congressman?
McLaren: I work with Mick on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee. There are an incredibly wide variety of topics that we cover there. Outside of OGR, I do healthcare policy work, education policy, tourism and a bit of agriculture stuff as well.
Examiner: How often does being able to have a good poker face come into play?
McLaren: Check back with me in a few years… The poker thing was great. It was a good run while it was a major part of my life, but it has also been good to get back on a more traditional career path.
Examiner: What is one of the common misconceptions that people have about what a legislative aide does?
McLaren: The perception in the general public is that it is a lot easier to get things done in Congress than it actually is. There are lots of stump speeches from the candidates that promise big things. In some cases these are great ideas. In other cases they are not. But the implementation of them is a long, tough road in many cases and not nearly as easy as you might believe from what is said on radio or TV.
Examiner: Is there anything you have done since you have gotten in that you are extremely proud of?
McLaren: I worked with Mick on establishing what we call the South Carolina Healthcare Advisory Panel, which is a group of folks primarily from our district that encompass all aspects of the healthcare industry. You have the insurers, the physicians, the academics and other folks from all different angles. We try to get together from time to time with a given topic and get everyone’s perspective so that when Congress is faced with these kind of decisions these folks can be a great resource for us to reach out to get their opinion and to help Mick know what it looks like from the ground in the healthcare world.
Examiner: You refer to him as “Mick,” not “the congressman.” How close are you and what is the relationship like?
McLaren: One of the neat things about working on the Hill is how different offices conduct things in different ways. The congressman, “Mick,” is a great guy to work for. He is very up front with his staff. We have a good working relationship. If he likes what you have done then he will thank you for it. If he thinks that you need to do something differently then he will tell you about it and exactly how it should be done. It is an honest and open working relationship. He is one of the best members to work for.
Examiner: How long do you intend to stay on Capitol Hill and what are your plans for the future?
McLaren: I don’t have any specific plans for the future. I am hoping that my career takes me in a direction where I can dive a little deeper into the issues that I enjoy most. Healthcare is certainly a passion of mine. I would like to get deeper into Medicare and Medicaid reform ideas, even Social Security reform, to help the country get on a more sustainable fiscal path. Where that will take me exactly, I cannot say at this point. For now, I am really enjoying working for Mick.
Examiner: How often do you get to play poker now that you are on Capitol Hill?
McLaren: Not as much as I would like. If there are games going on, please feel free to reach out to me. I’ll certainly come and donate about 50-100 bucks just about every time.
