Life after Congress
Things in your rearview mirror always look better with rose-tinted glasses, and Congress is no exception. At Wednesday night’s ceremony on Capitol Hill honoring the departing members of the 110th Congress, the talk was full of “good ‘ol days” memories.
“Today it seems as if we don’t hear — much less respect — different points of view,” said former Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker, Jr., who was given the United States Capitol Historical Society’s Freedom Award by Sen. Robert Byrd. Baker recalled his time spent in the Senate with — and oftentimes against — Sen. Byrd. “I told Sen. Byrd: I will never surprise you as long as you don’t surprise me. … And we never did surprise each other. We did everything above board.”
“Howard Baker was a man of his word!” bellowed Byrd in response.
Aw, those were the days…
But perhaps Baker is right: Maybe things have become just too cold and partisan nowadays. After all, out of the 56 departing members of the 110th Congress, just a handful bothered to show up for the ceremony.
Former Rep. Vic Fazio was on hand to reassure the members present for the event that, even without that congressional pin, life goes on. “Take it from me: There is life after Congress,” said Fazio. (Of course, he’s a lobbyist.)
