Hodes Gets More Confident His First Week in Washington
HODES
Keene Sentinel
Lauren Katims
Boston University Washington News Service
11-16-06
WASHINGTON, Nov. 16 —Just like a freshman in high school, New Hampshire Rep.-elect Paul Hodes felt overwhelmed when he arrived in Washington last Sunday for freshmen orientation, but after a week of congressional lessons, he said, he feels more comfortable.
“As the week has gone on, I’ve felt more confident. There’s much more that I don’t know than I know, but at least I know that I don’t know,” he said with a chuckle.
For the past few days, Hodes has been busy in meetings with members of Congress who have been introducing him to the rules of the House.
And it seems that he is catching on. He has already been mentioned in The Hill, a newspaper that cover Congress, for supporting Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) in the race for House majority leader.
Hoyer won the post on Wednesday, defeating Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), who had the public support of House Speaker-designate Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).
Hodes said he was happy that Hoyer won and that now the Democratic Party can move forward. But the press is making a big deal of something that is not really an issue, he said.
It is just the way Democrats do business, he said. They have “open discussions and real contests,” he said. “We are tough, smart and fearless, and together we are going to move this country forward.”
The dispute over choosing a majority leader was not a reflection of how Pelosi will lead or how the Democrats will rule Congress, he said, adding, “We are unified on important issues.”
Hodes said he was pleased with the new leaders and they will “help propel the Democrats to victory.” Now they can start working on other issues like improving health care and raising the federal minimum wage, he said.
“Congress has been very welcoming,” Hodes said. Orientation has given him the chance not only to learn about Congress but also to meet new people. He’s been working closely with Carol Shea-Porter, New Hampshire’s other representative elect, to plan how to “work hard for New Hampshire,” he said.
He also has been meeting with newly elected Peter Welsh (D-Vt.) and working with the two Maine representatives to discuss issues affecting the northern part of New England.
But even in the midst of his busy schedule, Hodes said he has had time to take a step back and see the big picture.
“Walking onto the floor of the United States Congress for the first time was incredibly moving– to feel the history, to experience it first-hand,” he said. “The reverence and awe of this institution is beyond words.”
And it’s not just Congress that has kept Hodes busy. He has been looking for a place to live, and Friday he gets to pick his office. Saturday he returns home to New Hampshire, where his busy schedule doesn’t cease.
He said he has learned a lot from being here only a week, and he wants “to make sure I come to Congress with a good core group to help me,” Hodes said.
Next week, Hodes’ staff plans to look through the piles of resumes they’ve received to fill the Washington staff positions, said Dana Houle, his chief of staff and only one of two Washington aides hired so far. Hodes is in no rush to fill the spots. He wants to “make sure we hire the right people instead of rushing into it,” Houle said.
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