Giddy Sea of Fresh Faces in the Capitol, United by a Serious Mission

[DeepModem Mom]

NYT: Congressional Memo
Giddy Sea of Fresh Faces in the Capitol, United by a Serious Mission
By ANNE E. KORNBLUT
Published: January 6, 2007


(Stephen Crowley/The New York Times)
New to Congress and new roommates, Representatives Michael Arcuri, left, of New York and Zack Space of Ohio, outside the House chamber. The tiny door is used to clean out the Capitol’s wood-burning stoves.

....Even before his arrival in Washington this week, (Congressman Zack Space), 45, typified the incoming freshman class: A Democrat from Ohio, he campaigned hard on the issue of ethics reform in a race to succeed Representative Bob Ney, who pleaded guilty in a corruption case. Despite his political inexperience — and the fact that Democratic officials considered him one of their weakest candidates — Mr. Space beat his Republican rival, in an increasingly Republican district, 62 percent to 38 percent.

Now, he is one of 66 new members of the 110th Congress, part of a historic Democratic tide that swept Republicans from power after a dozen years and left President Bush on the defensive.

Although Mr. Space at times exudes a certain good-natured goofiness — his campaign Web logo featured a starry rendering of outer space, and one of his mottos is a riff on his father’s first name, Socrates (“being the son of Socrates, Zack Space knows a thing or two about ethics”) — he has a mission of the utmost seriousness in Congress. On Thursday, his first day, before all his boxes were unpacked and his shared apartment furnished, Mr. Space was given a high-profile role in introducing his party’s ethics reform package....

***

Unlike earlier eras, when newcomers simply showed up in Washington and had to fend for themselves, freshmen now undergo a series of orientation programs....Representative Barney Frank, Democrat of Massachusetts...offered the freshmen some advice: Learn time management, and how to resist invitations to social events....

Then there is the issue of housing, always tricky for members of Congress who are in Washington on weekdays but at home in their districts most weekends. Mr. Space and his new roommate, Representative Michael Arcuri of New York, moved into their “small, subterranean” apartment earlier in the week, an arrangement prompted in part by Mr. Arcuri’s fondness for Mr. Space’s Greek cooking. By Friday, they still appeared to be getting along....

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/06/washington/06frosh.html

[Viva_La_Revolution]

1. not yet!?

:wow:


oops.