Hey folks,Just wanted to fill you all in a very interesting Saturday I had lately. My friend Brenna had a few family friends come down to visit her and she asked me if I could give them a tour of the Capitol. Having nothing better to do on a Saturday (as well as being huge nerd), I said yes.
I got up around noon and headed down to the Capitol to meet them at 1pm. I showed them all the in's and out's of the Capitol as well as some neat little things you normally don't get to see on tours. Here I am with a statue of Joe Martin, namesake of the Martin Institute at Stonehill, on display near the Majority Leader's office in the Capitol.
I knew that the Senate was debating whether or not to take up the health care bill or not, so I decided to head to the gallery and check it out. I got a seat in the front row around 2:30pm. I was pretty interested and the hours moved pretty quickly. Before I knew it, I was about 5pm and I was ready to go. Just then, Senator John McCain (a fa
vorite of mine) came out to give a speech. He ended around 6pm. Since they were voting at 8pm, I decided just to stick it out and watch. At around 8pm, the gallery became more and more filled around me and all the Senators came to the floor and took their seats at their desks.
vorite of mine) came out to give a speech. He ended around 6pm. Since they were voting at 8pm, I decided just to stick it out and watch. At around 8pm, the gallery became more and more filled around me and all the Senators came to the floor and took their seats at their desks. In this age of C-SPAN and 24 hour media, it is very rare to have more than just a few Senators on the floor at once...let alone 99 of them. (Where were you George Voinovich??) It was also very rare to see Senator Robert Byrd on the floor. Senator Byrd is 92 years old and is the longest serving member of Congress ever. He took office on January 3, 1959! He is quite frail nowadays and makes appearances on the Senate floor only sparingly, so this was a treat.
I watched them each rise from their desk when their name was called and register either an "AYE" or "NAY" vote. Unlike the House--which votes via electronic device--the Senate votes through a roll call. It was about 8:30pm when I got out of the chamber.
I looked like a zombie: eyes red, feet asleep, stomach growling. Now, they are pretty strict in the gallery. You obviously are not allowed to eat, drink, or take pictures, but you're also not allowed to have any electronics inside. Also, if you leave your seat, it is up for grabs. So I had not eaten anything all day (since I only anticipated going to the Capitol for about an hour or so).
I then stopped to call 
my parents from the rotunda of the Russell Senate Office Building. On a hunch, I told them to turn on FOX News, which was doing a live shot from just in front of me. I walked in and out of the shot on my cellphone, looking away and trying to make it seem like I had no idea that the camera caught me. But sure enough, my mom saw me! haha!
my parents from the rotunda of the Russell Senate Office Building. On a hunch, I told them to turn on FOX News, which was doing a live shot from just in front of me. I walked in and out of the shot on my cellphone, looking away and trying to make it seem like I had no idea that the camera caught me. But sure enough, my mom saw me! haha! On the way out of the Capitol, I met Senator Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia. I stopped and chatted with him for a few minutes and he couldn't have been nicer. He is pretty big guy, much taller than me. After I was done with him, he was swallowed up my a news station.Quite a Saturday.
I love this town.
Take care!
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