Free the People's Building
Ever since Covid and, more recently, "January 6th," the Democrats who operate the US Capitol Building have kept is mostly closed to you. It's long past time to reopen it.
My reader knows I am a former US Senate official - the 28th Secretary of the Senate, the chamber’s chief legislative, financial, and administrative officer. Being nominated to that position by US Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole remains my greatest professional honor and privilege.
I’m proud of my service during a historical time (104th Congress, 1995-96), which included implementing a new Lobby Disclosure Act, onboarding the US Senate with the Congressional Accountability Act and more. At the behest of then-freshman US Senator (and great friend) US Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), I arranged for an audit of my office and cut spending by 15%. I was the first Secretary in the modern era to visit every office for which I was responsible - management by “walking around,” they used to call it.
A quick story. Upon learning that I was responsible for the Senate’s historical office, I asked Associate Historian at the time, Don Ritchie, for an in-depth tour. In that discussion, I learned that in 20 years of Senate service, he had never traversed to the top of the Capitol dome. “We’re doing that first,” I promised. And we did. I will soon share much of what he shared with me and more I’ve learned since. A snippet - the first known tour of the nine-million-pound cast iron dome was led by President Abraham Lincoln while it was still under construction towards the end of the Civil War.
My reader may not know that since leaving that job in December 1996, I have conducted countless tours for visitors worldwide and fellow Americans. I learned early that one of the Secretary’s public responsibilities is to educate people about the history and significance of the US Senate, a role I have proudly continued in my post-public employment days.
It is not a secret that Senate rules permit the retention of limited lifetime privileges upon leaving office as a US Senator or “official” (one of the 5 officials confirmed by Senators, including the Secretary, Sergeant at Arms, and Chaplain). As the late Robert C. Byrd (former Senate Majority Leader from West Virginia) told me, you become a member of the “extended family.” As my reader knows, I love sharing history. It seems a waste not to share what I learned during my public service. Seeing faces light up as they learn our nation’s history brings me joy.
I utilized those privileges, including access to the building, with great respect for the institution and its rules, and almost always focused on sharing Senate history (I also traverse to the House side, where I spent seven years working for three Members of Congress). I have also visited parliamentary buildings worldwide, from Canada to Romania. Thanks to the official reaction to last winter’s peaceful trucker convoy, Canada's Parliament Hill has also been shut down, complicated by a massive construction project at what they call “Centre block.”
Democracy is under assault, indeed. It’s just not from whom you’re led to believe.
Democrats in charge of Congress, including the Speaker of the House, the Senate Majority Leader, and the respective Rules Committees, have shut it down and keep it shut down, lamely citing covid and lingering January 6th issues as their excuse. You know, the pandemic that the President declared was “over” four weeks ago.
I have promised to provide a “virtual” tour of the US Capitol via this blog and will do so soon - perhaps after the November elections. Since my tours last at least 90 minutes and often longer, it will be a series.
It may be the closest you’ll ever get to an in-depth tour of your US Capitol building.
My reader also knows I have lamented that fact, off and on, for most of the past two years. But few people outside of any official connection to the legislative branch have bothered to opine. Finally, someone has, and he’s spot on.
I have spent the last few days in the People’s District of Columbia, where Democrats have used both COVID and January 6th to remove the people’s capital and its treasures from the people.
Republicans, when they recapture the capital, need to liberate it.
Wandering the Mall, more than one Smithsonian Institution can no longer be accessed by the people on a first-come, first-serve basis. Instead, you must now know to reserve a time and show up at a particular hour. Gone is the ability to just wander in and explore.
This must be corrected.
More troubling, hiding behind the events of January 6, 2021, Democrats have Congress on lockdown. One had been able to walk straight into a House office building, show up at a congressman’s office, and engage with staff or the congressman.
Now, you must have an appointment and stand outside in the elements until a staff member or intern shows up to retrieve you. Gone are the days where you could wander freely, swing by the cafeteria for a bite, and show your family the treasures hidden within.
This is an abomination. Democrats claim January 6th was an attack on democracy itself and now they’ve put our democratic and republican institutions behind walls, guards, and barriers to entry.
Members of Congress can now hide from their constituents with zero accountability. In fact, many Democrat members of Congress don’t even go to D.C. anymore. They stay home, cloistered from their constituents even in district, and their staffs show up occasionally to check the mail.
The day I went, multiple offices had stacks of newspapers and documents piled up at unchecked and unopened doors. They were all Democrats who’ve taken to voting remotely.
This is antithetical to the American experience where congressional staffers are expected to wait for constituents, tourists, and lobbyists to show up sweaty and smelly and be annoying without appointments or reservations.
This must be fixed.
It is time to stop hiding behind January 6 and COVID and liberate DC to tourists and constituents. Reopen Congress. Let the people walk through again freely and show up randomly.
Erick Erickson is right. If so inclined, tell your Member of Congress. Changing the partisan management of the building should also help, so vote accordingly. The Capitol Building belongs to you, not them. While it’s a working building, it is the symbol - or was - of our democratic Republic.
Keeping it shut down for spurious reasons is a bigger “threat to Democracy” than any politician, current or former. Sadly, this is not part of the House Republican “Commitment to America.” It should be.
Read it all here: