Capitol Hill Rats

Flywheel Assignment 2: Analogy

Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

Among the lingo or “beltway buzzwords” on Capitol Hill, the term “hill rat” to describe a Congressional staffer has been one that I have both appreciated and despised.  It is not a mystery that Congress in general is not viewed upon positively, especially with an approval rating at an all time low of 9% (Nov. 2013).  From scandals, misuse or overuse of taxpayer dollars, lack of ability to compromise, to just inappropriate behavior…the negative perception held by many of those on Capitol Hill is not incomprehensible.  Even this week a Congressman threatened a reporter he’d throw him over a balcony for asking him a difficult question.  Yeesh!

With all of this, should we be surprised that one who works on Capitol Hill is referred to as a “rat?” Rats are rodents, scavengers who scurry around living in hidden underground burrows.  They are nocturnal creatures that carry disease and held responsible for the spread of some of the most deadly diseases like the bubonic plague.  They devour crops and considered one of the world’s most invasive species. In the U.S. they destroy a billion dollars of property each year not including fires from chewed electrical wires.  Entire cities have waged eradication campaigns to get rid of them. I guess some of these characteristics could be true especially after navigating the underground tunnels under the U.S. Capitol.  Congressional staffers do scurry, always quickly running around and definitely nocturnal working late into the night.  And of course, Congress is seen by many as scavengers who suck the hard working American tax dollar at every turn. 

When I began working on Capitol Hill around 7 years ago, I truly loathed it.  I never set out to work there but at the time my new husband felt drawn to Washington and I followed.  I have done just about everything during my time here from sorting mail, helping write legislation and speeches to filling water glasses at events.  Overtime, however, I have seen a different side of being a “hill rat” and one that I wish most Americans would appreciate.  These many so-called “rats” are passionate about issues that matter.  They work long hours working to accomplish something that will make a difference in the lives of people in our country and abroad.

Our elected officials and the people who work for them do indeed represent us as citizens. There are good actors vs. bad actors; strong egos vs. intense insecurity, controlling OCD behavior vs. a laid back blasé attitude, full of passion vs. full of ambition, men and women of strong integrity and character vs. men and women only out for their own gain.  Yet we place more responsibility upon them because we’ve elected them to be leaders and to make decisions based on conviction and character for the best of the country. And that responsibility is rightly given.

Aside from the scandals and unsavory characters, a real problem in Congress that only seems to get worse is the inability to work together and find compromise.   I had one friend who worked for a Member that was a complete opposite to mine on almost any issue.  We became friends just because we were both new parents to little boys and had a lot to talk about.  We finally decided we would try and find one thing our bosses could agree on.  We were excited to find a worthy cause that both members already felt strongly about and we quickly began coming up with ideas of things we could do.  Surprisingly, we ended up writing letters, attending meetings, and writing legislation that eventually passed! It was an unlikely alliance but our friendship we believed accomplished something of significance.

 

It is not an abnormal thing to struggle to find common ground with those who holds completely opposite ideals and priorities of our own.  It is difficult but it is imperative that we learn to do it.  We must see each other as worthy partners when we are placed together to accomplish a common goal, even if that worth is not merited.  Dr. Ted George, a psychiatrist at NIH, wrote about the conflict behind the government shutdown last fall.  He wrote, “Conflict means that differences exist, and it needs to be addressed rather than avoided. In the ideal world, governing bodies as well as individuals respect and appreciate each other’s strong points and incorporate them into a solution that is best for all.”

The comparison of a rat to a congressional staffer is obviously not far from the truth but I’ve learned recently it is not always bad either.  Rats are known to adapt well to their environments and sometimes described as having “super sonic speed.” More importantly, we know that rats live well together in colonies.  A zoologist S.A. Barnett, made the observation that the rat colony is a peaceful place with very little infighting. Now that’s one characteristic Congress could learn from.