Inside D.C.

Hail the departing heroes

There’s going to more than enough time to analyze and carp about Congress this week and the FY2015 “cromnibus” spending bill, but more and more I’m thinking about the retiring members of Congress who, party notwithstanding, are pillars of the institution, type of member I hope all 535 aspire to be.  The 114^th Congress will need adult supervision as it will be much the poorer institution because of the old-school war horses who are retiring, taking with them their wisdom, their statesmanship and their class.  Of course, I can list the departing House and Senate members I can’t wait to see the back of, but that would be petty, I guess.

Rep. John Dingell (D, MI), the longest serving member of the House, is a significant loss for the Energy & Commerce Committee and House Democrats.  Dingell, though a staunch Democrat refused to allow party politics to get in the way of doing the right thing for Michigan, whether for the state’s farmers or its auto industry.  His battles with his party’s leadership are legendary and almost the stuff of Hollywood.  He’s wicked smart, has forgotten more about FDA authority than most will ever know, and he hired some best and brightest staff with whom I’ve ever worked, and some legends in their own right.  Any smart lobbyist dreaded a face-to-face meeting with the man because he’d inevitably ask the one question you couldn’t answer.  You never wanted Dingell on the wrong side of your issue because if he was, it was the kiss of death.  I’m going to miss him speeding through the halls of Congress in his motorized chair.

Sen. Tom Harkin (D, IA), whom I met with when he was an aggressive House member, who graduated to the Senate, and while always a champion of agriculture, became the leading congressional voice for the disabled, for scientific research and generally for those who couldn’t speak for themselves.  I remember a hearing while he was a House Agriculture Committee member, in which my witness – a gentleman with the nickname “Fuzzy” – was a small town Alabama feed company owner who was testifying on the opposite side of a credit issue, pushing hard for congressional reform opposed by bankers.  So well-versed was Fuzzy in the underlying law that Harkin used him throughout the hearing to vet other witnesses’ testimony.  I can still hear Harkin asking, “Is that how it really works, Fuzzy?”  The bankers were not happy, but Harkin and Fuzzy were delighted.  Harkin carried that wit and guts into the Senate where he had the trifecta of committee assignments – appropriations (USDA and FDA funding); agriculture, where he served as chair, and the Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee (HELP), overseeing all things FDA, which he chairs until the final gavel comes down on this Congress.

Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R, GA), the Webster’s Dictionary definition of a true southern gentleman, takes with him his grace, professionalism and his tenacity, his wisdom and guile, and with his departure southern agriculture loses one of its greatest Senate champions.  While Farm Bills can be boring exercises, it was never dull when a midwestern Senator would rail against Chambliss’ promotion of southern agriculture, the guy from the Midwest getting red in the face, his voice getting louder, and Chambliss simply smiling and in his soft voice turning the Midwesterner on his head.  When chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, the man had staff no one could touch for smarts and expertise.

Rep. Dave Camp (R, MI), the outgoing chair of the powerful House Ways & Means Committee, is a guy I met when he was staff to former Rep. Bill Schuette (R, MI), a member of the House Agriculture Committee.  Camp is thoughtful, intelligent, and brought serious credibility and thoughtfulness to Ways & Means battles over taxes, energy, financial reform and health care.  He’s bipartisan and bicameral, working hand in glove with whoever was chair of the Senate Finance Committee.  A truly class act, and one whose skills all incoming freshmen members should study.

Sen. Mike Johanns (R, NE) will be sorely missed.  One of the nicest, most honorable men you’ll ever meet, he may not be the longest serving Senator, but he’s been one of the best during his tenure and the people of Nebraska could not have asked for a better senior Senator.  Johanns left a real mark on Washington, DC, having come to town as the former governor of Nebraska to serve as President George W. Bush’s secretary of agriculture.  You always had access directly to the man, and if he told you something or made a commitment, you could take it to the bank.

There are several other members who’ll leave Congress at the end of the 113^th Congress and whose departures will leave a void.  Space doesn’t allow me to get into reminiscing about all of them, but suffice it to say the following represent serious losses:  Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D, WV), a true Senate institution and a bit of walking, breathing history; Rep. Jack Kingston (R, GA), one of the most astute and fair ag appropriations subcommittee chairs who ever served; Rep. Jim Matheson (D, UT), a smart, nice and sweet man who did Utah proud, especially on FDA issues; Rep. Tom Latham (R, IA), a sharp appropriator who didn’t have to open his mouth to get things done, and Rep. Mike Michaud (R, ME), a brave and smart man.

All of the folks mentioned here will be missed, but there are new – and not so new faces – entering the game.  They’re eager, but they should keep one thing in mind:  Remember those who came before you; those are very big shoes to fill.