CONGRESS: WE THE PEOPLE
CONGRESS: WE THE PEOPLE
WETA "CONGRESS: WE THE PEOPLE" IN 09.13.40-WETA credit/funding credits/title sequence-"Who Serves In Congress" 09.14.24-Shot of former Congressman Ken Holland says that he hoped to be a career Congressman. Shot of former Congressman Bill Brodhead, says he was happy to leave Congress. Former Rep. Floyd Fithian says he happily found there's life after Congress. Shots of interior of Rep. SILVIO CONTE'S spacious office, Host Ed Newman v.o.-a measure of a Congressman's career is how much territory he gets for himself. Conte is one of only a handful of Reps to get an office in the Capitol itself. Newman says that increasingly, members of Congress don't want careers in Congress. 09.16.12-Rep. CONTE (R-MA) in office, discussing the old Seniority system, how getting on the appropriations committee early on helped him to build a base. Shot of Conte in the Appropriations Committee. CONTE talks about his power base as a person who has lots of influence on the budget and can use his clout to get things he wants in deals with other committees. Shots of a town center in Conte's district, voters going to the polls. Conte says that politics has been a career for him. Photos of mid-19th Century Capitol. Portraits of 19th c. Congressmen. V.o.-in the days when Washington was neither comfortable nor convenient to live, it was not unusual for seats in Congress to turn over at a rate of 50% vacancy every election year. Portrait of early 1900's Speaker Joseph Cannon, still of House floor from 1910. 09.18.56-Congressional Researcher discusses the 1910 advent of the Seniority System, which allowed members to build careers on long service. Stills of 20th c. Congressmen. V.O.-Seniority reduced annual turnover to less than 20%. Stills of Sam Rayburn and Carl Smith. CONTE says that the system meant that members would become experts in specific areas and the other members would defer to their judgements. Conte says he has learned the nuts and bolts of government, but is learning every day. CONTE says that the old system had a spirit of camaraderie that is lacking today. Shots of meetings of Congressmen. CONTE jokes that if Moses were going to write the Ten Commandments today, every rookie Congressmen would stop him on the way to the mountain and try to add an amendment. 09.21.20-B/W Conte family pictures. CONTE says his family life has suffered because he has to go back to the District so often, and it's a tough choice for Congressmen to make. V.O.-this pressure, competition from other members, and the workload have taken a toll on career Congressmen. CONTE says he's not ready to quit, when the time comes, he'll step down, but it hasn't happened yet. 09.23.02