CONGRESS: WE THE PEOPLE
CONGRESS: WE THE PEOPLE
WETA "CONGRESS: WE THE PEOPLE" IN 09.57.00-WETA credit/funding credits/title sequence 09.57.44-Shots of Town Hall in downtown Alexandria, VA. Host Ed Newman inside the City Council chamber of the hall. Says that Congressmen are likely to use local town halls to meet and keep touch with their constituents. 09.58.36-Shots of a series of Texas voters who say that they will still support PHIL GRAMM even after he switched parties from DEMOCRAT to REPUBLICAN. The gist is that GRAMM is a CONSERVATIVE regardless of party title. Shots of farmland in Gramm's district. Graphic show the district within state of Texas. Still of former Rep. "Tiger" Teague. Shots of GRAMM in 1978 campaign when he was first elected. Shots of GRAMM meeting some ditch diggers. Shot of GRAMM on the House Budget Committee where he is advocating REAGANOMICS spending cuts. Shot of TIP O'NEILL in well of House, shot of REAGAN speaking, GRAMM in well of House. Shots of GRAMM campaigning for the special election in 1983 after switching parties. GRAMM says that he wasn't elected to follow the party leaders but to represent the conservative people of his district. Shots of Gramm in Budget Committee. Shot of Reaganomics Co-Conspirator Delbert Latta (R-OH). V.O.-GRAMM'S collaboration with the enemy infuriated the Democratic leaders who had given GRAMM an influential committee post only to see him work with the opposition. 10.00.53-GRAMM says that his only crime was trying to do what he told the voters he would do. Shots of Gramm boarding an airplane. V.O.-disc. of Gramm's resignation from Congress to run again as a Republican. Political Scientist-says that Gramm planned to paint himself as a martyr and take his chances on voter loyalty. Shots of series of Texas voters who say that GRAMM'S party affiliation isn't important as his conservative ideas. Shots of Gramm campaigning for the special election, tells a store clerk that he'll "keep Government's hand out of your cash register". Shots of Gramm meeting other voters. A Texas state legislator says that Gramm makes people think it's "them versus us", naming people from Boston as a special part of "them". Shot of Gramm accepting victory in special election. GRAMM in office, says voters now will vote for him if he runs on a "laundry ticket". 10.03.30-Host Newman-GRAMM built a relationship with voters sufficient to switch parties and win. Some Representatives don't. Norm Ornstein-a legislator can go to Washington, develop new ideas, and no longer be in touch with the home district's ideas. 10.04.05-Shot of former Rep. AL ULLMAN, discussing the choices he made that alienated him from the home voters. Long shot of Mt. HOOD, OREGON. Shots of truckstops, farm machinery, Dairy Cattle, Llamas, and skiers, people on street in an Oregon city. V.O.-people in this district are largely conservative, but vote independent of party. Shot of fly fisherman, farmer. ULLMAN says that his district was larger than average, and difficult to cover, so many people didn't know them. Shots of ULLMAN in hearings of House Ways and Means Committee. V.O.-ULLMAN'S chairmanship led him to spend a lot of time away from the district and to have perspective on national issues not shared by the locals. Shot of Oregon Bank President, says ULLMAN got to be an "Eastern Politician", Ullman didn't keep the district's needs first. Shot of Ullman in a Ways and Means Committee hearing. V.O.-ULLMAN'S 1979 proposal for a "value added tax" on sales was the end of his career.