Mr. Sali Goes to Washington

The Spokesman Review has a great profile of Bill Sali that I’d encourage everyone to read. He’s a common sense guy head to the whacky house of lawmaking called Congress. Here are a few snippets:

But he hasn’t made speeches on the floor of Congress about those objections, or proposed other mock legislation since his gravity argument in January. That’s because, he said, he’s discovered that floor debate doesn’t really matter in Congress. Much of it is simply “nasty attacks” and partisan bickering.

“We don’t really deliberate around here,” he said. “It tends to occur in a more meaningful way in committee work and private discussions.”

He’s been focusing on his committees – he’s assigned to the Resources and Government Oversight committees – where he said he’s distinguished himself in part by attendance. Many members don’t bother to show up, Sali said.

But he said the process has been confusing. When congressional committees hold hearings, they’re on topics – not on specific pieces of legislation. “For a member of Congress to try and discern what is the takeaway message from these people who actually do have to testify in front of us can be very difficult,” Sali said. “Too often the hearings end up being nothing more than a photo opportunity for people” so they can say they testified to Congress, he said.

He added, “If that sounds goofy to you, it’s only because it is.”

Though Sali often clashed with his own party’s leadership in the Idaho Legislature, losing a committee chairmanship in the process, he said he’s found allies in Congress. “There’s a ton of them,” he said. “There’s a tremendous amount of like-minded thinking.”

And a lot of folks back in Idaho appreciate you standing up for sanity in this nutty place.