Then there was her function as the wife of a Congressman. We were developing a schedule where every other weekend she and the kids would come down to Washington for the weekend, otherwise I would go home for the weekend. The weekends in D.C. might involve a party or dinner she would attend with me, with the kids having a sitter in the evening. At home, Marilyn might need to run around during the day over to the Westminster office. In fact, I told her, it made more sense to have her work at our Westminster office helping Cheryl and the others as an unpaid intern than it did getting a job somewhere else. Marilyn’s a chatty person and was perfect to put on the phone with some whiny person demanding that ‘Something Has To Be Done About This!’
I talked it over with Cheryl and Marilyn, and we gave her a fancy title, but no pay and no authority. She could work whatever hours she had available and run errands for the office as needed, answer phones, and simply help out. With our schedules, it was the best we could figure out.
Marilyn helped out in other ways as well. As Trustee of the Buckman Foundation, she had the checkbook. We continued going to the various pancake breakfasts and chicken-and-biscuit dinners (and I actually really like chicken and biscuits!) and we could also write a nice check for the local fire department or ladies auxiliary or whatever in the area. I could also give a little five minute spiel about the wonders of what we were doing in Washington and ask for suggestions. I stole liberally from the Andy Stewart playbook — if there was a grant or interest free loan or benefit I could trumpet, I did so shamelessly. (“This road repaving is possible due to a grant resulting from Congressman Buckman’s support for…”) When I made a donation to a charity or cause in a Democratic district, I didn’t set out the ‘tip jar’, since that would be more than a little tacky. I didn’t do it in a Republican district, either, but they were generally much happier to shake my hand for the cameras.
Your freshman two years as a Congressman is supposed to be the time to see if you can play in the big leagues. Can you get along with the people you need to get along with, form coalitions and groups, and dodge the slings and arrows of outrageous misfortune? Do you trust people or are you possessed of a healthy skepticism? Can you stay in control of your destiny or does it control you. I think that, clueless as I was, I had a healthy grasp on what was going on.
It is very, very easy to lose your way. It is very easy for Darth Vader to suck you over to the Dark Side in Washington. I am sure that Andy Stewart, scumbag that he was, started out wanting to do something positive. Even as cynical as I am, I think he wanted to be a good guy. It’s just incredibly easy to allow yourself to be bought and used, and so many don’t even realize it’s happening.
Want to visit Barcelona with your wife and take a ten day vacation? That’s really fucking expensive, but, hey, Megabucks Pharmaceuticals really thinks you’re a helpful chap. They are putting together an educational trip to Barcelona this summer, right over the next recess. Why don’t you let us fly you over on their G-5 and let you learn about the wonders of Megabucks Pharmaceuticals, while your wife gets a little shopping in? Do you golf? Did I forget to mention the resort we’ll be staying at has three courses?
Since Megabucks Pharmaceuticals thinks you’re such a swell guy, and you think they were just great to take you on that wonderful fact-finding expedition, it’s only natural that you vote to help them out on that little import issue. If you don’t, well, it’s true that you have to vote your conscience. We understand, Congressman. No, sorry, the winter trip to Cabo San Lucas is already booked.
It’s amazing just how many facts are hidden on beaches around the world, and on golf courses and ski slopes. Damn few are actually found in factories and office buildings, though.
Well, two can play that game! I knew that the second ranking Democrat on the Veterans Affairs Committee hadn’t been able to get to Bar Harbor that summer, so I offered to take him and his wife along with Marilyn and me. The third ranking Democrat and his spouse also decided to go, too. Why anybody would actually want to swim in water with icebergs in it is beyond me but, by God, the lobsters were wonderful! We flew up in the G-IV and had a nice three day weekend, all as my guests.
The Gulf War Veterans Act made it out of committee two weeks after that little trip. Now, to be fair, Sonny Montgomery was under some intense pressure already, but it couldn’t have hurt to have his ranking Democrats pushing as well.
By now Sonny Montgomery really hated my guts, but between Gingrich and his two top lieutenants pushing hard, he allowed the ‘Buckman-Kerrey Bill’ out of committee, and that allowed it to go to the joint committee with the Senate for reconciliation. We’d be able to vote it into law before the summer recess. President Bush had already promised to sign it into law. Bob Kerrey had told me that there would probably be a very nice ceremony in the Rose Garden when he did it, and since we were the authors of the bill, we’d be there, standing in the background. The entire idea really excited me, which made Bob laugh at me good-naturedly. Who’d have thought little Carl Buckman from Lutherville would end up like that?
We had the summer barbecue at the house as usual. It just kept getting bigger and bigger, and was becoming an actual campaign event. I had a catering company run it this time, so that Marilyn and I could actually get out of the kitchen and from behind the grill to meet our guests. I made sure that Lurlene Parker wore a ‘Vote for Buckman’ badge before I gave her a juicy and delicious Republican burger. Then we got a picture of her and I threatened to turn it into a campaign poster.
I attended the convention in Houston, but Marilyn stayed at home. I knew it was a disaster in the making. The economy sucked and Bill Clinton’s ‘It’s the economy, stupid!’ message was getting through loud and clear. I applauded Reagan’s speech, since it was the last one he would ever give. He was already silently going through the first stages of Alzheimer’s. Otherwise, the thing was a circle jerk of the far right wing pushing a social agenda that made me rather uncomfortable. The Republican Party was beginning its hard right turn. Pat Buchanan began by declaring a ‘Culture War’ and Rich Bond, the RNC chair and Rich Miller’s boss (Rich was the guy who recruited me for this!), gave a speech declaring that “We are America; they are not America”. Nothing like a little unity in government.
I won’t say I cruised to an easy win, but I did win. Bud Hawley was able to make a better showing than Andy Stewart, and didn’t get too personal or throw too much mud. I behaved, too. The end result was 58–42 for me. Again, unlike Andy Stewart, Bud called me after the television stations called it and made a very nice concession speech. I publicly thanked him and did so again privately. I beat him, that was victory enough, and I didn’t need to rub it in or be an asshole. No matter what I did, there were a shitload of Democrats in my district, and I had to be polite. I also resolved to call Jacqueline Stayman-Huestis and exercise the option on the house on 30th.
Be nice to people on the way up, because you’ll be sure to meet them again on the way down! It always amazes me how the smartest people can forget this little idea. Maybe it was all my experience at this point, 90 plus years. Courtesy counts. Being nice to people matters. If you want to get something done, throw a handwritten note in with the package of crap you’re sending out. It worked in trailer sales, and it works in Congress.
Not everyone believed that, of course. Newt Gingrich made a lot of enemies on his rise to the top and you could really see it up close and personal. All in all the Democrats lost 14 seats in the House and the Republicans picked up 12, making it 258 Democrats to 176 Republicans to 1 Independent. I had no idea how it happened on my first go, and whether I had helped or hurt, but Gingrich seemed pretty pleased with the results. He was already starting to ask questions about increasing the pressure for the next election.