The Rules of Washington, DC

Not unlike 3.8 million other Americans, I spent this last week looking for a job. Perhaps the only major difference is that my job search was 700 miles away from my Madison, Wisconsin home in a place I never imagined living.

When my husband lost his job as a pilot with Midwest Airlines this fall, our family faced many daunting decisions. As parents raising three young children, one with an intellectual disability, we view every major choice with layers of complexity. A job change involves serious consideration of summer hours and available, qualified afterschool care; a potential move requires scrutiny of school districts for special education quality; even the hiring of a babysitter ensures deliberation.

However, our family has refused to look at unemployment as a dead-end, but rather a means to an end.

In my house we have a saying, “Bootstraps, baby!” which basically means, if no one's fixin’ it for you, fix it yourself! So, putting on my own bootstraps, I found myself Wednesday looking for a job on Capitol Hill. Not that I have dreams of fixing Washington (please!) but if there ever was a place that could use a dose of Midwestern reality, I had found it.

Exhausted from four intense interviews and finally back in Madison today, the phone rang. The person on the other end plainly offered me a one-year position in the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor as a disability public policy fellow. I couldn’t be more excited. However, as I embark on this new adventure, I have a pledge. Walking from building to building Wednesday, passing Senators and Secret Service, I noticed some major differences between Wisconsin and what will soon become my new home. What follows are my reflections on the unwritten rules of life in Washington and how I plan to keep my feet firmly Rooted in Rural Wisconsin.

#1: Keep Right – This rule became apparent to me almost from the moment I stepped off the plane at Reagan International Airport. Life moves quickly in DC and if you wobble to the left, you might get stepped on. That goes for escalators and walking sidewalks, too. But I also view this rule as an interesting analogy. Growing up the daughter of hard-working dairy farmers who went to church each Sunday, balanced their budget and sold a cow to pay their bills, I intend to look at all perspectives (both right and left) on any issue on which I am privileged to work. This may sound odd to folks who know me as a committed left-leaning progressive, but it’s actually something I learned early on in my career as a reporter. Listen carefully. Understand an issue from all angles. Report objectively. I believe keeping a balanced focus between left and right is perhaps the only way to see any progress at all.

#2: Wear Comfortable Shoes – I learned this lesson the hard way. A day of walking the pavement in DC can take its toll on your feet! While it might be tempting to adopt the high fashion of the “natives”, I think I’m better off sticking to what I know. My work in the nation’s capitol will focus on bettering the quality of life for a segment of society who is often forgotten. I must make a point not to forget that and keep my Wisconsin values in check.




#3: Beware of Squirrels – Now this might seem like an odd rule to some, but for a person with an undiagnosed rodent phobia, it is quite real. My recent trips to DC (three in the last six months now) have exposed me to some serious squirrel interactions. A squirrel in the National Mall who so aggressively solicited a treat from me that he nearly jumped from a bench into my lap (no kidding!); a woman at an apartment rental office who entertained me with a story about a squirrel who used sign language at her window each morning to request a nut; and finally, groups of squirrels who upon a whistle come running to your feet. Needless to say, Washington can be a terrifying place! But even if DC squirrels are uber-intelligent, some might say “gifted”, they can’t possibly know everything. They are just like Wisconsin squirrels when you get down to the biology of things. And so, I vow, from this point forward, not to be intimidated by that DC squirrel in the park. Perhaps all he needs is some Wisconsin cheese.

Lisa Pugh is the 2009 Kennedy Foundation Public Policy Fellow. She will work on disability public policy for the House Committee on Education and Labor during the 111th Congress and is being sponsored by The Arc Wisconsin. She will live for one year with her family in Washington and return to her home in Madison, Wisconsin to share what she’s learned in January 2010.