Tack to time to write down the stories i have lived in the last year and a half. What inspired you to write this book. Guest my editor of the bork called me right after the election and said, my gosh, we have this Record Number of women in congress, and such an interesting mix of women in congress so many firsts for so many different districts and for congress, period. Dont you think that would be great book . You have covered congress over the years. Id love you to do it. You have six months or something. So killer deadline. I thought that would be great. All new people, and i had had the experience of covering when we republicans took over and the Tea Party Wave and what that was like to we have a whole new breed in town. I thought theyre book ends. Host thats an interesting contrast. From your book you tell a lot of stories, many of them personal to me. What ones stand out as the most remarkable stories that you if you had coffee with somebody you would want to share with them about our class or this year. Guest a couple of things. I always loved sit neglect gallery and watching you interact, who sits with whom and who hangs out and i did find the group of National Security women as theyre often referred to, so close and tightknit and watching you have this bonding experience, and the men as well but watching that was interesting to me. I think another just kind of legislative memory that sticks out for all kinds of reasons what the voice on the background check bill, the lucy mcbath bill. Just that she had run on the issue having had such a painful horrific experience of losing her child to gun violence, that then drove her into the political arena, and so many permanent stories that drove women into politics, which was the theme of the election. A bill that obviously had not gotten any traction in congress in the last decade, to see it pass, then to see the contrast of the moderates and the progressives fighting over the amendments to that, and that was unfolding right in front of us and thats chronicled, that moment in the book, and i followed congresswoman mcbath from her hearing to the floor as she was getting ready to vote on that bill. That would stick out as an intersection of the personal and political some something that demonstrated in so many words what this congress has been about. Host that was an important bill, couple decade we had not voted 0 on consider considered any legs but guns and gun safety it and was a permanent personal issue for lucy in particular and you told a story about the motion to recommit that what associated with that, and i think thats one of the things that from a memory standpoint, strikes me as what the this year and a half has been about me and my learning experience. A concept or thing called a motion to recommit which is appended to any bill in come and it is something that is sort or the last boat at the apple from the party in the minority to perfect the bill so that theoretically if we just had this happen on this motion to recommit, then everything would be perfect and the bill as a whole and would be able to pass it bipartisanly as the heritage of the concept, but the mtr has become a weapon of the part of the minority and its being something that can be used to run attack ads on the party in the majority and specific members and that was most striking to me as a person who was a freshman but not only a fresh mon but a first time legislator, there are these kinds of weapons or at this point in time that seem to be almost like youre apen kiss, not necessary any longer and that was something i was really struck by in congress. Another thing i was struck by and you without, freshman oren attention as having been largely not with a lot of content, and so i thought that was interesting, too. And i was wondering for you, when i went to college there was an he say that stands out if you could describe yourself, what would one word be. If you could describe our fresh anyone class what would be one word be and why would you use that word. Guest um, i would say remarkable. Because or the one hand, if you look at the fact that its the most number of womens and yet still so few. When i interviewed congresswoman Pat Schroeder she said i dont even note what we are celebrating here. Were not even a quarter. So its striking breath in an absence of a larger number and but that it exists. And then the diversity as i mentioned earlier. As we talk but the motion to recommit and is only on cspan can we have such a lengthy conversation but this. For me, having stood in the speakers lobbies with republicans in control and the democrats would do that and the republicans would go out and smoke cigars on the balcony, just wasnt a thing anyone paid take to, and watching out Something Like that is symbolic or has been to be revived as part of a political conversation in a sense and watching i think what was remarkable, to, besides the fact you hat enter interesting backgrounds was that you let your experiences and the newness of it, you let that unfold pretty openly. I dont think people tried to hide the fact. In fact for many pipe was a badge of honor not have been involved in politics especially washington and let your newness and fresh opinions on how things should be done, even when it didnt work out the your favor. You about the notion recommit. Walked to angie craig from minneapolis suburbs in a coffee shop, and she said i kind of regretted that. He realized only after the fact that did. She is open. Everyone is learning in front of the country and i think thats very different in ten years ago. Guest i think its really important, transparency is really important. Its particularly important to me and i think a lot of my freshman class members because we did just get here in a lot of ways. We do have fresh clean legislative records. We are trying to be thoughtful and deliberate with our processes and making sure we not only are hopefully representing people but explaining why we believe that were representing the people in whatever vote we take, and so it is important also to be human. I think thats one thing i hope that you see in a class with more women. Were trying to be more our whole selfs in terms of how we present to people, and i think thats different than some of the women who may have run before us in terms of how they felt like they had to present to people. Didnt necessarily feel like they could be their whole selves and i think my next question here is, you did spend a lot of time talking about people figuring out whether or not to run, how to run, whether they were recruited or not. I as an example was not recruited. I literally hit reply to am emilys list solicitation and said i would like to run for congress. My literal reply went to info at emilys his. Com and i didnt think anybody would ever answer me, and the did for whatever reason. I think because i was earlier on in the process, and also, i got a lot of questions early on of why are you not running for school board . Why are you not starting with state or local . And my response to folks at that time was, im 51, and i am too old for that and im qualified. I got kind of a response back, a tepid response back, who are you to think youre qualified without having any other qualifications in government. And i dont think we would have had those conversation and those kinds of responses with male candidates and i think thats something id like to understand, what would you think the differences are between men and women in running for office . Is this a class that wasnt necessarily recruited or a large part of us were recruited . What did you say in the landscape. Guest a mix. Its funny when youre reflecting upon how you got into the race and talking bow qualifications. I go back to that class of 87 freshman in the 2011 congress and one of them i spent a lot of time with was he had a pizzeria and that was his Family Business and nobody said why if the said how do you think youll beat this incumbent drop but i dont think he was laughed another of up to with regard to experience. Thats become a badge of honor in washington to be down with the people to be know your constituents, to go home a lot; so, if youre talking to a woman and saying do you have enough experience, thats automatically a different standard. If your standard is to be part of your commune, citizen lawmaker. Its very interesting and im curious to hear your thoughts on Elizabeth Warren dropping out, which is today on thursday, because thats obviously a huge piece of the conversation, and theres just to there is no getting around these almost reflexive responses to women, and, frankly, lets be honest, often from other women. Had a lot of women a chapter about republican woman and they can talk but what youre talking bolt, who is going to watch your kids, martha robey from kansas would say who is going to take care of your kids when youre in washington or on the road. These questions come up all the time and all i can say is, my conclusion is that in order to combat that you just need more women. When women can get through a primary, they will get elected but have to get through the primary and thats where a lot of that starts. Host i was stroke by matters of your book on the republican and women experiences and some differences you assessed. Shared the joy when i look at our side of the aisle this die do is versety and the color. Women tend to not wear suits and you just ease this tapestry of america and when i look to the other side of the aisle and see more somber suits and mostly men, and i want that other side of the aisle to look like america. Want the other side to be more bright and what commented did you make in the book that had to do with the republican what cant wet get more republican women elected . Guest i know when i talked to many people in washington, thats when they dont believe me when i si this and probably not universally enthusiastically so. I truly believe in having covered come and talked to so many people in congress and written this book, republicans want that, too especially woman. They wantmer win. They do want a more tie verse congress. Now diverse congress. Structurally speaking the way they have normal lie recruited people and supported people, which has to do with their overall political philosophy has to do the meritocracy, they want to be gender neutral and race neutral and always pick the best person. Think republican women in particular, especially those in the fundraising space and the recruitment space, are starting to come around to the view they did with me certainly in reporting the book, that was simply not going to work. Had to be a gender focus on row cuting women often because as we all know women many women have to be asked to run or talked into running. When theyre highly qualified, more qualified than a male incumbent or challenger. If thats the case with women you have to recruit women directly, and i talked to a woman who had run in a primary in North Carolina and she was stunned to see how many women, especially over 50, who just didnt believe that another woman should have that job. So, its something that is very regional but its going to take concerted effort. I think its just not going to say, we want more women, come on and run. Have to be structural changes in place for that iknow for me in my particular case, im a woman and also a veteran and an engineer and also an educator, and all of those different kinds of things are not very well represented in our congress. And theyre largely not really presented because access to capital is the life blood of politics, sadly, and people who are veterans or educators or women or are not those people who have vast networks of people who can support them and can provide resources for their campaigns and that sort of thing. So i think we are in a new time where there are incriesingly more and more organizations recognizing that and some on the democratic side that support women, emilys list among others, some on the republican side that support women as well. I think there are also some comping up that are supporting s. T. E. M. Professionals, engineering browns or veterans on one side of the. Other so were make something reforms that are allowing the better access to candidates that are not traditional candidates who didnt come through politics or didnt come up as lawyers as an example. I think we are creating pathways for that. I think it would be better if we had a system where we fund its campaigns that wasnt about access to capital, so that it could have a more level Playing Field and so more people could be encouraged to run on both sides of the aisle. I thought it was interesting you did spend time on shirley which is chisolm and patty marchen. Did you see a parallel. Guest some way us. The history chapter was really interesting if learned a lot obviously. What really struck me was the sexism and some of it quite just gross, was so much more prevalent in the 70s and i wanted to labor understand that. It bass because so many of the earl jim in Congress Took their dead husbands seats and viewed by their mail colleaguesed a junctions, many of them worked on the husbands campaigns and district ofts offices oh, lucy is okay because thats jerrys wife, and so there wasnt really a huge number of women asserting themselves with their own agency the way there was except fir the first woman, jeanette ranchin and everyone wanted their lemon pie recipe. Im going to make her lemon pie for womens history month, bill the way. He 7s is when women began to run on their spoken men were upset. That is also worth noting a period when women in both parties came together in the womens caucus to try to have some legislative muscle behind the scenes but a they werent on the good committees and didnt hold the gavels and work on things they could agree on some that was a much more bipartisan time for women in congress. And so this class, i think, was its not its very interesting that the Metoo Movement was happening in the background of all of this, bus thats not the same as women coming through the Womens Movement and getting elected in large numbers. Its not quite the same context but there are some similarities in terms of what is going on nationally and what is happening in our culture and women reflecting that, and women from different backgrounds who would never usually be considered for public office, certainly a federal office, coming up and deciding to run and getting elected. Think those are where i saw some parallels. Host you mentioned spouses of dead congress people. Men. Pennsylvania has only ever had seven elected women before this cycle. Actually seven women total and fur of them were the spouses or wives of former members of congress. So only three women in history in pennsylvania have been elected in their own name until the 2018 election, and now we have four. So we went from having no women in pennsylvania at the time that i was elected having four, and guest the fabulous four. Host the fab four imremember having a conversation and you include this in the book with a donor, woman lawyer who had been around for a while, and she was talking to me about being supportive of my campaign and my indicate si. And she plead with me i would not leave the Congress Unless i felt there was a stability in the pennsylvania caucus for women, that pennsylvania has the kind of heritage of having only one woman at a time and that was our limit and now we do have four, and so i think were committed to make sugar this isnt an aberration and its permanent. You did write something in the become that says once in congress no one wants to lose. And for centrists every day is borrowed time. Can you talk about that and how its played out in the last year, particularly for the women members. Guest yes. Were seeing some mirror of that in the primary for the white house, the democratic primary. The house its remarkable to me how many people in the country who are very excited about having this many women in congress or democrats who excited about democrats take can back the house, really struggle with the concept how that occurred and how it occurred was democrats beat something republicans, and how did that happen . Did not happen with the most liberal members, the most progressive members and yet the focus of the democratic democray has been to focus on the progressive element and the notion that the party itself is organically moving to the left. Theres some research to back that up. But right now, if you look at how people are voting, we see what is going on in the democratic primary, if you want to attract centrists and some republicans, which says coalition you need to win certainly the white house, and in some districts where its more republicans or equal numbers, you need that coalition to win a house seat, too. You cant be embracing the most progressive positions and probably naturally you wouldnt be, because youre running in that district, and that tension of where some of the most progressive faces and the more prominent faces of the election we know who were talk can about, particularly alexandria ocasiocortez who are presenting the bernie part of the party. Bernie sanders has done very well. One of the last people standing. No question theres a large segment of the party with him but thats not the growing section as per se right now and not the only part of the party. When glory divide government to boot with any hope of getting anything done, that sense that you could only do things progressive legislation or youre not a real democrat, i watch that vex these moderates who are saying, not only die want to hold my seat but thats the only way to keep the house and that tension never seemed to fully become resolved from what i could see, and women were of course the backbone of a lot of the races. Host in my particular district, i have held a seat that is the vast majority is county called Chester County, and Chester County has been red for more than 160 years and my community is 40 democrats and 40 republicans and 20 independents and we are a very purple place, and i think i am one of those people youre mentioning in terms of the race that i was able to the house seat i was able to flip being a pragmatic purple places and something i hope that women bring to the table and veterans as well, is understanding youre all part of the same team, and honestly across the aisle youre all part of the same team. All patriots, all part of this solution and whether were red or blue or purposing, its really important we recognize that were there to represent the 700,000 or so folks in our communities that hopefully we were brought there because we represent those people and so i might not be the same person as alexandra is or somebody from a red district that im not from, but that is okay because thats our job. Were there to try to find the Common Ground and try to come together and one thing i try to explain to people in my mind is its not this sort of linear spectrum of red and blue. Its this circle and the blue and the red, the hard blue and he hard red come together at the very top of that and thats when you see interesting coalitions that happen at the very top bus theyre more similar than they know they are and down in the purple area you have synergies with a lot of veterans in the purple part, a lot of strong reds and strong blues and things like authorized use of military force is a great example where we might have the opportunity to have real conversations because were representing our communities and because we come from different places. I think its really cool. Guest also, too how we define what is liberal and what is moderate has changed so much. Most compelling example to me is the notion of the public option. Now its an anthem na of progressives to not support medicare for all. The public option has been the squish position for democrat but ten years ago that was considered far left and people lost their seats of that. We dont think of the public option as left wing policy concept at all. That was ten years ago. I think sometimes how we define people, too, could be we could complicate that. Host absolutely. So switching topics, laugh you included the part about the member oren attention because i found it to be kind of a frustrating experience. During freshman orientation we literally had different buss for democrats and republican, sent spent a another time focused on things that were very much hrish, but very little on things like what is an mtr and why should we care, little how to bet something through appropriations and thats largely because i think we had a human class of people who needed to have that background where i would have thought that would have been helpful. Youve have been here a while and you probably have seen a couple things if havent seen. What is the weirdest thing but congress when you go to out of the beltway to talk to people about it, i talk but the mtr. The weirdest thing. Is there something you can think of. Guest some ways think what continues to strike me passion whom Cover Congress have been in washington a long time. Had a little unusual background because id been in new york city and then Los Angeles Bureau chief and came here. I wasnt a washington reporter. So i was a freshman. These things were very new to me. I hadnt spent time only capitol hill. What struck me then and i enjoyed watching members interact with is really more the bizarre physical nature of the capital and how you gout about things. The amount of walking. I cant tell you how many conversations have with women but their need to buy new shoes and the way the foot wear issue. Its huge. The amount of walking that guess on the funny little antiquated thing, the mail slots, rotary phone in one of the member elevators. The fact that member are still called to votes with these buzzes and these bells and you have to know that, and there was a time way back when when senators before that process would be eating oysters and drinking champ page and adds hat to come by and say, senator, its time to vote. So some of those of things are gone. We dont have oyster inches rotunda. Host not that im aware of. Guest but some ways its a very formal place still. People you nuss know that right before you came to congress there was an actual live debate whether women could expose their shoulders on the house floor, and the extended to the speakers lobby off the house floor so theres something sort of funny, antiquated, formal, perhaps needlessly so and then sometimes charmingly so. People until they get into the work space cant even imagine. Id be curious if that was your experience. Host i share when im back home i sometimes teach ap government classes or kind of classes to college and high school and Grade School Kids about what the day in a life of a Congress Person is, what do i do all day. And one of the slide its show them is my not any fitbit but my phone because im dragging it with in and on most days im walking between six and eight mile as day and thats just a typical day. And on most days im only in my office maybe ten or 15 minutes a day because largely what im doing is all over the congress and one thing i found enlightening is ironically were here on cspan to talk about it, which i never understood why nobody ever seemed to be at work in congress. Because id be watching the television and id say, where is everybody . The seats are empty and what i discovered is theyre all on three or four different committees and six or seven subcommittees and theyre all happening at the very same time and so when im as an outsider looking in, looking at the empty seats, what im not recognizing that member is Walking Around the eight miles of their day, to sit in their chair for their five minutes of conversation to represent their community, and that largely what theyre doing is then bringing back information to their teams, to their staffs to be able to work on legislative items or allegeds and that was a real eye opener for me. Did general genuinely think where is everybody and why are they not at work. Guest people have preconceptions and maybe some are true. Maybe members of congress have a little bit bigger egos than your average person because they can run, or have different kind of quirks but theyre not lazy. Theyre not lazy. These are hard working people when they go home for recess, thats not a recess. Theyre running from one 4h club meeting to meet with a mayor or constituent. I had one member who said sometime she has people come to her house on sunday. So thats a lot of work and i think youre right. That is something people just dont get about counseling. Host one of my classmates, jerod golden in maine, he not exaggerating brings a six pack and knocks on somebodys door, he just sits down and has a beer with them and thats what he does sometimes than weekend. But youre right, i also am home in our community and i hear on npr congress is in recess, and i hate that expression because you know that everybody is back home in their communities, working really hard to be present at home, when theyre not here in washington, dc. What do you think that is speaking of al of this kind of visual cues or whether youre there or not there what is the biggest difference between what you see in the media and what is actually happening here on the ground . Guest two things strike me and kind of contradictory. One thing is really important for people to understand is that there is no question that there are ideological divides in congress and people come down to the floor and some of it is performative and dismiss heart felt, debates, some personal and i think women have brought that to the table in the past couple of decade, making policy very personal, talking about constituents, their own experiences and peoples the way people feel about legislation. Its hardfelt and true and meaningful and theres some true acrimoniy but what people dont understand how people basically get along. You get in the member elevator, go into the ask later exlate for and watch people, doubles and s talk, im people who are ideological osupposes would stand outside the speakers lobby on the house floor and watch people, who talks to whom and its amazing to see democrats and republicans who have massive giftses, yacking up or from the state state october talk about a restaurant theyve bowl know. You can hear the conversations sometimes. So, its some of the acrimony is performative and some is genuine but doesnt extend to personal relationships. In tact, one conclusion i make in the book is, if you look at the entire nature of the political discourse in the country, Congress Might by one of the few places where people of ideological differences actually do mix every day, and get to speak their mind to each other, and at each other, pretty regularly. Host actual. Guest that is one. Host that is part of the become where i have not than. Im a freshman, im seek friendships across the aisle and ideologically not my own and that doesnt mean it has to be across the aisle. It can about to my left or my far right. And what ive been struck by and id love to have some hope on it from you, is id like it if our debates were of more substance on the floor. So i agree with you. I see that behind the scenes. I see that in closed doors, i see that frankly in classified briefings where people are unfettered and have the opportunity just to listen to the information and to ask questions that arent necessarily going to be their fiveminute youtube opportunities, and so i would really love to see more substantive debate where people actually have to sit and listen as opposed to kind of spending their time with their five minutes of time, with three minutes of talking about what happened last administration or ten years ago or 30 years ago. And i hope that maybe youre seeing Something Different than i am on my committees about i was struck by that conversation in the book that i need to i had a more hope because of whatow wrote in the book i need look harder for that. Guest it does happen. The rules committee is a if you go thing to watch. Theyre down in the weeds. That is televised about most people dont tune into that the way they are to an impeachment hear. It does happen but i didnt get to my second pound which i was a bit districtry contradict live contradictory, when i covered Hurricane Katrina and would go all the internet was knocked out and i would go from one town and the he next town, 20 miles away and they had no idea what was going on 20 miles down the road because they were looking to me, whats happening down in sometimes with republicans and democrats sigh that reporters talk to everybody and you might go to the republican and say the democrat said theyre going to do such and such and they have no clue. Over youre a reporter. You shouldnt know more than the members do but what people on their own committee are doing but thats your point bit the buss and orientation. So little it seems to me mixing of the parties to know what each side is actually thinking and doing. Part just to have those kind of conversations. So maybe structural and that you have to address as a legislator more than anything else. Host theres a new kind of temporary group that is called the modernization of congress and some ideas theyre putting fur are about those issues which i think as an example would be nice if those Committee Hearings didnt happen all at the same time. So i wouldnt be committed to seven subcommittee meetings within three hours and instead along the lines high school, where i have three girls, i think you mentioned you have kids. My when they were in high school they had a block schedule situation where you couldnt combine this class with that class because they had to happen at different times. So id like to see that kind of modernization where we can be in our committee and hear the conversation because when im able to stay in my commit year hearing long enough to hear everybodys conversation i benefit from their knowledge and what is important to them and i im able to bring it back to my hive. So, im looking for that. Also looking for can we not sit left and right. Can we literally sit in a pop corn where. Im lucky because im a freshman and im the most up. Some cases person on some of my committee and that necessarily means im sitting next to me most junior republican as well. So im lucky that i actually get to sit side by side with republicans on some committee but it would be cool to have the opportunity to stay where we are no longer periods of time and have to mix it up a little bit. That would helpful. My next question is, you talk a lot about descriptive representation which is the first time ive seen that set of set of words put together. Im an engineer so forgive me. What is that. Guest its a Political Science term and i learned in reporting the back so dont feel embarrasses to not know. Descriptive representation means that year a person who represents literally a specific group. It tends to be for racial and ethnic groups but as veterans, youre you if you are in a committee apartmenting veterans and youre a veteran, roar representing that professional group or that particular group of people. What we do tend to think of it more in racial terms and its been usually used i think originally mostly to describe latino lawmakers but its kind of interesting because i think that we think of this as being something sort of important in and of itself and its nice, and thats probably true, but you i think youre starting to see whether it actually makes a difference. I dont know in a social interaction, very curious. Got some sense of that. If think you see it impacting legislation. I think its been very important example, native american women, really extremely meaningful for. The to see native american women in office and theyve made that extremely clear and you see those women working on a lot of really intense tribal issues that not only get more perhaps fuel with them but when they go to talk about those issues they can have those conversations with their community and know but the trial laws and the specific things that other people on the committee may not know about because thats theyre whole life. So it has substantive impact. Im curious what you think. Host i completely agree. We have a goes on the democratic side that has lot more veterans than and members who have served either in the cia or other places than the past. Many of us serve on Armed Services or Foreign Affairs or Homeland Security or veterans affairs, and i think we have unique experiences that were able to bring forward. For me as an example, im a veteran, im a kind of pre9 11 veteran so im one of the i think the only member of this class that served before 9 11, and im also of course a woman, and so one of the things i was able to do early on is found the Service Women and womens veterans caucus and it would seem like we already had a group of people thinking about women of service and Women Veterans as a caucus, but there isnt one. There hasnt been one. And so this now has 50 or so bipartisan men and women, i have people who served and people who havent served who are now kind of coalescing around this issue of women who serve, and relative why this is relevant is were about 20 of the veteran population, women are, and Service Member population, and increasingly more and more well be probably 30 or more percent by the decade, and we are 51 of the total population of the country, and so we certainly ought to be thinking about the women who serve, and their entire trajectory, the arc of how are they recruited because probably recruited differently than men. How are they when theyre active duty and issues of family as an example. Separated partly because i didnt have access to child care and i didnt i couldnt figure out my way out of that problem. Once they separate, when theyre reservists or veterans themselves, what kind of Health Care Issues do they have as just an example. And i think not only does this help the women of service and their family but also helps us in terms of readiness and preparation to make sure that we are ready to fight, and if we have we do, struggle with making sure we have enough people in billets and were not looking to the women in our communities, then shame on us and i think that having that perspective is really interesting and sad almost in a way that it took until 2020 to have somebody say, wait a minute, we need a Service Woman and womens veterans caucus. Similarly we started a s. T. E. M. , women in s. T. E. M. Caucus, science, technology, engineering and math, and specifically also i wanted to add s. T. E. M. , when you add harts and is to is a thing that felt like a no duh, we should be talking but women in underserved and underrepresented communeds being in s. T. E. M. Professions but hand happened before this time, and so system already to your stories whiff the do is veritive of the class in terms more native americans and native american women, those are issues everybody is think can about but if you need somebody in the bid to save its not being represented quite well enough in our communities, and thats a real challenge to figure out how do bring more diversity, not just gender but of all kinds of experience to washington to legislate. Guest the professional issues are interesting and i think about the veterans group, these freshmen, you know that their decision to gather and to pen the oped in the Washington Post advocating for impeachment was incredibly pivotal for the colleagues who war not veterans and not former Service Members. Talked to them and shay said when i heard those women and men talk but this through the prism of their National Export experience its impactful. When you bring lived experience, whether its part of a racial orth thyme thick gruesome or a veteran or any other kind of subset of our culture, it definitely brings credibility to those of issues inside the chamber. Absolutely. Is. Host absolutely, anything youll see that is hopeful to help heal the divide . I guess where i ive shared this many times. I consider myself to be sort of oo, glass is half empty person so im constantly trying to look for the tiggers in the world to del me the glass is half full. When i think about the die diversity of the congress, its largely democrats where that happened and we lost a lot of republican women and are losing more this time around as well. So, its back to the point that you said i cant remember who told you why are we celebrating. Guest pat some rode jeer have we made any paroling . Do you see hope in what were seeing in this congress that is different than some other time . Guest well, you should probably know reporters are a terrible place to look for tiggers, but were just trained against that almost. I do know in terms of your talk about gender balance, republican women, theres a huge effort to recruit more women on this side. See what happens with the primary. Thats where women particularly republican women run into trouble, with primaries. Think that the thinking cap is on with that group, and you may see more women in that party and you may see more women period the next congress. I think that that the struggle is still really this is fresh of mind because of Elizabeth Warren the struggle still remains at the top in some ways. The country kind of has to see someone elected in those top tier positions that in sort of battle test that. You wouldnt think so. Look at Hillary Clinton. Secretary of state and u. S. Senator. You wouldnt nextly think people have to wonder im not advocating on behalf of Hillary Clinton and she had her open enormous set of issues going into the race, but its just harder to i think frame it for downballot. Enormously helpful. Having said that, within congress, i think that its funny. At some point one of the more senior women said to me, the men are starting to gruesome el. Getting sick of hearing awful but the women. They were feeling it was complicated because they were made to understand this is something for. The to celebrate but at the same time they were having to struggle with seeing their power move and their own numbers reduced, and that is probably going to take a generation of men, i have to say to. He brace the changes and to encourage more women to run. I imagine where things may change a bit. Host im speaking about tiggers, i can report that some of my freshman colleagues, male colleagues wont name them by name those are the men youre looking for. Theyre evolved and thoughtful and working hard to change the face permanently of all of not Just Congress but business and all those other places, and one of my colleagues in particular, we joke because whenever we sit in hearings, we look across at the folks we are who are testifying, and largely, when you look across the aisle, its largely men, largely white men, and so i had started in my early days of my term asking the question, gentlemen, look to your leveled to your right, look behind you. Have what wrong with this picture and how can we make it the next time i sit in front of you it looks different. So of my colleagues have started to take up that question, on behalf of me, so theyll text each other and say, its your turn, to ask that question. Because i think it helps when it doesnt come from a woman all the time. So, were working, they can collective live and its part of that the veteran group that were working on having those conversations more collaboratively. Guest that reflects the culture at large. This is part of the conversation that people the term allies, and you look at this again Younger Generation of men are just a lot of them are leading in different ways and interacting different ways in the workplace. You triggered a thought about paternity leave and i see so many million im generation x and see so many minimum millenial men not only can they do that but they should do that and there was mel colleague who side im too busy at work and the female save you dont take your paternity leave youre signaling thats a weakness to take paternity leave and youre not leading by example. And that he took that on and took his leave and i think that again, when you sure you mentioned the Corporation Profit workplace. A broader culture. That will be reflected probable live in the halls of congress as well. Guest i talk about that where i say one of my spirit animals, one of my heroes is sally ride and she is famous for saying you cant be what you cant see and we try hard in my job to try to make sure you can see all the Different Things you can be. Not just as a woman but as a veteran or engineer or educator, and also i will tell you a quick story as well with my colleagues. When i was on that bus in freshman orientation, this tells you a little about our diverse class. I was sitting with another woman, another veteran and the head of us were two men, also freshman and they were sharing stories but nap time of their infants and bottles, and nursing, and the two of us were just amazed at the conversation that was so cool that we the women were not having that conversation, it was the newly eye electricked men having the conversation but their families, which is really cool. That means were make something progress about worried about getting home from their districts or being here and not being home for their kids, and thats really nice. Guest you need the workplace to validate that. As long as bosses and leaders see that as a positive, thats obviously a huge piece of this. Host one thing that speaking to the diversity of the class and also the uniqueness of the experiencees we bring you spoke about native american representation. Another example that i can bring out is here in congress this session, i put forward some legislation on rare Earth Elements because i am really interested in the supply chain of those elements and what we need to make our cellphones and satellites work and National Security depends on whether we know where these elements are coming from and we know who has them and who doesnt have them, and in putting forward that legislation, we were able to find some money by selling off some tungsten, and that as able to be combined to help begin to pay for paid family leave, to bin to pay for paid family leave in a Defense Department environment, you were able to bring the progressive caucus along, the folks a little more left of me, because they very much and we all ought to be interested in paid parental lead so they were able to be brought on as a coalition and supporters of the dod legislation, and then when that moved forward into the senate, the senate understandably in some ways wasnt as interested in paid parental or family leave coming out of the dod budget even though it was for federal employees, but it was interesting is that it ended up becoming a bit of a honey for ivanka trump and the administration because they have run on and support paid family leave or paid parental leave. In the end, this very Strange Coalition of folks on the Armed Services committee, rare Earth Element interests, paid parental family leave and the administration had for the First Time Ever 2. 1 million federal employees having access to paid 12 weeks of paid parental leave and thats dead okayeds in the making on the babblings of a lot of people, including Congress Woman maloney and my chairman, mr. Smith but the kind of a signal of what can happen when you hear weirdness in the air, like rare Earth Element. Guest thats what makes Congress Great as a member and a reporter so bizarre and also fascinating how things come together. Something people dont see the background of awful the time. Host absolutely. I have one more question and then ill open it up for you for the questions im sure i didnt ask. Why who should read this book and why. So, anybody who is interested in what is happening within the Democratic Party and watch thing primary and interested in the outcome of the election, period, i think could learn things because i do think that your class and the 116th congress is a bit of a dress rehearsal for this how the parties irinteractening, the Republican Party this Democratic Party, and how were trying to come together as a country and what this internal conflicts are. I think its an interesting book for young women, so they can see the different paths that different women from variety of backgrounds have to possibly being in possible office if brought up Cherise Davis who is native american and i asked do you people the own news or feel like you are representing this group of people and she said, yes in a way but she said i hey just as many people who come into the office who save guy to Community College and you went to Community College so theyre inspired in that way. So theres so many paths for so many people, and i think some of those paths, whether youre a veteran, whether you are have had an entire career and youre at age some people are retiring decide to be pa freshman in congress. Youre young, old, you come youre poor, rich, middle class, youre black, white, whatever background youre coming from, theres a pastor you, and i think that theres a path for you and these pathed are explained there and anybody who is interested in history because there is a lot in the chapter of how women kind of began being part of congress and i think its sort of fascinating. It was for me to learn. Host i enjoyed the experience of rereading what happened to me in the last year and a half and to my classmates, and i would encourage other people to read as well. Im understanding that we are out of time so you dont get to have the opportunity for your own questions, but i really appreciate being able to have the tables turned and to by able to ask questions of you and if youve noticed, three time iowa tried to get me to answer a question. Guest i did. Host its nice to be with you. Guest thank you, congresswoman. Host youre welcome. This program. Is available as a podcast. Allprograms can be vowed on our website, boost boston. Org. Booktv. Org