I remember when I was in college and as a young adult laughing (kindly) at my mother because she watched C-SPAN on TV. At that point in my life I was busy with many things – classes, a job, and hanging out with friends. Yes, I was a Mass Communications major and I then went on to work in a radio newsroom, and in other areas of radio and TV. So, I was somewhat connected to the news of the day. I worked in a building in Baltimore that housed the NBC-TV affiliate and two radio stations. I remember so very well being in the newsroom when Three Mile Island’s nuclear plant upstream from us had a leak. I remember Reagan being shot on the street in DC, and I remember many other news stories during those years that I was there. But – I never remotely thought to sit and watch C-SPAN and our Congress in action. In fact, during that time, MTV was new and my television at home was often turned to it. I did watch hours of music videos, one after another.
My mother watched C-SPAN because CNN was barely around, and there were no other 24 hour news networks. “The Big 3” (CBS, ABC, and NBC) had their morning news shows and nightly 6:30pm half hour. There were some Sunday morning programs like “Meet the Press” but we obviously were busy on Sunday mornings, and we didn’t have the ability to tape shows or have the ability to pull up ones that had already run.
Times were different. So my mother watched C-SPAN. It was how she could watch our legislature in action. Unscreened. Unfiltered. Basically one camera live showing whatever was happening in the chamber. As a kid for a few years we lived right upside of DC, in Rockville Maryland, and back then we drove down into Washington often, and we could walk right into the Capitol. The people’s house was open for us all. I have stood in the Rotunda – walked the hallowed halls of Congress. We watched the proceedings from the balcony. We even rode the shuttle cars under the Capitol to the cafeteria in the large Congressional office building next door. We freely walked in that building too and popped into our Senators and Representatives offices. In the cafeteria we ate right along with the legislators. Somewhere we have a picture of us on the shuttle.
Yes, times were very different. My mother admired the members of Congress. I think we all did. We had the opportunity to be up close to them.
Because the House did not have a Speaker yet this past week, the C-SPAN cameras (yes they are still the only ones there) were allowed to show anything they wanted to show and that is why we saw lots of negotiating, and we saw who sat next to who. We saw much more than we often can. (The house has open seating within the party sides. Seniority allows for up front seats though.)
I watched a lot of the coverage this past week . C-SPAN shared the live feed with the other media outlets so it was easy to watch. It was a great civics lesson on how our elected leaders do their work. There is a lot we complain about when it comes to Congress, but I was fascinated by the orations. Most were well done. Congressmen and women have much experience of speaking in front of people, and they have writers on their staffs to prepare the words.. So, there were some really good speeches I found it interesting that the House still uses vocal votes, not electronic ones, for big issues…. like electing a Speaker of the House.
Am I becoming my mother?!?! Ha! Well, we all know there is no way to deny that the acorn falls near the oak tree. My past, her interest in Congress, our trips to the Capitol, my jobs in news stations , have all led me to where I am at this age.. At 66 I am my mother!!!
Am I going to watch C-SPAN all the time now? No, there are many more choices now where I can tune in and get the news. I also have decided if I’m going to watch, and care, that I should go one step farther and be an activist. It’s my right as a free American. I’m not just going to know about politics and politicians, I’m going to work for certain issues, and contact state and federal Congressional members. The world of technology makes it pretty easy to do that now, and I think if my mother had it back in her day she might have reached out too.
Parents teach their children by how they ‘live.’ When I was a kid my dad always got Newsweek Magazine delivered in the mail each week and he read it front cover to back. I often picked it up from our coffee table and read it too. The 6:30pm nightly news was always watched in our home.
We become what we know. We care about people and issues, even our country’s government and Congress, by what we see and learn.
I like to think that my political awareness and interest has a family connection. I appreciate that my parents made it a part of my growing up. I get it now why Mom liked to watch C-SPAN.
Marla’s Musings 