Former PA Representatives Visit Campus

On Tuesday, Oct. 17 the Political Science department hosted a panel with former Congressmen Joseph M. Hoeffel (D-Pa 13) and James K. Coyne (R-Pa 8). In addition, four students joined them on the panel, two left-leaning and two right-leaning. The night began with a student panel member asking a question, and the Congressmen would each take a turn in answering with their own opinions before opening up to the audience later in the evening. Both focused on the importance of being politically active and why they believe partisanism is harming the country. Thanks to their experience in politics, both were able to answer questions knowledgeably and with humor.

Congressman Hoeffel served three terms in Congress from 1999 to 2004. During this time, he was a member of the House Committees on International Relations, Budget, Science, and Transportation and Infrastructure. He has twice represented the United States at assemblies of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Hoeffel is currently an attorney and author of The Iraq Lie: How the White House Sold the War.

Congressman Coyne served as a member of Congress from 1981 to 1983. Following his term in office he acted as Special Assistant to the President and directed the Office of Private Sector Initiatives in the Regan White House. After leaving the White House he worked with the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) for 18 years. Coyne is currently the Director of Business Development at Cassidy and Associates.

That afternoon, the Congressmen spoke to The Weekly about a typical day in the life on Capitol Hill, some of the legislature they worked on, and advice for students who are thinking about going into politics and government.

Hoeffel began by detailing the typical schedule of an average member of Congress. “Most of the voting sessions on the floor are in the afternoon and evening and then most of the Committee meetings are in the morning.” He continued by saying, “those are the primary duties, when you’re in Washington, to vote on every bill and do your homework so you know what you’re voting on.” He explained that the majority of Congress does not spend much of their time on the House floor due to the other aspects that being a Congress member require. This does not mean they are ignorant to the goings on, however, as they have staff who monitor the debate and keep them informed on possible amendments. “Sometimes something might come up and you say ‘I want to go over there and engage in the debate.’ So you leave what you’re doing and go over,” Hoeffel added.

Some other important tasks include committee assemblies and meeting with constituents and staff. One of the most important things for Hoeffel was reading and signing letters to and from constituents and generally “paying attention to constituent services.” He explained that most often staff handled the logistics but it was the members of Congress who “set the tone.”

Coyne agreed with Hoeffel and added that he believed “the day is divided into constituent service. You have constituents who have issues they want the federal government to manage. You have correspondence to deal with, you have to give speeches, you have to meet with interest groups, discuss issues with your staff.” While he really enjoyed working with constituents, Coyne’s favorite part of being a Congressman was working with his colleagues on creating new legislation in addition to speaking.

“I think a freshman’s [first year Congressman’s] job is to get to know his congressional district as well as he possibly can in that first term,” he said, explaining the importance of understanding those whom you represent in the national government. Coyne added that “you cannot imagine what a diverse set of issues will come to your attention,” with Hoeffel agreeing with him. Coyne wrapped up talks on the day-to-day occurrences, saying, “every once in awhile, you do help somebody in a special way and it’s pretty cool.”

As the interview continued, conversation turned to some of their most memorable legislature and getting bills passed. Hoeffel explained that due to partisanism it was always difficult to pass a bill if it was not created by the majority party. He explained, “it’s gotten so partisan; and so focused on reelection and settling scores, nursing grievances real and convenient and imagined, that the legislative process suffers.” While serving his terms, none of his proposed bills were even viewed by a committee, although amendments that he proposed were accepted. “It’s too bad because no one party has a monopoly on good ideas,” he said in conclusion.

Coyne explained that while part of the minority during his term, it was a narrow minority and there were members who voted to pass bills that did not come from their own party. “The most important thing that was different for us was that we had a president who had an unusual amount of public influence,” referencing Regan and his popularity, especially in his first term. Coyne explained that he proposed a bill that became known as “Tip Bonds” that passed after he had left office. This was a way to help regulate inflation and prevent the government from allowing inflation to go unchecked.

Finally, The Weekly asked for advice that the Congressmen might give to anyone who would be interested in going into politics or government work. The immediate answer from Hoeffel was “do it.” He explained that there are many ways to get involved such as volunteering for incumbents in their district offices or for campaigns. “Volunteering for campaigns is a good way to get started and to begin to build relationships as well as gain experience. That’s a great foot in the door to get into either the political end or the governmental end and often the two get blurred together a little bit.”

Coyne added that he believes that college graduates should “get involved in some civic organization, which might not be blatantly political but it will at least get you involved in the community that you’re in.” He said that he strongly believes in volunteering and not just in politics but where help is needed. By doing that one can see “the most effective ways to help is to harness the resources of government in a productive way.” The conversation ended with Coyne mentioning that even those who do not wish to be involved in government should consider volunteering and helping others.

Hoeffel gave a suggestion to those who are not considering politics as well. “Not to sound Pollyanna, but our democracy depends upon all of us being involved, educated, voting.”

Photo couresty of Melissa Reph