Surviving Inside Congress - Softcover

Mark Strand; Michael S. Johnson; Jerome F. Climer

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0963305719 ISBN 13: 9780963305718

Publisher: Congressional Institute, Inc., 2009

Synopsis

Surviving Inside Congress provides essential and non-partisan educational information to new Congressional staff and fills in some gaps for those who are not so new to the Hill. Many books are written with advice for new Members of Congress, and no doubt they would benefit from this book. However, Surviving Inside Congress is the first publication of its kind to give staff detailed insight into what is expected and required of those who are the glue that holds the institution of Congress together.

Most new members of Congressional staffs are ill equipped to the meet the diverse and critical needs of elected officials and their constituents. There are no comprehensive training programs, and no curriculum that adequately addresses the multiple roles they will play and functions they will perform. This is due in large measure to the uniqueness of these roles and the environment in which their work will be done. As a result, the academic credentials and professional experience they bring with them will have little relevance to the tasks they re about to undertake.

Surviving Inside Congress tries to address these challenges. National Journal wrote: "The book gives plenty of tidbits on how congressional offices are staffed, parliamentary procedure, ethics guidelines, and the e-mail and snail mail systems." Elizabeth Kenigsberg of Roll Call wrote: "The book does a thorough job of explaining the history, rules and procedures of the legislative branch, and even provides an easy-to-use glossary and procedures manual... The book is perhaps most valuable for its understanding of the new challenges that legislative staff must face and its in-depth look into the ever-changing and increasingly rapid realm of Congressional communication... Special attention to political strategy and the undeniable challenges of working on Capitol Hill also play a critical role in the book, and the authors advice is easy to read and comprehend."

Founded in 1987, the Congressional Institute, Inc. is a not-for-profit 501(c)(4) corporation dedicated to helping Congress better serve its constituents and helping their constituents better understand the operations of the national legislature.

About this title

About the Author:

Mark Strand has been the President of the Congressional Institute since 2007. Starting in 1982, Strand spent nearly 24 years on Capitol Hill, most recently as chief of staff to Senator James Talent of Missouri. From 2001-2002, Strand was Vice-President of Government Affairs for the American Water Works Company the largest publicly held water utility in the United States. Prior to that, Strand served as Staff Director of the House Committee on Small Business when Talent was Chairman. He has served as Chief of Staff to Talent, Bill Lowery of California and Stan Parris of Virginia. He has also been a Legislative Director and a Press Secretary. Strand obtained a B.S. in Political Science and History from the Regents College of the University of New York and an MBA in Marketing from the University of Phoenix in 2003, and is pursuing his Masters in Legislative Affairs at George Washington University. He completed the Stennis Congressional Fellowship in 2000 and has been a frequent participant in seminars on Congressional ethics as well as strategic planning and Congressional office management.

Michael Johnson served 14 years in the Executive and Legislative branches of government, first on the White House communications staff of President Gerald R. Ford. He served first as press secretary and later as Chief of Staff for former House Republican Leader Bob Michel of Illinois. Johnson entered the private sector in 1990, serving as a lobbyist with Texas and Ohio law firms. He served as a senior vice president of APCO Worldwide, an international public affairs firm for five years, before joining the OB-C Group in 2001. Johnson has participated in every Republican national convention since 1980, has taught policy and public affairs, serves as a political and communications adviser, and is the current Chairman of the Congressional Institute. A native of Illinois who was reared and educated in South Dakota, Johnson began his career in journalism as a reporter and eventually executive editor of a small Illinois daily newspaper.

Jerome F. (Jerry) Climer arrived on Capitol Hill in 1967 where he served as the legislative staff (offices had fewer personnel in those days) to a freshman Member of the US House who managed to stay in office for another 20 years. After taking time out to manage an unsuccessful US Senate campaign, he spent a number of years in the Executive Branch and then returned to the House as Chief Legislative Assistant to another Congressman and then for six years as Chief of Staff to yet another House Member. His final five, official, years on Capitol Hill were served as Leadership Assistant to a Member of the House Republican Leadership. Then Climer co-founded the Congressional Institute, which he served as President for 20 years until his retirement in 2008. He now serves as President of the Public Governance Institute, a 501 ©(3) organization and heads Policy Implementations Consultants, LLC, a private consulting endeavor.

Review:

Staffers Easy Guide to Weathering Congress

February 24, 2009
By Elizabeth Kenigsberg
CongressNow Staff

The Hill is often the destination for young political types hoping to be part of the change or maybe just join the old establishment. And in a town infamous for its 60-hour workweek, the sources offering their secrets to success and for that matter, survival are infinite. One new career guide, however, attempts to gather all the information together, calling itself the practical insiders guide.

Surviving Inside Congress is written by three former Congressional staffers Mark Strand, Michael Johnson and Jerome Climer who tout their more than 50 years of combined Hill experience. The book tries to differentiate itself from the multitude of other D.C. career guides and Congressional textbooks to provide new and older staffers with the tools for success.

"We wanted to write a book for staff a lot of people write books for Members and just about Congress," said Strand, president of the Congressional Institute, the book s publisher. Strand's Capitol Hill experience includes a stint as the chief of staff to then-Sen. Jim Talent (R-Mo.). "Staff members," he said, "are the glue that holds Congress together."

The book does a thorough job of explaining the history, rules and procedures of the legislative branch, and even provides an easy-to-use glossary and procedures manual.

"The book is a revelation of things that people didn t get in high school or college civic classes," Strand said. "The jobs on the Hill are so unique, but there is no training for them because you can t go just get a credential you have to usually learn on the job."

Despite the difficulty in preparing for a job on the Hill, Strand said he and his co- authors wanted to take a stab at showing how can you gain five years of experience by reading a book.

Surviving Inside Congress is not the first Capitol Hill career guide to hit the market; a number of books catering to Hill hopefuls exists, yet few others are marketed so specifically to Congressional staff.

The book is perhaps most valuable for its understanding of the new challenges that legislative staff must face and its in-depth look into the ever-changing and increasingly rapid realm of Congressional communication.

"What you say and how you say it help determine you and your employer s success or failure in the political fishbowl," the authors write. "Communication is more than mere information. It demands a link that runs in two directions he who shares knowledge gains it in return."

Special attention to political strategy and the undeniable challenges of working on Capitol Hill also play a critical role in the book, and the authors advice is easy to read and comprehend.

"Nearly everyone who works for the Congress is a temp, most of all the elected officials who run the show but whose futures are as uncertain as the next election," the authors write, speaking about the high turnover on the Hill. "What little job security there is usually derives from a staff member's dedication, talent and experience."

The authors long tenures on the Hill seem to have left them with a need to recruit a new wave of Congressional staff. Identifying the elements of day-to-day work on the Hill and explanations of the often-obtuse rules and procedures, the guide can provide a worthwhile first glance into the legislature to those willing to study it.

"There is nothing else in the world like it," Strand said about working for Congress. "There are not many jobs where you can help change the world and make it a better place by going to work every day."

--Roll Call: The Newspaper of Capitol Hill Since 1955

Hill Manual
March 13, 2009

Are you lost on Capitol Hill? Are you mindlessly nodding along during meetings, with no idea what your chief of staff is even talking about? Three Republican former Capitol Hill veterans have just published a book called Surviving Inside Congress, devised to help new congressional staffers and others learn the ropes. The book gives plenty of tidbits on how congressional offices are staffed, parliamentary procedure, ethics guidelines, and the e-mail and snail mail systems. All current Hill staffers can get the first edition of the book free. It's a project of the Congressional Institute and is co-authored by the organization's president, Mark Strand, who served as chief of staff to then-Sen. Jim Talent, R-Mo; former institute President Jerome Climer; and Michael S. Johnson, staff chief to then-House Leader Bob Michel, R-Ill. "I think it just makes the institution work better if people know more about what they're doing, and don't get frustrated by the process," Strand said.

-- Gregg Sangillo

Five Question for Mark Strand, Co-Author 'Surviving Inside Congress'
By Bennett Roth, CQ Staff

Strand was most recently chief of staff to Missouri Republican Jim Talent, a senator from 2002 through 2006, and is now president of the Congressional Institute, a Republican think tank. He wrote this field guide for prospective congressional aides with two other Washington veterans: Michael S. Johnson and Jerome F. Climer, both of whom have worked in the executive branch and for members of Congress.

Q. What is your best advice for young people seeking to work on Capitol Hill?

A. Don t be afraid to ask for help. There is so much to know about Congress even the most senior staff are still learning.

Q. You devote a long chapter to ethics; is this an increasing worry for staffers?

A. There is no doubt people who work on the Hill work in a fishbowl. There are a whole bunch of people waiting for them to make mistakes. We really emphasize learning the rules. We re trying to keep good and decent people working on the Hill.

Q. How do the boomers and millennials (born after 1980) get along on staffs?

A. Baby boomers invented the 60-hour workweek. They feel that people should pay their dues. They are not as comfortable with e-mails. They prefer face-to-face communication. The millennials are highly connected and technologically savvy. They have grown up as team players and believe they should participate in decisionmaking without waiting for arbitrary time to pass.

Q. You cover pretty basic information, like how bills are passed. Is that necessary?

A. Young people don t get information in high school or college to know how Congress really works. If you think cloture is Jimmy Stewart in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, you will be in for a rude awakening.

Q. Do you have any daily living advice for staffers, such as where to live or eat or socialize?

A. That wasn t what we were trying to do with this book, such as talking about where to live and eat and everyone s favorite bar. At my age my favorite is getting home to dinner with my wife.

Source: CQ Weekly
The definitive source for news about Congress.
© 2009 Congressional Quarterly Inc. All Rights Reserved.

--Congressional Quarterly Weekly

About this edition

• Publisher: Congressional Institute, Inc.
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0963305719
• ISBN 13: 9780963305718
• Binding: Perfect Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 272