Now picture those photos you've seen of rooms at the French palace of Versailles with fancy chandeliers and lots of gold.įarrell: Well, we're here at the Speaker's Lobby and this is where members of Congress can come out and have a smoke. The Speaker's Lobby is a majestic den outside the chamber of the House. Members even have their own elevators.įarrell: Well, we're getting on the members only elevator and we're breaking the rules. Lawmakers never have to leave their office complex to get a haircut or go to the bank or visit their kids in day care. Senators and representatives and their staff have their own subway to get around the hill. Smith learned that Capitol Hill is like a small city all its own in Washington D.C., sort of like America's Vatican. Smith Goes to Washington.'Īttendant 2: Yes sir, big as life. Corny as it sounds, every time I see it, I still feel like Jimmy Stewart in 'Mr. On my cab ride into town, I glimpsed the Capitol Dome.

I also wanted to know if a perk-driven lifestyle made it easier over time to let your ethics slip and succumb to the power of comfort and money. I came here to learn whether an accumulation of privileges insulates lawmakers from the people they serve, people like you and me. Still, it's a symbol of the red-carpet treatment members of Congress enjoy in Washington. Members of Congress do come and go a lot, so maybe they need this convenience. It must be nice not to lose your car in the airport ramp like I often do. First, senior economics correspondent Chris Farrell takes us on a trip to the Imperial City.Ĭhris Farrell: So, here we are here at Washington's Reagan Airport and members of Congress can just drive here and they can park their cars for free, grab their bags and get on an airplane. In the next hour, we'll look at how power and money combine to make Washington an Imperial City, where the corridors of power are dominated by insiders intimate with palace rules. But how much will Capitol Hill really change? How much can it change? There's genuine hope for reform with the new Congress. Then, there were the Republican congressmen convicted of corruption: Duke Cunningham and Robert Ney. He's the Republican operator who bribed public officials and ripped off Indian tribes. They'd had it with crooked lobbyists like Jack Abramoff. Pollsters said voters were sick of scandals. One of voters' biggest gripes: Washington had gotten too high and mighty. They put Democrats back in charge of Capitol Hill after 12 years of Republican rule. Pelosi: The American people voted to restore integrity and honesty in Washington D.C.

Suarez: You're listening to 'Imperial Washington,' an American RadioWorks documentary from American Public Media.

In the coming hour, 'Imperial Washington' from American RadioWorks. Gigi Sohn: We lost terribly, including losing a lot of folks that we thought would be our friends. Keith Ellison: People campaigned on issues of, you know, restoring confidence in government and so the last thing any of these class members of mine are going to do is not take that seriously.Īnd we'll see what happens when a newcomer tries to play the lobbying game. In the next hour, we'll look at how the royal treatment some lawmakers enjoy makes it tough to clean up government Jim Albertine: Members like to play golf. Members of Congress face temptations, like special interest groups inviting them on posh trips. James Thurber: Washington is an island surrounded by reality. Ray Suarez: From American Public Media, this is 'Imperial Washington,' an American RadioWorks documentary.

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