The nation-wide Congress to Campus program brought former Congressmen Anthony Beilenson (D-CA) and Mickey Edwards (R-OK) to Wesleyan last week. Students and teachers alike said that the various class visits and talks during the three day visit was an excellent opportunity to meet government face-to-face and better understand the role of Congress.

“It is nice to be able to talk to people who have served in the U.S. Congress on a personal basis. Sometimes, we think of people in government as bad people when we don’t agree with them politically, but no matter what you believe, it is easy to see that these two guys were very nice and down to earth,” said the chair of the Government majors committee Kevin Baker ’04 after hearing the former congressmen speak at a political careers event.

Both former congressmen were participating in Congress to Campus for the first time.

“We are very excited to donate our time at a school like Wesleyan with a top notch reputation,” Beilenson said.
The congressmen spent time telling stories of their own political dreams and career paths.

Both congressmen have been away from Washington since they finished their time in office and spoke of their current political interests. For Edwards these included the Constitution Project, a program that attempts to cross political borders and work outside partisan politics. Edwards also works in state politics and for political organizations.

In their meetings with Government majors, campus Democrat and Republican groups and during their all campus talk, they recommended volunteering for political campaigns as the best way students can aid the political process and gain experience. Edwards cited campaign volunteering as one of the ways he became involved in politics.

The congressman’s main motivation for visiting campus through the Congress to Campus program was to encourage young people to be involved in public service.

“[We came] to provide a counter to ideas that government and congress are bad, because I believe in politics. In other words, protect to what you love,” Edwards said.
Apparently the visit was encouraging to many students including Lukas Snelling ’05, the president of the young Republicans Club.

“Meetings such as this help fuel my desire to potentially seek a public office in the future,” Snelling said.
The congressmen also focused on the role of Congress in the U.S. political system. They pointed out to students that the press and the Americans public put too much emphasis on the presidency when in reality the president is only one branch of the government and powerless without the others. If the public knowledge and support are all on the president, the public risks not taking advantage of Congress as an important center of power.

“The media tends to overlook Congress out of convenience. Forty hundred thirty-two people are a lot harder to monitor than one president or even 100 Senators,” Edwards said.
Edwards pointed out that currently two major public concerns are being debated in Congress.

“Congress makes the final call on presidential spending and military policy,” Edward said.

This misunderstanding Congress’ power is not only held by the public and the media but also by the president himself, according to Edwards.

“I have often wondered if the president (of either party) had ever read the constitution, which so clearly outlines the role of Congress,” he said.

According to Beilenson, the United States is at an interesting political moment right now as Congress gears up for elections and is focusing on its image.

“The men and women in Congress become less wise and more concerned about their connection to the president and their image,” Beilenson said.

“Unfortunately, the more controversial issues get taken off the agenda and are replaced by message-sending to the voters,” Edwards said about this pre-election period.

During Edwards’ meeting with the Young Republicans he spoke about the importance of conservative views on University campuses, especially on a campus as liberal and politically active as Wesleyan.

“Not considering the alternatives [conservatism] puts a damper on how much you learn. Assuming a liberal point of view is just cheating your students, when you can and should include political diversity,” Edwards said.

Students enjoyed the perspectives shared by the former congressmen.

“Our meeting with Mr. Edwards was an excellent opportunity for people in the group to ask questions of someone with first hand public policy creation experience,” Snelling said. “This was just one of those times in college that is highly educational and well worth our time. I hope that opportunities of a similar caliber will continue to be available to us as this one was.”

Both men encouraged the government majors to seek the wonderfully exciting, interesting, and fulfilling life of politics, Beilenson said.

They discussed their inspiration to enter politics, the importance of public service, their experiences on the road to Congress, and amusing anecdotes.

“You can do good things for people while avoiding being a lawyer,” Beilenson said.

The main event of last week’s program was the congressmen’s all campus talk entitled “Congress on World Affairs” held Wednesday night.

The congressmen spoke on how the U.S. is acting around the world, and how the U.S. must take a central, leading role in world affairs.

Both congressmen were concerned about the “foolish actions of Bush as he pulled out of a number of international treaties” including Kyoto and the international criminal court. These U.S. actions weaken world peace, stability, and the U.N. and U.S. authority, according to both men.

“The people themselves determine what policy the country takes, and our actions go out into the greater world. Every one of you can have an influence on foreign policy,” Edwards said.

As it becomes increasingly rare to see young people in the public sector the two congressmen wondered who was going to protect this country that they had worked so hard to build up.

“If you can’t be responsible for your own country, you can’t be responsible for anything,” said Beilenson during his meeting with the Wesleyan Democrats.
Many students enjoyed the chance to have small discussions with the congressmen.

“It was interesting to hear them converse to our group in a very calm and friendly manner, but at the same time it was easy to notice certain things that they both still felt very passionately about,” Baker said. “It would not be hard to imagine them still in office.”