How to Be Young and Female in Congress - POLITICO Magazine - 2015 Feb
In 1973, Elizabeth Holtzman was sworn in. At 31 (born 1941 Aug 11), she was the youngest woman ever elected to the House of Representatives, though she did not know that at the time and the reporters covering her career did not seem to notice. Since she was well above the Constitutional limit of 25, she thought that there were likely many women younger that her who got elected. But she later discovered that she was the youngest one to date.
She also endured annoying sexism and even a bit of misgendering - when she briefly took charge of the House, someone addressed her as "Mr. Speaker". She corrected him and created a precedent: "Madam Speaker". With the help of Rep. Margaret Heckler, she created the Congressional Women's Caucus.
But some things don’t seem to change. When she arrived, Stefanik was given a hard time proving she was a member of Congress by the Capitol police because she looked so young. I had the same experience; in fact, the officer thought I was taunting him and put his hand on his gun. We had no congressional pins then, so I had to whip out my ID card really quickly.
AOC had a similar experience, being directed to events for interns or spouses.
EH offers this advice:
1. Something that may seem bad may turn out to be good. She didn't want her predecessor's committee, the Judiciary Committee, because she wanted to have a different career. But she was placed on it anyway. Less than a year later, impeachment proceedings started against Richard Nixon. "The Judiciary Committee was front and center, and I was thrust into the bull’s eye of history. The lesson? Make the best of the hand you draw."
2. "Don’t be intimidated by the adage that new members of the House are to be seen but not heard." She says "To me, being new, young and a woman just meant I had to do my homework more carefully before speaking out on issues or making legislative proposals."
3. "Being young gives you a different—and sometimes important—perspective on what is happening." Like televising the impeachment proceedings. A young committee member pushed for it, despite the opposition of older ones. It was done, and it was very worth doing.
4. "One of my top aides summed up an important lesson: The first one with the piece of paper wins. If you have drafted the legislative proposal, then you often can shape the debate on it."
5. "Make sure you have a smart, hardworking staff. You will need them."
6. "Establish good working relationships across the aisle." AOC claims that she has some Republican friends, but she won't reveal them for fear of endangering their careers.
7. "Good government is the best politics." After trying to understand the politics behind some bills, she decided to vote on what she considered a bill's merits. That made it easier for her to explain her votes.
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