Heads-up to those who listen to Ed Schultz...

[Brickbat]

My new congressman, Rick Nolan from the Fighting Eighth of Minnesota, will be on this afternoon. He's been making a splash lately because he's mad about work schedules for house members. He was a congressman back in the 70s and is annoyed at the amount of fundraising he's now expected to do.

http://www.startribune.com/politics/blogs/185928001.html

So far, this is how Rep. Rick Nolan’s first week in Congress has gone: Get sworn-in on Thursday, take three votes on Friday, and then adjourn for a week.

In fact, the House is scheduled to be in session only six more days this month. Plus 11 days in February, for a grand total of 17 work days between now and the next “fiscal cliff” deadline on automatic ("sequester&quot spending cuts.

“We’re not working four or five days a week, like everybody else does in America,” said the Minnesota Democrat. “The fact is, Congress is not governing.”

Nolan, who served three terms in the 1970s, is often asked how Congress has changed over the intervening decades. On Monday, he told Minnesota reporters that the biggest difference is the reduced work schedule – and the amount of time lawmakers spend on the phone begging for campaign cash.

By Nolan’s estimate, the average “call time,” is about 30 hours a week. “The time that people are spending now raising money and campaigning is time Congress used to spend governing,” he said.

He's fantastic and I'm so proud he's my representative.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

1. So awesome! I podcast Ed every day and look forward to Nolan's discussion.

[AndyA]

2. Is it any wonder Congress can't get anything done?

It's not just obstructionism, they flat out aren't there much of the time to do any work. Most people would be fired for working so little. They ought to be embarrassed, and I wish more people would raise this issue at local meetings with their representatives. You'd think there wasn't anything pressing going on! :

[1-Old-Man]

6. They have plenty of time to do anything they choose to do, and none for those they do not

Consider this, all the Congressperson has to do is cast the vote, it is their staff that has to do the day to day work of establishing positions, at least in the very few cases were ideology does not overshadow due diligence in the art of Governance.

But the attention to fun raising is another matter. My idea of a good solution is first off establishing that money is not free speech and then restricting campaign funding at the federal level of Office to Government provided funds of a set amount for the level of Office sought; so some for Congressional elections (because of the relatively small size of geographical area involved), more for Senate elections (state wide), and most for the President/VP run (national coverage).

[BainsBane]

3. which town are you from?

Such a beautiful part of the state! I'm in Minneapolis.

[Brickbat]

4. I live up the North Shore.

[BainsBane]

5. wish I did!

You're so lucky!