Congressman paints Washington 'image'

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Images of elementary students bickering back and forth emerged from an Indiana Congressman who talked about the goings on in Washington, D.C. during a stop in Greencastle Wednesday.

Eighth District Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D-Evansville), who represents Putnam County, spent the day in town for several public engagements, including the Putnam County Democrat Party dinner Wednesday night.

Prior to that, the freshman Congressman addressed members of the Greencastle Rotary Club where he painted a rather gloomy picture of the politics on Capitol Hill.

"When I see grown-up men and women acting like they're in the fourth or fifth grade, I get nervous about what we're doing," Ellsworth told the group.

He jokingly added, "The Academy Awards are given on the other side of the country."

Ellsworth, who is a member of the Armed Services, Agriculture and Small Business committees, said he sees himself as a "change agent" and said he has learned a lot since his first day in office.

"It's not fun," he said. "I've not golfed. It's not attending fancy dinners."

But then he added, "You didn't send me there to have fun."

One issue that Ellsworth knows is important to Putnam County residents is the 2008 Farm Bill. While he admits the legislation has a few hurdles to cross, he hopes it will be something Hoosier farmers will accept.

He also briefly mentioned the war in Iraq, saying it's the one thing constituents ask most about: "I've been (to Iraq) twice and it's extremely depressing."

He also made mention of the immigrant situation, saying the bill has been on the table since last session, but he hopes it will move through this year.

"Good things are happening, but those aren't the things you hear about," he said.

He concluded his speech with some light humor about his observations of his fellow Congressional leaders in Washington.

"Sen. Kerry really does have that much hair," Ellsworth said, drawing a laugh from the crowd.

Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: