On entering the House of Representatives at Washington, one is struck by the vulgar demeanor of that great assembly. Often there is not a distinguished man in the whole number. Its members are almost all obscure individuals, whose names bring no associations to mind. They are mostly village lawyers, men in trade, or even persons belonging to the lower classes of society. In a country in which education is very general, it is said that the representatives of the people do not always know how to write correctly.At the time he wrote this only the House of Representatives was directly elected; Senators were chosen by their state legislatures. Which may help explain why today, the second paragraph describes both houses and the first describes neither.
At a few yards' distance is the door of the Senate, which contains within a small space a large proportion of the celebrated men of America. Scarcely an individual is to be seen in it who has not had an active and illustrious career: the Senate is composed of eloquent advocates, distinguished generals, wise magistrates, and statesmen of note, whose arguments would do honor to the most remarkable parliamentary debates of Europe.
And Rick "man on dog" Santorum doesn't make the list?He's not stupid, he's a sanctimonious evil tool.
Since apparently "congressperson" or "congressman" is used to refer to representatives, what word do we use to refer to someone who is one or the other?My job requires me to make such references many times a day, so I believe I can state with some authority that the preferred term is "Member of Congress."
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posted by SansPoint at 9:44 AM on October 16, 2006