One of the dumbest stories we’ve read all day was written by Jessica Brady of Roll Call, a piece titled “In Congressional IDs, Badge Envy Is Rife.” That link is subscription-only, but here’s a little taste:
Some observers of Capitol Hill might think that power and position are simple things, based on status, seniority and face recognition on the Sunday morning talk shows.
They’ve never seen true vanity, though, until they walk through the doors of the House and Senate ID offices. Here is the great equalizer, where everyone, from Senators to committee staff members to lowly interns, must enter and wait in line for their ID badges. Then they must suffer the indignity of a photo and receive a badge that, depending on its color scheme, instantly reflects whether you’re Someone or Nobody.
Gross. Really? Please let this be an exaggeration. But it goes on:
Another part of the struggle for status involves the different sorts of badges available. Staffers can get one of two different badges. A green badge provides 24-hour access seven days a week, while a red badge permits access from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week, hardly enough, in some staffers’ eyes, to show just how essential they might be. Each office determines which staffer gets which badge, and often, interns and junior staffers are issued the limited-access passes. No one is happy to receive the scarlet letter badge.
Wow. So, basically, some Congressional staffers are just as icky, immature and power-hungry as you already thought they were. But wait just a minute here. The story actually quotes a total of only two sources: one employee who works in the Senate ID office, and another who works in the House ID office. These are the only people Brady has to “confirm” that congressional staffers and members who go to get their IDs think they are hot stuff and give the employees a lot of attitude. Hmmm.
So, Hill staffers, fill us in here. Is Brady right, and just kind of punted on getting any actual credible sources on this one? Or is this just an overblown fluff piece featuring the opinions of two federal government employees?
Photo by mindgutter
