The beauty of rallies

My enthusiasm for the pro-labor protests at the Wisconsin Capitol has been tempered by my cyncism about protests. I grew up going to demonstrations, particularly a pro-life rally and march around the Capitol Square every January, to mark the Roe vs Wade decision. My parents were active in the pro-life movement, and I was an active pro-lifer till my college years (now I'm on the fence). We'd march silently around the Capitol Square, which seemed to have more than four sides, in all kinds of weather. My parents would take perverse pride in marching in bitter cold--"That's how dedicated we are," they'd say.

I've been to many demonstrations as an adult. A few have been at our city hall; I've done anti-war picketing at our two big malls here. I've gone to Take Back the Night marches, and joined in on some anti-war rallies in DC when I happened to be there for conferences. But too many of the demonstrations I've been in have been at the UW-Madison's Library Mall, or the state Capitol, or State Street, which connects the two spots. I say "too many" because I feel like marching from the UW to the Capitol is almost a cliche. That is the "go to" route for so many marches. I feel like the bystanders are either sympathetic to the cause, are jaded and cynical and dismiss us as "just another Madison protest," or enjoy the event as a spectacle--an anecdote they can share with their friends about what happens in Mad-town. I so often see the same fellow activists that I see at other rallies, talks, meetings, and lit drops. The last few years I've felt like demonstrations buoy up activists spirits for a bit, but that's about it. They don't change the public's, or lawmakers, minds.

That's why I've been putting my energy into phone-banking the last three weeks. It's not because I like phonebanking, that's for sure! It takes a lot of willpower for me to do it, so I don't do it enough. But I believe we have to reach out to people in these Senate districts held by Republicans. Those Senators minds will only be changed by their constituents.

That's not to say I haven't been to quite a few rallies and marches in the last few weeks, often, but not always, in the company of friends and colleagues. And usually I'm glad I've gone. Because what I've witnessed at these events is unique. I've realized this especially during the last week, as public access to the state Capitol has been restricted, and as the weekday rallies have shrunk. The rallies have been smaller, in large part, because public school teachers and students haven't been there in as large numbers during the day, and because there haven't been as many "teach-outs" at UW-Madison. On the positive side, there have been lots of rallies in other Wisconsin communities, large and small, as well as rallies nationwide. That is fantastic. And I should add that, after the first two weeks of rallies, my perspective on what's a "large" rally has changed. When you've attended rallies with 10,000 or more several times in a week, a thousand seems small!

State Street has been quieter during the week. You don't see so many people walking along in either directions with signs. That does change when there's a special event, like last night's New Orleans-style funeral march--when that event ended, people carrying signs, people in Mardi Gras costumes filled the sidewalks. Or the huge rally on Saturday. Two friends and I took a bus from the near west side to the Capitol. Midday on a Saturday. The bus was PACKED, mostly with protestors. I think the only other time I've seen a Madison bus that crowded was after the giant Rhythm and Booms fireworks show.

It is amazing to be in a huge crowd that is in good humor, all standing up for the same principles. On Saturday, there was a constant march going on around the Square. We filled the street--the sidewalk couldn't hold us. In fact, there was another, parallel march going around the Capitol building itself--because there were that many pro-labor protestors. As we walked around the Square, on one block, a group of Teamsters stood next to their big truck, chanting "Thank you, teachers!" as the marchers passed by. That's solidarity.

We had lunch at a downtown restaurant before walking to the Capitol. Another diner, a corrections officer, noticed my sign saying "Proud to serve the public as a state employee..." He said "hello, fellow state employee" and I responded in kind. That's solidarity.

Monday night a friend and I attended a (relatively small) rally outside one of the locked Capitol doors. This was after a day of very restricted access to the Capitol interior. After some planned speeches, there was an open mike. One woman gave her account of managing to get into the Capitol. Law enforcement officers asked her to leave. She asked them to show an order that said she had to leave. They didn't show her an order; they picked her up and took her to an elevator. She was capturing this all on video; the law enforcement officers (leo's) took her camera/phone and wiped the video. [And then I lost the thread of her story, but obviously she made it out of the Capitol.]

At this point, one of two off-duty cops who were attending the rally, and standing behind me and my friend, put her hand in the air and started yelling "Do you have the card? I can fix that!" As she made her way to the speaker, the other cop said "She's the computer forensics expert in our department." How cool is that--we had just the expertise we needed right there??!! And this woman was so excited to help!

In January I read Nobody turn me around: a people's history of the 1963 march on Washington, (I've almost finished it). It's so inspiring and thought-provoking on many levels. One thing that struck me as I read it, and really resonates with me now, is how the fact that, back in 1963, all those people coming together peacefully WAS really the statement. That the march happened, that it was so big, and that it was peaceful, made it successful. There was so much concern--no, fear--beforehand that a large group of blacks gathered in a public place would result in a riot. Most of the concern was on the part of white folks, but some black folks shared that concern too. Then there was concern about such a large mixed-race crowd. The march didn't block daily activities in Washington; the rhetoric may have been tamer than some wanted; the podium may have been dominated by moderates and "superstars," not regular folks. Some of the things that came from the podium have lived on, and will live on, but the event itself mattered more.

I think it's the same with the Wisconsin rallies. I hope it's the same. I'm so used to them being peaceful that I forget that's not a given. Emotions are high. People are scared and tired. But we work to keep the peace.

Having grown up going to silent marches, it's great to attend marches and rallies where we shout and sing. How often do we sing together in our society these days? I love the live music. I love people contributing their unique talents to these protests. Even the drumming energizes me. Now I hear they won't let musical instruments in the Capitol (I presume this is directed at the protestors, not at special events like inaugurations). It makes me sad. I do hope we SING a lot.

For years I've marveled at how open our Capitol is. Anyone who works or lives downtown has used it as a shortcut--a shortcut!! I know I have. During the outdoor Saturday farmers markets, it houses the nearest, and nicest public bathrooms. It's a stunning building inside, filled with all kinds of interesting details and beautiful craftsmanship, that you can start to take for granted. I love watching kids (and adults) visit it for the first time, and realize this grand place is theirs, too. I've found it even more beautiful when the Rotunda has filled with all kinds of people coming together, in peace and good humor. I hope to see that again in the coming week.

I'm turning to Madison's weekly newspaper Isthmus's web site, The Daily Page for a lot of the coverage, including a great live blog. They have an ongoing feature, "This Is What Creativity Looks Like." Among other things, they've featured three videos created by Matt Wisniewski. They're wonderful. Another film I really like is just called Wisconsin. I think it's beautiful.

Okay, a rant: When Scott Walker is asked whether he really considered planting agitators in the protests to stir up trouble, as he said in this phone call, Walker quickly says "but I rejected the idea!" In the phone call, he rejected the idea because he didn't think it would work to his advantage, not because it was unethical! We have to keep that in mind.

Bravo to Rachel Maddow for her great coverage of this situation. She's very good at putting it into a larger political context, about how it's part of a battle between Republicans and Democrats. But on the ground, it doesn't feel that way. It feels like people standing up for themselves, and their principles. People talk about how this bill will affect them, their families, their communities. We can put it into larger contexts of the influence of corporations in politics, but we're not fighting so we can keep electing Democrats. We like the Democrats because they stood up for us. If Republican Senator Dale Schultz stands up for us, votes against this bill, I'll support him (well, not actively, but I won't diss him).

There are some protestors from out of state. But they are in a very small minority. At last Saturday's rally, a couple of speakers said, basically, "Our critics say we're all out-of-staters. They couldn't be more wrong. We're proud Wisconsinites." One friend worried to me that this made it sound like we don't appreciate out-of-staters, at rallies or otherwise lending support. So, on her behalf, I say to non-Wisconsinites, "We love having you at our rallies! Keep the support coming!"

Ode to public employees...

I need to write this now--who knows when I'll have time and access to a computer again at the same time! It's been percolating in my brain for about a week.

Maybe this is high-falutin' (and it shows I'm the product of a liberal arts education), but I keep thinking of these lines from Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice:
"Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions; fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer as a Christian is? If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh? If you poison us do we not die?..."

Public employees, in Wisconsin and beyond, are not facing anything near what people like Shylock, a Jewish moneylender in Elizabethan times, faced. But the sentiment's the same. The predominant sentiment for so long, it seems, is that all government workers do is take money from taxpayers. Like we're not taxpayers, consumers, family members, volunteers, supporters of charities, CITIZENS.

Like we're not WORKERS. I HATE the phrase "it's good enough for government work" as if all government workers have abysmally low standards for quality.

When I started working for a state university, my personality did NOT change. The kid who was proud of her academic work, who liked getting good grades, did not become a woman who could care less about the quality of her work. I like doing a good job, for a myriad of reasons.
* I like knowing that my efforts helped someone. I like feeling useful.
* I like recognition, from my colleagues here, and throughout my profession.
* I like the thanks I get from patrons and colleagues I help.
* I like seeing the light dawn in a student's eyes, as they see all the resources they have access to, or as they realize something, about a government, or an organization, or publisher, that they wouldn't have thought of if I hadn't pointed it out.
* Oh, yeah, I liked it when I got a good review, and got a merit raise or small promotion because of it. I'm thinking those days are over if I stick with the public sector.

My parents taught me to work hard and be honest, at work and at play. I don't always live up to the ethical standards they had for me, that I have for me, but I don't stop trying.

I work hard because I don't want to let my colleagues down. I respect them. I admire their talents and their hard work. I appreciate their support, their covering for me.

As a reference librarian, I work directly with the public. But I also work with catalogers and information technology people, who know that their work behind the scenes helps our users, who keep the users utmost in their minds. We recognize we have budgetary and administrative restraints. But we're creative. We LIKE solving problems. I see that in the committees I'm on, whether it's people who maintain our chat reference service, or who work with government documents.

The Wisconsin Idea, that the borders of the university are the borders of the state (ie, we serve the citizens of Wisconsin as well as the students, faculty, and staff of the university), is something that we talk about in staff meetings, that we keep in mind as we make decisions about services. Here's a slightly obscure example: Right now, patrons pay for printouts and photocopying with a card anyone can buy in our libraries. The university wants us to switch to a different card system that will be more convenient for students, but more expensive and inconvenient for non-students (and we have a lot of non-student patrons). Our IT department is working very hard to find ways that we can reduce the costs of this new system, and make it less cumbersome. Public service people didn't have to push the IT people to look for these solutions; the IT folks do it because they're thinking about our users.

Do some of us slack off from time to time? Yep. But I don't think that's unique to the public sector. Are there some bad apples in the bunch? Yep. Again, I think there are some in the private sector as well. But I don't think we're any less dedicated or creative overall than those who work in the private sector.

I not only work for the state, I benefit from good public services (and I pay taxes that support them). I love public parks--state, county, city. I like clean, functional bathrooms in public parks and public buildings. Of course I love my public library system. What a remarkable idea--communities banding together to buy books (and magazines, and audio materials, and videos) of all kinds to share among the community. And libraries also provide free computer and internet access, and cheap public meeting rooms! As a bicyclist, I appreciate roads without potholes, not to mention separate bike paths. I like clear signage on paths, streets, and highways. I like that I don't have to bribe city or state bureaucrats or inspectors. I like friendly, efficient employees at the city who accept my tax and water payments, or help me with absentee voting. The building inspector who inspected my house a few months after I bought it from my mom's estate said some very wise things to me (though she was wrong about how long my furnace would last). When I walk to work on snowy days, it's always a relief to get to the sidewalks that the university maintains. I can count on those being cleared. I wish I could say the same for the walks homeowners(including me) are responsible for.

I give back to my community, too. Not nearly as much as I should, but I do some volunteering. I've worked on a couple of service projects with my library colleagues, where we as a group gave up a weekend day here and there to pull weeds, and to paint someone's house (that was a two-day project for some of us). I contribute to the charitable giving program for public employees. I choose among charities, and specify amounts to go to each one, and have these donations deducted from my monthly paychecks. (Note: I also choose to have monthly union dues deducted from my paycheck. Walker's bill would eliminate the practice for union dues. Why that gets eliminated, and not the charitable deduction program, which presumably costs as much, if not more, to administer, is a good question.) I've volunteered at the blood drives held at my workplace. I've participated in food drives held at my workplace.

Yet, to listen to some right-wing pundits, all I am, all my colleagues are, are vampires, sucking the life out of our communities. And doing so not out of necessity, but spite.

I'm saddened by the fact that so many private-sector employees don't receive the benefits I do. I also get jealous of some of the salaries my friends in the private sector receive.

What's with the vilifying? To quote Rodney King, "Can't we all get along?"

Another week of protests...

So much to write about, and so little free time!

Here's what happens when you bring your anti-budget bill sign on your bus commute in Madison:
1) strangers driving down the street stop and offer to give you a ride downtown
2) people jump up and offer you their seat on a crowded bus
3) people in cars and bikes honk their horns/ring their bicycle bells in support.

Okay, so #1 and 2 each happened once to me this week; #3's totals were two car honks, and one bicycle bell ringing. And I live in a neighborhood with a lot of state workers. Nevertheless, all incidents were awesome! (For the record, my sign says "We [heart] our parks, and the public employees who maintain them.")

I went to a concert headlined by Tom Morello (of Rage Against the Machine) on Monday night. It was in support of the protests. I don't think I'd heard a RATM song before in my life. The crowd was pro-union, but it was a younger one than I've been seeing at the Capitol, and had more men in it. One of my favorite parts of the concert was at the end, when all four of the bands/musicians played "This Land Is Your Land" and asked the audience to sing the chorus at the top of their lungs. They sang all the verses, including my favorites:

"As I was walkin' - I saw a sign there
And that sign said - no tress passin'
But on the other side .... it didn't say nothin!
Now that side was made for you and me!

Chorus

In the squares of the city - In the shadow of the steeple
Near the relief office - I see my people
And some are grumblin' and some are wonderin'
If this land's still made for you and me."

This is my favorite patriotic song. It was awesome to sing this with 5,000 other people. Another highlight of the concert was Morello's comments to the effect that "What I'm seeing here in Madison right now is the world of my dreams." I feel proud and humbled by that statement. And I agree with it. I am continually amazed at the peacefulness and joy at the Capitol. It's not mindless joy; people know what's going on. And it's not manic, frenzied joy, though with the salary cuts public employees are facing, it'd be understandable. Most of us don't want to be doing this, but there's a sense that, while we're here, we might as well have fun!

People from different walks of life are living together--some literally--at the Capitol. The way protestors have organized the Capitol is amazing. There are food stations, an information station, a family area, a medical area. The TAA organizes crews to clean up the Capitol. If you want to testify at the Assembly hearing, there are volunteers there explaining how you register, telling you how long the wait might be, and what to expect in the hearing room. There are paper directional signs taped up around the building, pointing to bathrooms, hearing rooms, and so on. There are signs--by protestors--spelling out the rules for staying overnight: no alcohol or drugs, quiet time after a certain hour, etc. There are corners of the Capitol where they're holding dances! Tuesday night I saw a violinist standing on a kind of balcony on the second floor, playing along with the music coming from a boom box. Some of the overnighters have air mattresses as well as sleeping bags. Students do homework there; TAs do grading. The K-12 teachers organized a "grade-in" one morning. When organizers ask for quiet, the crowd quiets down. People hold their fingers up in the "peace" sign to ask people to quiet down (I think that's a trick from the K-12 teachers).

And nobody's yelling at each other. They're respectful of each other, and supportive of each other. If you slip on the ice, someone steps forward to grab you. People stand patiently in lines. They don't push forward to get a better view of anything.

I've seen significantly fewer signs on State Street the past couple of days. What I do see a lot of, especially today, are high school wrestlers, cheerleaders, and their families from around the state. Madison is hosting the state wrestling tournament, the start of tournament season here. That's a season that deserves its own entry sometime!

I have definitely seen more trade union folks at the Capitol and on State Street. There was a significant presence of folks from the United Food and Commercial Workers at a Tuesday evening protest. I noticed some people from the Communications Workers of America last night. This is good, because most K-12 teachers are back at work. They made up a huge part of the crowds last week.

The presence of protestors in the Capitol has been smaller too--but there's a reason. Evidently last weekend, some structural engineers took a look at the Capitol, to see how much weight the different floors could hold. As a result, the police closed off two of the four public entrances, and for a few days, they only let a certain number of people in the building. So you'd have to line up to enter the Capitol, and, as a certain number of people left the building, the same number could enter. But in addition to the people inside the Capitol, there are always people with signs walking around the Capitol, and around the larger Capitol Square. But there's definitely been a gradual move in restricting access to the Capitol, and to moving the protestors out overnight. I will admit that, after about 10 days of people living in an office building/museum, there's a slightly rank smell developing in some areas of the building. I'm okay with shutting the building down ONE NIGHT, for cleaning. But I hope the occupation is only briefly interrupted.

There are constantly rumors about when the building is open or closed; what parts of the Capitol are open or closed to the public; whether the Capitol will be closed to protestors...It's also hard to pin down exact times of major events. For instance, today we'd heard that Saturday there was going to be a rally at noon (sponsored by Moveon.org) plus another rally at 3 p.m. (unions). We'd heard of various nationally-known musicians coming to play, but weren't sure when they'd play. Now it's pretty clear that there's a concert at 1 p.m., followed by speakers at about 3 p.m.

To my immense relief, I saw lots of new phone-bankers at the TAA office today. I hope and think people are realizing that we have to work in the districts. I'm so happy that a couple of other unions are doing phone-banking at Madison offices. All last week, the only organization I could find doing phone-banking was the TAA. Obviously, some people were organizing canvasses and meetings in towns and cities around Madison, because as phone-bankers, that's what we were telling people about! But there are so many people in Madison who are supportive of this cause. We need to harness that support and energy. Plus, the TAA is on the second story of a building with a steep staircase. I know people who wanted to phone-bank, but couldn't get up to the TAA office.

Today I did a couple of short calling stints. We were calling people in southwestern Wisconsin, in the district of Republican Senator Dale Schultz, who's considered a swing vote. I can say that, of the three districts I've phone-banked, I've liked Schultz's the best. I've called in Fitzgerald's and Olsen's, and I'd get more unpleasant (in number and in tenor) responses. Today I got several very positive responses. In my rap (such a 60's term, but that's what we call it), I say I'm calling about the budget repair bill, and I ask people if their familiar with it. I'm amazed when people say "not really." It could be a way to sound me out, to find out what side I'm on, but sometimes I think they really haven't been following it. But why should I be surprised?? I'm a public employee, working less than a mile from the Capitol. Of course it consumes me, but others have quite full lives of their own, thank you very much. I know that even as union members and sympathizers are up in arms, other businesses are lobbying the legislature on their own issues, on other bills floating around out there.

I'll close, for now, with one site I'm recommending, from the TAA: Defend Wisconsin. I truly believe that's what we're doing.

Taking a breather...
So, it took an assault on workers rights in Wisconsin to update this blog!! I've just transferred a LONG Facebook "note" to this blog, 'cause I don't think Facebook is meant for essays!

Here's something to think about, that doesn't fit on a poster. I wonder how many private-sector employers save money by not having to pay for health care benefits for their employees covered by a public employee spouse's health care plan. (See, it really doesn't fit on a poster.) I know my mom's employer, a private trade association, couldn't begin to match the health care plan my dad got through the state. (They did use the dental benefit my mom's employer offered.)

It's a dreary day in Madison. We have what the weather people call a "wintry mix." In the space of a few hours, it's snowed, sleeted, and rained. There was a rally today inside the Capitol--a good turnout on a rotten weather day, but crowds were definitely not as big as at the formal rallies on other days. My favorite displays this time around: a sign comparing Jimmie Walker ("Dy-no-mite") and Scott Walker ("troglodyte"), and 6 people in inflatable deer head costumes. They walked around the rotunda, then unfurled a banner that said "It's not about the doe. Haven't you herd?"

State Street is way quieter today as well. Memorial Library, on the other hand, is busy. I think students are catching up with homework. But there are hardy souls marching around the Capitol. Two women were holding a banner in front of a statue on the Capitol grounds. With great cheer, they stood in the cold rain in their sweatshirts, thanking people for coming.

As usual with the rallies in the Capitol, it's hard to hear the formal speeches. The speakers are using portable electronic megaphones, but are not connected to the building's sound system. That's okay. The drumming is fun to listen to, and the chants are energizing. What's best is looking at the different people there, and all the cool signs. Thursday I saw a few signs saying "Private school teachers 4 public workers." Today I saw quite a few signs along the lines of "I don't work for the state/non-union member/self-employed, but I support the unions."

The activity around the Capitol grows more organized by the day. Lots more volunteer marshals were there today, wearing day-glo vests, directing people, keeping an aisle clear on the second floor of the rotunda. There's an "information station" near one staircase, with people providing--what else--information. They have a homemade mini-pamphlet rack, with sheets of info on testifying and other things. They can direct you to places where you can recharge your phone. In a remarkably clean, well-stocked women's bathroom, there were notes on the sink and the tp dispensers saying "Dear fellow protesters, Don't vandalize our beautiful Capitol building." I describe the conditions of the bathroom as remarkable because THOUSANDS of people have been through this building over 6 days. Hundreds have spent at least one night there.

When I took the bus to the Capitol this morning, one couple got on at the Greenbush Bakery, holding a box of donuts. At the Capitol, they walked around, offering protesters donuts. Someone else was offering some kind of yogurt bar, and I saw some in the center of the Rotunda passing around pre-packaged veggie trays. The TAA has a list of businesses who've made physical donations. Evidently, people from around the world have been calling Ian's Pizza and ordering pizzas to be delivered to the Capitol.

I also spent about 90 minutes making phone calls at the TAA office. The previous two times I've phone-banked, my fellow callers have mainly been TAA members. Today there were some retired state workers, and UW students. That was encouraging. I was calling people in Ripon, asking them to contact their state senator, Luther Olson. I got a few hang-ups or quick brush-offs, but also some very supportive people. And then, the usual wrong numbers and answering machines. One of the supporters asked what the plans are if this bill does pass as is. That's the big question that I think a lot of us don't want to face.

I hope that at least some of this energy carries over to local and state elections. I hope we remember how angry we are at Gov Walker and the Republicans in the legislature. I hope we learn that state and local elections matter as much as, if not more so, than national elections. I'm not big on the recalls--I think Scott Walker was pretty up-front in his campaign about his dislike of unions and state employees. His tactics may have caught us off-guard, but they make sense, from his perspective.

I also hope we remember all those who supported us, and how that support lifted us and inspired us. I hope we stand in solidarity with private-sector unions around the state and country, and public-sector unions around the country, and the immigrant rights activists standing with us.

Now it's time to go home and do some laundry!

So, here's an update on what it's been like to be in downtown Madison this past week. I've been splitting my time between work (6 blocks down the street from the State Capitol), the Capitol, home, and the office of the TAA, UW-Madison's grad school union. At work, it's hard to concentrate, but work is getting done. Mostly, I've worked reference shifts, taught library instructions sessions, and worked on finding homes for some Australian gov docs we no longer have the room for ('cause we don't have approval yet to build a storage facility). The last week, State Street has constantly been busy, at least from 10 a.m. till 7 p.m. Every day has been like the first warm Saturday in spring, with the sidewalks full of students, adults, and families out walking, usually to or from the Capitol. At least a fifth of the pedestrians are carrying signs, usually pro-union and/or anti-Gov Walker. Many of the State Street businesses, especially restaurants and coffee shops, are PACKED. Some shops, like Anthology and Shakti, have pro-demonstrator signs up. At eating and drinking establishments, patrons are often resting their signs next to the windows. University Bookstore has a sandwich sign up advertising the availability of posters and markers. Whenever I walk up or down State St, I see co-workers going the opposite way. It's like we're rallying in shifts.



A few times there have been marches from campus to the Capitol, with police stopping cross traffic, and making sure we can walk in the street. The streets around the Capitol are closed to vehicles, as are the first blocks of the streets leading to the Square (think Farmers Market Saturdays).



There are always protesters milling around the Capitol, outside and inside. There are set times for rallies (more frequently as big names from out of town come in). I talked to one friend and mentioned a rally starting at a certain time, and she said "Oh, there are set times? I just go down whenever." And that's what a lot of people do. Go down for a while, go back to work (after lunch hour, or some vacation time), get something to eat, or go home. Then they come back. We've lucked out with the weather--it's been unseasonably warm--40's and 50's in the daytime. Temp started dropping yesterday, even as the crowds increase. Some of the rallies are outside; some inside the Capitol. Well, the outside events are more like rallies--with speakers that most people can hear. Inside, rallies consist mainly of crowd chants. There are always drummers playing. The chants can be deafening. One evening I was there when a procession of firefighters marched through the crowd in support of the protests, led by some bagpipers. Not that you could HEAR the bagpipers over the din of the chants.



A few protesters-leaders have electronic megaphones, but they don't work very well in that echo-ey building. The leaders try turn as they speak, to address every part of the crowd. This just means you hear the few words they say in your direction! The rotunda is packed at times, and can get stuffy, especially the higher up in the building you go.



It really is a festival atmosphere up there. People are angry, at the governor and the Republicans in the legislature, but with each other they're friendly and cheerful. I don't think most of us WANT to be there, but we're inspired and energized when we are there. With the Tea Party demonstration today, I've heard my friends express concern about possible violence. No protester I've talked to or overheard wants violence. At today's noon rally, there were volunteer marshals on every corner and street leading to the Capitol, and circulating through the crowd, stressing that this was a peaceful protest. There's definitely a police presence, on State Street, on the Square, and in the Capitol. Usually the police are observing, or chatting with people. Some of the protesters thank the police (I have).



The crowds are mainly white, mainly middle aged or middle/high school or college-aged. There are senior citizens and retirees, and and there are definitely children, of all ages, but they're in the minority. I've certainly seen a lot of my friends from my leftist political work, but for a pleasant change, they're a small minority of the protesters! (I love seeing these friends, but sometimes I feel like it's "protesting to the choir" to alter a metaphor. Also a pleasant change: I don't see ISO folks or other folks there pushing their own agendas. There were some communists passing lit out last night, and some socialists doing the same today--I think it's a socialist group up from Chicago (not saying there aren't socialists in Wisconsin...). In general, my sense is that most of the crowd is from Wisconsin. Today is the first day I've heard people talking about coming from Illinois, or holding signs saying they're from Illinois. I would guess teachers and K-12 and college students are the biggest groups within the crowd. There are people from public unions, and from different private-sector unions as well. Obviously, there are lots of people from Madison, but I'd be surprised, judging from signs and insignias on clothing, if Madisonians made up half the crowds by now. The teaching assistants from UW-Madison have been doing a fabulous job of leading events. Oh, and yesterday, after one of the rallies, there was a big volunteer clean-up done by the crowds.



You have to leave signs with wood handles outside the Capitol building. So there are lots of signs piled by entrance doors, and in snow banks. You can carry signs and banners into the Capitol--there are also plenty propped up against walls and railings throughout the building. Last night, the corridor leading to State Street had turned into an art studio/gallery, with lots of people drawing and writing, then taping their artwork to the marble walls. Over the week, the signs have gotten more creative, and more dimensional. Today I saw a woman carrying a cardboard Holstein cow, with a sign on it that said "I'm the only one allowed to poop on Wisconsin." A colleague of mine found a couple of days ago a yellow sign that says "Wi [hearts] librarians." When she carries it (and when I've carried it), people stop and ask to take a picture of it, often saying that some relative is a librarian. Or kids say "Librarians yay! I love librarians." Overall, protesters compliment each other's signs a lot.



The base reason everyone's there is to protect our rights to join unions and collectively bargain. The chants are about worker power, union power, and democracy (oh, and "Kill this bill"). (The most danceable chant is "Show me what democracy looks like! This is what democracy looks like!.") That's the main message we're sending out. But the financial aspects of the bill will really hurt a lot of people. I've talked to colleagues who've worked for the university for decades. They've already taken pay cuts--through furloughs, and increases in what they contribute to benefits. We haven't had raises in at least a couple of years. Some people are barely making it as it is. These aren't people living extravagant lifestyles. One person's barely making ends meet working two jobs--one full-time, one part-time. While fundamentally this is about workers rights, it is about pay, and working conditions, and respect for our work too.



The jobs the signs and the speeches most often refer to are teachers, nurses, and snowplow drivers--all very worthy jobs, of course. There are some signs that refer to other professions, but I wish there were more. I've been trying, for the last few days, to think of a slogan to express support for state clerical workers, or the people that maintain the state parks--not only buildings and grounds folks, but foresters and wildlife biologists. I think of my friends who adjudicated claims for unemployed workers--a stressful and often thankless task. My dad used to write computer programs that made sure unemployment and workers' comp checks got distributed. As a gov docs librarian, I've been on panels that give awards to the best state publications of the year (and there have been WONDERFUL ones).



How do we recognize the people who conceived of, wrote, and designed those publications on a placard? I remember one woman who worked for the Supreme Court of Wisconsin. For years, she had recommended that the Court create a publication that described, in everyday language, how the Supreme Court worked. Her bosses finally agreed that they should create such a document. They did, and it was great. I learned so much about the Supreme Court. This document has probably saved hundreds of hours of effort: by citizens who previously didn't know the Supreme Court was not the place to bring their grievances; and by Court employees, who didn't have to explain, time and again, the process citizens should follow. This publication was the capstone of this woman's career. Every year, we invite the creators of the winning documents to a small ceremony, with about 30 people. We give them a certificate. They're so excited! They bring their department's public affairs people, and their spouses. Every year, at least one of these documents earns national recognition. But who else recognizes these workers?


This post is WAY long, but I have to say something about the awesome Teaching Assistants Association, the TAA, the teaching assistants' union. Some are leading the protests, sleeping at the Capitol night after night. Those are hugely important efforts. Many more are doing just as important work behind the scenes. They are calling union households around the state, in districts where we think the Republican senators might be swayed to vote against this bill. They're asking strangers to come out for events, and to contact their legislators. Last weekend a group of us went to a small town, Richland Center, and knocked on the doors of union members' households, asking them to sign postcards. A TAA member and I walked around for 3.5 hours (in great, if muddy, weather) doing this. I've spent maybe four hours making phone calls. Some people are great at these one-on-one conversations with strangers about a controversial topic; some of us are okay with it; others hate it, but they know that's how we'll win this fight. We deal with some hang-ups and rants (supportive and not); we delight in the supportive comments; we sound cheerful and understanding when we hear excuses. We figure out how to condense all the complicated info we have to impart on answering machines. We ask people to do canvassing, and it turns out they're 82 and have arthritis, or nursing a husband just home from the hospital, or going to a funeral the next day. We cringe, apologize, feel guilty, wish them well. Then we take a breath, pick up the phone and dial another number.

Walking tours

Foster, Laura O. Portland City Walks: Twenty Explorations in and Around Town. Portland, Oregon: Timber Press, 2008.

---. Portland Hill Walks: Twenty Explorations in Parks and Neighborhoods. Portland, Or.: Timber Press, 2005.

Hinshaw, Mark L. Citistate Seattle: Shaping a Modern Metropolis. Chicago: American Planning Association, c1999.

Karlinsey, Laura. Seattle City Walks: Exploring Seattle Neighborhoods on Foot. Seattle: Sasquatch Books, 1999.

Johnston, Norman J. University of Washington. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2001. The Campus Guide.


Protopappas, John J., Alvin R. McNeal, and American Planning Association. National Capital Area Chapter. Washington on Foot: 23 Walking Tours and Maps of Washington, DC, Takoma Park, and Old Town Alexandria. Washington: Smithsonian Books, 2004.

One of the best ways to get to know a city is to go walking in it. You see things you wouldn't notice on a car or bike, because you don't have to pay attention to traffic; you're moving more slowly, and can stop more often; and you're closer to points of interest. I especially like walking in older, residential or mixed use neighborhoods, and looking at the architecture.

Many smaller towns have brochures with walking tours listed. And guidebooks for bigger cities sometimes have a few walking tours described. The four books with "walk" or "foot" in the title here are devoted to walks in some cool cities. I've done at least two tours from each book. All have maps, with notable landmarks numbered to correspond with the text. All also start each chapter/walk with a few paragraphs describing the overall walk. They each have walks in the main business/tourist areas of the cities, but also include walks in residential neighborhoods.

I was lucky enough to go to Portland this summer for a few days, and very lucky to have copies of Laura Foster's Portland Hill Walks and Portland City Walks. Foster notices, and writes about everything on these walks, including the bands of iron around curbs of intersections in some residential neighborhoods. The books have lots of history, but cover more recent stories too. She tells you what buildings to look between for good views. It seemed just about every time I had a question about something, there was an answer (okay, there were a couple unanswered questions--it's good to have a few mysteries).

"Hill walks" are VERY hilly--elevation is included for each walk. Most are west of the Willamette River. "City walks" are way flatter, and include more downtown Portland areas, as well as some suburban walks. Foster provides detailed information on how to get to the starting points of each walk, whether by mass transit or car. Unlike Washington on Foot, these books tell you exactly how to go once you've gotten off a train or bus. And there's information on places to get water and use bathrooms, as well as recommendations on restaurants or places to get picnic fixings.

The books have both historical and current black and white photos. They're printed on glossy paper, which makes them both heavy. When I went on a particular walk, I had the corresponding book in my backpack, but I photocopied the pages of the particular walk I was doing, and carried those photocopies in my purse or pocket.

I bought Seattle City Walks before I had definite plans to go to Seattle. A few years after I bought the book, I visited Seattle twice within six months. I'm so glad I had this book (and remembered I had it!). Each chapter/walk description provides information on how to get to the starting point via mass transit (as of 1999), as well as parking information. The writing style is chatty and informal. One indication of how spot-on the book is: the Queen Anne walk mentioned that in the fall, sometimes you'll see people gathering nuts (maybe a kind of chesnut?) on a particular street--people come from around Seattle to do this. And sure enough, that's what I saw when I walked down the street on an October afternoon.

The book features a fair number of black and white photos, and includes some information about shops, restaurants, and other businesses. There are one-page essays on various topics throughout the book, which is about the size of a standard trade paperback. Two walks outside Seattle are included, on Bainbridge Island and in Kirkland. There's also a special chapter on parks and nature walks.

On the topic of Seattle...a great book about public spaces, recent development, planning, architecture, and urban life in Seattle is Citistate Seattle: Shaping a Modern Metropolis. It's not a guide, but a collection of essays about all the above topics. I wouldn't carry it around as I walk around town--it's got a large format--but I recommend reading it before you go. It'll give you lots of things to look for, and a different perspective on what you'll see. It convinced me to check out the beautiful Chapel of St Ignatius at Seattle University, and put me on the lookout for the funky Belltown P-Patch community garden. The book is a good read if you're interested in what makes cities liveable.

And it's not a walking guide per se, but University of Washington (part of a series called "Campus Guide") is an architectural guide to the campus in Seattle, with write-ups of most buildings and landmarks, and lots of color photos.

I've been to Washington DC many times. The book I've tried the most walks from is Washington on Foot. I don't think I've ever been disappointed. The fourth edition was published in 2004; it was first published in 1977. I've mainly used the 1992 edition. Nearly all the walks take place in Washington DC itself (it does have walks in Takoma Park, MD, and Alexandria, VA). This one is quite heavy on architecture and history, which you'd expect. It features black and white line drawings. It tells you which Metro stations are closest to the starting point of each walk, but it doesn't tell you how to get from the Metro station to that starting point. This is a drawback when even the exit you take out of a Metro station can put you blocks from where you hoped to go. The guides don't provide me with all the information I'd like, especially about newer buildings. There's very little about shops or restaurants. I'd love to see walks for the new-ish embassy enclave on International Drive, by the UDC/Van Ness Metro station, and Rock Creek Park. The book is tall and not very wide (not the greatest for photocopying) and not too heavy.

If you're staying in the Virginia suburub of Arlington and want to do some walking, check out WalkArlington's Walkabouts page (I especially like the guides listed on the left of this page).

Finally, my go-to web site for sightseeing in DC is Cultural Tourism DC. It has a calendar of events, links to tons of museums, and a great Tours and Trails section.

Two more "year-in-the-life" books

Eule, Brian. Match Day: One Day and One Dramatic Year in the Lives of Three New Doctors. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2009.

Roose, Kevin. The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University. New York: Grand Central Pub, 2009.

In the last month I've read two great "year in the life" books.

In Match Day: One Day and One Dramatic Year in the Lives of Three New Doctors, Brian Eule follows three female med school grads through their first year of residency. One happens to be his girlfriend, so her year is the one he follows most closely. A big chunk of the book, though, covers the process of how med school students are placed, or "matched" with hospitals and residency programs. That part was interesting, I learned a lot, but I liked other parts of the book way better. Eule also describes how these women decided on medicine, and then on specialties within medicine. And I liked finding out how they developed the confidence to be doctors over the course of their educations and first year of residency. As with so many professions, there's only so much you can learn in classrooms, and through closely supervised practical experiences. At some point, you have to go out and just do it. With medicine, it seems that point is especially critical.

I learned a lot about the process whereby doctors are educated in this country, what exactly residencies are, and why they're structured as they are. I found the people Eule wrote about interesting. Eule did write a little too much about his own relationship with the resident; I would've preferred to learn more about medical education. But all in all, I really liked this book. Other books I've seen on this topic tend to be more academic or more focused on patients. Not that those kinds of books don't have their places, but those weren't what I've been looking for.

I loved Kevin Roose's The Unlikely Disciple! It only covers a semester, rather than a year, but what a semester! After his first semester (maybe it was his first three semesters?) at Brown University, Roose, who was raised Quaker, decided to attend Liberty University, a fundamentalist Baptist college founded by Jerry Falwell. Roose went "undercover" there, telling no one that he was a journalist, and his ruminations on the ethics of the situation are an interesting part of the book.

Roose lived in the dorms, took classes, sang in the choir at Jerry Falwell's church, and went on a mission trip to Daytona for spring break, and he wrote about all of it. He really opened himself up to different experiences at Liberty, participating with an open mind. He was willing to learn, and worked hard not to pre-judge people. He did keep in contact with his family and friends; one friend came to visit him for a weekend. In the book he wonders sometimes if he's a little too open-minded, if he's in danger of "going native." But I think he's able to evaluate things fairly.

If I were the writer Roose is, I could effectively describe how thoughtful and open-hearted he is in his writing. He's not afraid to poke fun at absurdities he comes across, but it's in a gentle way. I think he worked really hard at understanding the people he met at Liberty; that comes through in the book.

A few follow-ups: White House, family travel, and some films

Another book on life in the White House

Petro, Joseph, and Jeffrey Robinson. Standing Next to History: An Agent's Life Inside the Secret Service. New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2005.

My January 2009 entry was about books showing life behind the scenes at the White House. I can now add Standing Next to History, which is more about "behind the scenes of the presidency." Many of the anecdotes take place on the road. Ronald Reagan is the president he worked with most closely, and he clearly admired him, and admires Nancy Reagan. So the Reagans and their staff dominate the book, but Petro also talks about the other people he's guarded, the Quayles when Dan Quayle was VP (and we thought our leaders couldn't get any shallower), and Pope John Paul II on one of his trips to America. Petro also writes about his experiences serving in the Vietnam War, some of his other work for the Secret Service (they do more than guard officials), and the internal politics of the Secret Service. I found the things the Secret Service has to take into account, especially when a protectee travels, very interesting. (He explains why the Secret Service doesn't like the president to stay in hotels on trips abroad, preferring the U.S. ambassador's residence instead.) I liked the personal glimpses of the famous people. And having just watched Obama inaugurated shortly before I started reading this, it reassured me a bit about the Obamas' safety.

I looked at Entertaining at the White House with Nancy Reagan, but didn't find it too compelling. Not enough inside detail; mostly pictures.

Travelling with children
Dodson, James. The Road to Somewhere: Travels with a Young Boy through an Old World. New York: Dutton, 2003.

I wrote about travelling with children last on June 26, 2008. It took me a while to get into The Road to Somewhere, but I'm very glad I persisted. I wouldn't call Dodson a humor writer per se; I would say he's a non-fiction writer who uses humor liberally in his books (at least, that's what I gather from reading about his other books; this is the only one of his I've read). His humor tends a little bit to the frat-boy end in this book. I think that's what I had a problem with. In a way, it fits, because this book is Dodson's account of travelling through western Europe (Great Britain, Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Italy, Greece) with his 10-year-old son. Oddly enough, for about half the trip (the first country, and the last two), they're accompanied by female relatives. Anyway, I loved Dodson's descriptions of perfect afternoons and evenings when his son made connections with local kids, or when they connected with other travellers. I also liked reading some of Dodson's musings on fatherhood and growing up. It's not a "let's get to know the locals and local way of life" book--it's more "this is what it's like to travel."

Films to go with booksI recently attended the Wisconsin Film Festival, and two documentaries reminded me vividly of books I've reviewed here.

Book: Cabin Pressure, by Josh Wolk, reviewed September 8, 2007.
Movie: Win or Lose: A Summer Camp Story
I think the Win or Lose camp in northern Wisconsin takes sports just a bit more seriously than at Wolk's camp (I hope that's the case; it's hard to imagine a more competitive camp than the one in this film). The emphasis is definitely on sports, but there are some lovely shots of the camp, and the film is full of the energy and testosterone of growing boys, as is Wolk's book.

Book: Fashion Cycle: A Behind the Scenes Look at a Year With Bill Blass, Liz Claiborne, Donna Karan, Arnold Scaasi, and Adrienne Vittadini, by Irene Daria. Reviewed May 2, 2007.
Movie: Eleven Minutes
This movie is a must-see for fans of the TV show Project Runway; it focuses on Jay McCarroll, the talented, hilarious designer who won the show's first season. Fans of fashion in general will enjoy it, and McCarroll is so funny I think people not into fashion can enjoy it too. For PR fans, if you've ever wondered why you haven't seen PR winners' clothes in stores, this film gives you the answer. Making it in the fashion business, especially producing your own line, is HARD! The movie covers everything from coming up with a concept for a fashion line, to producing a fashion show (that lasts about 11 minutes), to figuring out what pieces to market. Fashion Cycle wasn't one of my favorite books, but watching this movie made me want to re-read it. If I had to choose between the book and the movie, I'd go for the movie, no doubt.

A couple other documentaries from the Wisconsin Film Festival that I'd recommend:
Paper or Plastic follows eight grocery store baggers as they compete at the national grocery bagging championships. It's funny and affectionate, but doesn't laugh at the competitors. It respects the competitors' attitudes that any kind of work has dignity, and is worth doing well. The community and family support that most of the protagonists get is wonderful to see as well.

Sons of Sakhnin United: Imagine the pressure on a pro sports team (in this case, soccer) from a small city the season after it won the big championship to repeat that success. If your team doesn't do well, it might be dropped from the country's top league. Now imagine that, in addition to that pressure, you carry the weight of a country's hopes for peace, a beleagured ethnic/religious group's quest for pride and respect. That's the situation the soccer team B'nei Sakhnin, from the Arab town of Sakhnin, in Israel, finds itself in in this movie. It's a great sports movie, a great human interest movie, and it shows a bit of what everyday life is like in Israel.

Behind the Scenes at the White House

I've been interested in life at the White House since I was a kid. Not the policy decisions made there, but the everyday details of actually living at the White House. HGTV's "Christmas at the White House" specials each December? I'm there! I liked the policy discussions of The West Wing, for a few seasons, anyway, but there wasn't much about the domestic life at the White House. Watching the Inauguration events earlier this month has reminded me of that interest. So I've sought out some books I haven't read, picked up one I'd set aside for a while, and thought about some of the books on this topic that I have read.

Bagni, Gwen, et al. Backstairs at the White House: A Novel. Englewood Cliffs, N.J: Prentice-Hall, 1978.

Parks, Lillian Rogers. My Thirty Years Backstairs at the White House. New York: Fleet Pub. Corp, 1961.

It all started for me with the tv miniseries Backstairs at the White House, starring Olivia Cole and Leslie Uggams. I watched it when I was a kid, in the late 1970's, when tv miniseries were a big deal. My parents were history buffs, so it's no surprise we watched this at our house. I discovered and read the novelization (by Bagni) of the mini-series. The novel extended from the Taft administration through the Eisenhower years.

The miniseries and novel are based on the memoirs (recently re-released) of Lillian Rogers Parks. Sad to say, I haven't read those memoirs yet, but I hope to soon. Parks (played by Leslie Uggams in the mini-series) worked as a seamstress at the White House. Her mother (played by Olivia Cole on tv) was a housekeeper, I believe. Their tenures at the White House overlapped by about 10 years. Now that I've visited Washington DC multiple times, it might be fun to re-read the novel, or watch the miniseries (released on DVD in the last few years).

West, J. B., and Mary Lynn Kotz. Upstairs at the White House; My Life with the First Ladies. New York: Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, 1973.

The miniseries also piqued my interest in the lives of the First Ladies. I read the two compilations of First Lady biographies that I could find at my local public library. My mom had a copy of J.B. West's Upstairs at the White House at home, so I read that too. West was an usher at the White House from the Truman administration through the Johnson administration. He was chief usher in his later years, where he supervised (well, along with the First Ladies) the running of the White House as a household. He helped the Trumans when they had to move to Blair House for a while, because the White House was literally crumbling around them, and helped Jackie Kennedy on her endeavor to restore the building's interiors to their former glory. One of the things I really liked about reading this was coming across references to "characters" (other ushers) from Backstairs at the White House. The characters were (at least somewhat) based on real people!

I should be clear: both Backstairs and Upstairs weren't just about cleaning the White House, mending things, arranging rooms. There were lots of interactions with and observations of the First Families, the things they experienced, and their different styles, as well as accounts of famous visitors to the White House.

Weidenfeld, Sheila Rabb. First Lady's Lady: With the Fords at the White House. New York: Putnam, 1979.

Next came this book...I found it at a used book store, or going through some of my mother's books. Weidenfeld was Betty Ford's press secretary from 1974 to 1977. Betty Ford was a different kind of First Lady, living in the White House during the 1970's women's movement. She was an active supporter of women's rights, including the Equal Rights Amendment, and spoke about her surgery for breast cancer in 1974. Weidenfeld didn't work for the White House per se, as the other authors did; she worked for Mrs. Ford. So it doesn't give the same kind of view of "everyday life at the White House." But it is a view we rarely see, and the First Lady does deal a lot with the White House itself.

Baldrige, Letitia. A Lady, First: My Life in the Kennedy White House and the American Embassies of Paris and Rome. New York: Viking, 2001.

Clinton, Hillary Rodham. An Invitation to the White House: At Home with History. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000.

Halley, Patrick S. On the Road with Hillary: A Behind-the Scenes Look at the Journey from Arkansas to the U.S. Senate. New York: Viking, 2002.

Mesnier, Roland, and Christian Malard. All the Presidents' Pastries: Twenty-Five Years in the White House: A Memoir. Paris; London: Flammarion; Thames & Hudson [distributor], 2007.

Scheib, Walter, and Andrew Friedman. White House Chef: Eleven Years, Two Presidents, One Kitchen. Hoboken, N.J: J. Wiley, 2007.

Temple, Dottie, and Stan Finegold. Flowers, White House Style. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2002.

And then, there's a big gap in my "behind the scenes at the White House" books. I just didn't come across much published. Probably the first one I read in a long time was Letitia Baldridge's A Lady, First. It's the same Baldridge that wrote etiquette books. I knew from West's book that she was Jackie Kennedy's social secretary. That part of her book was interesting, but I found other parts of her life even more intriguing. She worked for the U.S. embassies in Rome and Paris in the late 1940's and early 1950's. She oversaw public relations at Tiffany's jewelers, before going to work for Kennedy. And after leaving the White House, she opened a public relations firm. I'd recommend this book to people interested in event planning and public relations, as well as the White House.

Big surprise: there are lots of books covering the Clinton years. Hillary Clinton wrote a coffee-table book, An Invitation to the White House, accounts of various events that she planned at the White House. Lots of pictures. I really enjoyed Patrick Halley's On the Road with Hillary (all the more because I bought it from a bargain table). Halley was an "advance man" for Hillary Clinton, meaning he went to the places she was to travel to ahead of her trips, and worked out all kinds of details. He worked not only on her official visits overseas, but on campaign events, for her husband's reelection, and her 2000 Senate race in New York state.

I'm currently reading White House Chef by Walter Scheib, who cooked for both the Clintons and George W. and Laura Bush. This book is heavy on photos, and has a number of recipes (no idea how good the recipes are). There's a fair amount of detail about the workings of the White House kitchen...at first, I could've done with a little less detail on the Clintons' personal dining habits. But now that Scheib has moved on to the Bush years, I find the contrasts between the two families' tastes and working styles very interesting. There is a lot about cooking for big events, as well. Mystery author Julie Hyzy (I reviewed one of her books in this post, who's written two mysteries about a fictional White House chef, acknowledges her debt to Scheib.

I haven't read, but am looking forward to, Meisner's All the Presidents' Pastries. I'm curious what observations a person in such a specialized position, White House pastry chef, might have about the First Families.

I own Flowers, White House Style by former White House florist Dottie Temple, but I haven't read it yet. It's yet another book heavy on pictures, which is what you want in a book about floral arranging! But something about the book, or the arrangements, feels a bit musty to me. Temple's tenure spanned a couple of decades; she started when Nixon was in office, and retired during Reagan's second term.

There are a few other books on this general topic that I want to read: Susan Ford (daughter of Betty and Gerald) has written two "First Daughter" mysteries. And I'll give Entertaining at the White House with Nancy Reagan a shot. What I'm looking forward to in 10 years or more: books on the Obama White House style!