The Congressional Record

I have today done a piece about using the Congressional Record (which covers the US House of Representatives and the US Senate - and is the equivalent, though very different from Hansard in the British Parliament.

You can listen to that piece on Tuesday Afternoon/Evening in the USA - at https://spectrumonair.com

Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time -     2pm                                           Alaska Daylight Time -      4pm

Pacific Daylight Time & Mountain Standard Time - (Los Angeles, Seattle, most of Arizona))    5pm

Mountain Daylight Time - (Denver, Salt Lake City)                                                                      6pm

Central Daylight Time - (Chicago, Memphis, Minneapolis, Dallas, Houston)                              7pm                                    

Eastern Daylight Time (Washington DC, NY, Florida etc)                                                            8pm

It should also be available on demand later this week at https://www.spreaker.com/show/process-people-sources

The Address of the website, which gives access to the Congressional Record is https://www.congress.gov/congressional-record

There is a very useful quick start guide at https://www.congress.gov/content/help/pdf/quickstartguide.pdf

There is an advanced search facility available from 1995 (104th Congress onwards).

Chapter 15 of "House Practice" (the Erskine May for the House of Representatives) has more on the Congressional Record - https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GPO-HPRACTICE-115/ 

Congress and the Presidency

The Rules Committee of the House of Representatives took a look at the relationship between Congress and the Executive Branch.

Click on this link https://www.c-span.org/video/?469936-1/legislative-branch-authority

2020 has arrived - and Washminster has returned!

It takes a long time for a New Year to arrive - It first arrived in Samoa & Christmas Island at 10h00 GMT - Tuesday 31st December. New Zealand saw the New Year in at 11h00. China saw 2020 in at 16h00, and a large part of the European Union at 23h00.

London - which includes Greenwich - where the "Prime Meridian" runs through, welcomed the New Year in, five minutes before this was posted.

However it still has a long journey to go. It will reach the USA at 05h00 but the final welcoming of 2020 will be in parts of the US Minor outlying Islands at Noon on Wednesday (GMT).

Wherever you are reading this - and whether the New Year arrived many hours ago - or is still some time off, may I wish you a Happy New Year.

Washminster is back!

At first the posts may be separated by a few days - as I get back into the rhythm. It's been a long time since I was blogging on a regular basis. You can still look back at some of the earlier posts. The first was made on Wednesday 7th March 2007, and began as an exercise to get me writing on a regular basis, ahead of starting to study for a Ph.D. at the University of Hull. I was working at Westminster at the time , and was able to witness some of the key events of that decade. On the 27th June 2007 I posted a number of times from the Palace of Westminster - as Tony Blair stepped down and power passed to Gordon Brown.

I've posted about the various US Presidential Elections - and reported from Washington at the height of each one.

(Warning - this is me! But I'm pictured with a cardboard cutout of Hillary Clinton - taken in a Democrat campaign office in Fairfax County, Virginia)


Many of my posts were written with my students in mind. But time moves on - and some of the law may no longer be applicable. Certainly the British Constitution has seen many changes in recent months.

So what will the new Washminster look like? It will of course continue to bring news and insights about the British Parliament and the US Congress - but won't stop there. While I continue to follow both - I am also interested in what is happening elsewhere - do expect to read more about the French Parliament; the European Parliament; and politics across Europe (especially France, Greece and The EU), the United States and China.

Much of my time will be spent exploring History - so expect lots of posts about areas that I will have been researching. These will include the ancient history of the very modern city that I live in (Milton Keynes); British History from the re-population of Britain after the last Ice Age to the death on the Battlefield of Bosworth of Richard III; Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome - and China (plus anything else that attracts my interest). I'm looking forward to going to the Troy exhibition at the British Museum - I had intended to go a lot earlier - but was otherwise engaged as a candidate in the Parliamentary constituency of Buckingham. The British Museum is a great place to visit - and is now one of the most places that I visit most frequently in London.

As the year progresses, I also hope to visit a number of interesting places around the UK (and beyond?) - Ill be posting about those too.



Do subscribe to this blog - and send me your comments. I'm hopeful that I'll be able to invite some guests to post for a one-off or even a regular basis.

Just keeping watching this space.

Washminster is go!!!!

For a while this blog has been "resting" - but today marks its relaunch.

The new "Washminster" has the same purpose - to inform and entertain about the workings of democracy - particularly in the British Parliament and US Congress. But whether you are a long subscriber to this blog - or have flicked through the 2226 posts from 2007 to 2015, you'll know that this blog goes much further than those two legislatures.

If you are new to the blog, may I take this opportunity to introduce myself - and my plans for "Washminster".

My interest in politics began when I was very young. My family was never heavily involved in political activity, my parents particularly so. But they did encourage me to take an interest in the world - and both believed passionately in the value of education and the joy of learning. We happened to be on holiday in London the week that the 1970 General Election was called. On the day Parliament was dissolved - we were at the gates of the Palace of Westminster - watching the famous (and less famous) politicians drive (or being driven) out of the Palace to set off on the campaign trail. My father got his first parking ticket that day. We were parked in the street that is now blocked off, but runs between Portcullis House and St Stephen's Pub and the back of 1 Parliament Street. Also there was Cannon Row police station (now Derby Gate entrance to the Parliamentary estate). We stayed too long watching the politicians (including the then little known, Margaret Thatcher) - and earned our ticket. Sitting ducks!!

My father took me to election meetings during that campaign - held by both parties. I met and got the autographs of some of the leading politicians of the day. Only George Brown refused - and a few days later he lost his seat!

It was 1974 that sent my growing interest into overdrive - two elections; and an exciting political year that saw the "three day week"; a minority government; and a second election which gave only the barest of majorities to the Labour Government. By the end of the year I was well  and truly hooked.

During my adult life I have been an academic - teaching both Law (my two specialities being UK Constitutional Law and EU Law) and politics. I've researched the workings of Congress and Parliament - and am currently the Vice-Chair of the UK's "American Politics Group".

But theory and academic observation were never enough for me. I ran twice for the House of Commons; once for the European Parliament. I've worked for Members of Parliament and peers in the House of Lords, and for an MEP (Member of the European Parliament). I've been involved in numerous election campaigns - and "just happened to be" in Washington during the election campaigns of 2004, 2008 and 2012. (my 'eye-witness accounts' can be found on this blog).

Life is less hectic now - but I maintain my interest. I'm a newsaholic - often starting the day with R4's news briefing at 05h30 - and subscribing to the Guardian; Le Monde; the Washington Post and the New York Times. When I'm not reading those I also catch up on other sources of news ranging from the Hill; Politico & RollCall (USA); to Today in Parliament and news from France. I still go down to Westminster - and am looking forward to being in Washington when the race for the presidency is down to just two major candidates.

So what will I be writing about in Washminster? Certainly I'll be commenting upon and explaining some of the practices at Westminster, on Capitol Hill, in the French Parlement and the European Parliament. I love to dig up - and share - obscure facts, or amusing anecdotes. I have loved taking tours around the Palace of Westminster (and the Capitol Building - to give an alternative to the narrative normally given by guides, who delight in telling their version of the burning of the Capitol by the British) - and intend to provide some background about these great buildings and institutions.

I'm happy to respond to questions - or suggestions - so do let me have them. Drop me an email to jdavidmorgan@googlemail.com - and return soon, for I will be posting again this week.

And so back to work....

The summer is over (if you have been in Milton Keynes this last weekend, you'd know how true that is - it has rained, and rained, and rained - and I have been wearing a jumper!). Yesterday was the "Late Summer Bank Holiday", the last Bank Holiday here until Christmas Day.

Next week Parliament returns, and on the following Saturday the result of the Labour Party leadership election will be announced. It's time to put away the summer reading and get back to day to day politics.

Washminster returns - and this is the 2200th post. This blog has been running since March 2007. Do please free to look at some of the previous posts. They can be accessed in date order - or through the search function.

Autumn 2015 looks interesting - in the UK (where the major opposition party chooses a new leader, but faces an uncertain future) - This blog will follow the results - and (as in previous years) report directly from the Labour Party Conference at the end of this month. Parliament will be more closely monitored, as I do further research into the evolution of scrutiny. In the USA the long march to the 2016 elections continues - and who knows what further surprises are in store.

As part of my work, I monitor political stories (particularly relating to the work within legislatures - the UK Parliament; US Congress; French Assemblée nationale and the European Parliament) and teach Constitutional Law. Having twice run for the UK Parliament and once for the European Parliament (and participated in numerous elections - from local councils in the UK to three US Presidential elections) - I maintain a keen interest in the 'nuts and bolts' of elections.

So - whether you are studying Constitutional or EU Law or Political Science - or enjoy viewing politics on a comparative basis - or want to pick up anecdotes about history and politics - do become a regular, and welcome visitor to the Washminster Blog.

...and do tell your friends. Posts you like (or which infuriate you - I love a vigorous debate!) can be posted on Twitter and Facebook.

So here goes for a busy few months!!!!

Back to Westminster

Last Tuesday I was on Capitol Hill, popping into a Congressman's office - before taking lunch with a former member of Congress - then to National Airport to fly home. Yesterday I was in the Palace of Westminster - my first visit of the new Parliament.

In the United Kingdom, Parliament's are usually referred to by the date of their election. So most people will refer to this as the "2015 Parliament". But, like Congress, Parliament's can be known by their number. This is the 56th Parliament of the United Kingdom. The first met in 1801, after the formation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. There was no General Election, but its members were those who had sat in the 18th Parliament of Great Britain, which was elected in 1796. Prior to the numbering of Parliaments of Great Britain (from 1707), Parliaments were known as the xth Parliament of the sitting Monarch. Some of the earlier Parliaments even had nicknames - such as the "Parliament of Devils", which was the 21st Parliament of Henry VI (1459), or the "Parliament of Bats" (1426).

Whilst down there I was able to read some of the excellent material produced by the House of Commons Library - which is also available online. I find the library to be a superb resource - both for academic study of parliament & for following business. More details - and links can be found here.

I didn't go into the gallery for the first day of the committee stage of the European Union Referendum Bill (Day 2 is tomorrow) - but I found the following very useful

Briefing on the Bill
EU exit: impact in key UK policy areas

Legislative Explorer

An article in PS (one of the APSA [American Political Science Association] journals) - "Legislative Explorer: Data-Driven Discovery of Lawmaking" - drew my attention to this interesting and useful application. At first sight it gives a visual representation of how bills make their way (or don't make progress) through Congress. The path of every bill is shown from introduction to its eventual end - which, in a very few cases, involves becoming law. It's a superb visualisation - and as an educator - I really appreciate how representing things in different ways can aid understanding (and assist long-term retention).

But upon a closer look this app has even more uses. It contains data from the 93rd Congress to the present day - about specific Bills (and their passage); and members of Congress. I was playing with it at the weekend and was able to track the movement in ideological position of certain legislators over their career - both in terms of their move on the liberal/conservative scale - and their relative position within each Congress.

The visual contrast between the spread of ideological position within and between parties was also evident from the graphics.

There are also some very useful statistics on the success rates of bills, and you can see how general progress develops of the life of each Congress.

I can see that I'll be using this tool a lot!

You can visit it at http://www.legex.org/app.html

Bipartisanship

I have little time for the view that politicians should bury their differences and "just sort things out." It ignores the reality that there are genuine differences in approach to solving problems - even over whether a matter is a problem or not. The whole idea of democratic institutions is that they are places for genuine differences to be talked through (Parliament - comes from the word "to talk"). Genuine disagreement lies at the very heart of democracy.

But that doesn't mean that there need be lack of civility - or even a "two tribes" approach. I'm now a "retired" politician - and have had many 'vigorous' debates with those I disagree with - but that doesn't mean I regard Tories or Republicans as "the enemy". The enemy are those who would destroy democracy and replace it with a system where those who take decisions are wholly unaccountable; who would deny me (and others) our hard fought for right to think & speak & live freely. I have good friends who are Tories and Republicans.

And so the increasing partisanship in Congress does distress me. Not only is it unnecessary - it puts the people we serve off politics.

I shall be buying the book that the following C-SPAN programme discusses

Oversight in Congress

The Congressional Research Service is part of the Library of Congress. It is a fantastically useful resource for members of both Houses, enabling them to have quality; well researched materials to aid them in their work. As long-term readers of this blog will be aware, I am a huge fan of CRS - and much appreciative of the quality of their staff and their output.

One of their most useful documents is the Congressional Oversight Manual. It both explains the tools of oversight, and is a practical manual. It can be downloaded from -

http://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL30240.pdf

It is also a useful document to reflect upon - how can legislatures (or for that matter any body which exists to ensure that government services are accountable to the people they should be serving - and that includes local councils as well as national legislatures) be effective in their work. What are the issues and the tools?

Washminster is back!

... and thanks for your patience.

A little background. I now run two blogs - "Washminster" which covers matters related to the British Parliament; the US Congress; the European Parliament; and French politics generally. If you look back at previous posts you'll see that I interpret "matters related" very generously. The history behind each of them fascinates me - and helps an understanding of some of the quirks that are associated.

Do have a look at some of the previous posts - this blog has been running for over seven years - and has "reported" on trips to Washington and France - I have been a candidate for the European Parliament and worked part time at Westminster during that period. My paid work now is limited to teaching Law on two Open University courses - so there's quite a legal angle on some issues - and lots of revision and other learning material.

As Washminster revives do send me your comments - and suggestions for topics to post on.

Is Washminster to return?

The return of Washminster - albeit with a slightly different focus - is under active discussion.

It is proposed that the New Washminster will build on its foundations of providing resources on the US Congress; UK Parliament; and UK Legal Studies - and provide background and comment on events within six areas

* The United States (still with a focus on the US Congress)
* The United Kingdom (maintaining a solid foundation of items about the UK Parliament and matters related to UK Law - English Legal System, Constitutional Law, EU Law)
* France
* The European Union
* China
* Matters of International interest

A proposed new logo can be seen above.

Please do make any comments and suggestions.

David

Coverage of the Watergate Hearings

PBS broadcast this programme about TV coverage of the Watergate Hearings.

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The Sausage Machine

Otto von Bismarck is credited with the comment - ""Laws are like sausages, it is better not to see them being made."

Perhaps that comment is understandable - making laws can be messy. As different views are expressed, it can look like endless argument. That is one of the reasons that many voters are put off politics. But it is necessary. In a democracy laws should not be handed down from on high. Members of legislatures are there to express the (very often) quite differing views of citizens. As a consumer I want my rights protected; "sharp" practices outlawed; dangerous products prohibited; and redress if my person or my property is injured by someone else's actions. A business wants "red tape" to be minimised or abolished. A right for me may limit your rights.

These things need to be discussed. Experience and "common sense" may need to be applied to an idea that a policy maker has come up with. Different perspectives need to be applied so that the danger of the "law of unintended consequences" is lessened.

The legislative process may be messy - it may be long - but it is vital. Citizens need to know how law is made - so that they can - when they need to - become involved in the process. They can ask their representative to support or oppose a particular measure - or advise of the consequences which the legislator may not realise. Often citizens only find out about a measure when it is too late to do anything. They might not know how or when to make their views.

Our democracy is enhanced when citizens know how it works.

(There are some excellent online materials available -

Parliament has a webpage dedicated to explaining the UK's legislative process - http://www.parliament.uk/about/how/laws/passage-bill/.

The classic, "How Our Laws Are Made" for the US Congress is available at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CDOC-110hdoc49/pdf/CDOC-110hdoc49.pdf.

There is an informative video about the EU legislative process at http://youtu.be/2OQuvbOAb0o.

The French legislative process is explained on the Assemblee nationale (English) website.)

Shutdown

I should have slept last night, instead (albeit with my eyes closed), I listened to the radio feed of C-SPAN on my iPad. The speeches in the Senate and the House of Representatives were broadcast as the clocks moved towards midnight in Washington. Then at 5am, I heard Louise Slaughter state that the time had come - and the government was now shutting down. After months of argument - the new financial year had begun, and Congress had failed to provide money for it. Congress has proved that it has become a non-functioning body.

How has it come to this?

The roots go back many years. I am not a believer in a mythical "Golden Age" - when politicians were impeccably civil towards each other; when decisions were reached by consensus, without the intrusion of party politics. Politics has always been hard fought. Even the most well mannered gentlemen knew how to push and shove, and play hardball when necessary. Reading Congressional and Parliamentary history is a great antidote to the rose-tinted view of earlier days.

But something has gone badly wrong. We are getting used to seeing political "suicide-bombing". A small group of dedicated ideologues holding a country hostage - and threatening to - (and last night in Congress, actually) - inflicting harm on fellow citizens. There are public servants who will not get paid. They will cut back on their spending threatening others' livelihoods. Holiday makers (sorry Sis, your trip to New York to visit the Statute of Liberty today will be thwarted - as will be your planned visits to the Gettysburg Battlefield Visitor Center and the historic buildings of Philadelphia on the rest of your holiday) - will be disappointed - and foreign visitors like my Sister won't be transferring money earned in Britain into the US economy.

In the UK we have the Eurosceptic fanatics - I don't mean those who have their concerns about the direction and policies of the EU (I respect that and will happily engage in dialogue with them) - I mean the fanatics who are prepared to invent any story to discredit Europe; who are determined to have Britain out "of Europe", whatever the cost in jobs and British influence.

How has this suicidal tendency got itself into our legislatures? I think its worth remembering the words of President Kennedy at his inauguration -

"So let us begin anew—remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.

Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us." It has been forgotten. "No surrender" is the battle cry of the Congressional warriors - but let's remember that that slogan lay behind, and continued for years, the conflict in Northern Ireland. Politicians have got elected on a promise to "take on Washington"; they've portrayed deliberation and negotiation as weakness or selling out. Cross-party working has been shunned. Partisanship has increased. There are many academic explanations of it - and I would thoroughly recommend Sean Theriault's excellent "Party Polarization in Congress". We need to go beyond this - we need to start working on making politics function properly again. That doesn't mean cozy stitch-ups; or an unrealistic denial of the very real differences in opinions about how to solve our common problems - it does mean a greater emphasis on deliberation; on honourable negotiation - a rejection of the view that 'compromise' is weak. It means that politicians should stop listening to un-elected gurus who urge slash and burn tactics - Malcolm Tucker is a fictional character - Lynton Crosby; Damian McBride; Dick Morris; and their ilk are not. Voters should tell the parties that they will punish them if their behaviour continues to deteriorate.

Does Law make a difference?

Each year Parliament (and Congress/the European Union) produces lots of legislation. But does it actually change anything?

Research has established that:

• After smokefree legislation was introduced  in England, there was a significant drop in  non-smoking adults’ exposure to  secondhand smoke.

• Hospital admissions for heart attacks  dropped significantly, with 1,200 fewer  admissions in the first year following  legislation (after controlling for other  factors), saving the NHS £8.4 million.

• Emergency hospital admissions for asthma  among adults dropped significantly, with  1,900 fewer admissions in each of the first  three years following legislation.
You can read the research paper here.

You'd expect then that if law can change things - then people who profit from the existing position will seek to influence lawmakers and policy makers not to act. And that's where multi-million pound lobbying operations come in. [Just think of the implication of this - people who profit from killing and injuring others are trying to influence our representatives to put their commercial interests above the life and health of people who can't afford a skilled & well paid lobbying organisation to speak up for them]

The University of Bath (Institute for Policy Research) has produced a brief on the political strategies being used by tobacco companies to reduce the impact of these findings on public policy - and to hold up or defeat legislation that might produce similar effects.

The Institute's research paper can be accessed here.

Law can make a difference - and so who is influencing the decision makers, and how - is a matter we should all be concerned about.

The New Football Season

The 2012 American Football season kicks off today with Dallas Cowboys playing the New York Giants – as many readers of this blog will know (and the title might give a clue), I’m a Washington Redskins fan. Their first game is on Sunday in New Orleans.

I’m a subscriber to NFL’s Game Pass – so most Sunday evenings I’ll be watching like on my Desktop computer – or more likely these days – on my iPad. Should I be otherwise engaged (for example during the Sunday evening of the Labour Party Conference, I can watch later. Being the total nerd that I am, I will have my recently purchased “2012 Official NFL Record and Fact Book” at my side.

I also have on my iPhone and iPad the “NFL ’12” and “Official Redskins Feedr” Apps – and of course – as is my practice – I read the sports news in the Washington Post (also through an iPad App.

What is it that I find interesting about this game? It was the references to American Football in political speeches which first attracted my interest (Nixon and Reagan often made references!), but I enjoy the strategic aspects of the game – (hopefully) marching up the field using a series of carefully planned moves – each team trying to outsmart the other. In many ways so much like politics. I even keep my own “playbook” – plays that have been used in Parliament, and particularly Congress (where the scope for innovative procedural tactics is much greater) in order to advance or halt legislative progress.



Are you an American Football fan? Which team do you support? If you'd like to tell fellow readers of Washminster what attracts you to the game - or why you support a particular team - drop me a short piece on jdavidmorgan@washminster.com - which I can then repost here.

Coming Soon....

Washminster will return on Saturday 1st September. Initially I am aiming for a post, on average, every other day - but this will increase shortly. Please do pass the message on about the return of this blog.

In particular this blog should be of interest to those

* who are studying Law and Politics - particularly of the US and the UK
* who enjoy British history
* who enjoy US history
* who are interested in French and EU Government, politics and history
* who enjoying thinking about the practical application of political ideas
* who take an interest in UK, US & French election

so if any of those describe YOU - please subscribe to Washminster. If they describe any of your friends or students - drop them an email - or post about Washminster on Facebook or Twitter.

Many thanks

David

Far from Perfection

As I speak these words into my voice recorder, the sky is a beautiful shade of blue; there are no clouds; and the trees across the Capitol Hill park are various shades of green. Pink and white bloom abounds. The bright sunshine reflects off the dome of the Capitol Buiding and all seems peaceful and magical. Yet this same building is coming under attack by people who want to throw out the Senators and Representatives.


One thing is clear - there is a distrust, even a hatred, of the current political settlement. Citizens want to hold those who take powerful decisions accountable. Yet politicians seem incapable of standing up against the well paid lobbyists. The members of Congress seem to be in hock to the very corporations that they should be controlling.

In the temples of democracy there has been stalemate for many years. Very little is being achieved - the House of Representatives is merrily passing legislation that it knows that the Senate and the president will reject. It's all gesture politics.

To find a solution we need to have a deep reflection on the health of our democracy - here in the United States but also in my own country of birth the United Kingdom and across Europe. Democracies and those in the legislatures seem to be further and further removed from the people they represent. One of the key causes may be that as democracy has flourished it has become more and more important that the political messages are got across to the electorate. That costs money and without state funding it is coming from the pockets of wealthy individuals and corporations. These are not something for nothing deals. The rich and powerful want their views represented and acted upon. That may be against the interests of the rest of us.

We have to face up to the challenge that democracy needs active citizen involvement. Without it our democracy slides into a rough market place where many "citizens" can only look on - frustrated and angry.
 
[Recorded in the Capitol Grounds - Friday morning]

What's the point of law?

A big question indeed - and there are many who argue that Congress and Parliament should actually do LESS legislating. I don't agree with the premise which lies behind some expressions of that view. There is a belief that the less government the better. My take on history is that when government has been inactive, the economy has gone bad (1930s & recent years); lack of regulation has led to disastrous scandals (see the Banking Crisis) and the powerful and unscrupulous have been free to exploit everyone else. But I'm entitled to my opinion - as you are to yours.

However it is a legitimate concern that "poor legislation" has been produced - or that the Courts (who also make Law) produce decisions which can have a serious detrimental impact on society and democracy.

But why do we use law? It is a tool to regulate, even change behaviour. Actions which society wishes to discourage can be prohibited (or failure to do positive actions discouraged) by providing for criminal sanctions. It can provide a framework for relationships - such as the law of contract. It can be a useful exercise to analyse legislation.

What is the provision doing? - does it grant a power; or impose a duty. Does it prohibit certain actions?
Why is the provision there? - what was Parliament/Congress seeking to achieve?
How else could this objective be met? - is a law the only answer? could economic incentives lead to similar results?

How far to Congress?

While researching my post for last Tuesday, I discovered a website that allows you to calculate the distance between any two places on earth. As the world is round, a straight line on a map is of no use. Instead, for longer distances it is necessary to know the "Great Circle" distance between two points. The calculator is available below -

http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/calculators#distance

The Latitude and Longitude for the US Congress is 38°53'23"N , 77°00'27"W
(in decimal format that is Latitude: 38.88972222222 Longitude: -77.0075)

So as I write this, I am 3,636.8 miles or 5,852.912 kilometres from the Capitol Building. I have walked the 25 miles from the Mount Vernon Estate to the steps of the Senate (see these videos - starting here and continuing by pressing 'older posts' ) - but neither my swimming nor walking is up to the full journey from home