WSJ: Washington has a secret club whose members rule America

22 June 2018, 20:37 | Policy
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In Washington, where people willingly charge themselves and gossip, where almost no conversation is protected from publicity, on the Capitol Hill there is one bastion of secrecy.

This is written by the journalists of The Wall Street Journal, Janet Hook and Natalie Andrews.

"The Chowder and Marching Club (" The Club of the Chowder and the Marching Club ". ), chowder - a dish of American cuisine. - Prim. red. ) is surrounded by such a dense cover of secrecy that its members do not want to recognize even the fact of its existence, "reads the article. "I do not even know what you're talking about," said Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, member of the House of Representatives..

"When she was reminded that in 2014 she posted on Twitter her photo in a chef's hat and striped apron with the emblem of Chowder and Marching - the attire worn on banquets in the club, she admitted her oversight," write the authors. "Probably after that they strangled me," said a member of the Congress. - Chowder's first rule: "We do not talk about Chowder".

"Chowder and Marching Club - the union of former and current members of the House of Representatives - Republicans, you can join it only by invitation, it exists almost 70 years. Members of the club meet in the evening on Wednesdays in the US Capitol. Every few years, members gather for a banquet, dressed up in aprons and funny caps, "the authors report..

In confidential interviews, the publication managed to find out: meetings are held weekly during the sessions of the House of Representatives, they are drunk, have supper, and also talk about politics and political courses. The origin of the name of the club is unclear.

The club was founded in 1949 by two future US presidents - Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, at that time - members of the House of Representatives. The history department of this body claims that the club came about when young lawmakers rallied against the bill on veteran pension.

The club does not have a specific agenda. "It's not that laws come from it," said an anonymous source.

The publication writes: "The goal of the club is just to provide legislators - both young and mature - a platform for meetings, networking and chattering. The number of members is several dozen; annually it is increased by invitation. Legislators, regardless of ideology, select a handful of newly elected members of the House of Representatives, who, apparently, expect a promising career in the Congress ".

"The second rule of the club: a member of the Chowder are once and for all. Legislators who move from the House of Representatives to the Senate or to the posts of governors (or even the private sector) are always happy to see at meetings, "write the authors.

According to the publication, the club is dominated by "traditional Republicans and powerful persons, including chairmen of committees of the House of Representatives and persons from the leadership of the Republican faction in the Senate," reads the article.



"In Washington, President Trump Club serves as a refuge for the old Republican guards," said one member of his seniority, a meeting place for politicians who have a love of politics and government, although now such love is out of fashion,.

One legislator spoke of the club in a subjunctive mood: "If I were in Chowder and Marching, then probably this would be a place where some could come and talk about political events in their state and district". Then he confessed: "We can conduct a frank conversation at a very high level, not only about the issues that we are working on, but also about the fundamental political environment in which we operate".

Source: InoPressa.




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