Columnist Benjamin Grove: During vacations, politicians’ work just starting

Benjamin Grove

Friday, May 31, 2002 | 4:57 a.m.

AS THE REST of the nation dragged itself back to work after the Memorial Day weekend, Capitol Hill was quiet.

Lawmakers in Congress took the week off, as they often do for holidays. They get a lot of time off -- this year about 10 weeks between the opening gavel on Jan. 23 and the target date for adjournment, Oct. 4

(Congress took the first three weeks of January off as part of the traditional winter break before the year's session begins, and lawmakers hope to finish their work and split town this fall for a month of intense campaigning before Election Day.)

Congressional recesses include two weeks off for Passover and Easter in March and April; a week for Memorial Day; a week for the Fourth of July; and three weeks in August for a traditional summer break.

And that's just the holiday time. Many lawmakers, especially those from the West, often use Mondays and Fridays -- when business is light in Congress -- to travel back and forth between their districts and Washington, leaving just Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for legislative work.

What do federal lawmakers do with their time?

They rarely take vacations. Voters expect lawmakers to work in their districts, outside the Beltway. And for the most part they do.

Lawmakers attend ceremonies, take appointments and visit schools back in their states. They "connect" with voters.

They also campaign and raise money.

During election years, these precious -- and numerous -- breaks in the congressional calendar are even more important for politicians. That's especially true this year as Democrats and Republicans duke it out for control of the House and Senate, both of which are nearly evenly split.

Last week was critical for politicians scrambling for campaign cash. It was their last full week off before a key June 30 deadline for reporting campaign donations. At that point lawmakers hope to boast of their bursting coffers.

Here's what Nevada's four lawmakers in Congress were up to last week while they were away from the Capitol:

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., had a busy schedule that included three Memorial Day ceremonies, a Special Olympics opening and a trip Tuesday to Salt Lake City for anti-Yucca Mountain lobbying. Reid was scheduled to appear today in Denver at a similar event.

Reid also spun through a whirlwind of seven fund-raising appearances Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in the San Francisco and Los Angeles areas. The events mostly benefited the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which is working furiously to maintain its one-seat edge.

Reid was among the major draws for 500 guests when a new Silicon Valley group, Bay Area Dems, held its first event Tuesday at the historic Merchants' Exchange Building in San Francisco, news reports said. Later Tuesday Reid joined nine other Senate Democrats at a $1 million fund-raiser at Palo Alto's four-star Mediterranean Zibibbo Restaurant.

Reid on Friday then stumped for Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., at her official campaign kickoff in Las Vegas.

Berkley had a busy week herself. Amid numerous meetings and Memorial Day events, and addressing the National Association of Women Business Owners, Berkley attended two fund-raising luncheons in Las Vegas and will attend two more today in New York City.

Even Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., who has no serious opposition in his re-election bid, attended a small fund-raiser in his honor during the week, amid visits to Northern Nevada businesses and a drive down desolate Interstate 80 for town hall meetings in Fernley, Winnemucca and Lovelock.

And Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., who doesn't even run again for four years and typically spends congressional breaks with his family, squeezed in one fund-raiser last week, an aide said.

Begging for cash is never fun, lawmakers say, but in modern-day politics, it's part of the job. Even during vacations away from Washington, a politician's work is never done.