She wrote a letter to the chairman and asked for permission to speak against the motion. He sent back a courteous reply, reminding her she would be allowed only five minutes and wishing her luck.
Buchanan spoke with great emotion to a silent chamber and used his five minutes with the skill of a professional House man. Florentyna thought him the worst sort of backwoodsman and as he spoke added some notes to her carefully prepared speech. When Buchanan sat down, Sandra Read was recognized and she made a powerful case against the amendment although she was regularly interrupted by noisy comments from the floor. A third speaker added nothing to the debate, simply reiterating the words of Robert Buchanan, to be sure his views were on the record and in his local newspaper. Speaker Albert then recognized the distinguished gentlewoman from Illinois. Florentyna rose with some trepidation and made her way to the speaking rostrum in the well of the House, trying to keep her hands from trembling too noticeably.
“Mr. Speaker, I must apologize to the House for rising for the first time to address members on a note of controversy, but I cannot support the amendment for several reasons.” Florentyna started talking about the role of a mother who wanted to continue a professional career. She proceeded to outline the reasons why Congress should not adopt the amendment. She was aware of being nervous and unusually inarticulate and after a minute or so noticed that Buchanan and the other Republican who had spoken earlier were now holding a heated discussion which encouraged some of the other members in the chamber to talk among themselves while others left their seats to chat with colleagues. Soon the noise reached such a pitch that Florentyna could hardly hear the sound of her own voice. Suddenly in the middle of a sentence, she stopped and stood in silence.
The Speaker banged his gavel and asked if she had yielded her time to anyone.
She turned to Carl Albert and said, “No, Mr. Speaker, I do not intend to continue.”
“But the distinguished member was in the middle of a sentence.”
“Indeed I was, Mr. Speaker, but it has become obvious to me that the two gentlemen from the opposite side of the House are only interested in the sound of their own voices and not in anyone else’s views.” Buchanan rose to object but was gaveled down as out of order by the Speaker. Uproar broke out and members who had never noticed her before stared at Florentyna.
She remained at the rostrum as the Speaker banged his gavel over and over. When the noise died down, Florentyna continued. “I am aware, Mr. Speaker, that it takes several years in this place before one can hope to get anything done, but I had not realized that it might take as many years before anyone would have the good manners to listen to what one had to say.”
Once again pandemonium broke out while Florentyna stood silently clutching on to the rostrum. She was now trembling from head to toe. Eventually the Speaker brought the chamber to order.
“The honorable member’s point is well taken,” he said, staring down at the two offenders, who looked more than a little embarrassed. “I have mentioned this problem to the House on several occasions. It has taken a new member to remind us how discourteous we have become. Perhaps the distinguished gentlewoman from Illinois would now like to resume.” Florentyna checked the point she had reached in her notes. The House sat in expectant silence.
She was about to speak when a hand rested firmly on her shoulder. She turned to see a smiling Sandra Read. “Sit down. You’ve beaten them all. If you speak now it can only spoil the effect you’ve created. As soon as the next speaker rises, leave the chamber immediately.” Florentyna nodded, yielded her time and returned to her seat.
Speaker Albert recognized the next speaker and Florentyna walked toward the Speaker’s gallery exit with Sandra Read. When they reached the doors Sandra left her with the words, “Well done. Now you’re on your own.”
Florentyna did not understand what Sandra meant until she walked into the lobby and found herself surrounded by reporters.
“Can you step outside?” asked an interviewer from CBS. Florentyna followed him to where she was met by television cameras, reporters and flash bulbs.
“Do you think the Congress is a disgrace?”
“Will your stand help the pro-choice advocates?”
“How would you change the procedure?”
“Did you plan the whole exercise?”
Question after question came flying at Florentyna and before the evening was out, Senator Mike Mansfield, the Democratic Majority Leader in the Senate, had called to congratulate her and she had been asked by Barbara Walters to appear on the “Today” show.
The next day the Washington Post’s version of events in the chamber made it sound as though Florentyna had caused a declaration of war. Richard called to read the caption underneath her photograph on the front page of The New York Times: “Woman of courage arrives in Congress,” and as the morning wore on it became obvious that Congresswoman Kane had become famous overnight because she hadn’t made a speech. Phyllis Mills, a representative from Pennsylvania, warned her the following day that she had better choose her next subject carefully because the Republicans would be lying in wait for her with sharpened knives.
“Perhaps I should quit while I’m ahead,” said Florentyna.
When the initial furor had subsided and her mail had dropped from a thousand letters per week back to the usual three hundred, Florentyna began to settle down to building a serious reputation. In Chicago, that reputation was aleady growing, which she learned from her biweekly visits. Her constituents were coming to believe that she could actually influence the course of events. This worried Florentyna because she was quickly discovering how little room a politician had for maneuvering outside the established guidelines. At a local level, however, she felt that she was able to help people who were often simply overwhelmed by a bureaucratic system. She decided to add another staff member to the Chicago office to handle the heavy load of work.
Richard was delighted to see how rewarding Florentyna found her new career and tried to take as much pressure off her as possible when it came to the day-to-day business of the Baron Group. Edward Winchester helped considerably by assuming some of the responsibilities, both in New York and Chicago, which otherwise would have fallen on her. In Chicago, Edward had gained considerable sway in the smoke-filled rooms as Mayor Daley recognized the need for a new breed of political operatives in the wake of the 1972 Presidential election. It seemed Daley’s old supporters were coming to terms with Florentyna’s future. Richard Kane was full of praise for Edward’s contribution as a member of the Baron board and was already considering inviting him to join Lester’s as well.
No sooner had Florentyna completed her first year in Congress than she complained to Richard that she would soon have to start campaigning again.
“What a crazy system that sends you to the House for only two years; no sooner have you settled into the place than you have to recycle the campaign bumper stickers.”
“How would you change it?” asked Richard.
“Well, senators are in a far better position, coming up for election only every six years, so I think I would make congressional terms at least four years in length.”
When she repeated her grouse to Edward in Chicago, he was sympathetic but pointed out that in her case she didn’t look as if she would have any real opposition from the Democrats or the Republicans.
“What about Ralph Brooks?”
“He seems to have his eye firmly set on the State’s Attorney’s office since his recent marriage. Perhaps with his wife’s social background she doesn’t want to see him in Washington politics.”
“Don’t believe it,” said Florentyna. “He’ll be back.”
In September, Florentyna flew to New York and, together with Richard, drove William up to Concord, New Hampshire, to start his fifth-form year at St. Paul’s. The car was packed with more stereo equipment, Rolling Stones records and athletic gear than books. Annabel was now in her first year at the Madeira School, just outside Washington, so she could
be near her mother but still showed no interest in wanting to follow Florentyna to Radcliffe.
Florentyna was disappointed that Annabel’s sole interests always seemed to center on boys and parties. Not once during the holidays did she discuss her progress at school or even open a book. She avoided her brother’s company and would even change the subject whenever William’s name came up in conversation. It became more obvious every day that she was jealous of her brother’s achievements.
Carol did the best she could to keep her occupied, but on two occasions Annabel disobeyed her father and once returned home from a date hours after she had agreed.
Florentyna was relieved when the time came for Annabel to return to school as she decided not to overreact to her daughter’s holiday escapades. She hoped it was nothing more than an adolescent stage Annabel was passing through.
Struggling to survive in a man’s world was nothing new for Florentyna and she began her second year in Congress with considerably more confidence than a year earlier. Life at the Baron had been a little sheltered in comparison with politics. After all, she had been the chairman of the Group and Richard had always been there by her side. Edward was quick to point out that perhaps having to fight a little harder than any man was no bad preparation for the time when she would have to face new rivals. When Richard asked her how many of her colleagues she considered capable of holding down a place on the board of the Baron Group, she had to admit that there were very few.
Florentyna enjoyed her second year far more than her first, and there were many highlights: in February she successfully sponsored a bill which exempted from any taxation scientific publications selling fewer than ten thousand copies per issue. In April she fought several provisions in the President’s budget proposals and in May she and Richard received an invitation to a reception at the White House for Queen Elizabeth II of England. But the most pleasing aspect of the whole year was the feeling that she was actually influencing issues that affected her constituents’ lives.
The invitation that gave her the most pleasure that year came from Transportation Secretary William Coleman to see the tall ships entering New York Harbor in honor of the Bicentennial. It reminded her that America also had a history she could be proud of.
In all, it was a memorable year for Florentyna, the only sad event, the death of her mother, who had been afflicted with respiratory trouble for many months. More than a year earlier, Zaphia had dropped out of Chicago life, at the very moment when she had been dominating the society columns. She had told Florentyna as far back as 1968, when she had brought the revolutionary Saint-Laurent show to the Windy City, “These new fashions simply don’t compliment a woman of my age.” After that she was rarely seen at any of the major charity events and her name soon began to disappear from the embossed note paper used for such galas. She was happy to spend hours listening to stories about her grandchildren and she often offered a word of motherly advice that her daughter had grown to respect.
Florentyna had wanted a quiet funeral. As she stood by the grave with her son and daughter on each side of her, listening to the words of Father O’Reilly, she realized that she could no longer hope for privacy, even in death. As the coffin was lowered into the grave the flash bulbs continued to pop until the earth had completely covered the wooden casket and the last of the Rosnovskis was buried.
During the final few weeks before the Presidential election, Florentyna spent more of her time in Chicago, leaving Janet in Washington to run the office. After Representative Wayne Hays admitted paying a member of his staff $14,000 a year in salary even though she could not type a word and did not answer the phone, Janet and Louise asked for a raise.
“Yes, but Miss Ray is supplying a service for Mr. Hays that I have not yet found necessary in my office,” said Florentyna.
“But the problem in this office is the other way around,” said Louise.
“What do you mean?” asked Florentyna.
“We spend our life being propositioned by members who think we’re a Capitol Hill perk.”
“How many members have propositioned you, Louise?” said Florentyna, laughing.
“Over a hundred,” said Louise.
“And how many did you accept?”
“Three,” said Louise, grinning.
“And how many propositioned you?” said Florentyna, turning to Janet.
“Three,” said Janet.
“And how many did you accept?”
“Three,” said Janet.
When the three women had stopped laughing, Florentyna said, “Well, perhaps Joan Mondale was right. What the Democrats do to their secretaries, the Republicans do to the country. You both get a raise.”
Edward turned out to be accurate about her selection; she had been unopposed as the Democratic candidate, and the primary for the Ninth District was virtually a steal. Stewart Lyle, who ran again as the Republican candidate, admitted privately to her that he now had little chance. “Re-elect Kane” stickers seemed to be everywhere.
Florentyna looked forward to a new session of Congress with a Democratic President in the White House. The Republicans had selected Jerry Ford after a tough battle with Governor Reagan, and the Democrats had chosen Jimmy Carter, a man she had barely heard of until the New Hampshire primary.
Ford’s primary battle against Ronald Reagan did not enhance the President’s cause and the American people had still not forgiven him for pardoning Nixon. On the personal front, Ford seemed incapable of avoiding naïve mistakes such as bumping his head on helicopter doors and falling down airplane steps. And during a television debate with Carter, Florentyna sat horrified when he suggested that there was no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe. “Tell the Polish people that,” Florentyna said indignantly to the small screen.
The Democratic candidate committed his share of mistakes as well, but in the end, it seemed to Richard that Carter’s image as an anti-Washington evangelical Christian, when viewed against the problems Ford had inherited from his links with Nixon, would be enough to give Carter the election by a small margin.
“Then why was I returned with an increased majority?” Florentyna demanded.
“Because many Republicans voted for you but not for Carter.”
“Were you among them?”
“I plead the Fifth Amendment.”
Chapter
Twenty-Eight
Richard wore a smart dark suit but was sorry the President had insisted that no one wear a cutaway. The Kane family watched the new President deliver a speech that lacked the charisma of Kennedy or the wisdom of Roosevelt, but its simple message of Christian honesty above all else captured the mood of the moment. America wanted a decent, homespun man in the White House and everyone was willing him to succeed. President Ford sat on his immediate left and President Nixon was conspicuously absent. Florentyna felt the tone for Carter’s Administration was set with the words:
“I have no dream to set forth today, but rather urge a fresh faith in the old dream. We have learned that ‘more’ is not necessarily ‘better’ that even our great nation has recognized limits, and that we can neither answer all questions nor solve all problems.”
The Washington crowds were delighted when the new President, the First Lady and their daughter Amy walked down Pennsylvania Avenue hand in hand to the White House, and it was obvious that the Secret Service was quite unprepared for such a break with tradition.
“Dancer is on the move,” said one of them over his two-way radio. “God help us if we are going to have four years of spontaneous gestures.”
That evening the Kanes attended one of the seven People’s Parties, as Carter had named them, to commemorate the inauguration. Florentyna was dressed in a new Gianni di Ferranti gown of white faintly threaded with gold, keeping the camera bulbs flashing. During the evening she and Richard were both introduced to the President, who seemed to Florentyna to be as shy in person as he was in public.
When Florentyna took her seat on the floor of the chamber for
the start of the 95th Congress, it felt like returning to school, with all the backslapping, handshaking, hugging and noisy discussion about what the members had done during the recess.
“Glad to see you won again.”
“Was it a hard campaign?”
“Don’t imagine you’ll be able to select your own committees now that Mayor Daley is dead.”
“What did you think of Jimmy’s address?”
The new Speaker, Tip O’Neill, took his place in the center of the podium, banged his gavel, called everyone to order and the whole process began again.
Florentyna had moved up two places on the Appropriations Committee, following one retirement and one defeat since the last election. She now understood how the committee system worked but still feared it would be many years and many elections before she made any real headway for the causes she espoused. Richard had suggested she concentrate on a field in which she could gain more public recognition and she had wavered between abortion and tax reform. Richard counseled against too close an association with abortion and reminded her of how her colleagues referred to Elizabeth Holtzman as “Congressperson Holtzperson.” Florentyna agreed in principle but was no nearer deciding what her special subject should be when the subject chose itself.
A debate of the Defense Appropriations bill was taking place on the floor of the House, and Florentyna sat listening as the chamber casually discussed the allocation of billions of dollars on defense spending. She did not sit on the Defense Subcommittee on which Robert C. L. Buchanan was the ranking Republican, but she was deeply interested in his opinions. Buchanan was reminding the House that Defense Secretary Brown had recently asserted that the Russians now had the capability to destroy American satellites in space. Buchanan went on to demand that the new President spend more money on defense and less in other areas. Florentyna still considered Buchanan the worst sort of conservative fool and in a moment of anger rose to challenge him. Everyone in the chamber remembered their last confrontation and knew that Buchanan would have to allow her to put her case.