Sounds like Harder had fun on his first day

If you were watching CNN Thursday, chances are you got to see quite a bit of our new Congressman, Josh Harder.

You had to look close, though. He was one of those standing behind Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the white-suited darling of the media.

Behind Ocasio-Cortez? No, insisted Harder, “she was standing in front of me.”

Perhaps they should be paying more attention to Harder and representatives like him. Not because he’s looking to cause trouble, but because he’s likely a vital swing vote. Coming from a decidedly purple district – one in which Democrats slightly outnumber Republicans, but in which Republicans vote more frequently than Democrats – Harder will be more, uh, pragmatic on issues. So we hope.

“Forty of us won in districts previously held by Republicans,” said Harder on his first day as a Congressman. “We’re the people interested in getting stuff done. ... Bipartisan districts will be key.”

What kind of stuff?

Foremost, is getting government running again by ending the Trump shutdown.

“I heard from a TSA agent today who lives in Modesto who is furloughed,” said Harder. “She doesn’t know how she will pay the rent. These are the people who were securing our nation. Now they’re not working.” That’s because Trump won’t sign an appropriations bill (passed 100-0 by the Senate two weeks ago) unless it includes $5 billion for his ego wall. Democrats insist that won’t protect the nation from anyone with a tall-enough ladder.

What will Harder concentrate on?

That’s not yet certain. He wants to work on issues important in his district – healthcare, ag, education, etc. But he’s going to have to wait for any committee assignments. “Ideally, it would have been done by now,” he said. And then he showed a little Millennial impatience. “Imagine how things worked back in the 1800s; that’s largely how (committee assignments) are working today,” he said.

He had to write a letter detailing his preferences and send it “to all 435 offices.” Then they’re collected, sorted by region and sent to the steering committee. Then to the policy committee and then ... well, you get the picture. It’s a process.

Interestingly, Harder is already starting the real work of every Congressperson – getting re-elected. An email from his team went out Thursday saying Harder was already under attack from the National Republican Congressional Committee ... and could you please send $10 or $20 or maybe $200 to help him respond.

TOM McCLINTOCK sent a letter to the Acting Secretary of the Interior (one of six “actors” running the Trump show) praising Aramark for maintaining Yosemite National Park’s bathrooms and picking up park garbage – jobs normally done by Park Service employees. McClintock wants those duties added to the “essential list” because unsanitary visitors are creating a human health hazard. We’ve got a better solution: Vote to end the shutdown and get the entire government up and running.