We have had many notable individuals come and visit us at Ideas in Motion Media, but it isn’t often that we get a repeat guest. Congressman Pete Visclosky was at the Ideas in Motion Media headquarters recently and spoke with Chris Mahlmann in an interview in our video studio. Visclosky first came in 2010 and again earlier in 2012 and was one of the first elected officials to come and speak with us.
Visclosky has a proactive personality. He believes in the importance of communication and often uses electronic media such as Facebook, Twitter, and his own website to keep a strong, informed connection to the community. However, Visclosky also believes the old school approach of face-to-face interactions is still the best way to communicate.
“I do think it’s important in representative government for me to stay in touch and for the 710,000 people that I represent to be able to stay in touch with me. Sometimes it’s literally touching you at a pancake breakfast at St. Mary’s church in Crown Point, VFW Chili Dinner, whatever it may be. On the other hand, people communicate differently today. They communicate through the Internet, through Facebook, through Twitter. It is my responsibility, I feel, to reach out to those individuals to make myself available in that media and to hear back from them in that media. Life evolves, so don’t get stuck," Visclosky said.
Visclosky often attends town forums. He did 24 forums in five counties during a one week-long period this year alone. There, he interacted with individuals directly and received feedback about changes they would like to see, concerns, and personal views. At the forums, he is able to get a sense of what people are dealing with on a day-to-day basis. What made the forums special this year was that they were recorded and put online with a link that people could use to ask questions or relay concerns. It was very helpful for those with busy lives and work schedules because this way they would still be able to participate and be informed.
Beyond working with busy schedules, Visclosky makes it a point to reach out to those who are unable to communicate due to economic or financial reasons.
“I have a responsibility to try to hear those I’ll never hear from,” Visclosky said. “I always use Medicaid recipients compared to Medicare recipients. For Medicaid, for those who are indigent in our society, they’re just trying to get through today. They may not even know who their representative is. If they do, they may have lost hope that it’s going to make any difference. So I have that responsibility, on top of everything else. I do think that the Internet has been a fabulous opportunity to make sure all of those 700,000 people have that chance. Even for people who may not have the financial wherewithal, obviously you have access to our public library and other types of public offices.”
Often when one turns to a mass media outlet, people are bombarded by messages showing politicians at odds with each other. This can lead to dissension throughout a community. Mahlmann posed the question of whether the political banter was true or just bogus media fodder?
“This is why ValpoLife is important, because I do draw a distinction between media and news. Unfortunately, and I hate to stereotype, but most national news today, with the exception of PBS and a couple of other rare exceptions, is what I characterize as media. It’s four people at a counter giving their opinion on a snippet of what may be news. Some of it is just factually incorrect and for all practical purposes I’ve stopped watching it. Get the facts straight,” Visclosky said. “With facilities such as ValpoLife and local media, you’re trying to at least get facts out, and we may disagree, but you get the truth.”
Visclosky said that the media has been very destructive toward the political process. He goes on to tell about how he is on the Appropriations Committee, which is charged with funding the operation of the government. He said that they spend about $1 out of every $3 that is expended by the federal government, but this is what runs the government. This year the budget was passed with a Republican house and a Democratic Senate and President, and all twelve of their bills were negotiated, and all budget targets met. Visclosky finds that being able to work with people with different views is an integral part of being a successful leader. He works very well with Mayor James Snyder of Portage, and Mayor Jon Costas of Valparaiso and they are both Republicans, whereas Visclosky is a Democrat.
“In Northwest Indiana perception does lag reality,” Visclosky said. “People are getting along and cooperating to a greater degree than before. Do we have farther to go? Sure. But there is more of that going on, and I have not found that to be an impediment. Those who tend to have their feet just stuck in the ground and unable to move tend to go away.”
The region is going through many drastic changes at the moment, and many of them are good. Visclosky said that he was very pleased with reapportionment.
“I look at the First Congressional District as strong for the next ten years, having essentially the western quarter of La Porte County, and now all of Porter County and Lake County. Porter County was not in the First District until this year. It just makes incredible sense. As they describe it, you have all of the industry along the shoreline. It’s all in one district now!” Visclosky exclaimed.
It makes sense demographically as well. Visclosky went on to tell of the demographics of Michigan City being nearly identical to that of Lake County. The First District is now all on one time zone which brings another element of commonality to the mix. It’s tied to the Chicago Metropolitan Area, and linked by the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District. Though the communities throughout Northwest Indiana are similar, each has a distinct uniqueness to be proud of.
“Chicago’s economy is larger that Switzerland’s,” Visclosky stated. “We want to maintain our own identity. It is time we truly make an effort to connect ourselves to take advantage of that economy and to build a job base here.”
Mahlmann mentioned that many think the city of Gary must succeed in order for the surrounding towns and cities to succeed. People from all over are reaching out to help push Gary to a better place. What seems to be the biggest obstacle, Visclosky stated, is the development of the Gary Airport. The only thing that keeps this from happening is the finalizing the contracts of three railroads, which need to relocate at the end of the runway so that federal money can then be used to start making improvement. This is crucial to economic growth and development in Gary.
“I’ve had my heart broken before. I’ve had my hopes raised, but I think that this is the real deal,” Visclosky said fervently. "I think that Mayor Freeman-Wilson is a very bright individual. She ran three times to be the Mayor of Gary. So that sense of dedication and wanting to do something with the job and not for personal endorsement leads me to believe she’ll be successful. People want to help Gary.”
It was a very eye-opening interview and this gives all who read and watch it something to think about. We hope to see Congressman Visclosky next again very soon!