Washington was ‘great’ 20 years ago, ‘but I sure don't want to be there now,’ ex-congressman says

Former Republican Congressman Dan Miller spoke on Wednesday afternoon in Bradenton about the polarizing modern world of U.S. politics and what the future in Washington may look like.

Miller, who served in Congress from 1993 to 2003, spoke at the Manatee County’s Bar Association luncheon at Pier 22 about wave elections, the way Democrats and Republicans tend to operate as members of Congress, and personal losses he experienced during his time as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

“I’m so glad I term-limited myself, but of course, I miss it. It was a great experience to have 10 years of your life to be in Washington and in the central part of our government,” Miller said to the room. “But I sure don’t want to be there now.”

Miller spoke about the tense environment at the nation’s capital and how an impending wave election, when the minority party makes big gains, may be upon us soon.

He pointed to three wave elections that have occurred over the past 25 years. The first, Miller said, was in 1994, two years after President Bill Clinton was first elected.

“I was there and people were mad at Clinton over the gun vote and spending bills and so Republicans energized and turned up the vote and they took control of the House and the Senate,” he said.

Fast forward 12 years and in 2006, two years after President George W. Bush was re-elected, people were “mad as hell” at Bush over the Iraq War and Hurricane Katrina, Miller said.

“So people came out and voted against anybody who was a Republican, and Democrats took control of the House and Senate,” he said. “I knew a lot of people who lost that year. Good, moderate Republicans but they had an ‘R’ after their name and lost.”

The pattern continued in 2010, Miller says, two years after President Barack Obama was elected, when Republicans picked up 63 House seats in just one election. They didn’t take control of the Senate that year but did so a couple of years later.

Historically, the party out of power is the one most motivated, indicating that 2018 may bring a wave election. But, Miller said, Democrats likely won’t pull off a takeover of the Senate as they would have to win all 25 Democratic Senate seats that are up this year as well as tacking on two more from Republicans. And there are only nine Republican seats up for grabs.

When it comes to governing, Miller says the situation can be pretty bleak.

With little to no moderates left, he says, overcoming the partisan divide is tougher than ever.

Miller shared his own frustrating defeat when he arrived in Congress, one that, he says, opened his eyes more into the way things operate in Washington.

“I was naive when I ran and I was naive when I got up there,’ Miller said. “It was frustrating to try and get anything done.”

He created a bill that took on the sugar industry. His lead co-sponsor was then-Rep. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., now the minority leader in the Senate.

It was the perfect bipartisan bill, Miller said, as he had liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans on board.

But the bill ended up falling short by five votes – two Democrats and three Republicans. The kicker? All five were co-sponsors on the bill.

After the vote, one admitted to him that voting against the bill was a “quick and easy $10,000 campaign contribution.”

This story was originally published January 31, 2018 at 3:53 PM with the headline "Washington was ‘great’ 20 years ago, ‘but I sure don't want to be there now,’ ex-congressman says."