Fluency in non-verbal cues is a prerequisite for comprehending Washington politics.  Late on Thursday evening, as I looked back on the day, I realized there seemed to be a direct correlation between physical proximity to a Senator and how our views (and those of Americans for Financial Reform and the Independent Community Bankers Association) were valued.  The most productive meetings were those where either the Senator showed up or the meeting was in his office conference room. One of the least promising was the one where we were down the hall and ultimately kicked out of the room by a senior staffer who was supposed to meet with us but instead was meeting with Edward L. Yingling, President of the American Bankers Association, an extremely influential big bank lobbyist. For more on his role in dismantling our regulatory structure, you might read, Dan Geldon's Why Is Anyone Listening to Ed Yingling? And, the most memorable, but hopeless was the one where we were consigned to a dimly lit basement cafeteria, enveloped in the sweet, stale smell of buttered popcorn.

Thursday, January 21^st meetings:

(1)   Senator Kohl: We met with Harry Stein, senior legislative staff for Wisconsin Senator Herb Kohl (D). The meeting was held in one of the Senator’s conference rooms at 11:00 a.m. We moved mid-meeting into another one of the Senators’ conference rooms so that we could watch President Obama’s press conference on the Volcker Rule. Harry was extremely knowledgeable and engaged and inquisitive. He took notes, asked questions. We had a real conversation with him.

(2)   Senator Merkley: We met with Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley (D) and his legislative counsel, Andy Green. The meeting took place in the Senator’s own office at 2:00 p.m.. Senator Merkley stayed with us for about 15 minutes, and then left for a press conference. The Senator and Andy were smart, engaged, challenging. He asked tough questions, had great ideas and clearly valued our visit.

(3)   Senator Warner: We met with Michelle Maiwurm, senior legislative correspondent for Virginia Senator Mark Warner (D). The meeting was held in a conference room down the hall from the Senator’s office at 3:00 p.m. We were supposed to meet with a different staffer who was the lead person on this topic. However, he decided instead to meet with the President of the American Bankers Association. Some might see this as a slight, demonstrating where the priorities are in that office. Big banks ranked higher over both community banks and American consumers. Michelle started the meeting by admitting she was not the key person on the issue and was not sure what she was at liberty to share. She was very smart and polite, but in a defensive posture the whole meeting. She took very few notes.

(4)   Senator Tester: I did not attend this meeting with the Montana Senator Jon Tester (D), though Jane D’Arista did. Jerry Epstein and I were at the meeting with Warner’s staff.

(5)   Senator Corker We met with Darlene Rosenkoetter, legislative staff for Tennessee Senator Bob Corker (D). There was no available space in the Senators’ conference rooms or down the hall. So, we had to journey to the basement to a dimly lit cafeteria known as the Senate Chef for our 4:00 p.m. meeting. She was authorized to speak, however she was also in a defensive posture and took very few notes. When it came down to details, she had them, but when it came down to responding to questions about faulty logic, she chose to respond “we have bipartisan support” instead of thinking through a solution with us.