Eva M. Clayton: “our goal is a simple one: to fan the flames of cordiality and congeniality, with the hope of producing harmony. Does…”

“our goal is a simple one: to fan the flames of cordiality and congeniality, with the hope of producing harmony. Does that mean that everyone in this House will be identical, the same, or will agree with each other? Harmony does not mean we must all speak the same language or sing the same tune. Indeed, an orchestra achieves harmony with many different instruments and a range of sounds. One does not have to surrender one's philosophy or one's independence to appreciate that, in the end, we are all dependent on each other. We are, in fact, interdependent. We can disagree, however, without being disagreeable. We propose to gather over several days, early next year, Democrats and Republicans, conservatives and liberals, women and men. With our families and staff we will take a short train ride to a place of assembly. Once there we will talk, talk to each other, and we will listen and, I hope, be heard. We will learn from each other and teach; hopefully, we will communicate with each other. But more importantly, Mr. Speaker, we will have fun; fun getting to know each other as human beings first before we learn what the philosophical differences are. We will learn our commonality as human beings. We expect to discuss such terms as conflict management, coalition building, sources of information and, most of all, courtesy, respect and civility. There will be lots of time for social interaction. Plans are being made for quality entertainment.…”