# Instructions for chauffeuring a Congressman-- are these ridiculous or acceptable? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 18, 2017, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instructions-for-chauffeuring-a-congressman-are-these-ridiculous-or-acceptable/793982 "2017-08-18T15:12:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2017, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instructions-for-chauffeuring-a-congressman-are-these-ridiculous-or-acceptable/793982/21 "2017-08-19T01:53:49Z")
Reminds me of the joke about a freezing winter day in Washington: it was so cold the politicians were keeping their hands in their own pockets. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2017, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instructions-for-chauffeuring-a-congressman-are-these-ridiculous-or-acceptable/793982/22 "2017-08-19T02:22:04Z")
I understand why this looks somewhat comical, but honestly, if I could have a detailed list of instructions as to how to keep my boss happy, I think it would be a great thing. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2017, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instructions-for-chauffeuring-a-congressman-are-these-ridiculous-or-acceptable/793982/23 "2017-08-20T02:23:57Z")
I live in Rokita’s district, unfortunately, he is a tool. He’s the kind of person who might inspire loyal underlings to leak embarrassing memos about because he is such a jerk. This has gotten no play in the local paper, and it’s a stretch to call the senate seat he is running for hotly contested, so the impact on the race will probably be minimal. ---
**Author:** ![HelenGawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@HelenGawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelenGawn)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2017, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instructions-for-chauffeuring-a-congressman-are-these-ridiculous-or-acceptable/793982/24 "2017-08-20T03:46:03Z")
I can’t find a clip, but anyone else reminded of Charlie Young figuring out where Pres. Bartlett’s glasses were? ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2017, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instructions-for-chauffeuring-a-congressman-are-these-ridiculous-or-acceptable/793982/25 "2017-08-20T16:32:53Z")
Page 6 has a reference to Rokita as “her”. I wonder if this list has been borrowed from some other politician - I suspect it has (and I suspect that most politicians use something similar for their staffers). I’d put money on this list originating from Sarah Palin. ---
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2017, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instructions-for-chauffeuring-a-congressman-are-these-ridiculous-or-acceptable/793982/26 "2017-08-20T17:19:06Z")
It seems perfectly ordinary to me. People sure seem to get worked up over nothing. Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2017, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instructions-for-chauffeuring-a-congressman-are-these-ridiculous-or-acceptable/793982/27 "2017-08-20T20:22:17Z")
I don’t see a problem. The list seems reasonable. The goal is to make the trip as effortless as possible for the Congressmen. Meeting constituents is part of their job and demanding work. I’d want these events organized too. The Congressman should keep up with his own phone. But he is pretty busy talking to people and shaking hands. It’s a good idea to have staff make sure his phone doesn’t get misplaced. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2017, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instructions-for-chauffeuring-a-congressman-are-these-ridiculous-or-acceptable/793982/28 "2017-08-20T20:41:05Z")
Many of the items on that list should be routinely handled by the Congressmen’s assistant or other staff. I wonder if Rokita travels with his assistant? That’s who knows what soft drink he likes, carries hand sanitizer, and tries to block any embarrassing photos. It’s like they have to explain to each aide what the boss expects. All the stuff on that list seem completely reasonable. A busy person needs an assistant that knows what he needs before he asks for it. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2017, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instructions-for-chauffeuring-a-congressman-are-these-ridiculous-or-acceptable/793982/29 "2017-08-20T20:48:28Z")
I did construction throughout college. I spent one summer as a carpenter’s assistant. One of my most important duties was to watch him and have tools ready to use. The Skil saw should be near by and plugged in. If he reached for something it better be plugged in. An experienced assistant learns the work routine and what is needed. They shouldn’t require a constant stream of instructions. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2017, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instructions-for-chauffeuring-a-congressman-are-these-ridiculous-or-acceptable/793982/30 "2017-08-20T22:05:46Z")
> [@JcWoman](#): > > I think that’s a common requirement (read: not outlandish) for anyone in the public eye. Also they don’t like being photographed with a forkful of food halfway in their mouths. I was expecting a great deal more. They left out a visual checklist for straightened tie, shirt tucked in, no spinach in teeth, etc… Quite the news scoop. ---
**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instructions-for-chauffeuring-a-congressman-are-these-ridiculous-or-acceptable/793982/31 "2017-08-21T06:55:38Z")
But what happens when a mentally deficient candidate goes off-limits, away from the care of his minders ? Can he blow his campaign in an hour talking frankly to people and just being himself ? ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instructions-for-chauffeuring-a-congressman-are-these-ridiculous-or-acceptable/793982/32 "2017-08-21T07:16:43Z")
> [@Evan\_Drake](#): > > My own favourite concerns the newly installed Prime Minister Clement Attlee making a whistlestop speech-making tour of Scotland in the later 1940s with his vast entourage — him driving Mrs. Attlee in one of those strange little two-seaters along with their dog straight for the border. Actually Mrs Attlee often drove him, and was generally considered a holy terror at the wheel. Possibly he took over from time to time in self-protection. After he’d retired from frontline leadership, loaded down with the usual honours and titles, he was famous for getting the bus to and from his home in the outer suburbs. [http://standpointmag.co.uk/books-october-2016-paul-johnson-john-bew-citizen-clem-attlee-biography](http://standpointmag.co.uk/books-october-2016-paul-johnson-john-bew-citizen-clem-attlee-biography) ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instructions-for-chauffeuring-a-congressman-are-these-ridiculous-or-acceptable/793982/33 "2017-08-21T12:53:31Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > An experienced assistant learns the work routine and what is needed. They shouldn’t require a constant stream of instructions. Yes, an EXPERIENCED assistant learns the work. An inexperienced assistant can either learn by listening, studying, or screwing things up and learning the hard way. Objecting to having things written down is as silly as saying, “What’s with these medical textbooks? An experienced doctor should know what he’s doing!!!” ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instructions-for-chauffeuring-a-congressman-are-these-ridiculous-or-acceptable/793982/34 "2017-08-21T21:45:13Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > -Always have a supply box that contains “gum, hand sanitizer, business cards, bottled water, napkins and Kleenex, Lozenges-brand cough drops, a stapler and stapler remover, Post-it notes and Shout wipes, among other items.” Preferably carried in a multi-pocket bag like Tony Hale’s on Veep. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instructions-for-chauffeuring-a-congressman-are-these-ridiculous-or-acceptable/793982/35 "2017-08-21T21:55:09Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > Yes, an EXPERIENCED assistant learns the work. An inexperienced assistant can either learn by listening, studying, or screwing things up and learning the hard way. Objecting to having things written down is as silly as saying, “What’s with these medical textbooks? An experienced doctor should know what he’s doing!!!” I don’t object to the memo at all. Everything on it is very reasonable. I assume it’s intended for new aides that haven’t worked with the Congressman before. I was just surprised that he didn’t already have an experienced assistant or aide traveling with him. They would already know what he expects and needs. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2017, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instructions-for-chauffeuring-a-congressman-are-these-ridiculous-or-acceptable/793982/36 "2017-08-21T22:04:54Z")
Sounds like a checklist for an assistant for a high powered executive. I did that kind of work for a decade, I would have loved that detailed a list for some of the folks I worked for. The assistant is there to help the executive do his job better, and that includes making sure there’s a hangar for the jacket, the traveling office supplies are on hand, the travel for the day goes smoothly, and so on. If anyone thinks it’s excessive or baffling or odd they clearly do not know what is entailed by the job title “executive assistant” or how high level executives get through their day. ---
**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2017, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instructions-for-chauffeuring-a-congressman-are-these-ridiculous-or-acceptable/793982/37 "2017-08-22T00:55:13Z")
Yet he’s **not** a high powered executive; he’s just a _politician_ who ought to dress himself, carry his own gum and work out not to drink in public if he freaks about being photographed drinking. I can’t even imagine why. Old Obama loved him some fast food and when not ordering it at the White House went to the restaurant and ate it in public. Sometimes with photographers present. No-one thought the worse of him for ingesting food and drink. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2017, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instructions-for-chauffeuring-a-congressman-are-these-ridiculous-or-acceptable/793982/38 "2017-08-22T02:38:03Z")
> [@Evan\_Drake](#): > > Yet he’s **not** a high powered executive; he’s just a _politician_… A high powered executive is someone entrusted with billions of dollars. A Congressman is someone entrusted with trillions of dollars. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2017, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instructions-for-chauffeuring-a-congressman-are-these-ridiculous-or-acceptable/793982/39 "2017-08-22T02:51:36Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Sounds like a checklist for an assistant for a high powered executive. I did that kind of work for a decade, I would have loved that detailed a list for some of the folks I worked for. The assistant is there to help the executive do his job better, and that includes making sure there’s a hangar for the jacket, the traveling office supplies are on hand, the travel for the day goes smoothly, and so on. > > If anyone thinks it’s excessive or baffling or odd they clearly do not know what is entailed by the job title “executive assistant” or how high level executives get through their day. I was going to say that all looks pretty reasonable for me - having tissues, gum, a hangar, paper and a pen in the car all seem like “Professional Adult Stuff 101” to me. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2017, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instructions-for-chauffeuring-a-congressman-are-these-ridiculous-or-acceptable/793982/40 "2017-08-22T03:34:53Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > Remember, too, that rules are to guide the wise and command the foolish. I LOVE this. Is it Aesop, Montaigne, or Ben Franklin? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instructions-for-chauffeuring-a-congressman-are-these-ridiculous-or-acceptable/793982.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/instructions-for-chauffeuring-a-congressman-are-these-ridiculous-or-acceptable/793982.md?page=3)