Tiffany Bond  🦞 🇺🇸Verified account

If someone has not read and/or does not understand the text of a bill and the consequences that flow from that bill, then their opinions on positions are moot...because they cannot tell you if the bill accurately reflects those positions or addresses their championed problems.

So your job interview questions should go like this: 1. Have you ever read a federal bill start to finish. If no, #byefelicia If yes, then... 2. What did you like/dislike about it and why? More than what their opinion is, do they seem to understand it? Can they explain it?

Can they explain it in ways that you understand and are reasonable? If no to any of these, #byefelicia If yes, then... 3. Pick a bill topic you actually care about and ask above questions. If they haven't read it, ask them to read something on it an reconvene.

If they have read it and the answer is no to any of the above, #byefelicia If yes, then... 4. How do you handle conflicts in ideology? If they cannot give a reasonable answer, #byefelicia If the answer is reasonable, then...

5. What is more important, party line or your conscience? If the answer is always voting party, #byefelicia Both sides can make bad law, congress must have individual ethics to remain healthy. If the answer is conscience, then...

6. Have them describe a situation related to the job they think is ethically ambigious & how they would handle it. Not an easy peasy one, a subtle one. If they only cite watergate level shenanigans, #byefelicia We need those who can sort the gray, not just handle blatant bad.

If they pass, then... 7. Ask them what they struggle with. Not just "oh gosh, I work too hard!" - we caught onto that interview answer in 1986. If their answer is trite, #byefelicia If not, then...

8. Ask them how they will balance working away from home? How will they stay connected? If they tapdance around this, #byefelicia If not, then...

9. Ask about how resolute they are in what they think should happen on issues. If they are no compromise ever, period, then, #byefelicia We need people who are open to solutions we have not yet come up with & collaboration. Some issues are hardline, but those are rare issues.

If they pass, then... 10. Start discussing issues/priorities. You need to know if the person you are hiring can do the job before you start discussing work product. Issues ARE important. Skill set is *more* important. There will be people who are skilled & ideologically good.