WASHINGTON - Matt Cartwright, the lawyer from Moosic who convinced Democratic voters to oust a longtime representative, took the oath of office as Schuylkill County's new congressman Thursday with his trademark sense of humor intact and saying he's ready to fight for his district.
Cartwright, 51, entered a rented International Association of Machinists Union townhouse on New Jersey Avenue shortly after he was sworn in and showed 75 supporters the new lapel pin that identifies him as a member of the 113th Congress.
"Well, I'm here to tell you I'm wearing one of the most expensive pieces of jewelry I've ever worn," Cartwright said to loud laughter.
Cartwright spent $390,000 of his own money and almost $1.3 million total to get elected.
Saying he sat in the "far left corner" on the House floor when he swore to serve the country, Cartwright pulled out his official voting card, the MAC-machine-type card that congressmen use to cast votes for bills and resolutions.
"This is the most expensive piece of plastic and one with which I can run up a big debt," he said, referring to the nation's booming budget deficits.
Cartwright, one of 82 new House members and one of 47 newly elected Democrats, won the seat by defeating Democratic Rep. Tim Holden, Saint Clair, the former Schuylkill County sheriff who had been in Congress for two decades. He took advantage of a redrawn district, three-quarters of whose voters had never had a chance to vote for Holden.
His campaign featured television advertising with his wife, attorney Marion K. Munley.
"Here's the top secret weapon in my campaign," Cartwright said, giving his wife a kiss. "She's wearing the spouse's pin, also part of the most expensive jewelry."
Later, in a more reflective mood, Cartwright, who took the oath on his family's Bible, called it "a proud moment."
"It really was," he said. "It feels like the culmination of a year's worth of hard work and imposing on my friends, my relatives, my wife and my children. I have high hopes at this point, it'll be all worth it."
Cartwright moved over from the "far left corner" to a seat more in the middle as newly re-elected House Speaker John Boehner took the podium to swear in new members. He said it was so his wife could see him, but he listened intently as Boehner brought home the seriousness of the moment.
"To our new members and their families, welcome. You are likely feeling awestruck right about now. History runs through here, and now you are among a select few to share in this privilege," Boehner said. "For those who are returning, who have walked these aisles before, maybe it's time we feel awestruck again."
He called on Congress to eliminate the nation's deficits "because in our hearts, we know it is wrong to pass on this debt to our kids and grandkids. Now we have to be willing - truly willing - to make this right."
"Public service was never meant to be an easy living. Extraordinary challenges demand extraordinary leadership," he said. "So if you have come here to see your name in lights or to pass off political victory as accomplishment, you have come to the wrong place. The door is behind you.
"If you have come here humbled by the opportunity to serve; if you have come here to be the determined voice of the people; if you have come here to carry the standard of leadership demanded not just by our constituents but by the times, then you have come to the right place."
Cartwright said Boehner's words hit home.
"John Boehner mentioned that he hoped many of the returning members would feel the sense of awe that the new members do and I hope they do, too," he said.
Cartwright promised to work to better Northeast Pennsylvania's economy and to fight to defend Social Security and Medicare benefits, which are likely targets for congressmen intent on cutting the deficit. He sat next to Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, the New York Democrat whose bill to ban assault weapons he plans to co-sponsor.
Attorney Gordon Bigelow of Conyngham, a friend and supporter who was in the crowd at the union townhouse, said Cartwright "has tremendous integrity."
"He is one of the best lawyers and most brilliant minds I've ever met in the legal profession," Bigelow said. "I think he will prove to be a tremendous leader."
Cartwright's son, Jack, 20, a sophomore government major at his father's alma mater, Hamilton College, with his own plans to be a lawyer, said watching his father take the oath was "incredible."
"Just seeing my dad, he worked so hard for an entire year to get elected to Congress," Jack Cartwright said. "But you know what? When we first started our campaign, everybody said, 'suicide mission, there's no way,' and you know what? It took a long way and there were some bumps in the road, especially in the primary, (and) we didn't know this day would come and it finally came and it's so great to be here and it's so historic."
He said constituents can expect a hard-working congressman.
"He is going to work day in and day out for the people of the 17th Congressional District, bringing back jobs and doing the best he can to improve our economy," Jack Cartwright said. "The voters of the 17th district gave him a grave opportunity to serve and he keeps that in mind at all times. ... He's truly honored to be there."
Rejoining the House on Thursday were the region's re-elected congressmen, Reps. Lou Barletta, R-11, Hazleton, and Tom Marino, R-10, Lycoming Township. Barletta stood in his office as his wife, Mary Grace, fastened his congressional pin on his lapel.
"It'll never be old hat, but I don't think there will ever be anything that will replicate what it was like the first time," he said. "That was an experience I'll never forget. It was surreal. It really was. ... There was a little anxiety along with the excitement of the day and having my family here and some of those supporters who were here to share that experience. Today, it's more a feeling of honor and privilege that people send you here to do this. ... I think the day I lose that feeling, I shouldn't be here. Anybody that takes this for granted or feels that they are bigger than this, they shouldn't be here."
Barletta and Marino said they never hesitated in voting again for Boehner as speaker. Mr. Boehner won the job overwhelmingly but several arch-conservative members unhappy with him for various reasons nominated others, including Allen West, the former Florida congressman who lost his re-election bid.
Marino took a low-key approach to the day, standing at the back of the chamber and avoiding the ceremonial swearing-in ceremonies with Boehner that Cartwright and Barletta took part in. Marino said his mind was focused this time on issues and things he has to get done rather than ceremony.
"Certainly, the excitement was not there that was there my first time. But still I'm sitting there thinking I have to represent the people of Pennsylvania," he said. "I was watching the new members, how exciting it was for their members and their families. I leaned over to my colleagues and said, 'Guys, were we this pumped up and excited about what was going on two years ago. I said, 'Yeah, we probably were.' "
In the Senate, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey was sworn in for a second term, first on the Senate floor by Vice President Joe Biden, then in a private ceremony with the vice president. Biden later visited Casey's reception at the Dirksen Senate Office Building and spoke in his usual glowing way about Scranton, where he spent the first 10 years of his life.
In an interview afterward, Casey said the celebration was tempered by the knowledge that the nation still faces tremendous financial and other issues.
"The next three months will be very tough and the next couple of years will be tough," he said.
As for his second swearing-in, Casey said the moment of taking the oath remains "very, very powerful" and "emotional."
"When you take that oath and sign that book (attesting to the oath in writing), you feel a tremendous sense of gratitude that you have the chance to serve in that position," Casey said. "I just can't believe six years went by."