Groove Thing

A panoply of songwriters serenaded solons Tuesday night during the annual “We Write the Songs” show, an invite-only performance spotlighting the Library of Congress’s burgeoning American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.

Tunesmiths Stephen Bishop, Irving Burgie, Dino Fekaris, Dan Foliart, Melanie, Terri Nunn, Ray Parker Jr., Stephen Schwartz, Valerie Simpson, Chris Stapleton and Tom Whitlock all took their turns on stage, sharing anecdotes about their winding careers and the iconic songs they were entrusting to the LOC.

(Library of Congress Photo/Abby Brack Lewis)

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It’s All Goode in the Neighborhood

With so much recent presidential campaign news surrounding figures such as President Barack Obama, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), it’s easy to forget about another bid for the highest office in the land, this one by a former Member of Congress.

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Polis Polices Possible Pizza Permutations

Rep. Jared Polis — Colorado Democrat, new parent, pizza warrior.

Polis this week waded into the debate over whether pizza should be classified as a vegetable.

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Bipartisan Flair

(Courtesy Bemidji Woolen Mills)

With Rep. Ron Paul (Texas) and former Rep. Buddy Roemer (La.) winding down their bids for the presidency, we at HOH were reminded of another recent presidential dropout, as well as his contribution to sartorial politics.
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Ron Paul’s Pop Culture Echoes

Texas Rep. Ron Paul on Monday suspended actively campaigning for the GOP presidential nomination, clearing the way for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney to finally grasp that brass ring to his breast and laugh maniacally.

And what does this mean? Alas, one less personality to help bring out the craziness in the body politic. Behold, just a small sampling of ridiculousness.

Tribute 1: An uncomfortable video in which a dark-haired woman named Adrienne Martino hawks her Ron Paul portraits, including one she doesn’t have a title for and one she refers to as “Rebel Yell.” She throws in a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi for good measure.

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Mirror, Mirror

The civic-minded folks at Take Part pose an interesting question: Does Congress look like America?

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Make It So

The media has emptied vats of ink reporting on Congressional gridlock. Allow us to now introduce you to the grass-roots response.

PetitionBuzz maintains a clearinghouse of pleas to right perceived wrongs, from the relevant (adopting Caylee Anthony-inspired safeguards for missing children) to the trivial (demanding that Linkin Park play Glasgow, Scotland). Amid the buzzing petitions, behold some of the quirkier attempts to address the people’s needs.

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Head in the Clouds

After helping former Vice President Dick Cheney hold on to the nation’s second-highest office, Wade Eyerly decided he was ready to skip the hassle of one of the George W. Bush administration’s lasting legacies: the Transportation Security Administration’s enhanced security measures.
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A Regular Joe

Rep. Joe Donnelly, we have some good news and some bad news.

The good news is that one of our tipsters has pointed out that the Indiana Democrat looks like actor Jon Hamm of “Mad Men” and “Friends With Kids” fame.

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One Fish, Two Fish, Fake Dish, True Fish

Never mind what’s coming out of most people’s mouths in this town. It’s getting to be so you can’t even believe what’s going into yours.

“Seafood fraud” — the practice of mislabeling or surreptitiously swapping one fish for another — isn’t just your average bait and switch. It’s an unsavory practice with far-reaching health and economic side effects.

That’s why advocacy group Oceana today is using “The Office” actress Angela Kinsey and cheflebrity and National Geographic Fellow Barton Seaver as bait at a pair of educational events. Full story

Amenities Now

Need stuff?

DoubleTree by Hilton is setting up a comfort lounge from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. today in Union Station where they’ll be plying passersby with 10,000 of their signature chocolate chip cookies and availing commuters of coveted travel perks (free Wi-Fi, gratis charging stations).

But that’s only the static part of the company’s hospitality promotion.

DT will also dispatch “Swarm Cars” all over town in response to Twitter requests for, well, whatever. Full story

Cornyn Gives Texas-Sized Tome as Gift

Texas Sen. John Cornyn's gift celebrates the life of President Lyndon Johnson. (CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Senate Republicans have their summer beach reading taken care of, thanks to Texas Sen. John Cornyn.

Cornyn, the host of Thursday’s caucus lunch, handed out hardback copies of Robert Caro’s just-released book, “The Passage of Power,” the fourth volume in his masterly series on the life and political career of another Texan, one-time Senate Majority Leader and President Lyndon Johnson.

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McIntyre, Now More Than Ever

Renaissance man Rep. Mike McIntyre also has participated in the Roll Call Congressional Baseball Game. (CQ Roll Call File Photo)

North Carolina Rep. Mike McIntyre (D) might be fast becoming the most interesting man in Congress.

We were reminded last week that he is an enthusiastic regular in the annual Shakespeare Theatre Company’s “Will on the Hill” benefit.

Now we learn he recently got his black belt.

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House Apple Products Have Buggy Afternoon

These days, many tech-savvy lawmakers and their staffers have eschewed old-school BlackBerrys for shiny Apple products.

But late last week, they might have been wishing for their minimalist devices of yore (the allure of “Words With Friends” aside).

On Thursday afternoon, most iPhones and iPads issued by the House or connected to the official House network stopped receiving emails.

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Terrorizing the English Language

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) has absolutely had it with American casualties in Pakistan.

Which is why he, no doubt, raced to blast out this take-no-prisoners statement about his latest cash-slashing proposal:

***PRESS RELEASE*** Rohrabacher to Pakistan: U.S. Will No Longer Fund Your Terrorism; Introduces Bill to Substract Foreign Aid

The Pakistani government’s response: They’re withholding funds facilitating future spell-checks by Rohrabacher’s press shop. (Too late.)