ARI SHAPIRO, Host:
Change is coming to Washington, and that's not just a metaphor. More than 60 new members of Congress will be sworn in on Tuesday. One of them is 34-year-old Democrat Tom Perriello. He represents the Charlottesville area in Virginia. His race was one of the biggest come-from-behind upsets of 2008. It took a recount, but Perriello eventually squeaked out victory over his Republican opponent. He won by fewer than 800 votes in a district that favored John McCain for president. Now, Tom Perriello is about to become Congressman Perriello. He came to the studios of UVAN Charlottesville to talk about what that means. Welcome, and congratulations.
TOM PERRIELLO: Well, thank you very much. It's great to be here.
SHAPIRO: What exactly will you do your first day on the job besides probably represent the people of Virginia's 5th district?
PERRIELLO: You know, the first day is the day before we're sworn in, but the day we get sworn in I think they're going to put us right into a session on the stimulus package. During their orientation sessions and just from the trips around the district, it's clear just how fragile the economy is right now. So I think we'll probably be focused right on a recovery plan for the economy.
SHAPIRO: When you're plunged into something like this, how do you learn how to do the basic stuff, from knowing how much staff to hire to knowing how to write a law?
PERRIELLO: Well, they have some orientation sessions for us, which is helpful, and you try to find some existing members of Congress who will take you under their wing a little bit and help you along, and you know, hopefully...
SHAPIRO: Do you get a mentor?
PERRIELLO: It's not one that's assigned to you, but there have been some folks up there that have been great to us. You know, Senator Webb's office has been wonderful, and on the House side, you know, Jim Moran and Jim Clyburn's office and others that have just been great in helping us out.
SHAPIRO: What are the gaps you're most concerned about?
PERRIELLO: Well, you know, a lot of folks come out of state legislatures and I'm not one of those, so I'm - I don't know all the Robet's Rules of Orders and knowing how to introduce emotion and some of the technical speak. So I don't think I've washed quite enough sea spin in my day, and I'm trying to bone up on that.
SHAPIRO: I know that in an earlier session, Congressman Rahm Emanuel, who's now been tapped to be President-elect Obama's chief of staff, warned incoming freshmen not to go on Stephen Colbert's show, "The Colbert Report." Has there been any kind of cautionary note like that issued to you guys?
PERRIELLO: Well, Colbert, like myself, is a serious Catholic, and I think we may have to hash out some theology at some point on social justice teaching in the church.
SHAPIRO: All right, Stephen Colbert, take note. Now I understand you've already found a place to live in Washington. Did Congress help you out with that?
PERRIELLO: They do have programs. I'm actually taking a basement apartment in a house of some people I went to college with.
SHAPIRO: What's your plan for Inauguration Day?
PERRIELLO: Well, expect complete chaos. I think it's about the best anyone can do. As you can imagine, our number one duty these days is to figure out distribution of the inaugural tickets, the ultimate commodity in America right now.
SHAPIRO: Who's going to get your tickets to the inauguration?
PERRIELLO: Far be it from me to be making those choices...
SHAPIRO: Oh, come on, you've got this new power. Don't you want to wield it?
(SOUNDBITE OF LAUGHTER)
PERRIELLO: People have written these amazing letters to us about their experiences through segregation and beyond. And you know, how does one make choices between people who put in thousands of volunteer hours on the campaign trail and people who've lived through movement struggles and everything else? And so we will be doing a lottery system.
There's actually a woman who wrote to me who had two kids, five and seven. She's an African-American lady. And they had been so excited to go into the booth with her to vote, they drew lots of who was going to get to vote for which race, you know, Perriello, Mark Warner for Senate and Barack Obama for president. They got in the booth, and the seven-year-old voted for me first, and then the five-year-old hit submit vote by mistake. And they didn't get to vote for Barack Obama for president.
SHAPIRO: Maybe that's why McCain carried your district.
PERRIELLO: They were just mortified, and the mother, you know, to try to comfort them said, you know what, at the end of the day, Perriello was the one who needed our vote the most. So you know, I think it's stories like that that are really enjoyable at this point to read about.
SHAPIRO: Congressman-elect Tom Perriello, thanks very much for your time.
PERRIELLO: Thank you so much. I appreciate it, Ari.