Pittsburgh Tribune Review: Car Sales Background Helps Newbie
Marino came to Kelly's office to try to get the Butler Republican's support for an unrelated bill, but the conversation wanders, leading to President Obama's decision to scuttle construction of an oil pipeline.
"It's un-American," says Marino, a former
Smiling, Kelly replies with a mock admonition -- "You're being inflammatory, Tom." That allows Kelly to cool off the conversation without disagreeing or calling the president un-American.
In a tumultuous congressional session marked by battles between deal-making House Republican leaders and freshmen less willing to compromise, Kelly, 63, a longtime car salesman in the town where he grew up, has emerged as a bridge between the camps, said Rep. Austin Scott, R-Georgia, president of the GOP freshman class.
In closed meetings, "Mike Kelly's the one that steps up to the microphone and says, 'Hey, we're all in this together. We got elected to lead. Nobody in this room is going to get everything they want. Let's go do this,' " Scott said. "He's absolutely one of the better leaders we have up here in the caucus -- not just the (freshman) class, but the caucus."
You wouldn't know it to look at his office. In a town where people measure influence by proximity to power, Kelly's suite on the top floor of the
The polished banks of elevators near the opulent rotunda in the building's main entrance don't reach this floor. Elevators that do are tucked beside back stairwells, accessible by passing through closet-like foyers marked with inconspicuous black signs.
This is how one of the wealthiest members of Congress -- worth between $12.9 million and $62.3 million, according to his financial disclosure reports -- gets to work.
Behind a desk that's full but tidy hangs a collage of photos of his grandchildren and a group shot of the Pennsylvania GOP delegation. A curio holds football memorabilia, including statuettes of the Four Horsemen of Notre Dame.
"Being one of 435 is a lot different than running your own business," Kelly said. He used to ask managers for their opinions when he wanted to change something. Now, he needs to convince 217 others to give him their votes.
A different pitch
After nearly 20 years of running car dealerships, Kelly is back in the sales business.
His round face, with its broad smile and crinkled eyes, might look impish if it weren't sitting atop more than 250 pounds of former defensive lineman. He barrels through the halls and tunnels of Capitol Hill, grabbing shoulders as he comes up behind members, and using an offered handshake to pull others close so he can drape an arm around their shoulders.
The Capitol Hill Club receptionist comes out from behind her podium to hug him when he stops in for coffee. He calls guards and waiters by their first names. House Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor clap his back as they pass in the hallway. He sends birthday cards to every House member.
"What I've tried to do is build relationships," Kelly said.
It's been a rocky year. The weekend of Kelly's orientation, a gunman shot Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and 18 others in
"I was hoping it would maybe change faster because of some of the things people expect of us. But now, the closer you get to it, the more you understand it takes more time. And at the end of the day it may not be exactly what you wanted," Kelly said.
'Wins and losses'
Comfortable in front of crowds and cameras, Kelly rose to caucus prominence during the debt-ceiling debate.
As many GOP freshmen considered rebelling against the deal Boehner negotiated with Democrats, Kelly in July delivered to Republicans what Rep. Pete King described at the time as "a Knute Rockne-type speech" to rally conservatives to the speaker's side.
Kelly's vote to raise the debt ceiling rankles some Tea Party members who helped him win a six-person primary and unseat Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper in 2010.
"We didn't really care for any of that," said James Scheuer, president of the Erie Tea Party. On balance, though, he said he supports Kelly.
Kelly angered others in his district by voting against extending the payroll tax cut.
"Republicans are supposed to be for tax cuts," said Shawn Gray, 44, of
Lower payroll taxes mean less money to pay for entitlements, and entitlements are running out of cash, Kelly said.
On weekends, Kelly returns to
He injured his leg during his freshman year with the Fighting Irish, ending his playing career. After graduation, he joined the Chevrolet-Cadillac dealership his father founded in the 1950s. He took it over in the 1990s, adding Hyundai and Kia franchises.
Sports metaphors stayed with him.
He tells Tea Party members that teams don't judge seasons by adding up point spreads: "They total up wins and losses. We have to come up with more wins than losses."
Pressed to name his biggest disappointment, he circles back to bureaucratic and political hurdles of lawmaking, and the glacial pace of change in a Congress warring with itself.
"We devised the system. We can un-devise the system," he said.
Obstructionism denied
During the early months of this term, passing a budget bill to keep the government operating trumped all else. Kelly accused Democrats who failed to pass a budget before of laying a trap for the GOP.
"They wanted to see the government shut down so they could say, 'See? This is what you wanted, this is what you got,' " Kelly said. "These guys want to shut the government down. ... Some of my (Democratic) friends say, 'No, no, no, that's not why we did it.' Well of course that's why you did it."
Rep. Mike Doyle, a nine-term Democrat from
"Everybody can have their own opinion on things, but not their own facts," said Doyle, who said he likes Kelly personally. "It was really the Republicans who blocked the 60 votes they needed in the Senate because they felt they were in a much stronger position" with the House coming under GOP control.
As Democrats and Republicans feud, the public approval rating of Congress sank from 20 percent in January 2011 to a record-low 10 percent this month, according to
"Nobody's happy about this impasse," said
Kelly said he hasn't backed away from conservative ideals that made him a Tea Party favorite. He denies he's obstructionist.
"My whole life has been compromise, negotiations," Kelly said. "But there are certain people I can't sell a car to. You get to a point (when you realize) they really didn't want to buy the car to begin with."
In
Others come with the territory, such as his chair in the cavernous Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing room. Like his office, it's as far from the center of power as possible. When Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., recognized him during a recent hearing, he noted Kelly's position with a hint of apology.
"Another cheap seat, I'm afraid," Issa said. "You will move up, though."
"I hope so," Kelly replied.
