Generation Y Comes To Congress

Republican Aaron Schock, 27, Already A Political Veteran, Begins Term As Illinois Congressman

(CBS)  There's no shortage of 20-somethings in Washington, particularly around the White House and Capitol.

Most are just beginning their careers in the nation's capital but, reports CBS News Senior White House Correspondent Bill Plante, as Aaron Schock comes to town, he's raising more than a few eyebrows.

At 27, Schock looks more like your typical congressional aide than a congressman, but he's taking the oath as a Republican member of the House of Representatives from the 18th district in central Illinois.

The enormity of Schock's new job hit him when he saw the view from his new office, which looks out on the Capitol dome.

Schock is the first member of Congress born in the 1980s.

He started in politics when the school board in his hometown of Peoria refused to allow him to graduate high school early, even though he'd completed the work.

His mother, Jan Knapp, says Schock doesn't take rejection lightly and, "If you tell Aaron that he can't do something, well look out, because he will do it!"

So he ran for the very school board that held him back. When a technicality kept his name off the ballot, he kept going and, Schock recalls, "In less than two months, we put together a great grassroots campaign, knocked on 13,000 houses, and got 6,406 people to write my name on the ballot correctly."

While serving as the youngest school board member in the state, Schock finished college in just two years.

At 22, he won a seat in the Illinois state legislature, where he served two terms.

A career in Washington wasn't on his radar, Schock says, until seven-term republican Ray LaHood announced his retirement from Congress.

"The door was open," Schock reflected, "and, with in all things in life, opportunity and timing is everything."

Unlike other Republicans, Schock thought the timing was right to have President Bush campaign for him. And Schock carried the district with a whopping 69 percent of the vote.

Now, he faces a new challenge.

"I'm excited," Schock says. "The last couple of months have been literally like drinking out of a fire hose.

The man he succeeds says Schock is up to the job.

"He does have a big learning curve," LaHood says, "but he's smart enough to know that, if he listens to people ... he will be successful."

Will his age be a problem on Capitol Hill?

"I think I'll bring a much different perspective than somebody who's two-or-three times my age," Schock says. "I think our country would look different, and certainly our government and its programs would look different, if more people were here that were in their 20s and 30s."

Another question Plante pondered: Will this 27-year-old guy be able to have a life in Washington?

When Plante saw him, he didn't even have a place to live.

"Might have to get some roommates!" Schock laughed.

While Schock's father, Dr. Richard Schock, says he has no doubts Aaron's ready for the political gloves to come off, his mother's concerned about what he puts on.

"He still doesn't have a top coat," Knapp noted, "and I told him he needs a top coat if he's gonna walk around in D.C."

He'll also need a thick skin to survive inside the Beltway, Plante concluded.

[karenbe111]

I hope a new generation will bring a new sense of reason to the Republican Party...one that takes the truth into account instead of making up their own "truth" (nothing but lies) and foisting it upon the unsuspecting American public!!!

[superdem]

Nothing was said about his political views - is he another pro-life right wing idiot ? Does he hate *** ? Does he yearn for Sarah Palin ? YUCK !!! Abstinence Only, Mr. Congressman ! It doesn''t matter, he will be out in the political wilderness for years to come.

[candy-apple]

Nothing was said about his political views - is he another pro-life right wing idiot ? Does he hate *** ? Does he yearn for Sarah Palin ? YUCK !!! Abstinence Only, Mr. Congressman ! It doesn''''t matter, he will be out in the political wilderness for years to come.


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Posted by superdem at 12:58 PM : Jan 06, 2009

So I guess all Democrats want to keep people down by continuously giving them hand-outs while they have children that they CANNOT afford so that they grow even more dependent on the Government to take care of them and theirs.

I believe that most people in this country just want people to stand up and take care of their own and quit depending upon everyone else to take care of them.

[marcosis78]

To show how the system works, JK Rowling (author of the Harry Potter books) was very poor, VERY poor. Government helped her and now shes richer than the Queen of England and donates a lot of money back to help poor people.

I realize this is England and not the United States, but there''s a lot of cases like this in America. Republicans don''t believe in helping the poor because theres no profit in it. Democrats do it because they know what its like and are trying to help them. I realize that its a bigger scheme but maybe its not a republican/democrat thing, but perhaps its a political thing. Why not see WHY these people are poor and living off the government and help them that way instead of saying, "maybe if the democrats would stop giving hand outs..." A lot of poor people, especially now-a-days, are poor because of job loss, need medication and went a little loopy but its too pricey, or lost their houses in this fantastic economy we have endured under a very, very clueless president.

My point is, it''s easier to stir trouble up by pointing fingers at a political party than it is to actually stop and think of how it started for most folks and fix it that way. Thats the difference between people who want to do something and people who just want a paycheck and complain.

[cassiusc1]

Harry Smith resign. You are a liberal in anchorman''s clothing! You must have failed journalism 101... reporting should be fair and unbiased. Shame on you.

[doctorreaper]

Oh good, a younger tool of neofascism, just what no one particularly needs right now.

[blog_fever]

I love how this site likes to edit/delete the truth! Thank you CBS for your objectivity.