Washington Squares

Each week until July 14, MoJo Wire lets you test your prowess with political trivia and win a FREE subscription to Mother Jones magazine. Every Tuesday we’ll have a new set of questions about a different politician, plus the answers and winners from the week before. Just make sure you play before 5 p.m. Pacific Time each Monday.

Ted RueterJune 9, 1997 7:00 AM


This Week: James Traficant

James TraficantJames A. Traficant, Jr. may not be a household name, but his outrageous “one-minute” speeches on the House floor raise political eyebrows throughout the Beltway. Sporting polyester, double-blend bellbottoms with skinny ties, the Democratic Representative from Ohio delivers delectably provocative sound bites on issues ranging from NAFTA to Air Force Lt. Kelly Flynn’s discharge. Journalists flock to capture a juicy Traficant tidbit such as, “I say there should be some permanent brain surgery for these permanent politicians performed by some permanent proctologist; permanent this, China.”

Is Traficant simply an outspoken, old-fashioned stiff from the Rust Belt ruffling Capitol Hill’s well-oiled feathers? Or he is just another media-savvy smooth operator searching for extra C-Span coverage?

Decide for yourself below.

  1. What phrase does Representative Traficant frequently employ in his infamous ‘one-minutes’ at the House?

    “The truth is out there.”
    “Beam me up.”
    “Strike that from the record.”
    “Let’s take this outside.”
    “Believe that lie.”

  2. What is Representative Traficant’s motto?

    “Bangin’ away in D.C.”
    “Look under the hood. Take out the trash.”
    “Mediocre people deserve to be represented, too.”
    “I am a hatchet man.”
    “Create a giant sucking sound.”

  3. Traficant has made all the following statements. Which one did he direct to the Clinton administration?

    “I believe that Dr. Ruth is beginning to advise the president on the budget because this must be a massive sex experiment the way the taxpayers are being treated.”
    “Those are not roses near the White House. That must be marijuana because President X seems stoned.”
    “I think it’s time for Congress to tell the President to shove that $12 billion up his deficit.”
    “Something is wrong when men are willing to wear brassieres and pantyhose around here to get a job.”
    “We have a trade crisis ahead that will make the ’29 crash look like a fender bender, and for all those who keep making light of it in about 10 years, you try and eat your Toyota.”

  4. Traficant has appeared on all the following television programs, except:

    “Cop Talk”
    “Good Morning America”
    “America’s Most Wanted”
    “Unsolved Mysteries”
    “Hard Copy”

  5. Traficant has said all of the following are “exciting jobs,” except:

    zipper trimmer
    chicken sexer
    brasserie tender
    ball bearer
    sanitary napkin specialist

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Ted Rueter is the author of several books on politics, including The Newt Gingrich Quiz Book and The Rush Limbaugh Quiz Book.