Ever wonder what happened to Rick Lazio Republicans?
They voted for a Democrat, Steve Israel, who won the seat Lazio vacated to try his luck in the 2000 Senate race against Hillary Clinton. Voters have returned Israel to the House three times since.
Israel recently sat down with City hall over Chinese food to discuss harmful Long Island stereotypes, his post-Congressional career and a sure-fire way to bring political parties together. What follows are edited excerpts from the interview.

City hall: So you’re a Chinese food fan?
Steve Israel: I’m a Chinese food fanatic, actually. For me, it’s spare ribs, fried rice, an egg roll—your Chinese food basics. I can eat Chinese food several times a week, with no problem whatsoever.
CH: Chinese food is sometimes not the healthiest option
SI: If I feel that health is becoming an issue, I’ll just work out a little longer. I will not give up on the Chinese food.

[Orders cashew chicken lunch special with hot and sour soup, egg roll, white rice and a Diet Coke]

CH: Is there a certain Long Island stereotype that really gets your goat?
SI: The assumption that Long Islanders are “Long Guylanders.” I spent a lot of time with Southern Members of Congress and there’s nothing more jarring than listening to a Southern Member of Congress do a Long Island accent. You got things going on there that just are unnatural.
CH: I’m surprised they know that there is a Long Island accent.
SI: They think they do. I used to be in the House Blue Dogs, which is a group of very Southern Democrats, and we have these meetings where every one of my colleagues would speak in slow and very Southern elocution. And then there’d be Steve Israel from New York, you know, fast talkin’, throwin’ lots of verbs in there, unable to put a “g” at the end of any word. So we would have occasional communication difficulties at those meetings.
Actually, I do hate another Long Island stereotype. Many of my colleagues believe that if you live on Long Island, you’re living in the Hamptons. There’s a sense that Long Islanders should not receive any help from the federal government because we’re all rich. And that’s why I love taking members to my district where they can actually see the extremes. That’s a serious stereotype that actually has some significant policy implications.

CH: You formed the Center Aisle Caucus, bringing together Democrats and Republicans. Were you the peacemaker on the playground, too?
SI: As the guy who used to get beaten up on the playground, I thought it was important to be the peacemaker once I went to Congress. No, I kind of grew up as a bit of a policy nerd. I was elected to high school student body president on the promise of getting a student lounge. I did deliver the student lounge, I’m happy to say. Some would say that to this day, it’s my proudest achievement.

CH: If you weren’t in politics, what would you be doing?
SI: I’d be writing. I love writing. I just published a book, working on another one now. Ultimately, I like to try to balance my time in politics with time spent writing.

CH: You want to regulate and legalize Internet gambling. Have you ever participated in an office betting pool? Super Bowl, Final Four?
SI: No, I have not, because I’m a passionate Mets fan. For me, I don’t care whether you’re Republican or Democrat—you better be a Mets fan. When it comes to other sports, I’m much less engaged and involved. I obsess about the Mets. My worst day—it was the equivalent of losing an election—was when the Mets lost [out on a spot in the playoffs this past season]. I will confess when I read the paper in the morning, I start from the back and see if there’s anything pertaining to the Mets and then work my way back to the serious issues.

CH: What are your favorite Chinese places?
SI: In Washington, there are two Chinese restaurants on the Hill. When we meet on Monday nights, one of the few things Democrats and Republicans can agree on is Chinese food. Everybody loves Chinese food. But the controversy is which of the two Chinese restaurants on Capitol Hill do we go to?
CH: Is one more red and one more blue?
SI: No. It’s completely ambiance, not a red-blue thing. And since I pay for the dinners, I feel I have a right to choose. It is amazing how getting off the floor, getting out of committee rooms, getting off the Hill and going to a Chinese restaurant does bring humanity back into the setting—like we can deal with each other as people sharing Chinese food instead of banging chairs over each others’ heads. Chinese food is the great unifier.

CH: You help recruit up and coming Members of Congress.
SI: One of my favorite things to do.
CH: How do you find people who are willing to give up a life, never have time to take a vacation?
SI: It’s not hard to find them. They find us. My job is to support them and serve as their liaison to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. This is a very exciting time to be a Democrat. In New York, 23 of the 29 House Members are Democrats. We believe that we have a good opportunity to win the remaining six districts. And in this environment, there’s no shortage of candidates who want to run. Part of my job is to actually talk them through the personal stuff, tell them what it’s like to be on the run at the airport, hoping to get home.
CH: How do you vet these people and figure out who’s going to make the most sense as a candidate?
SI: That’s not up to us. That’s up to the voters.
CH: But you guys support—
SI: Well, we don’t. When they call, we tell them, “Raise money, build your team, get out into the community.” If there’s no primary and the district is winnable, we’ll provide—resources will be provided,
[Israel’s cell phone rings]
SI: Now, it’s my daughter, and the only person I do this for is…, Hi!
[Talks on the phone]
SI: Now, you can deal with an $8-trillion debt and a $2.9-trillion budget, but that was my daughter telling me that she needs another $50 this month in college.

CH: Do you cook at home?
SI: Never cooked. I’m in charge of cooking a bagel in the morning, which some people would say is putting it in the toaster.

CH: You’ve been behind a lot of green efforts. What do you do at home?
SI: Gov. Spitzer and I have put together this green schools initiative, and I spend about 80 percent of my time on energy issues. You can’t just pass legislation and give speeches. You’ve got to live this. So I drive a hybrid, I’m looking into retrofitting my house. I’ve tried to become the first Congressional office in New York to be carbon neutral, but we had a hard time measuring our carbon output. Our landlord can’t figure out how to do it.

[The table is cleared and fortune cookies are delivered.]

CH: What’s your fortune?
SI: This is so perfect. “The heart of a relationship is all in the appreciation.” [To staffer] I appreciate you!
CH: I got a good one: “Your hard work will pay off today.” That’s great for a Monday.