It's a Wrap!

A part of my JCCC Independent Study was to make a video about my Internship. While I had a wide variety of experiences, I wanted to create something that could help others who might be thinking about an Internship, gain some insight into what such an experience is like.

If the video helps, or doesn't, please leave me a comment to tell me what you think.

Thanks and enjoy!

--Paul

My Summer Experience - Wrap Up

Ten weeks, 47 days, hundreds of miles walked, thousands of letters and phone calls and many of the most important issues facing our Country and I've wrapped up my summer of service.

This post will be longer than my usual reports as I share some thoughts about my entire experience.

It was a fantastic opportunity to serve and learn about how Congress really works. I was able to contribute to Congressman Moore's staff efforts to fulfill his responsibilities and act on his agenda. I helped in the process of moving forward the communications with constituents. I saw, and participated in, ongoing discussions about such important issues as energy policy (Cap and Trade), health care, and many others. I could see firsthand the many conversations, interactions, research and even distractions that factor into a Member of Congress executing their duties. I was on the front lines of a summer of history and I was able to learn what the normal (non-elected/staff) people of our legislative branch do day-in and out to help our government work.

My experiences were aided by the guidance of Marilyn Gaar, the Professor coordinating my Independent Study at JCCC, who asked me to think more acutely about the 'why' of my experience and how they are influenced by the things I was seeing and doing. Along the way I discovered, and even grew, my interest in public policy. How it's written, what happens to it as it moves along the process, what are the challenges and opportunities to it along the way and ultimately, what it means for Americans.

I don't think that I mentioned one of the resources that Professor Gaar shared with me, but it provided me with an important point of reference. A television series from PBS hosted by the journalist Hedrick Smith (The People & the Power Game) documented a behind the scenes view of the political processs, of the unelected (the media and lobbyists) as well as the elected (Congress and the Presidency), albeit from the mid 1990's.

Many of the fundamental forces at work then, are still present today, but have evolved into more sophisticated and at other times, more subtle, ways of influencing the legislative process. The media and it's role have undergone a radical transformation due to technological advancements such as the Internet, but the outcome is the same, to impact the legislative process by those who use and control those media.

Being in the thick of things and then seeing how people react when 'informed' by the media, be it television news, web sites or traditional 'journalism' frequently resulted in a quite different perspective. It kind of reminds me of the old game 'pass it along' where a message is repeated by whispering in the ear of the person next to you, and then on to the next person. By the time multiple people have heard, interpreted and repeated the message multiple times, the details and even the meaning can get quite mangled. This seems to happen to the news as it gets circulated among audiences with their own agendas, perspectives and expectations.

The power of the media then, is quite significant because it is the primary method of how the people, the consitutents who elect their representatives hear, or don't hear what is happening in Congress. That power then, has an important place in our government. In fact, the news, or today, the media, has actually been called 'the fourth estate' of our government (with the legislative, executive and judicial being the other three estates).

I also had first hand experience with one of the organizations that you hear so much about in the legislative process, the political action committee or PAC. While the specific one I interacted with, the American-Israel Political Action Committee (AIPAC) used a summer forum for Interns as an approach to reach the future generation of leaders and government participants. However put though, their goal is to impact the legislative process and it's actions towards/on Israel. Rather than overtly influence a current elected official as many PAC's do by funding a campaign, PAC's today use more complex techniques to influence and lobby.

All of these issues surround (or may be due to) the most significant change in our system of representative government, that is the shift away from the emphasis on the political party's position and platform, to those of the individual elected officials. And because of this shift, it seems to have fueled these alternative ways to communicate with/from the elected officials and their constituents and those (like PAC's) who have an interest in the issues before the government. In this sense, Representative Moore seems to be more responsive to the policy issues that come before him. On the otherhand, it also means that for the Democrats, they have a harder time coming to consensus on important legislation because they have so many different constitutent groups they respond/relate to.

I also found that the Blue Dog Democrats, while theoretcially joined
around fiscally responsible approaches to government, are challenged from being a diverse group of individual Representatives. As such they too seem to struggle executing on a consensus approach. I think that the examples portrayed in the episodes from The People and the Power Game, albeit from when the Republicans held the majority, has given me another perspective into how mechanisms like the media, PAC's and other influences foster and support this spirit of candidate centric politics which feeds into each Representative in an ongoing subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) state of 'campaining' to show their worth to the folks back home.

The programs in this series do a good job of exploring how Congress works and you should be able to pick them up at your local library.

As far as highlights of my experience, there were many. From the first 'rush' of being in the Capitol and passing a recognizable Member of Congress, to visiting the White House with Representative Moore, to taking my first call from a Constituent, to researching and learning an important fact of historical relevance to a position that the Representative was considering, each moment gave me a sense of pride, responsibility and appreciation.

I know that I have a lot of people to thank for the chance to have gained this insight and benefit from these opportunities. As I've already mentioned, Professor Gaar was instrumental in helping me figure out the meaning of much of what I encountered. Equally important were the staff in the office of Representative Moore, who were patient, helpful, supportive and fun to be around. Helping me to get the opportunity in the first place was Roberta Eveslage, a long time family friend and colleague of my mothers. Our Chief of Staff, Mr. Howard Baukele, gave me the chance to try new things and the guidance to improve when I needed direction. He also was extremely supportive by giving all of us interns information and the opportunity to attend special events directed at, and intended to serve newcomers to the Hill. I also want to thank Brandon Naylor, Communications Director for his help throughout my internship, and in supporting this blog to be public.

Finally a few words about the Representative himself. I went into this experience only knowing about Dennis Moore as a public figure. Basically that was what I had read or seen about him in the news and one time at an event. Getting to know him, in person, the first thing you're struck with is how smart he is and what an easy person he is to talk to. He is very comfortable in his role as one of our nation's leaders, yet he is a regular person. He listens when you speak to him; he is very funny when he's not talking about official matters and he cares alot about doing the right thing. I know from firsthand experience that he listens to and works for his constituents. The people of the 3rd District, and the Country, are well served by him.

OK so I think I've written enough for my last posting of my summer experience. This process of writing has been interesting, a bit of a challenge at times, and now, fun to look back on. I'll be watching for comments so that if anyone who reads this in the future has questions or feedback, I'll get back to you.

Thanks for joining me in my Summer experience.

--Paul

Last Day

Friday was my last day on the job. The day had a funny, odd feeling about it. I couldn't actually believe that the Girl Scout cookies (which had become associated with the last day of each of the previous interns) were laying out for me in the morning. I remembered my first day when all I could do was sit on my hands until I was slowly taught the ropes. Now, instead, I had to decide what to start with first. There were letters that needed to be logged, a few phone calls to make as well as to receive and some last minute preparations before I left.

The office didn't seem as tense either on the last day. I was able to comfortably settle in and start logging the mail without much forethought. It had almost become second nature. The phone calls continued to roll in on a slow, but steady pace. But instead of being nervous of missing a crucial piece of the constituent's contact information, I was more concerned about conveying the appropriate information about current issues. And I've noticed that when I needed to transfer a call to someone else on Friday that I no longer had to look up the extensions, instead my hand was already moving to the next digit before my wandering eyes looked up the extension as a double check.

Even though I just remarked upon how the office seemed to be a comfortable environment where I was getting to know the in and outs, that is a complete misrepresntation of what it really is like. Capitol Hill is a constantly evolving workplace and environment. Take for example that for the past 3 months I had gone downstairs for most afternoon lunches, but since the August Recess began, I was now resorting to going to the basement of the Rayburn House Office building because ours was closed for renovations for the entire month of August. More importantly I spent the entire summer with the ability to go up to the Gallery of the House floor. But now, for the last week we are all locked out of the Gallery because of renovations. Before I had even left the internship the physical building was changing to bring in a new era of accessibililty as a wheelchair lift and other accomodations were being added.

But the politics and candidates around Capitol Hill are also always changing. During my tenure the hot topics changed quickly and involved a wide range of different issues. When I first arrived in the office, abortion was the hot issue of the summer. Quickly energy, and ACES in specific, became a focal point of most of our calls, and as soon as ACES passed the House, people began getting worked into a frenzy over health care reform. I noticed during my stay that the Congressman has to be on top of a very large array of issues and must accommodate the different needs and desires that his constituents may bring to his attention. He must be reminded that he can't always satisfy all his constituents. In fact most of the time he will only be popular at best with a simple majority of his constituents.

But in almost no time at all, an election and as such, a campaign will be looming, and he will need to gather as much support as possible in order to remain a United States Congressman.

Winding Down

There is not much time remaining in my internship. Tomorrow (Friday) will be my last day and I'm having an odd sensation of almost being at the end. Today (again) was pretty slow. Most of the mail was covered for the time being and the phones were for the large part not ringing. While we did have a few phone calls, it was nothing like it has been.

With all of the attention now focused outside of Washington, back in Member's Districts, I'm seeing a much different side of the office's function. For instance today we learned that the Congressman has not scheduled any town hall meetings. This does not mean that he is 'hiding' or anything like that, it just means that he has no town hall meetings scheduled, something that is completely natural. Of late there has been a lot of attention in the media about Member's holding town hall meetings during this August recess. So rather than quickly try to schedule a town hall meeting, the Congressman is going to invite Constituents, with a wide range of perspectives, to come meet with him in his offices back in the 3rd District.

I was also working on background research for some constituent letters that aren't among the front line issues of this session. It reminded me about my first couple of weeks at the internship where I was just starting to get to know the ropes and learn how to access some of the resources exclusively for Congressional members and staffers. I also recalled the different periods of time where new or out of the ordinary issues would arise throughout my internship that I had to go and read up on. It's funny how I'm still using the same tools, and realize that I probably will be utilizing tools like CRS and LIS throughout my college years and maybe in my future profession (who knows what profession though =)).

I now realize that I have really started to enjoy following different pieces of legislation. I've found it sort of odd to see the number of Co-signers of H.R. 1207 grow continuously, the one piece of legislation that seems positioned to have long-term longevity. All I can say is that I hope I can continue to be an active contributor and participant in public service to my government, and I want to try to stay as well as informed on the issues as I possibly can.

A Fine Lunch

The office seems a bit different than it has been for the past two months. There are several LAs gone for the week/day and the office seems to have moved into an easy pace compared to the thomping routine we have been setting. I remember before and shortly after the ACES Bill was voted on that my ear felt like it was starting to burn after the long days on the phones. Don't get me wrong, it's nice to be able to slow down after working so hard, but I do sort of miss the energy that comes with the busier schedule.

I had a special lunch break today. I had the privelage to spend lunch with the Chief of Staff and to thank him for his support and the opportunity to be a part of the team this Summer. We went to a restaurant named Charlie Palmers, which is one of the better places to dine near the Capitol. We had a very enjoyable meal wrapped around a great conversation. It was a special treat for me because it was a chance to get to know him a bit better and where he's coming from and what his personal and professional goals are. It was also a chance to discuss and get his feedback on my academic and possible career plans. For me, it was really exciting to be able to have had the chance to get to know someone who has done so much in their career in government and to get to chat with them in such a 'normal' way.

It probably sounds cliche to say that the people who are in such powerful positions as the Chief of Staff are just like us; as in real people, with real lives. However true that may be, they are doing very important work, day in and day out. Sure they may have some more routine parts of their jobs, but everyone probably does, but in the end, they are working to make something happen through their Representative's actions. The Chief of Staff position is responsible for coordinating the work that prepares and executes the Representatives agenda, and their success (or failure) ultimately reflects on them and their reputation with constituents.

Tour Galore

Today, one of our LA's, who started his experience as an intern in our office when we were still delivering tours (Following his internship he went on to work as an official Capitol Tour Guide), gave us current interns a detailed walk through / Tour of the Capitol. We started by going to the typical tourist sites such as the Rotunda and the Crypt (I learned a new interesting fact: the Crypt actually holds up about 98% of the weight of the mid-sections of the Capitol including the massive dome) and Statuary Hall. Then our LA extraordinaire (he does give a GREAT tour) took us to the Cloak Room to show the new intern (Note: see my earlier post explaining that each week in August the office has a Girl Scout assigned as an intern for the week, but without being badged and with complete intern duties and perks). We also got a guided glimpse of the old Senate Hall, the original Dome and the original Supreme Court where our LA Guide keenly pointed out that the depiction of Justice is not blind. A very cool tour for sure!

As I reflect on the experiences I've had during my internship, I feel some small relief that I did not have to give massive numbers of Capitol tours as past interns may have and as interns in other Congressional Offices still do. I mean, don't get me wrong, the Capitol is a magnificent place to see and be in, and to be able to report that you actually get to work in the Capitol is impressive. At the same time, if you were spending the majority of your internship giving tours you would miss out on learning and doing so many of the things that happen at the office. Even though there are slow times (like any job I presume) you never know what might just happen in an instant. Like today, I was able to answer and respond to a call from a very pleasant person who wanted to discuss a variety of items that they've heard reported recently in the media. Even though we did not share the same views on every issue, it was interesting to hear how someone from a different background and a different perspective on current affairs thinks and explains why they feel that way. Also, being in the office provides a different atmosphere than that you feel when you're in a public building or even a school. The work of a Congressional office has no definitive end. As long as the Member serves as the official elected representative, there is always work to be done.

Oh, and one last thing that's an important tip for others. I've found that the best way to get to learn and do things, one only needs to ask or offer to provide assistance to be assigned a new task. That's when the best opportunities of an internship experience truly arrive.

And So The Ties Loosen

Today marks the first day of the August recess. The dress code in the office relaxes a bit when we're not 'in session' so for the next month the interns will not be in suit-and-tie. In fact, we're allowed to wear short sleeve collared shirts and jeans with a presentable pair of comfortable shoes. For the average intern, not used to always being dressed up, it is a nice change of pace from the professional suits.

It seems that the computer servers also decided to take the day off after they underwent regular maintenance over the weekend. Those of us in the back room were unable to get onto the mail system making it impossible for us to log the mail for the day. Instead, we helped do presorting of the mail, as a collective project for the most part, for the Chief of Staff. We were looking to identify the main categories to organize the communications in, such as health care, stimulus, etc. so that when we're able to once again log the mail into the computer system, the process with be quicker and smoother.

Each week during the month of August our Office is assigned a Girl Scout as an intern for the week. Today we had the first of the four Girl Scouts join the team for her week-long experience. I tried to introduce her to many of the tasks interns are involved with and help her around the office, but the server being down did hinder an important part of the typical responsibilities. Hopefully we'll be back online in the morning.

Oh, and of important note, the Longworth's Cafeteria will be closed for the entirety of August for renovations. So most of us went over to the Rayburn Building to eat in their Cafeteria. Even after nearly the entire summer I'm still finding new experiences and ways around the Capitol complex. Incidentally, those of you who are culinary enthsiasts will note that the Longworth Cafeteria is typically regarded as a good place to eat on the Hill.