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.

The House is at Recess

Friday, July 31st, marks the last day that the House of Representatives were in session for the summer term of the 111th Congress. This doesn't mean that this was the last day of my internship but rather it's the last day that the Congressional members would be lingering around Capitol Hill for our short tenures. I have found out though, through various conversations, that many interns will be departing the Washington, D.C. area in the next week or two. I'm included in that batch with next Friday, August 7th being my last day.

I was able to talk to the Congressman for a bit in his office today, as I was scheduled to get a picture taken with the Congressman. He asked me where I was going to school and what I was going to major in. When I told him that a major in political science is one of my leading options, he responded by saying "...why would you ever want to do that"? I have found that Congressman Moore can be witty and very easy to connect with when chatting with him.

I must say, that comment was a fun way to wrap up my interactions with the Congressman, who went on to explain that this (political science) was a similiar path he had decided on when he went to college.

The numbers of phone callers are now slowing, with the recess looming. However, I still had a few calls upset about the proposed health care legislation. As always, I've tried to politely inform them that the legislation, which it seems that the vast majority of those who are upset, aren't aware of it's components (besides the fact that President Obama supports it and/or that it may be socialized medicine), HR 3200 has been available to read in its entirety online for over 2 weeks and that the vote had already been postponed for at least a month, while Congress is out on recess. Some were relieved to hear this, while others were still concerned that Congress was still hoisting it on the public.

One caller that came my way told me that they were either dropped or disconnected as they were talking with one of my fellow interns. She went on to tell me that the intern she was speaking with was arguing with her and not listening to her opinion. She expressed the concern that we were taking away her voice. I tried to, very diplomatically, tell her that as interns we were not there to argue with her or try to change her opinion and that we would definitely pass along their concerns, but we do want to help point out misconceptions that callers may have heard when they are in the process of sharing their comments with us. While I think she understood that message, she wasn't happy when I tried to point out, per her comment, that there is no mention of abortion at all in HR 3200 nor the licensing of, or support for euthanization. This caller, and others, have told us that their sources were infallible and that I/we were not being honest with them.

Oh well, to each their own.