Tuesday, January 8, 2013

The Cherokee Strip

It's been half a year or so, but I decided to revive my oft-used blog from London. I wish I had blogged more while I was in New York City last summer; so much happened so fast that by the time I sat down to type...there was just too much. I'm going to try and not make the same mistakes again. Also, I'm going to try and keep these as short as possible, and let the pictures do as much talking as possible. I do like to write, but I also acknowledge the idea that people enjoy short-and-sweet pieces now more than long-winded efforts. I'll explain the title later on...

Starting on Monday, January 14th I will begin interning in the United States Senate through a program sponsored by UConn. This will be my third and final Study Abroad program. When I went to London, that was certainly abroad...but training on The Niagara was more of a stretch (we did go into Canada for a couple days)...and I'm quite confident that Washington DC is still in the United States...that's above my pay grade though. Regardless, this program has a relationship with each of the seven members of Connecticut's Congressional Delegation, placing one student in each of these offices. The application process is quite involved and I feel incredibly fortunate to be a part of this. I am entering the fray in an exciting time. Two members of Connecticut's delegation are new in their roles, but whether you've been on The Hill for 2 weeks or 10 years you can't deny staffers, interns and Congresspeople have a lot on their plate this upcoming session.

I'm not sure what the protocols are for blogging this spring. Based on my last political internship, my feeling is that the blogging about my day-to-day events at the office will be close to nil. That's why I haven't said exactly who I'm working for yet. I will say though that I hope to work in Communications or Veterans Affairs during this internship and then full time after I graduate.

Now on to the title. I am a veracious consumer of historical facts. The Senate Chamber is generally divided down the center aisle between Republicans and Democrats with Independents having the chance to pick which side to sit on. From time to time, one party has such an overwhelming majority, some members - probably the most junior - must sit on the minority side...in the back row. The row of junior senators was named a "Cherokee Strip" in reference to the strip of land on the west end of Oklahoma. The last time there was a Cherokee Strip was in the 76th Congress at the outset of WWII when six Democrats had to sit behind the Republican caucus.

I have been doing a ton of research into the Senate, the way it's structured  and its history. One of my duties as an intern could be to give tours, so I'd like to be as educated as possible. I've also been looking into my Senator's committee assignments and legislation that he will most likely sponsor or co-sponsor (such as gun control).

It will be very exciting, that I am sure of. I can't wait to settle into my town house with my fellow Huskies right down the street from the Capitol building. I'll be posting more pictures and historical tidbits as the semester progresses.

For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.
~Ted Kennedy during his 1980 Presidential primary concession speech

This is what politics will continue to be about. Some might think it's diverted from its root purpose to serve the American people, but I'll work my tail off - like my bosses and my fellow interns to protect the American dream and ensure that tomorrow is better than yesterday (I know, so politically cheesy, but I'd like to think it's true).

Stay Tuned....

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