I feel comfortable saying I work for a Senator for the State of Connecticut. I do not however feel comfortable discussing any opinion I have of my daily work there, or details of exactly what I've done. There is certainly a sense of decorum you feel - even without reviewing the ethics clauses - when you work in such an environment. I will say that I am proud to serve my adopted state in any way I can, that certainly won't change. What I'm about to say isn't anything you can't find with a great amount of ease on the Internet, so here we go:
My responsibilities are three fold; I answer phones, receive and sort mail and assist on legislative matters. It is no secret that interns are a critical facet of the daily functioning of the United States Government, and it's an honor to be at the very least a small part of that invaluable system. I'll be honest, don't expect too many - or any - posts about work. It's still a tough subject to broach while I'm in the thick of it, perhaps April will bring more updates. Most posts will probably be about my free-time exploits. Since I'm not here to sight-see though, it's prudent to at least gloss over why I'm here.
The awesome part about my job is seeing government in action. I had these expectations going into this about what things would be like; and so far it's been incredibly rewarding. It's been fun. If you're interested in government, this is certainly an environment you want to involve yourself in early on; I think the only regret I have is that I didn't have time to do this again.
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| If you look carefully around the Capitol, you'll see signs like this...pretty cool |
The weekend...yeah it's going to be intense. The Inauguration on Monday will probably freeze the entire city to a stand-still starting at the latest Saturday morning. My favorite MSNBC show, Morning Joe, is broadcasting from DC Monday and Tuesday. I have work Tuesday, so I intend to be at the shop they'll be broadcasting from as soon as the doors open (5:00am). Last summer, I met some of the people behind the scenes and now I hope to see the hosts in action!
I'll make no secret of the fact that politics is not my only love. I do very much enjoy political broadcasting (the main topic of Morning Joe). That's why I want to tie them together as much as possible. No matter what happens in the future, this spring will provide invaluable experience - as well as one heck of an education - for me when I consider my future.
I titled this post after a set of rooms in both the Senate and House, a staging area of sorts for members of each party in each House of Congress. When the Senate in session, it's prudent to know where the important places are in case I am sent on an errand or something that is time sensitive. I'm hoping the cloakroom is one of those places because of all the history it is steeped in, in fact on a broader level, the history the Senate is steeped in.
I'll post more Monday night after the inaugural festivities are concluded.
"With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations."
- Abraham Lincoln's second inaugural address, 1865
In light of the pending inauguration, I thought I'd sift through to one of the most famous addresses ever delivered. If you can, just read through the second Inauguration Address delivered by President Lincoln. It paved the way to Reconstruction and the America we know and love today. It calls for peace and conciliation, as well as an acknowledgement of shared responsibility for the costliest armed conflict to date in American history. Lincoln had the political capitol to blame it on the South, to saddle them with the responsibility and incredible reparations brought on by the Civil War. He didn't though. Unfortunately, he was assassinated before he could actually put his ideas into motion. What replaced it was Radical Reconstruction, something that kept our wounds open rather than bind them up in an expeditious manner. I don't feel qualified to say whether or not that was the right choice; it's tantamount to asking someone to make a definitive assessment on whether or not President Truman should have authorized the 2 nuclear strikes that ended WWII. There are too many hypotheticals. I especially find meaning in his line asking us to "strive on to finish the work we are in...;" there is always more work to do.
Stay Tuned.....
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