Day 2: Capitol Hill

In a rapid introduction to Capitol Hill, this week I attended the Swearing In Ceremonies for many members of Congress. I began my internship with Citizens for Global Solutions [CGS] on Monday, January 5th and found that the next day, I would be attending the Swearing In Ceremonies. Immediately after arrival to the office in the morning, I left with Don Kraus, Bob Enholm, and Richard Thelen, for the first of many parties on "the Hill". The first member of Congress I met that day was Betty Sutton, the representative from the 13th District of Ohio. I was immediately impressed by her forward and friendly manner. Don discussed CGS and we left one of her staff members with a folder that we had prepared. The folder contained information on CGS and letters to the new members of Congress. Throughout the day we would explain CGS as a national non-profit membership group. Our goals are making the United States a more positive international force. We stated our priorites for the upcoming year and shared our excitement for the beginning of a new Congress and a new Presidential Administration. Meeting Congresswoman Sutton was only the beginning of what would be a long day of networking, eating, and doing our best to promote CGS.

In total, we met 30 Congressmen and women, in parties, in hallways, and in offices. My personal highlights came when attending the ceremony for Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts. Easily recognizable with his tall stature and thick hair, the bigger surprise came when I also saw Ted Kennedy. Before coming to Washington, D.C. and working with CGS, I would have been willing to set high stakes that I would never be in the room with either gentlemen. The crowd at the party listened to John Kerry give a short thank you speech and introduce Ted Kennedy. Ted Kennedy spoke and stated his excitement in continuing his eighth term in the Senate. Both addressed the party with the gusto that I had always imagined they possessed. Toward the end of our long day, I went with Richard Thelen, to visit the office of my Congressman, Gary Peters, from the ninth district of Michigan. Unfortunately, we were not able to meet him as he was beginning a radio interview. Richard and I talked for a long time with Gary Peter's son and his Press Secretary, named Nate Bailey. Both his son and Nate were friendly and we enjoyed speaking with them. We were pleased to hear that Peters was working to become a part of the Foreign Affairs Committee. After seeing his face on television so often this Fall during the elections, I was excited to just be in his office.

A surprise came at the party for Senator Tom Udall from New Mexico. I recognized Beth Broderick (in the photo on the right hand side), who was once a main character on a TV show called, "Sabrina the Teenage Witch". I introduced myself and found she was incredibly pleasant. In talking to Ms. Broderick, I was pleased to learn how active she is in politics. Broderick got involved in Tom Udall's Senate campaign with friends and she was thrilled to be in attendance at the Swearing In Ceremony. I also met at the party for Tom Udall, representatives from the National Indian Gaming Association. They remarked glowingly about Tom Udall's efforts to help the Native American Community in New Mexico. I saw, but did not meet, Stewart Udall, the former Interior Secretary of the United States and Tom Udall's father. Tom Udall's cousin Mark was also elected Senator of Colorado. Mark Udall is the son of Morris Udall, who ran for the Democratic nomination for U.S. President in 1976. It was interesting to learn how involved the Udall family has been in politics since I knew almost nothing about the family beforehand.

All in all, my second day at CGS can only be described as a whirlwind. After the day, I had no choice but to be on the phone all night, describing everything in detail to my family back in Michigan. I can barely begin to say how pleased I was to have the opportunity to be involved in so much activity on the Hill.