Coming soon!

Haven't blogged in a while, stay tuned. Got a new iPhone, should make blogging a lot more convenient!

What's really going on at the MT state legislature

Today was a first for me.  

I went to Helena to attend the state legislative session with a friend of mine.  It was a cool experience to see the behind the scenes actions of our state senators and reps and even Lt. Governor.  I sat in on a committee hearing regarding an SID bill and one thing struck me as I watched, listened and learned.  I'm going to try to approach this from a nonpartisan approach but believe me, it's going to sound like I am clearly biased... please keep in mind that in this circumstance, I'm not.   

Obviously the two party system has its role to play in regards to accomplishing agendas.  If it didn't, we'd all be Bushocrats or Obamicans.  But as I sat in this committee room today, I saw something that disturbed me and made me think.  The bill that was being discussed, I was for.  There were many people in the room, although probably more for the bill than against.  The committee was a 9 man (or person, for all you politically correct) panel, split 5-4 in favor of the Republicans.  

I was sitting in the front row of the audience, yet I was only two feet from the nearest state senator (a democrat).  I initially took notice to my eventually nausea about 5 minutes into the hearing when two of the nine senators (both democrats) showed up late.  In the interest of fairness, a republican also showed up a minute or two late.  As the ball got rolling, the sponsor of the bill (a republican) spoke, followed by proponents and then obviously, the opponents.  

Throughout the entire hearing, I was continuously distracted by senators getting up and down and doodling and texting.  There was one senator, Jesse Laslovich (D- Anaconda), who was constantly getting up to snack on the cheez-its and carrots or chocolate.  Then he would stand there behind the panel looking too preoccupied to actually listen.  Finally, he dismissed himself privately after appearing to have better things to do than his job.  Perhaps the coffee or water took their toll.  To his credit, I did later see him in the back of the hearing room.  

Jesse Laslovich (D- SD 43, Anaconda)

The senator sitting two feet from me was Steve Gallus (D- Butte).  Mr. Gallus said virtually nothing the entire meeting except a bit of moaning when the chairman said that there were a few more questions.  "Oh, that's a shame", he commented.  And then he continued his pencil drawn 3-D box on his yellow legal pad, followed by a few text messages and chocolates.  He too apparently had better things to do than his job of representation.  I suppose it's possible that the people of Butte elected him to go to the legislature and eat tax payer funded goodies while providing absolutely no contribution to the discussion other than to whine about the very reason he's there.  

Steve Gallus (D- SD 37, Butte)

And then there is Mrs. Kim Gillan, also a Democrat who represents SD 24 in Billings.  Mrs. Gillan apparently has a really hard job listening to those pesky constituents.  It must be extremely tiring.  I mean, why else would Senator Gillan take a nap in the middle of the hearing?  Seriously... paid to sleep?  I'm in!  To her credit, she tired to catch up towards the end of the meeting by asking the sponsor to clarify a few things that she "missed".  Mr. Shockley jokingly told her she missed a lot to which she replied that she could probably brush up by listening to the minutes of the meeting.  I suppose that's assuming she can stay awake.

Kim Gillan (D- SD 24, Billings)

The fourth and final Democrat on the panel was Senator Ron Erickson (D- Missoula).  Mr. Erickson was awake, attentive and didn't appear at all hungry during the session.  He contributed by asking questions in regards to the bill and made subsequent suggestions.  A good man is he.

Ron Erickson (D- SD 93, Missoula)

What about the Republicans you ask?  Well, the Republicans present were Mr. Bruce Tutvedt (SD 3, Kalispell), Mr. Verdell Jackson (SD 5, Kalispell), Chairman John Esp (SD 31, Big Timber), Vice Chairman Jeff Essmann (SD 28, Billings) and Mr. Gregory Barkus (SD 4 Kalispell).  In case you were wondering, Mr. Tutvedt got a little thirsty at one point, and Mr. Jackson excused himself briefly during the meeting... returning shortly thereafter in the approximate time it would take a person to relieve him/herself in the restroom.  

So... what's the point?  Well, I'm glad you asked.  The point is that the sponsor of this bill was a Republican.  It is my humble opinion that the reason for the the nonchalant-ness is not coincidental on the part of the Democrats.  I believe it was partisan based.  They didn't appear to want to be there, nor did they appear interested or concerned with their duties.  They already knew how they were going to vote.  I want to be clear not to over generalize because Mr. Erickson was definitely an exception.

My concern is not with the dissent of the dissenters, but rather their manner of doing so.  They are there to serve the people who elected them to office.  If they are hungry, grab some cheez-its or chocolate... before the meeting.  If they are tired, take a nap... sometime other than the meeting.  Every Republican in that room appeared engaged and willing to work.  Every Democrat... well, you get the picture.

I'm certain there are other committees where the reverse is true and the Republicans are the ones not interested in the Democrat-sponsored bill and that further illustrates my point.  How are we supposed to solve the large problems when we can't even bring ourselves to listen and talk to each other about the small ones.  I can only imagine this is worse at the federal level... and that really concerns me.

The Capitol, The White House & Serena

******PHOTOS FOR THIS POST ARE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST*******

This week I chose to delay my post a bit because of my schedule. I had so many exciting activities to do that I wanted to be able to share all of them with you. This has probably been my most productive/exciting week or ten days in Washington. As I mentioned in my last post, I traveled to Ocean City, NJ for the July 4th weekend, which was an awesome experience. I found myself thinking about how we get too caught up in our day-to-day lives to appreciate our friends and family let alone the historic places in this country. During our trip to O.C., we passed through a very small town in Delaware where they were having an Independence Day parade. This was definitely small town America as the parade consisted of no stoplights, a fire truck, a police car (possibly 20 years old) and some horses. However, [apparently] the whole town turned out for the five-minute trip down Main St. For a moment I honestly forgot what it was like to be from (at least for the summer) a thriving metropolis.

Monday I completed a portion of our TWC requirement by conducting my informational interview. For those of you who are just considering The Washington Center, you will have to do the same. Through a friend of mine (who used to work at the White House), I was put in touch with Margaret Hoover who is the great-granddaughter of President Herbert Hoover. If you wiki Margaret, you will find that she has served as a deputy press secretary for a Florida Congressman, worked for the White House, the Department of Homeland Security, and is a Fox News contributor. Margaret was more than kind as she took nearly an hour to speak with me about my potential career and the steps that she has taken to get where she is today. I came away from the interview with a firm understanding of the path I may need to take should I choose a similar career. Needless to say, the interview was extremely beneficial.

Tuesday, I went with Kelly, my boss Swanson Communications to an event in downtown D.C. One of our clients, The Southeast Tennis Learning Center had teamed with World Team Tennis for the inaugural season of The Washington Kastles. The Kastles are the newest franchise in the sport where tennis meets football or soccer. The fans are encouraged to cheer and make noise, which is different from your grandfather’s tennis. Serena Williams is the most notable player for Washington and again, it was quite the experience to stand on the same court as her. While I did not get to meet her, a ball from her hit me. She knocked the ball across the court; the other player missed it, and it bounced off a planter and nailed me in the leg. Of course I kept the ball, I find it to be quite the conversation piece.

Wednesday, I attended a breakfast with my Senator, Max Baucus, on Capitol Hill. You may know that back home I interned for Senator Baucus and while I had met him before, it was definitely an experience to be able to speak one-on-one with him. If you are into politics at all, I would urge you to do the same. It is my understanding that every U.S. Senator has these breakfasts and all you have to do is call their office a few days prior.

Following my breakfast with Senator Baucus, I went on a group tour of the Capitol Building, which was completely captivating. We were not able to go into the chambers because at the time of our visit they were in session, but we were still able to see quite a bit. En route to Capitol Hill, I passed the Supreme Court and the Library of Congress. They sort of snuck up on me and I found myself fascinated at their size and design.

Yesterday, I finally was able to take a tour of the White House, which has turned into the highlight of my summer thus far. Again, if you are interested, just contact your Senator’s office but you should do so quickly because often you may have to wait three to six months. While you really do not get to see that much of the White House, it is still quite the experience to walk down the same hallways and through the same rooms as our Presidents, past and present. You are not allowed to take cameras into the White House but cell phones are allowed so of course I had to bend the rules a bit and was able to snap a quick picture on our way out.

Finally, my placement with Swanson Communications has been interesting this week. Our work on Affliction: Banned has been fairly intense and seems to be coming to a head as the event is now less than a week away. Unfortunately I will not be able to go to L.A. for fight week but I have been told that we are about to begin another project. While I am not exactly sure what the new project entails, I am told that a media tour is involved. It looks as if I may be able to go to New York but am still unsure about the other cities. As my time here in D.C. winds down, I am constantly looking for ways to remain as involved and relevant as possible. I want to make the most of the next four weeks and build on the knowledge I have already gained.

While next week does not look as packed, I think it will still be rewarding mostly because I will be participating in my civic engagement. I have decided to volunteer for John McCain headquarters. I do not want to get too into depth about my political beliefs in this post (that post is coming soon), but I consider myself to be an independent and that being said, until recently I was undecided on whom to support. In the past couple of weeks, I have developed some serious concerns and issues with Obama and unless those are resolved before November, I cannot see myself voting for him. But again, more on this soon… now is not the time, although I will give you one tip; you know how they say, politics and office do not mix? Well there is a reason they say that, I would definitely heed those words. I look forward to sharing with you next week and hopefully you are gaining something from my experiences here in Washington. Until next time…
.e

A few recent DC photos

We the people

I do not want to make this week’s post about my internship but rather about the city that came to inspire me this week. I will briefly discuss the weekly topics just to give you an idea of my progress, but I want to focus mainly on the spirit of this Independence Day week.

In my earlier posts, I mentioned that Swanson Communications has been retained to promote the Affliction: Banned MMA event July 19th in Anaheim. Our progress on this event has allowed me to gather a more firm understanding of the behind-the-scenes action in the making of a “mega-event”. I have come to learn quite a bit in the last week or so; there is so much more than I could have ever imagined. My main task has been compiling a media list for the event so that we can inform the appropriate contacts around the country of Affliction: Banned in order to receive coverage. Sometime this week we will send out a press release to this list and then the real fun begins. I am excited for the week of the fight because it is jam packed full of interviews, conferences and promotional activities that I can only hope will reflect the hard work and effort we have put into this.

Back to D.C. itself. Appropriately enough, this week has further inspired my American pride. I do not think there is anything quite like D.C. and Independence Day. Unfortunately I will not be in Washington for the 4th as we are going to Ocean City, New Jersey, but just walking around town this week, I have seen an abundance of American pride and love of country that I do not think I have seen anywhere else. 

Of course you can tell the tourists who are here for the celebration because they are all wearing American flag shirts or a red hat, blue shirt and white shorts. As corny as that may sound, you cannot help but smile when you see it because it is definitely quite the demonstration. Everywhere I look, I see something that reminds me of the history of this city and this great country. After visiting the Department of the Interior earlier this week, I walked a few blocks over to The Washington Monument where I got a crazy awesome view of the city.

After visiting the Monument, I walked up 15th ave, past the Treasury and many other historic building. I ended up stumbling on the site of the very first political campaign which made me think about all of the people who have passed through this same vicinity only years before. Certainly my path has crossed one they once took. Surely I have been standing in a place they once stood. If you care to think about that sort of thing, it is quite the thought to ponder.

Moving on, this next week promises to be absolutely chaotic… in a good way.  Tuesday I will be conducting one of my informational interviews with Margaret Hoover (President Herbert Hoover’s great-granddaughter). Wednesday I am having breakfast with my Senator, touring the Capitol building and having dinner at The Washington Center. Finally, Thursday wraps up the excitement with my long awaited, much anticipated tour of the White House. I am expecting next week to be a blast. I look forward to telling you about it. Until next time…

.e

White House or Bust!

One of the requirements for my internship through The Washington Center is to set a realistic set of academic, professional, civic and personal goals. I will not bore you with the details of all of my goals, but I will share with you that one of my personal goals was to get to visit The White House. I have been trying and trying to get my family and myself a tour and finally on Monday, I received a call that we will be able to tour 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. on July 10! I am extremely excited about this opportunity because the waiting list can often take up to six months to be approved. Luckily for me, I was able to utilize my connection from my prior internship with Senator Baucus’ office in order to cut the timeline nearly in half! I only wish I could take photos inside The White House for all of you to see.

Continuing on the political scene, this week I was able to participate in a networking event for Senator John McCain. You should know that I consider myself an undecided, right-leaning moderate, independent. That would be the politically correct way to say that I am not certain about who I will support for President but as of right now I am leaning towards McCain. The reason I say ‘leaning towards’ is because I like to keep an open mind about this sort of issue as I have found that when you truly keep a ‘open mind’, there are a wide variety of things that can influence your stance and help you make the right decision.

I am not the type of person to jump on the bandwagon or follow the rock star movement because everyone else is. I believe in educating myself rather than listening to someone’s opinion or general consensus. Given this standard, I have been committed to making my vote on the issues and currently given John McCain’s experience and voting record, he has it.

Here you can get an idea of how many blocks were closed for the BBQ Battle. And for all of my co-workers back home, Famous Dave's was there! I have pictures to show!

Moving away from politics, the workplace got a little more interesting this week. Over the weekend I was able to attend the Safeway BBQ Battle, which was possibly the largest block party BBQ I have ever seen. There were roughly 10 blocks of Pennsylvania Ave. blocked off for BBQ restaurants competing in the “Battle”, as well as games and vendors. I got my goatee trimmed by a master barber from Chicago, ate at Famous Dave’s and brushed my teeth at Aquafresh… all on Pennsylvania Ave. It was crazy! All of this was to benefit one of our clients, The Boys & Girls Club.

Saturday I was introduced to another new aspect of work with Swanson Communications. We are now working with Affliction clothing and their upcoming MMA (mixed martial arts) event on July 19 in Anaheim, California. My current job is to pitch the event to the top newspapers, television and radio stations in the country. This event is arguably the greatest MMA event ever to take place as six of the fighters are among the top ten in the world! As if that is not enough, Donald Trump has partnered with Affliction and is actively promoting the event. Be sure to watch July 19; I think it will be awesome!

Well, that basically sums up my week. Hopefully next week I will have more exciting information for you…we are nearly half way through the summer and it is starting to fly by! Check back soon…

Until next time.
.e

Calm, Cool and Collected

Week three in D.C. has been one of a completely different theme than my first two in the city. I finally feel oriented, prepared and best of all, cool! I have begun to establish a consistent schedule from week to week, which if you are anything like me, is pretty important to my productivity. This week has also seen nicer weather than the previous two. Being from Montana, the 94+ heat mixed with the humidity was really not up my alley! Last week while the ‘feels like’ temperature was 103, Montana was getting snow! Can you believe that? Snow, in mid-June! In that respect, I really wanted to be home. Luckily Mother Nature has let up and this week has been extremely comfortable and actually quite nice outside.

The buzz around D.C. (and probably around the country for that matter) this week has been the sudden death of NBC News and Meet the Press Chief Correspondent Tim Russert. I have personally found it astounding to see the outpouring of affection around the District and country in the wake of his passing. I find myself captivated time and time again by all of the tributes, he truly seemed like an honest journalist.

Speaking of captivating, the office has kept me busy this week, as I have begun work on a few new projects. We are still waiting to hear who will replace Floyd Mayweather in what will be Oscar De La Hoya’s final fight. Therefore, we are also still uncertain about any possibility of a press tour this summer (although, I am holding out hope, as I believe the experience would be invaluable). In the meantime, today I began work on a potential list of sponsors which Baltimore Ravens running back, Willis McGahee could use to partner with. This glimpse inside the NFL has been interesting to say the least.

Meeting my cousin's baby girl

In regards to my course with The Washington Center, Intercultural Communications: How Washington-based Organizations Prepare for A Global Marketplace, is a course which will be focusing on globalization of our economy and the impact it will have on America and the world. The one thing so far that has surprised me, and to my delight, is that this course offers a different approach to the learning atmosphere. My classes back at The University of Montana tend to be a lecture format with little interaction, which can sometimes restrict the potential for conversation. I really enjoy the fact that this course uses a more discussion-based format where we have the opportunity to learn from and debate each other. I feel this will help the course be more enjoyable over the summer.

As far as the weekend goes, I did not do much sightseeing; instead I went on a ride-along with my cousin who is a police officer up in Germantown. As I am sure you can imagine, that was quite the experience. Although he said it was one of the slower nights in his beat, the night was highlighted by an attempted burglary call. I tell you what, there is nothing quite like flying 90 mph in a 40 mph zone in a police car. I may have to do that again next weekend.

I am looking forward to the rest of this week as there are many events taking place that I am going to try to attend. I will be sure to let you know about them.
Until next time…
.e