How a congressional internship ruined my summer
This summer seemed to be a utopia for political junkies. With the stimulus package, the cap and trade energy bill and the health care debate all happening in rapid succession, the past few months made for one of the most exciting times Congress has seen in quite a while. As luck would have it, I was incredibly fortunate enough to have a front row seat — or so I thought.
My internship with Democratic Congressman Dennis Moore of the Third District of Kansas, though incredibly enriching, was quite possibly the most frightening experience of my life. Given the unique hostility of the political world this summer, I probably would have been safer working alongside the guys from The Deadliest Catch than I was working for a Democrat in Kansas.
From the day I started, I was blindsided by culture shock. Raised in New England, I grew up with a set of values considerably different than those at my new home in the Kansas City suburbs. To clarify just why, it’s important to understand that the entire New England delegation to Congress is blue, while the entirety of Kansas is comparatively anemic: It hemorrhages dark red. The lone exception is my congressman, Dennis Moore, who is a Democrat in a fairly conservative district.
In Congress for over a decade, Congressman Moore is a seasoned pro, especially because of his status as a Blue Dog Democrat. If my internship were at a circus, which it kind of was, then he’d be the guy on the tightrope. Because his district is so conservative, he has to perform the delicate balancing act of championing progressive reform with one hand, while keeping things fiscally responsible and making constituents happy with the other. Essentially, this means there’s always a reason to hate on Congressman Moore.
As a Blue Dog, Congressman Moore gets as much attention from the President as the First Dog. This is simply because without the support of moderate Democrats, President Obama can kiss his health care dreams goodbye. Naturally, Democratic leadership and President Obama spent a lot of this summer trying to lobby people like my boss. Many in the district, however, interpreted this as Congressman Moore getting cozy with Pelosi, a notion not readily accepted in the Sunflower State.
As a Blue Dog, Congressman Moore is generally in favor of health care reform that offers a public option and won’t add to the national deficit. Because these specific conditions weren’t explicitly stated in the original version of H.R. 3200, he couldn’t exactly say he was for or against “the bill.” For constituents who were looking for either a yes or no, this wasn’t the response they wanted to hear.
“Tea-baggers” would literally send tea bags in the mail, protesters would stage rallies outside the office on a regular basis and some constituents even intentionally jammed our phone lines by organizing massive robo-calls. The only break from the action we ever got was when Michael Jackson died — because if Kansans like anything more than heckling their Congressmen, it’s apparently the moonwalk.
Usually, though, it was the interns that were taking the brunt of the heat. Like most interns in any office at any company, a lot of my time was spent at the front desk either on the phone or on reception duty in between projects. Though that’s a cakewalk in some offices, this wasn’t the case for me. I was given the most exposure to unhappy constituents, which is the real reason why this job had me sweating bullets. Taxpayers never seemed so menacing.
Your mother may have once told you, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” Apparently, congressional constituents are a huge exception. Since I’d never been exposed to widespread conservatism, my experiences with informed constituents were incredibly thought-provoking and educational. The vast majority of calls to the office, however, were from angry people who weren’t interested in having a discussion and just wanted to complain about the Congressman or convey nasty messages to him. Picture a medieval-style raid, complete with pitchforks and torches — that’s what I got everyday via telephone.
To the constituents calling, since I was on the other end of the line, I suddenly became a member of Congress. I was the tangible being on which people took out their rage. I had never realized I was so sensitive! Some of the anger I heard from people had me thankful that the conversations took place on the phone and not face-to-face. Other times, I wasn’t so lucky and had to meet some of these irate people in person.
Being at the front desk, I was pretty much the only barrier between the door and the Congressman. Sounds cool, right? Well, it was until we started getting threats. That’s right, people were so angry over health care that they were actually threatening harm upon Congressman Moore. Every single time that door in front of me opened, I’d take a deep breath, praying that it wasn’t a lunatic bent on violence. It was a reality I struggled to accept.
It wasn’t conservatism that scared me this summer. In fact, I’m grateful for finally being exposed to it en masse. What worried me was that my safety, along with that of everyone else who worked in the office, was compromised because of our Congressman’s political views. Seeing this anger broadcast from town halls on television is one thing, but being there on the front lines made it that much more dangerous and that much more personal. In retrospect, I wish that front row seat had an airbag.
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Spend your next summer like we did: reading trashy beach books. Or you can return home.
that kansas sure is a political hotbed
anonymous
September 30, 2009 at 3:33 pm
Don’t worry. Moore will be gone this time next year.
Guo Wayra
September 30, 2009 at 8:25 pm
Ha! Just wait. Moore’s not going anywhere.
RE: Guo Warya
September 30, 2009 at 8:51 pm
“Since I’d never been exposed to widespread conservatism, my experiences with informed constituents were incredibly thought-provoking and educational.” One of the most absurd generalizations I’ve ever heard. I thought NBN was above CNN-esque political trash like this. Liberals can be just as nasty in their remarks. Besides, most of the purpose behind the idea of calling your congressman is to let him know when you feel he’s screwing up, not to have a conversation with him–or his staff–about the issues. Liberal groups tell us all the time to call our congressman and complain or voice our support for one thing or another. Properly written, this could have been a good article–there are legitimate points and it is an interesting story. Instead, it stoops to the level of CNN and the NY Times in not only blatant liberal bias, but a complete lack of respect for those with other viewpoints. The entire reference to conservatism in this instance was absolutely unnecessary, and appears to have been included solely for the purpose of demonizing conservatives, rather than making any actual point.
Wesley
September 30, 2009 at 9:16 pm
@Wesley–agreed. I’ve had nasty, terrible things said to me by so-called “open-minded liberals.”
If the author wants to experience actual moderate conservatism, talk to me. You’ll find that I won’t send you death threats, but rather have an open discussion and share opinions based on facts.
Miriam
September 30, 2009 at 10:55 pm
Sourav,
I hope that this is a fictional creative writing paper as it has no real basis in fact.
Your repeated assertion that Dennis Moore is a Blue Dog is laughable. He is only a Blue Dog in two circumstances, he is on the campaign trail picking and grinning with his guitar or he is voting on a bill that is obviously going to go down in flames anyway under a Republican controlled congress.
You assert that he was walking a tightrope but I can see no such evidence in the votes that he has cast in the 111th Congress. He has done nothing but “step and fetch it” for Nancy and the liberal wing of the Democrat Party on any bill of any consequence.
Your pejorative of the term “tea baggers” is beyond reprehensible yet you paint the concerned citizens that call their alleged representatives office in the the following manner, “Picture a medieval-style raid, complete with pitchforks and torches”. Did you actually see any pitchforks? Did you actually see any torches? For that matter did you see any tea bagging? I suppose that last question is personal, but I seriously doubt that you saw it outside of the Santa Fe Office building.
I saved the biggest piece of fiction of all to the end.
“Well, it was until we started getting threats.”
Show me the arrest report. Clearly threating the life or well being of anyone is worthy of assault charges. Threatening the life or well being of a Congressman elevates the charges to a higher level.
The Overland Park Police have yet to arrest a single person, yet the identities of the persons alleged to have made the threats were known according to a statement by Overland Park Police spokesman Jim Weaver. The alleged threats were simply a mechanism for the coward to not face his constituents, the people that elected him.
I am sorry for you that you had such a spineless weasel to intern under but I am happy for you that you are back in your cocoon of political purity in Chicago.
Have a very nice day,
Lee
Lee
September 30, 2009 at 11:04 pm
Gee,I’m sorry you had such a rough Summer. Maybe if your Congressman had actually met his constituents they wouldn’t be so mad. I probably saw you at his first event in “User Friendly” Wyandotte County at the Fairfax Business Lunch. He sounded so “Moderate.” Too bad his votes in the House don’t match his rhetoric on the Campaign Trail.
I feel sorry for the “REAL” people back east. You guys will always consider us “Fly-over” cuntry. We consider you “Koolaid” country. Drink you fill cause Change is Coming. Oops, you might consider that a threat.
Promises Made. Promises Kept.
Gayle
October 1, 2009 at 1:42 pm
i’m sorry your summer was so rough, and i’m even more sorry that you have to return from that pseudo-political hell to one filled with people who get nasty over a true personal anecdote…sometimes I guess it’s hard for some people to accept the fact that the beautiful place they grew up in can actually oftentimes become pretty barbaric.
anonymous
October 3, 2009 at 12:53 pm
I’ll be honest, I don’t know too much about Rep. Moore’s politics or to what extent he is a blue dog, etc.
Although, I would like to comment on:
“Show me the arrest report. Clearly threating the life or well being of anyone is worthy of assault charges. Threatening the life or well being of a Congressman elevates the charges to a higher level.”
I worked at a Senator office and we often fielded phone calls and letters with death threats. It was our policy to report it to Capitol Police but there were certainly no arrest reports made for the majority of cases.
Re: Lee
October 6, 2009 at 3:22 pm