Dedicated....to what?

I spent more time in Capitol Hill offices this week so far than in my office. Not to complain, but that is a lot of walking! My comfy shoes are about worn thin, and I'm not even halfway through the summer yet! Bought some cotton shoes in Chinatown yesterday before enjoying delicious free froyo at tangysweet. I also found a theater there to watch the midnight Eclipse show next week - hopefully this place will be more lively than where I watched New Moon was. I read a story today about people who are already camped out for the premiere. In tents. Now that's Twihard dedication.

Another example of dedication this week: two agricultural economics professors flew to DC this week to give a briefing on their local food market research and meet with staffers from their states. They really believe in what they are doing, and we were able to help them get the message out by setting up the congressional staff visits and the briefing. I find that a lot of people who work in DC play this "middleman" role after some sort of Hill experience. I met a man Monday who has his own Capitol Hill consulting firm. He has about 6 clients who pay him to set up briefings and events on the Hill. It sounds great, until you have 3 events in the same week! I am helping him with a briefing tomorrow as well, in a bee costume. Don't ask.

Another thing about the meetings with the staffers: you never know what type of person you are going to meet with until you get there. There are LD's (legislative directors), LA's (legislative aides), and LC's (legislative correspondents). An LC is typically fresh out of college, and the lower tier; I think LA's focus on specific issues, and we met with the ag LA's; an LD is an older, mid-30's staffer who is one of the congressman's top advisors. We only met with one LD, and I wasn't quite sure whether to judge him for verbally abusing the poor professor, or to appreciate his question-peppering as a sign of genuine interest. The LA's and LC's were a mix of people who knew a lot or a little about agriculture, and some weren't even from the same state as the congressman! How does one get a job in one of these offices if one is not a constituent? I guess Congress works the same way as any industry; you hire the best person for the job. This gives me hope that if I go that route, I can work for whatever state I want. California would be nice, and they have a LOT of congressmen. And wine. There are racks of wine everywhere.

Today I delivered flyers to all the offices in Rayburn HOB (House Office Building) about the briefing event tomorrow. All you have to do is mention free ice cream and people seem to come out of a daze and perk up. Had several random exchanges with staffers doing this, but the highlight of the day was Sanford Bishop's office. The lady at the front said "you must be from somewhere in the south," and I replied that I actually grew up in Bishop's district. She got so excited that she went and got the man himself, so I talked with him a bit about school and my internship. He is super-nice, and one of the few Democrats to escape the red curse of Georgia. Also discovered a former classmate working in his office and promised to meet up next week.

Slight awkward moment when I tried to explain to Bishop and his staff who I work for. It's hard to explain as it is, but the Pollinator Week briefing that I was handing out flyers for is for another organization that we are affiliated with, so I was kind of "rented out" for the day. I believe in the importance of pollinators, but I'm not dedicated to the cause past tomorrow; after the event I have other things to worry about at work. There is always something to do and nothing to focus on. I need something to be dedicated to; I'm using the World Cup right now as my cause, my "something" to cheer for. Maybe that is an American attribute. We love a cause, but we are fickle. Few Americans were into soccer until we were actually good (which the boys proved today, yay!).

There is a difference between unconditional dedication and fickle fandom. I think the government can take a lesson in this; they change their minds on what to support way too much. And most of the time the "issues" part of their webpages are woefully vague. I respect people who take a stand, no matter what side you are on. Put it out there for everyone to see, and don't backtrack when it's not the popular thing anymore.

Off my soapbox now....and debating about whether to walk around old town Alexandria this weekend or hit the Folklife Festival on the Mall...so much to see and only a month and a half to see it!