The Politicos

My posts have been thin of late, but it is not for any lack of experiences here. Washington, DC continues to inspire and surprise me at every turn; the sight of the Capitol or the Washington Monument still takes my breath away. Just when I begin to feel too comfortable here, this town throws me a curve ball.

Some of the most interesting parts of this experience have been the politicos whose expertise I have gotten in my classes. From my Speechwriting class, taught by 2 former White House speechwriters, to my Seminar class’ guest speakers, this kind of perspective can only be found here, in this city.

So far, after hearing from public opinion experts, RNC messaging strategists, campaign managers, and the consultant who made the famous 30-minute political ad for the Obama Campaign in 2008, I have learned 2 things that separate these "experts" from the "pundits" you see on TV. This insight is perhaps best summarized by one speaker who stated that in politics, "there is both a science and an art to what we do".

So, the 2 biggest differences I have seen between this “insider” expert perspective on how politics actually works, and what we see in the popular media are:

1) The experts know the technical ins and outs of politics and are able to back up their analysis with polling and statistics. (the science)

2) They realize the limitations of any one political analysis, and never present their views/predictions/analysis as the absolute truth. (the art)

Thus, there is both a science and an art to the world of politics.

This may not be a mind-blowing insight, but I find it constantly fascinating how out of touch the political analysts in the media are with what the people who actually work in politics say.

For one small example, a few days ago, we heard from a Republican strategist who talked about how the media exaggerated the level of uncertainty and drama in the 2008 general election. He cited polls that showed that 90% of Americans thought we were on the “wrong track” by the end of the Bush administration, and that in that environment, which was not likely to change, any Republican was virtually doomed to lose the contest from the very beginning. But yet, the media, obsessed with the day-to-day drama of a Presidential campaign could not see the bigger picture, and kept the drama going so effectively that the average American went into election day with no idea what to expect—the suspense intact.

Another fault in the media is their tendency to make bold predictions that are presented as the absolute truth. TV strategists often pretend like only they have the right view on what is going to happen in politics. In contrast, the strategists and managers who talk to our class never pretend to have the end-all answer to any political question. “Are the Democrats dead in 2010?” someone might ask. The strategist might respond to us: “Well, here’s my read on the situation, but who really knows, so many factors can change, let me cite these polls/data to show why I think something, but at this point it’s really difficult to tell”. They never pretend to hold the ultimate truth in politics, because, as it is an unpredictable art, such truth does not exist.

I am fascinated to hear what the real experts are saying to our classes and contrast that with the “expert” opining we hear on television. As somewhat of an amateur studier of the mainstream media, I am interested to discover these distinctions. I hope to, as I hear from more speakers, add to what I am learning about the ins and outs of the political world from behind the media’s dark curtain.

"Let Freedom Ring!"

Tonight I was lucky enough (and put in the time standing in line) to get free tickets to the Kennedy Center's celebration of MLK day: "Let Freedom Ring!" It was an amazing concert of gospel and R&B with a little DC star-spotting. We had seats on the floor right under the Presidential Balcony, so we had a perfect view of the the President, the first family, a bunch of cabinet members, and a bunch of other prominent political figures who sat there.

Highlights:
-Seeing the balcony in the Kennedy Center where a scene from The West Wing took place
-The fact that this was my 5th time seeing Obama speak, the first time I've seen him as President
-The building was teeming with Secret Service agents who covered literally every door in the place
-We got to see President Obama dwarfed by the 7 foot 2 basketball all-star Dikembe Mutombo, who was presented with an award tonight. The President looked tiny in comparison
-Trying to see how many cabinet secretaries I could name as they walked in to the Presidential Box; saw Energy Secretary Steven Chu, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, and a few others (I swore I saw Al Sharpton)
-Watching Michelle Obama dance during the final song of the concert
-Watching Kathleen Sebelius dance during the final song of the concert
-Watching Barack Obama not dance during the final song of the concert
-Getting all dressed up and pretending to be VIPs

Overall, it was an incredible evening. We had a fancy night out on the town, got to see a few famous faces, and had the kind of experience you can only get in DC.

Tomorrow: going to hear from a few guest speakers talking about the McCain campaign during the 2008 election. That should be pretty interesting. Later, we'll get the Democratic perspective. I also will have an interview for an internship on Capital Hill. Hopefully I'll have some interesting things to share from that experience.

At the Kennedy Center

8:00 AM: I’m sitting in line at the Kennedy Center watching the sun come up over the Lincoln Memorial. We’re hoping to get free tickets to the MLK Day concert tonight. They start handing them out at 10, and we thought we were really early getting here at 8, but the line is already snaking around the corner of the beautiful concert hall. I guess the news that the President will be speaking here tonight spread quickly!

The Scavenger Hunt

The other day, I found myself without class, internship, or homework to do, so I decided to do someone else's homework by joining a few friends on a photo scavenger hunt they were assigned to do for class. Most classes were assigned a scavenger hunt around DC as a get-to-know-you activity, and as a way to get to know the city a little bit. I figured it would be a nice excuse to get out and explore.

This particular scavenger hunt was for the Transforming Communities class, which involves getting to know DC's neighborhood communities. Like many cities, DC's neighborhoods are often divided on racial and economic lines, and DC is known for being a relatively segregated place.

We began the hunt in Dupont Circle, a really cool little area that is relatively wealthy and business-oriented. We took a picture in front of a bookstore that was somehow connected to a system of non-profit organizations (the connection was not made very clear to me, I was only the guy taking pictures). The bookstore reminded me of something you would find in Portland: small, independent, and friendly, with (of course) a coffee shop attached. We decided that we will definitely have to come back to it sometime.

We then moved on to the Navy Yard, an industrial district near the waterfront of the Anacostia river (which connects to the Potomac). We saw the impressive Nationals Baseball stadium, which clashed bizarrely with the industrial surroundings, and took a picture in front of the frozen Anacostia river. I sat on the dock to test the ice with my foot but was not quite brave (or stupid) enough to try standing on it.


Next we had to go find a housing project. It felt very wrong as we took a picture of us standing smiling out in front, with a couple residents watching us from the porch. We were treating it like an exhibit to stare at, instead of a painful reminder of the not-so-hidden inequality in this city. It is so easy to be distracted by the pretty buildings, stunning monuments, and the wealthy and powerful people, that you might not even notice the housing projects, the homeless, or the poverty here.

Our last stop was Ben's Chili Bowl--a self-proclaimed Washington Landmark. Located in an historic African American neighborhood, the restaurant was one of the only buildings here to survive the violence and looting of the riots following Martin Luther King's assassination. It has a long history with the African American community.

At the front counter of Ben's Chili is a sign that says "the only people who eat free here: Bill Cosby and Michelle, Sasha, and Malia Obama." The restaurant is frequented by Bill Cosby, who once described a bite of Ben's Chili as "a gift from God". Last year, the place was visited by then President-elect Obama who made a gaffe that caused Cosby to affectionately banhim from the eats-free list. So now the sign at the counter reads "President Obama pays because Bill Cosby said so!"

This Is Why I'm In D.C.

It's been a busy few days here in DC, and I think I am still relying on adrenaline to keep me going. Right now I am sitting in an academic building on the main campus (which my friends and I sardonically have termed "American Proper") about to begin my first foray into graduate-level education in a class called COMM 543, Speech Writing. It sounds like a fascinating class, but I can't help but be just a bit intimidated at the fact that my first class at American University is at the graduate level.

But enough on that, let me recap a particularly memorable day I had over the weekend. On Saturday, I convinced a motley crew of about 12 to embark on a incredibly touristy adventure into "downtown" DC. Since American University is located in more of an urban neighborhood area about 20 minutes (by train) from the main part of the city, so far I hadn't really felt like I was truly in our nation's capital. I told the group: "dammit, I want to see something!"

After making an extensive list of various places that we each wanted to go, we set off for our adventure, which began at "American Proper". By that point, our group had grown to include students from Oregon, Massachusetts, New York, Michigan, South Korea, Canada, Missouri, and Nebraska. Quite a diverse group, but one that was quite difficult to maneuver due to its large size. We soon found ourselves hopelessly lost on the American University campus, before even beginning our trip.

Luckily, cooler heads prevailed, and we found our way to the Metro station, the main public transportation in D.C. The system so far has been wonderfully reliable and efficient, if not a slight bit sketchy at times.

Our first stop in the city was the National Portrait Gallery, on a quest to see the fabled portrait of Steven Colbert, which supposedly hangs there. The guard told us that we had missed seeing Colbert's portrait by mere days, and it was now hanging in storage. I guess the guy's 15 minutes of fame are over in the opinion of the Smithsonian. The best part of the stop was seeing the museum's entire exhibit devoted to Presidential portraits; a collection only second to the White House's. The mild history buff in me loved seeing an iconic portrait of Washington, the very surreal yet striking portrayal of JFK, and a Norman Rockwell version of Nixon. Upon exiting the gallery, I found out that the museum was the site of Lincoln's inaugural ball. Wow.


We then made our way to the National Archives, home of the original pages of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, among other things. As I stepped into the dimly lit chamber (to protect the documents), I could almost feel the power of our history pressing upon me. It was a remarkable feeling to be so near such important pieces of our past that still hold so much power in the make-up of our government today. Those extraordinary words written on such ordinary paper, with ordinary ink from a ordinary pens, have survived to this day, and are still fought over and scrutinized in courtrooms, classrooms, and offices across the nation. This is exactly why I'm here.

Finally, to perfectly conclude this incredibly day, we walked toward the Capital Mall just as the sun was setting in the pristine blue sky. As we walked, quite suddenly, the Washington Monument appeared to me over the trees along the road. Of course, my camera stopped working just before this moment, so I had to capture it with my clumsy cell phone camera:

We then crossed the street and walked to the top of the monument's hill and watched the sun set over the DC skyline. Across the mall I could barely make out the Capitol building and the Lincoln Memorial, already lit up in the cold winter night. As the bitter wind almost blew me off my feet, I sighed and realized what a beautiful and surreal city this is, and that I am so glad I'm here.

Things I Pass On My 3-Block Walk to Main Campus

• The NBC Washington Bureau Headquarters (where Chris Matthews works)
• The residence of the Ambassador to Switzerland (or is it Sweden?)
• The Embassy of Japan (complete with imposing security gates)
• The Department of Homeland Security

Of Crab Soup, Star Wars, and "Tourists"

Today was day 2 of the Washington Semester Program, and I am still settling in and adjusting to my new life here. The first couple days have been about filling out forms, inexplicably getting lost on our small campus (even though it only has 4 buildings!), and getting acclimated to living in a dorm room again. Let me recap the first couple days of my travels.

I departed Tuesday from PDX and made the long flight to Baltimore via Denver and Charlotte, North Carolina. After approximately 12 hours of travel, I arrived at the welcoming home of my cousin Chris and his wife Karen. Chris gave me a little tour of their town, Annapolis, Maryland that culminated in an introduction to a local tavern for a quick bite of local cuisine. Chris informed me that I just had to try their Cream of Crab Soup, which was warm and filling after a long day. Chris introduced me to Old Bay Seasoning, which apparently is Maryland's seasoning of choice.

At the bar counter, we struck up a conversation with a man who happened to be a high-powered D.C. lawyer who works with big-name companies in their disputes over patents. He and Chris got into a fascinating discussion about patents--something I had previously given very little thought to. I gathered that the current debate around patents stems from the fact that very few people are inventing new things, and instead are inventing technologies or new applications for technologies, which are harder to justify patenting. For example, a recent case involved Blackberry and its attempt to patent its technology: basically the idea of mobile e-mail that you can carry wherever you go. Some argue that Blackberries are an obvious application of existing technology, not a brand new technology within themselves, so Blackberry should not have the right to patent and claim exclusive ownership over it. A very interesting conversation.

The next day Chris dropped me off on American University's Tenley campus (a separate campus for Washington Semester Students about 3 blocks from AU's main campus). I met one of my roommates (the other is still mysteriously absent) who comes from Naperville, Illinois. He was amazed when I told him that I had not only heard of his hometown, but have been there many times. After getting settled, I spent some time exploring the surroundings. I walked around the Tenleytown neighborhood, and saw that many familiar establishments are in the immediate vicinity: including Starbucks, Chipotle, and Best Buy. Hooray! Also found the Metro (D.C.'s major public transportation) stop right near campus, only a couple blocks away.

Today began with an early morning orientation meeting, and the first meeting of my American Politics Seminar class. My professor is interesting, and a bit off-the-wall; he reminds me a bit of Richard Ellis from Willamette. He came to class complete with pictures of some notable alumni of his class, who have gone on to become very successful in D.C. after experiencing this program. He takes a lot of pride in his former students and the accomplishments that they have made since their time here. The class will be a fascinating overview about how D.C. politics really work. I can't wait to hear some of the guest speakers that he has arranged. We will also be taking trips to some museums here, and in April, he has booked us to watch oral arguments on the Supreme Court! I am very excited for that.

Finally, my professor memorably informed the class today that: "there are two types of people in D.C.: pros and tourists. Tourists are the ones who drive up Nebraska Avenue in heavy traffic, abruptly stop their cars, jump out, and take pictures. You want to be a pro."

Here We Go!

Inspired by recent Washington Semester alumnus Greg Alderson, I have decided to create a little blog to document my experience studying "in-broad" at American University in Washington D.C. Hopefully I will be able to update this often with some of the things I learn, do, and experience here.

I am here as part of the Washington Semester Program at American University. The whole idea behind the program is to learn about how Washington D.C., the nation's capital and political nexus of the country, really works. We are here not to learn theory, but to learn by doing. I will be taking classes, hearing from lots of guest speakers who work around D.C., and work in an internship to learn a little more about this city.

So thanks for tuning in to read a bit about my travels. I hope that I will come out of this program with a new perspective on American politics and a greater understanding of what makes our government and our politics work.