Ms. Hesse goes to Washington

I have officially started my internship in Senator Chuck Grassley's Washington DC office. Emily and myself arrived in DC Friday and have spent our time thus far trying to find our way around the city. We have had no problems yet and I am hoping we continue on this path.

There are eight of us interns that will be spending the next six weeks learning from Grassley's staff and experiencing what its like to work for the Senator. Emily is working on Healthcare in the Finance Committee while I am in the main office working as the Press Intern. I have and will continue to be helping out with phone conferences and his weekly webcasts.

I am truly enjoying being able to watch the Senator work and speak with such passion. If there could only be a few more political leaders like Grassley this country would be far better off.

I have not yet hit the point where my job has become monotonous and I don't think that day will come because of my limited time in D.C. However, I have noticed that the people here are so accustomed to seeing political figures that it no longer has any thrill. I think that is a major difference between New Hampshire and Iowa politics. While studying in both the first in the nation states this past month, I got the feeling that most people are genuinely passionate about the leaders they choose. They are thrilled when a political leader comes to town and go out of their way to speak with the candidate.

I don't feel that this would necessarily be the case in D.C. I don't think the excitement or eagerness to speak with the candidate would be as prevalent as it is in New Hampshire or Iowa. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that DC does not have as much political enthusiasm as Iowa or New Hampshire. What I am saying is that there is a different type of political enthusiasm that can be found in these states. Both are very beneficial and necessary to the type of activities that are found within these states.

Now that I have been spending my summer in politically involved states, I am interested to continue on my travels to get a feel for other parts of our nation. Do all the states truly have this much political involvement or did I just end up living in ones that surpass the norm?