Minne-soooo-ta

new job, new office, new m-state to travel to. this time, work has sent me to the upper midwest, home of the twin cities...minnesota. of all the things i've ever heard or known about minnesota, it's about the civility of the people. they have a charm and calmness about them that i can only imagine comes after building generations of patience to survive the brutality of their winters. but whatever the root cause, minnesotans are some of the nicest people you will ever meet.

beyond boring you with the banality of endless meetings, racing my rental car between offices and hotels, shuttling between generic diner and faux-trending restaurants, i will just explain the sense of adulthood i felt after the trip.

i've been on business trips before, and have been working a 'real' job for nearly two years now...but this time, the responsibility is actually on me. the boss will actually turn to me, leaving me without the safety net that i once had. sure i have resources to turn to, institutional memory to rely on, but ultimately, the responsibility lies with me. and i've been uncomfortable with that situation for a while...but this trip has helped me, though not yet overcome, adjust to my new surroundings. and only time and experience will truly push me to independence and confidence.

but fret not, though my trip to the great state of minnesota didn't allow me the luxury of free time (i failed to explore the mall of america and i flew out the night before the famed state fair began), i did get to enjoy a twins game on the finest of minnesota evenings.

Adjustments

on the eve of my third week with the new job, i'm still finding myself uneasy and tepid about my surroundings. though it's normal and i do have the advantage of having been around the hill before, i'm just not a big fan of not having a sure footing.

but in the middle of last week, i walked to my desk to find an item that i had been waiting for. it was a three part process, which made it more enjoyable when it finally arrived to my cubicle.

it's a framed copy of what's called a "redline" document. in this case, it's of the health reform law...the first and last page with the signatures of the president, the veep, and the speaker. and on the front, it was graciously signed by my previous employer, senator max baucus.

i've seen other staffers with redlines neatly framed in their offices and i've always admired them as signs of accomplishment for their work. and i know i haven't done anything to prove myself in my new position, but hanging this up next to my desk at least made me felt like i belonged there as opposed to just lucking into it.

so as tiny a symbolic gesture it is...it's helped me ease into my third week and hopefully the many weeks to come.

First Day

i'm sitting at my desk tonight listening to the rumblings of thunder and watching the downpour of rain and hoping that this dreadful weather is not an omen for the next leg of my career. or maybe i should think of it as a palate cleanser, allowing me to walk into hart 302 tomorrow with a clean slate with a new opportunity to prove myself. or...maybe a thunderstorm is just rolling through the district.

whatever the literal or existential reason is, tomorrow will be the first day i call myself a health legislative assistant for senator klobuchar and actually have the business cards to back that up. taking a walk down memory lane...remembering the surprise i felt when my dad woke me up one morning to tell me i had been accepted into grad school, and then the angst that came with employment (though it was just an internship), and also the elation i felt after seeing years of hard work actually paying off...i found myself thinking about which adjectives i'd be using to describe the next part.

everyone has been asking me whether or not i'm excited to be starting a new job, and to be honest, i can't say that i am...or at least not in the same way i was when i first moved to dc or when i was hired by senate finance. this move, though new and respectable, almost felt as if it came out of necessity. not being able to advance myself further, i was forced to take the opportunity. and though it is definitely a move up and will be immensely beneficial to my career as well as exceedingly humbling, i feel disappointed that i didn't make this move completely by choice or desire. but regardless, i take my full dedication and energy with me and will exert all i have to ensure my success, to make this all it can be and take all it will give in return.

Moving On

don't worry reader, this title does not represent my retirement from this blog, though i have noticed a severe drop off in posts (my bad). but what it means is my departure from the legislative, history-making senate finance committee. i have been offered the health legislative assistant position with the senior senator from minnesota, amy klobuchar, and today, i accepted.

i must say, it is very difficult to leave the prestige of the committee room, but this move to a personal office will be both a unique experience and a learning opportunity for me. at the same time, i worry that my penchant for acting smart will be called into question and everyone will realize that i really have no idea what i'm talking about. but even beyond personal fear or the risk of disappointing my new boss, i'm most afraid of the embarrassment i'd feel if my current colleagues were ashamed that i made such mistakes after sending almost two years under their tutelage.

but whatever i'm feeling, the wheels of progress are turning. come july 19th, i will not be strolling into the dirksen building, ride the elevator the two floors i could have easily walked, or enter 207 and walk down the hall to my desk as i spy who's already in the office. instead, i'll be entering hart, feeling better as i ride the elevator three stories, and walking toward an unknown cubicle. it is an odd feeling, but a good one, knowing that i am moving forward with my life. but at the same time...change is hard.

Business Trips

when i was younger, my dad was a frequent business traveler...hopping from city to city, jumping from plane to plane...and i always thought that would be cool. to be a man of the air and to visit so many places. obviously, his excursions were never puddle jumps...unless you consider the pacific ocean a puddle. and a constant 13 hour flight every few weeks can clearly cause a significant amount of stress...which i have always been grateful for my dad to have endured to provide for my spoiled ass.

but now that i'm older and taking business trips of my own (and granted, i only make these trips VERY rarely), i have a new found respect fo the work that he did. as for my experience, work has shipped me out to montana to help educated the locals about what we did in health reform. thus, i've spent the past few weeks setting up meetings, booking hotels, renting cars (yes, i can finally do that legally), and reserving seats on planes.

and now that i'm halfway done with my trip...i've run into a handleful of miseries common to the business traveler. the trip didn't start out great with a meager (but damaging) 30 minute delay out...which meant that, even with my furious race down the terminal, i still missed my connecting flight, stranding me in salt lake city for an extra couple of hours. and getting into my final destination later than expected, my luggage's travel time was not in sync with mine. (normally i would've tried to the 'up in the air' theory of only keeping one carry on, but i haven't mastered the packing needs yet).

travel issues aside, what really gets to you is the constant moving around...hopping from meeting to meeting, conference room to conference room, speaking the same canned response and answering the same common question. all the while finding a restaurant at the end of the day to have a meal alone and then return to a hotel room and sleep in a bed that isn't yours. i've always liked hotels...but after three nights in a strange bed without the mental comforts of home...you do start to feel a bit uncomfortable.

but at the end of the day, i really have no complaints. it is nice to get out of dc and to get out into the real world. and since i don't do this very often, the novelty of it still exists and i'm going to enjoy it while i can.

All Done

it's finally recess here in congress...meaning the streets and buildings have completely emptied out as congressional staff members take their stockpiled vacation days and bolt the city. and i will follow the masses and take my leave as well.

but this recess has the added bonus...unlike previous breaks, this one doesn't have that sense of pressure, that i was leaving something unfinished. and that is because the century long health care debate has finally ended. sure there will be court challenges and the midterm elections...but behind all the teabaggers and empty rhetoric, health care reform is ultimately finished and the democrats have won. and though we don't know how it'll eventually play out in november, i doubt the world be succumb to armageddon.

and after over a year's worth of toil, we finally have time to reflect on the efforts of the staff that pushed through this effort. and some well-deserved recognition must be made.

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readers of this blog need not know any more context.

We the People

sometimes in a democracy, the other guys win. and i'm hopeful that in a few hours, democracy (however nasty and dirty a game it is) will prevail again and we'll have the votes to pass comprehensive health care reform after a 100 years of struggle.

these people, with their whining, misinformed fox news babble can now afford health insurance, can now be protected from malicious insurance policies, can now realize that they the sky didn't fall down and they can still see their doctor, can now go to their grandparents' houses and realize they're still alive. and 20 or 30 years down the line, when these people become accustomed to the benefits that they derided as socialism today and defend their tax subsidy as they now defend the single-payer system of Medicare, i hope that they can all look back at this snapshot in time as realize that they're giant douchebags.

Health Prom

every year, the winston health policy fellowship hosts a ball as fundraiser for itself that also seconds as a celebration of the their fellows for that particular year. it's a formal, black-tie event that is well attended by lobbyist, advocates, and policy folk alike. so every year, the health policy folks who are anybody (or just people who know the right people...ME) dress up and walk the health policy red carpet at the ritz carlton.

so with the context established, the health team of the senate finance committee gathered together in our dresses and tuxedos and marched from our prisons in the dirksen building to the luxurious ballroom of the ritz to celebrate ourselves and to get incessantly lobbied by special interests and industry. all trying to steal a snippet of information about what's going on in the halls of congress as we move forward with health care reform.

though it wasn't the celebratory "we passed health reform so suck it all you republicans in the room" event for us, good times were still had all around. conversation was welcome, drinks flowed from the open bar, and networking was conducted. all and all, it was a good event. hopefully i stay in the good graces of the event planners so to receive an invitation for next years soiree.

5 Stages of Grief

how the health care world ended up at this point is completely full of irony:

from the democrats sweeping into power and elect the first african-american president with the oratorical skills that could persuade the cynic of cynics, but couldn't find a cogent message to sell reform to the american people...

to ted kennedy's health getting into the way of his life's work and dream of health reform...

to the senate finance committee wasting months on end trying to negotiate with republicans only to be skewered by liberals for being too slow and lambasted by conservatives for jamming this down their throats...

to a nude, republican centerfold (way to go you uptight northerners) win over ted kennedy's long held seat in the bastion of democratic ideals...

to the democratic party not learning from past mistakes and ending their run a deja vu fashion by losing control of congress and still not having health reform.

this has been a complete crash of morale and my spirits have been dashed away. whatever hope i have that the house of representatives will pass the senate passed bill is flickering ever so slightly...as i hold my breath the next few days as i fear even the smallest whimper will extinguish it.

i find myself working through the 5 stages of grief as i try to compose myself and shake off this haze of uncertainty...

denial
there was just no way massachusetts would cede their democratic voice for that of a conservative republican. there was no way the democrats would nominate someone as inept at campaigning as martha coakley. there was no way the white house and the senate campaigning arm would take the race for granted. there was no way...until 8:30pm on tuesday night where that way was forged.
anger
why couldn't we have parted ways with the republicans sooner? why couldn't the house taken up the senate bill with modifications as opposed to relitigating every single policy? why didn't the white house not lay down the law? why can't the house just take the senate bill now?
bargaining
we can make the deal so that the house passes the senate bill now, maybe we can assuage their concerns with a rider or reconciliation bill later. (in fact...there are no more bargaining options after that if we can true health reform)
depression
seeing a year and a half worth of work, toil, sweat, and blood go into a product that is facing failure has rocked me to my core. it has made my physically sick and mentally defeated. the potential of complete and utter collapse is a massive body blow to my young professional career.
acceptance
hasn't happened yet.......

....this sucks

60-39

TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS
by Ron Pollack, FamiliesUSA

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the Senate
The Democrats were working for a fundamental tenet:
All Americans should have health care at a reasonable price
By forcing insurance companies to finally play nice.

The reform bill they pushed took some very strong positions,
Like no one denied coverage due to pre-existing conditions.
Premiums, in the future, would need to be fair
With no differences for women and people needing care.

The Democrats made sure that the bill they designed
Would give folks 'cross the nation some real peace of mind.
Health care would not end if jobs changed or were lost
As all could choose health plans at an affordable cost.

For seniors needing medicines, the bill had much to extol:
It plugged gaps in their coverage, like the bad "doughnut hole".
And for empty-nesting parents, there was reason to rejoice
Kids could keep family coverage, this was now a parent's choice.

But all Republicans scoffed and persistently said "no"
With the sometimes exception of their colleague, Ms. Snowe.
With obstructions and filibusters, they tried every delay
To stop the bill and kill reform, before Christmas day.

So Leader Reid called his colleagues from left and from right,
For all 60 to join him, lest they lose this big fight.
Now Nelson, now Lincoln, now Franken and Wyden,
On Lieberman, on Bingaman, on Harkin and Cardin.

Christmas eve turned to night, and when the votes were all counted,
The filibusters and obstructions were completely surmounted.
The vote was inspired by the memory of Ted
Who'd applaud the victory for the cause he had led.

The work isn't over, there's much yet to be done
The Senate and the House bills must be merged into one.
But the vote on Christmas eve offers reason to cheer
*Cause health care reform will pass in the new year.

So call your fine leaders, and let your voice be heard,
With letters and emails, we must spread the word.
Our message is clear, and it shines a bright light
Health care coverage for all, and for all it's our right.

it was well over a year ago that i started working for the finance committee...providing me the perfect opportunity to make an early mark in a still very impressionable career. and what started with a white paper on health reform...through months of negotiations, weeks of wrangling with cbo, days of committee mark up and floor time, hours of speeches and talking points...the u.s. senate passed health care reform on a crisp christmas eve morning.

the gravity of what happened today hasn't even completely set in yet. it would be nice to know that we're done, but we're not. it would be nice to know that we've finished, but we haven't. but it is nice to know that we accomplished something that hasn't been done in 100 years. but even more than that...it is nice to know that when this is done, when this is finished, we will have made a difference.

14-9

in this political bubble that i live in, today was a watershed moment...the senate finance committee passed comprehensive health reform by a vote of 14-9, with the honorable senator from maine crossing partisan lines to vote with history.

after a historic two week markup in committee, 70-80 hour work weeks, countless late nights, and unhealthy amounts of stress later...we've come to this point. never in history have we come so far on health care reform. though we're not there yet, it is inching its way forward and the anxiety and anticipation of progress is palpable in our little corner in the dirksen building.


looking back, my high point of the markup would have to be hearing senator snowe give her closing statement: “Is this bill all that I would want? Far from it. Is it all that it can be? No. But when history calls, history calls. I happen to think that the consequences of inaction dictate the urgency of Congress taking every opportunity to demonstrate its capacity to solve the monumental issues of our time.” those few words, so eloquently delivered, brought satisfaction to the hours and effort put into securing her vote. of course she is far from guaranteed to stay with us through the end, for this moment, we can stand tall and breathe a sigh of relief.

a close second to this closing moment of redemption would be senator rockefeller's heartwarming recanting of his dedication to the needy. his command of the audience, senators among them, hanging onto his words as he emotionally told the story of an immigrant worker he once tried to help get a job. and though with all his efforts, with his family name, and with his heartfelt dedication, this man faced the tragedy of insurmountable challenges placed upon a hardworking immigrant's shoulder, and he couldn't break through. tearing up, senator rockefeller gave the speech of the markup.

these are just a couple of the very memorable and unforgettable moments during the past few weeks. i know it is something that is hard to comprehend for those existing in the real world, but for us policy junkies living and breathing by every vote count and cbo dollar lost or gained, today was one giant leap forward in our ultimate goal. hopefully the coming months will bear fruit to our labors and we'll see our president of change penning his name to the largest domestic reform of our generation.

In the Background

the past few weeks were spent combing through conceptual language for a final release, hand holding staff and bosses to win their votes, furiously typing talking points to ensure issues were clear, and cramming marathon briefings to ensure the whole show ran smoothly. all this led up to the finance committee markup of the America's Healthy Future Act of 2009.

and now that we're well into our second week of a seemingly never ending markup, most of the staff have begun to physically and mentally crumble. after a month of 15+ hour days and adrenaline rushed days...copious amounts of junk food and sugar littered around our offices...sleep deprivation altering our perceptions of humor...the staff is finally getting some love. though i'm still far to junior a staff member to be mentioned, it's the office camaraderie...the band of brothers mentality...that makes this post story all the more enjoyable.

as for my own recognition, my own collection of political capital, came on tuesday afternoon when comparative effectiveness finally came up for debate. after prepping for days to ensure my advice to the boss was clear and cogent, i finally got the seat behind the chairman, ready to whisper him concepts to be understand and arguments to be made. though sadly, for an hour or so debate, my sage guidance of the senior senator from montana only made it on cspan for about two minutes. don't get me wrong, it's not about the face time or the glory (though my vanity could have been stoked just a bit more for my tastes), it's about winning the votes...and that we did.

so there it is, my moment in the largest social policy debate in the last generation. for those who may actually be interested in my celebrity, i come up at the 3:11:00 minute mark on the cspan video.

The Electorate

i'm all for fair minded debate...but this is ridiculous.

i wouldn't call myself a bright-blue democrat, and i understand there are some legitimate gripes about health care reform. but when this is the substance of their argument, it makes me frustrated to work as hard as we do to try to help some of these people.

The People

undoubtedly, you have all seen or read or heard (better not have participated) in these protests at town halls. i make it a point not to partake in any news coverage or listen to pundits analyze the situations as it would only result in anger and possibly a broken tv as my remote will be hurtled at it.

but this image basically sums up how i feel about this summer of whining:

Recess

after many months of 60+ hours weeks, roller coaster days of political jostling, and endless meetings of attrition with our republican counterparts...it is finally recess here on the hill.

as our members left washington without a health reform bill out of committee, they went home to face angry mobs screaming about death panels...

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Death Panels
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...and medicare benies telling government to get out of their health care, us lowly staffers got to enjoy some time to ourselves. our lives have finally returned to some semblance of normalcy, if only for the dregs of august. but speaking as one of those individuals who has lost all friends and social life to late night briefings and arguments with lobbyists, i look forward to leaving the office early enough to see the sun, to sit at happy hours, and to actually venture away from the city (vegas in 8 days!).

so as the days wear on, i urge time to slow just a bit more so i can enjoy a few more moments of peace and relative tranquility before congress returns to their politico bubble...before the health reform debate resumes full force...before we see if our work the past year will bear the fruits of our labor. so before all that happens, let me enjoy a few more weekends in the vineyards of virginia, or on the golf courses of maryland, or just at the bars of dc...just let me live.

Trapped

it's not an uncommon sight to see throngs of reporters surrounding senators as they leave meetings and are vulnerable as they walk the halls back to their offices. and as there was a finance committee members' meeting, yesterday was no different.

after a constructive 2 hr meeting, i ducked out a bit early to make a phone call in our little hallway phone booth (which is basically a closet). unfortunately, as i ended my call...i noticed that there was a mob outside the door, blocking my exit. normally, it wouldn't be such a rude move to push through a few reporters, but this time was different. the person whose back was pressed against the door was that of the senator from maine, olympia snowe...and you can't just push a senator out of the way.

so for a good 20 minutes, i was trapped inside that little closet (as seen in the photo) as senator snowe answered questions and interviews. i furiously sent emails to our press secretary and a few colleagues asking them to perhaps stop by and ask the senator's staffer to move to the side so i could escape, but all i got back from them was mocking laughter and photo-taking.

as the reporters finally got their share and the questions began to dwindle, i finally got the attention of a staffer and a reporter, who kindly opened the door for me and freed me from my confines. and as a result of imprisonment, i did get a very sincere apology from the good senator from maine.

but beyond that low-moment of the week, there was also a fair amount of excitement (at least for a junior staffer of my level). the past two months have been spent speaking with interest groups, academics, experts, and fellow staffers to hone in on an improved reintroduction of my boss's comparative effectiveness research bill. for those who are not following health reform (i'm taking names and will make sure you don't get insurance or that you're premiums go up!!)...CER is what those on the right have labeled as our attempts to ration your health care by taking away decisions from your doctor and placing them in government hands.

of course, all that is full of crap and i'll be writing talking points to counter them soon. but to get back to the original point, this was the first time i've been sent solo to hammer out the details, make the sausage, and cut the deals...and the outcome was a bill, S. 1213 - The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Act of 2009.

it's been a nice progression for me since i've entered the world of professional politics...starting with a few terms with NACHC, helping the medically underserved and low-income populations find access to health care; then moving onto the hill shadowing the legislative director of a congressman from tennessee; to entering the annals of the national journal. hopefully this summer will be capped off with an invite to the white house for the signing ceremony for a comprehensive health reform bill...so here's to hoping.

The Day to Day

so the boss, senator baucus (democrat of montana), is taking lead on health care reform this year. luckily for me, as an eager and idealistic product of the obama generation and policy-ilk, i have been fortunate enough to be on the health team of the senate finance committee working on putting together the bill. the hard work and insane hours, piled upon school work, has definitely had its drain on me these days. but the end game is key...if we pass this, i will have been a part of the largest health reform legislation in 40+ years. that would be a milestone and huge career achievement.

but the real reason why i put up with it isn't for the inspiration to lead or to participate in the process or to give back for the public good...no, it was a vanity exercise to see how many times i can get caught picking my nose during hearings or how many magazine articles i can make it into.

if you're bored enough to catch some of the finance committee hearings on cspan, you probably haven't had a chance to see me beyond this brief moment in a press conference, since i don't usually sit behind the senator during the hearings. and if you're REALLY bored, you can catch me behind senator rockefeller during one of the health subcommittee hearings (its the 3-18-09 one).

but beyond that, you probably won't notice me too much...until last week's edition of the national journal where they did a nice big profile on the boss and his plan for health reform. in the lead intro photo to the piece, you get to see yours truly splashed across the fold.

so there it is folks...i've made it to national journal fame, with a circulation of over 12,000 and who knows how many online readers (though no images of me will be seen there). they say decisions are made by those at the table...and look where i'm sitting...

...though of course i'm not really making any of the decisions, but no one really needs to know that.

*and yes, i do realize my hand position looks odd...but i was flipping through my briefing book!

Fame

after 24 years of life, experiences in many foreign lands, life stories from all walks, i have finally made it to the big time...i made it to the realm of jon stewart, bart simpson, josh lyman, and ari gold...i made it to television.

for those of you who would like to now join my entourage, please apply via the comment box.

yes, my friends, i have been featured (and when i say featured, i mean the camera panned over me while i was leaning against a wall at my boss's press conference) on c-span. for those of you outside the beltway, c-span is the network that covers congress and the rest of the government.

why was i given this golden opportunity to break the minority mold in television? contrary to previous understandings, i did not come to dc to open a shoe store (it was merely a side venture). i came here for the betterment of society, to improve the lives of millions, to make a difference...this is where you all decide to move out of the country.

but the past few weeks has been dedicated to producing my boss's vision for health care reform and the future of that endeavor. it was a massive project and a bold movement...it required hours of dedication, gallons of coffee, countless missed meals, and tireless execution to produce this 90 page document...and while the health team of the senate finance committee laboriously and amazingly produced this work, i enjoyed my weekends, hour and half lunches, and midday naps. so accordingly, i will take all the credit.

but in all honestly, for those who don't believe that i do work...here is the result of the many hours all of put into, your tax dollars at work.

Home State

so many of you know that i braved the wilderness that is my boss's home state...Montana. it was a whirlwind of a trip, 4 cities (if you call some of them that) in 5 days...puddle jumping...hotel swapping. it was a very stereotypical business trip with a few highlights.

i'll be brief, as i haven't really had the urge to repeat this story over and over again...but i felt i must indulge my fellow netizens with my first experience in montana and as a staffer for the senate finance committee.

the main highlight would probably be the most nerve-wreaking as well. the charter plane with the boss, the big man, the senior senator from montana, Max Baucus. and when i mean charter plane, i don't mean a lear jet or any type of jet...i mean this:


yep, it was basically the size of our rental car (a midsized jeep suv). nice and cozy for the 6 of us, including the pilot. now it is known that i am prone to motion sickness, so i was terrified of the possibility of throwing up on the senator. luckily i was granted the co-pilot's seat, where apparently turbulence is lessened, and where i was able to make it through the flight safely and without projectile vomit.

and yes...it was cold for those who have never been "north". i don't mind the cold so much, as long as it's the dead of winter and not when it should be fall. so i bitterly endured.


but alas, after a week of meetings, listening sessions, and a hearing...i made it back to dc in one piece, educated in several health care issues, experienced in business travel, and with another state notched in my travel log. so...what's next?