Politicking with the Usual Grip and Grin

It is with renewed energy that I returned to work this week after I came back from the NFB (National Federation of the Blind) convention in Orlando. Which is good too, since I had such a busy week ahead of me.

This week was a great week for meeting all kinds of interesting people. First, on Wednesday I had the opportunity to attend a breakfast reception with Congressman Adam Kinzinger, a young republican, and a rising star from Illinois’s eleventh congressional district. The reception was put together by the GOP Youth Convention in Washington D.C. It was held at the RNC headquarters on the hill. The reception was an excellent opportunity to meet other young conservatives and to hear from a republican that has a more realistic and a fresher view of what it means to be a young GOP member. Mr. Kinzinger was very charismatic and well spoken. He was immediately able to warm up to his young audience and he had their attention and respect throughout the entire reception.

Congressman Kinzinger spoke about the need to compromise and to think about what is good for America rather than just what is good for one’s district. He spoke about the need for tolerance and respect, because after all, we are all Americans, and we all have the interest of this country at heart. No matter what political party we may belong to, at the end of the day we have to walk across the isle and shake hands and respect one another.

Unlike his more conservative republican buddies, Mr. Kinzinger spoke about the need to increase taxes to generate revenues, and to close tax loopholes, as well as decrease spending, and to understand that we are all in this together, and that we all have to make hard sacrifices. He also spoke of the need for America to find a way to reduce its dependence on foreign oil, so that we can reach complete energy independence, so that we don’t have to send all of our money abroad to Arab countries that give it to support terrorists that then come and attack us in our homes. Last but not least, Mr. Kinzinger stressed the need to make sure that we continue to grow and defend our country so that we can insure that our country is still robust for years to come, so that we can continue to maintain our superpower status in the world. According to Mr. Kinzinger, we can cut spending from the military, the health care, social insurance, and increase taxes on the wealthy, and get rid of old and outdated programs, cut spending and still achieve economic prosperity and at the same time maintain our military superiority.

I did not get to shake hands with Mr. Kinzinger because he was in a hurry, although I would have liked to do so very much. I believe that he is a rising star, and he may become a powerful leader in the Republican Party in the near future. I wish him all the luck.

During Mr. Kinzinger’s reception, the chairman of the Republican National Committee Reince Priebus also popped in to say hello to all the young interns. He was definitely not as cool as Congressman Kinzinger. He just did not have any fresh ideas or views. Oh well, not everyone is a wizard, and they can’t all pull rabbits out of their hats.

Another interesting person that I met this week was the Fox News Analyst Karl Rove, the former chief of staff of President George W. Bush. He was having a breakfast reception with members of the house on the hill, and I attended the reception with one of the other interns in our office. The meeting was most illuminating. It was a great opportunity for me to understand the arguments made by my very conservative buddies. Although I did not agree with everything he said, I think it was still a good opportunity to hear him speak and to get to shake his hand at the end.

Last but not least, this week I had the opportunity to meet with the departing Minister of Congressional Affairs at the Israeli Embassy to the United States Daniel Meron. Mr. Meron was visiting our office and I had the chance to meet him and talk with him for a few seconds. He seemed to be a very bright person. I wish I had had more opportunity to speak with him. I hope that I will get to meet him some time again in the future.

All around it was a great week for meeting lot of important people and I hope that the next three weeks will be just as event filled. I hope to meet as many important and intelligent people as I can before I leave Washington D.C. because I understand that this is a very unique opportunity that I have been given, and I want to take full advantage of it.