An Evening with the Gore...and more!

Hey again folks,

Alrighty, I'm back to tell you about the week I had.

On Thursday, many GOP politicians called upon citizens to protest the current health care reform bill by coming to the Capitol for a rally. The congressman I work for, Dave Camp, is the Ranking Member of the House Ways and Means committee (one of the committees that oversees health care spending) and is the lead author of the Republican alternative plan. These factors made it a given that it was going to be a busy day in the office.

A bus trip was organized from Rep. Camp's district made up of people looking to participate in the rally. Since these people would leave Michigan at 10pm and arrive in D.C. around 11:30am the next day, our office decided to host a reception for them so they could stretch out and have something to eat before the protest started. I was charged with getting there early and mingling with some of the people that came down. Soon after Congressman Camp came down to say hello and thank them for driving all night from Michigan to be here.

Coming back, I realized the magnitude of the crowd. After the rally, many of the them came into the office buildings to lobby their representatives and others for tours of the Capitol. The sheer crowds in the hallways and waiting to get through security were pretty overwhelming.

Working in a place such as the U.S. House of Representatives, I quickly became accustomed to demonstrations and protests outside my work. Some are quite creative and kinda funny (a giant papier-mache dracula marching down the sidewalk on Halloween to lobby for universal health care) and others can be quite obnoxious and really turn you off.

We had heard reports of sit-ins and arrests scattered throughout the different office buildings. By and large, many of them that day, were peaceful and respectful but their are, of course, bad apples in every crowd. Overall though it was a busy day, it was also a day that was very unique to the Hill and one that will make me miss it when I'm back up North.

That night, Brenna, Jen, and I had the opportunity to see Vice President Al Gore speak at George Washington University. He just released another book about climate change and I didn't want to pass up the chance to go see him.

What struck me first about Gore was how big of a guy he was! He came on stage and gave a talk for about an hour. He focused it on what are some of the things we can do to fight the climate crisis. I flipped through the book a little while he talked and it seemed pretty techinical--this doesn't strike me as a "beach read".

After he finished up, he signed books for about an hour. I was in the back of the auditorium and was one of the last to get my book signed. I was struck by how courteous he was to everybody. I could also sense a little stiffness--maybe owning itself to the Saturday Night Live parody of him. But I was able to meet him and get my book signed. (He also has quite a handshake--certainly not a "dead fish") I went home a happy man.

Coming up next: an EPIC Saturday involving Obama, the health care vote, and more!