3-2-1 Obama's Way

I learned that President Obama is a competitor. He plays basketball with people who will challenge him and make him a better player. Instead of playing with people who he could easily play with he surrounds himself with former college and pro players. I also learned that he often golfs with junior staffers, rather than foreign leaders or CEOs. In addition, I learned that believes cable news is truly toxic and he prefers to watch ESPN. I connected this to an internship I had where I did fundraising for Mitt Romney. My boss told me he too enjoys spending time with his junior staffers. I also connected this to President Bush's autobiography Decision Points. In that book he writes that he too found exercise to be an excellent stress relief. My one question is this why would Michael Lewis write such a puff piece? The answer is that Michael Lewis is a Democrat who lives in Berkeley and he decided to give the President a softball interview.

http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/2012/10/michael-lewis-profile-barack-obama
http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2012/09/12/obama-and-lewis-37f1a33f65ef5d55f213f237c503d6673079ce52.jpg

Charlie Wilson's War

Charlie Wilson's War serves as an excellent example of the Iron Triangle. Representative Charlie Wilson is influenced by Lobbyist Joanne Herring to use his connections on several committees to come to the aid of the Afghan forces during Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. She uses her money and influences in Texas politics to persuade Representative Wilson to organize a massive covert operation. Wilson, then turns to CIA agent Gust Avrakotos to implement it. Gust then goes about doing this. This relationship perfectly demonstrates the symbiotic relationship lobbyist, Congressional Committee members, and Federal Bureaucrats. An idea cooked up in a Houston mansion is executed by local Afghans, all thanks to the Iron Triangle.

http://blog.chron.com/txpotomac/2008/07/where-are-they-now-joanne-herring/
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/obituaries/articles/2005/12/26/gust_avrakotos_67_led_cias_arming_of_afghan_mujahideen_against_soviets/?page=full
http://www.mtholyoke.edu/~gaidi20n/classweb/wp/images/Charlie-Wilson-War-Cast.jpg

What I learned

I learned several key things from our simulation of the United States Senate. Before we conducted this simulation I had no idea the amount of power the minority party in the Senate still holds. The Minority Party can with just 41 votes hold up all legislation unless something can be done to sway the minority party to support it. In addition, I never knew how much power the whips in both parties have. They effectively control their respective caucuses and are responsible for generating vote counts. This is a role I always thought fell to the Majority/Minority Leaders. The most disappointing conclusion I reached after our simulation of the Senate was how often Senators vote based on whether it is good politics, rather than the merits of the bill. They care more about reelection and fundraising than proper governance. That is chief and worst conclusion.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2014/02/01/why-the-house-gop-immigration-plan-is-more-political-sweet-spot-than-wasteland/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2014/02/01/why-the-house-gop-immigration-plan-is-more-political-sweet-spot-than-wasteland/
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/congressional/Yes_Nancy_Pelosi_Congress_has_a_revolving_door.html