As part of Hamilton's Term in Washington Program, students combine academics with practical experience in the federal government, serving internships in Congressional offices and non-government agencies. Hamilton students spent the fall 2004 semester working in Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's office, CNN's The Capital Gang and MSNBC's Hardball With Chris Matthews. Following are firsthand accounts of some students' experiences.
Christina Scotti '06 was an intern in the very busy New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's office in Washington. "Before the elections the phones rang off the hook," said Scotti. "In many cases, constituents were just phoning in to voice their support for Hillary, John Kerry, and the Democratic Party. Many called to encourage Senator Clinton to be a presidential candidate in 2008. Others were not so kind, and crank calls were common. Perhaps if some of those unpleasant callers had a chance to work in Hillary's office, they might feel differently. On a personal level, Senator Clinton could not have been friendlier or nicer to the staff, even to lowly interns like me. The day that we interns got a chance to sit down and chat with her was one of the most exciting experiences I have ever had. Not only was she extremely gracious, but she answered all of the interns' questions, including my query about her White House aspirations (she didn't deny that she's interested)."
Kristen Pinna '06 worked with ABC News' Good Morning America's Washington, D.C., producers researching stories and helping with live shots around the district. "One of my most memorable experiences at Good Morning America was accompanying senior national correspondent Claire Shipman to the Supreme Court while she reported live from the site in late October following Justice Rehnquist's illness. I highly respect Claire and was extremely grateful to her for spending time with me during my internship at ABC News," said Pinna.
After spending his first internship in the office of New York Senator Charles Schumer, Jonathan Kuhl '06 interned for CNN's TV program The Capital Gang, a panel discussion featuring five leading political reporters. "Busy writing and editing for newspapers like the Los Angeles Times, and The Wall Street Journal, the show's panel of hosts doesn't have time to research the topics for each of the blocks – that was my job," Kuhl explained.
"Whether it was preparing the panelists for an interview with a Senator, or providing them with the latest information about Bush's cabinet nominees, I was charged with finding and assembling the show's research packet." Among the people Kuhl worked with were actor Ben Stein, Bush campaign manager Ken Mehlman, former Clinton press secretary Joe Lockhart and Senator-elect Jon Thune. "If seeing some of the top names in politics and journalism gives you a thrill, few places are better than CNN – where else can you run into Wolf Blitzer in the bathroom?' says Kuhl.
Daniel Horowitz '06 saw Congress in action while interning in the office of Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd, then got a completely different view of politics with his second internship at MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews, which he called the highlight of his time in Washington. "I was instantly immersed in the media world from the moment the internship began in late October. For election night, the whole staff traveled to New York City's Rockefeller Center. The area, which is home to NBC's national headquarters, became 'Democracy Plaza,' the new location for Hardball's election night coverage. The Hardball staff spent approximately 10 days recording from the center, and although I had just started the internship, I was brought along," Horowitz said.
Daniel Horowitz's account of his experience at Hardball With Chris Matthews:
"The election night experience was the best time of the Hardball internship. I got a comprehensive view of the news media industry, and all the elaborate work that goes into producing news segments. In Democracy Plaza, most NBC affiliates had small booths, which overlooked the ice skating rink. NBC Nightly News, CNBC, MSNBC, and several others had sets. On Monday night and Election Night, Chris Matthews recorded live from the MSNBC booth, joined by a panel of revolving political pundits that included Ron Reagan, Pat Buchanan, Dee Dee Myers, and Joe Trippi. As the panel discussed their election predictions, they would periodically cut to several guests who were scattered across the plaza in ad-hoc outdoor television studios. One of my main responsibilities was to escort many of these guests around to the dressing room, make up, sound check, and the broadcasting set.
"During the course of the experience, I had the opportunity to meet and assist political columnists from Newsweek and The Congressional Quarterly, as well as the whole USO Female Choir. After leading these guests around Democracy Plaza on Monday and Tuesday nights, I was told to host business dinners with the guests on NBC's behalf. On each night, I accompanied Hardball guests to dinner at Rockefeller Center's Rock Center Café, where the restaurant was alive with all of NBC's biggest anchors, producers, executives, and guests. Many of the network's news anchors visited our table to speak with the guests, and I had a chance to converse with many of the journalists and other personalities.
"Election night was especially exciting. I stood right at the MSNBC Hardball set, which was surrounded by hundreds of screaming fans with Kerry or Bush signs. I helped the producers and directors set up for the show, which broadcasted live from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. I walked around with a "NBC Staff" pass, which enabled me to visit all the TV sets, including those from where Tom Brokaw and Tim Russert. Throughout the night, I had a chance to meet with many of NBC's guests including Rudy Giuliani, Howard Dean, Ben Stein, and Puff Daddy. I also had a fabulous view of the entire plaza, including the skating rink with a red state/blue state map, and the electoral vote tally, which scaled the front of the GE building. Although, off the camera, the entire election night coverage was organized chaos, it was a wonderful opportunity to be involved with the coverage. Although I had just started at Hardball a week before, the New York experience gave me a thorough view of the television broadcasting industry, and all the roles of each staff member of one show.
"Although the New York trip was the highlight of my experience, working for Hardball in Washington was equally exciting. I was able to sit on staff meetings, and add my input on what to include in upcoming shows. I performed in-depth research projects on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the impact of Christianity and morality in the 2004 election, and made presentations to the Hardball producers. I was in charge of arranging travel plans for many Hardball producers and guests, and I constantly spoke with the NBC travel agency to book flights around the country, or to fly guests to the Washington studios. During my two months with Hardball, I met several senators, Congressmen, top officers of the U.S. Army, and even the King of Jordan and former President Jimmy Carter."
