It is only the second day in D.C. and I am beginning to understand why so many people catch the “Potomac fever,” or the desire to one day return to Washington. There is always something to do in Washington, whether you visit the monuments, explore the various museums, such as the Smithsonians, or even meet important political leaders and media representatives. The work week began today, making the metro much busier than the weekend. It was exciting being part of the Monday morning commotion on our way to The Washington Center.
The morning session began with Michael Genovese, from Loyola Marymount University discussing the pressures of the presidents face. Obama will begin his presidency faced with problems such as the economy and the war. Genovese emphasized that the problems Obama is faced with will take time to be fixed. He stressed that Presidential leadership is very complex and for Obama getting elected was the easy part, governing will be the greater challenge.
The next speaker was Special Agent David J. O’Connor, discussing his role in protecting the President. He has been in the Secret Service for over twenty years and is about two years away from his retirement. Since 1988, he has been involved in the Presidential Election. He has had the opportunity to travel around the world, however believes that “no matter where you travel, you will never find a better place then this country.” Our final speakers were Cal Thomas and Bob Beckel, both USA Today Columnists. They were very entertaining, making us all laugh during their presentation. They discussed the need for Democrats and Republicans to get along and work together.
In the afternoon we went to NORML, National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws. The presentation was very interesting, focusing on the decriminalization of marijuana offenses. So far, eleven states, such as California and New York have lowered marijuana penalties.
Tomorrow, our speaker is Brian Lamb from C-SPAN, which will air on television live. Also, we have a reception at the Chamber of Commerce, which we all have been looking forward to for quite some time.
