I know I am late to the game in blogging over the last two
weeks, but I want to give an update anyway. So here it goes…
A few general updates: (1) Lt. Governor Dewherst assigned
Senate committees, and Senator Birdwell will sit on Government Organization,
Economic Development, Higher Education, and is the Vice Chair for Veterans’
Affairs and Military Installations. (2) The senators drew for term lengths, and
the senator received a four year term, so he will not be up for reelection
until the 2016 cycle. (3) Since my first post, I have been assigned another
committee for the session, taking my total to three (Intergovernmental
Relations, Administration, and Open
Government).
Since session has begun slowly, I have had a decent amount
of time to catch up on some reading that I need to do for school. I recently
finished Decision Points by George W.
Bush. It was one I had read before, but this time it was nice to dig a little
deeper into the content. For the academic assignment, it is my job to dig
through my readings and analyze the impact the figure or event had on Texas
political history. While I will submit a formal report to my professor, I want
to share a couple of thoughts here.
The book is organized uniquely. Instead of a chronological memoir,
it traces the big decisions that President Bush made, specifically while he
served as President. It offers a candid
perspective into the thought process of a President. One of the most striking
thing to me was how each of the big decisions overlapped. Since it was not
written chronologically, I missed it the first time around. But from a timing
perspective, it was really interesting to see that major domestic policies
(Medicaid reform, No Child Left Behind, etc.) were being handled at the same
time that discussions were being had about Iraq, Afghanistan, the Surge, and
Hurricane Katrina. Being an “outsider” to that world of politics and decision
making, it became almost overwhelming to think about having to handle all those
life changing decisions at the same time.
However, I am beginning to understand that that is just the
world of politics. In a single day at the Capitol, it is not uncommon go from a
breakfast briefing to the floor with the senator and then back to the office to
have meetings with constituents and lobbyists on any and all topics. That would
even be considered a light day. I have to give high credit to the ability of
those I am working with; they are doing a fantastic job modeling how to balance
all the different demands we have as staff, but handling it all with grace. I
have a long way to go to truly understand how it all works, but I could not ask
for a better group to grow and learn under.
Back to President Bush for a moment: From a Texas
perspective, the other important thing I noticed throughout the book was his grit and
determination to stand up for the right thing, regardless of political,
professional, or political consequence. Being around the capitol, I have come
to appreciate the fact that many of my colleagues and the majority of the
senators and representatives want to do the right thing for Texas and for their
constituents. It is inspiring to see the camaraderie that comes out of the
shared purpose of bettering the state and caring for its people.
I am privileged to
work for a senator that believes in this principle wholeheartedly. No political
agenda comes before caring for the people of his district. Even if it means
standing alone in a vote, Senator Birdwell will consistently stand up for what
he believes is right. That is absolutely refreshing to see in a politician, and
it makes me excited to come into work each day.
Constitutionally Yours.
[N.B. – All the
opinions expressed in this blog are mine, and mine alone. I do not represent
the opinions of the office of Sen. Birdwell, the Texas Senate, or the State of
Texas.]
