Maine students receive firsthand look at politics Interns assist state’s delegation on Capitol Hill

WASHINGTON – George Scott Pullen smiles every morning when he walks from the subway to the Capitol building. Walking up the hill and looking at the impressive Capitol dome, he said, he feels lucky and proud to be in the nation’s capital.

“When I saw the Capitol, this giant dome with the statue on the top and the marble everywhere, it struck me: I am going to be working here,” Pullen said. “Every day I have that feeling, and it’s a great way to start the day.”

The 20-year-old political science and finance economics major from Corinth is one of four participants in the University of Maine’s Congressional Internship Program and is an intern in Sen. Olympia Snowe’s Washington office.

“I wanted to work for Snowe because she has done so much for Maine,” he said.

Pullen said he enjoys watching how issues move from an idea, take shape and become legislation. “I went to the budget committee hearing with Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan,” he said.

Now Snowe is trying to push one of Greenspan’s proposals, a tax-cut measure tied to the size of the national debt, through Congress.

Students cannot help but feel star-struck sometimes. “It’s just amazing,” Pullen said. “You hear about Sen. John McCain [R-Ariz.] and other members of Congress on the news, and all of a sudden you are sharing an elevator with them.”

The students spend one semester in Washington and help in congressional offices answering the phones, organizing constituent mail and doing research. In turn, they receive academic credits and a small stipend to assist them with room and board.

Julie Mignosa from Bangor, a 29-year-old international relations major, said she loves her job in Sen. Susan Collins’ office. “She’s a huge role model to me, because she’s one of the few women senators,” said Mignosa.

She said her typical day starts at 9 a.m. “I always have to be ready to answer the phones,” she said, and anybody could be on the other end of the line. “One time, somebody from the Bush-Cheney administration called, and I had to stop a second and breathe in.”

Mignosa said she organizes between 500 and 1,000 letters that arrive every day for Collins and also leads constituents from Maine on tours of the Capitol building about twice a day. “And then there are always projects to do,” she said.

Mignosa said she especially enjoys sharing the nation’s history with the constituents. “So many events of our history are based here,” she said.

Amy Saunders of North Monmouth and Matt Dubois of Auburn also are spending a semester in Washington. Saunders works for Rep. John Baldacci, while Dubois is with Rep. Tom Allen.

Saunders, a journalism major, and Dubois, who studies political science, both said they came here to see if they wanted to work in politics. “It’s an interesting place,” Saunders said. “I already learned a lot about Maine and policy issues.”

Dubois currently is working on a project for Allen about the Electoral College.

Although they have met and chatted with the members they are working for, the students have not had much time to get into deep conversations with the lawmakers. But they have noticed their respective “boss” spends a great deal of time reading and answering constituent mail.

None of the students knew much about the nation’s capital before starting the program, and all agreed that the city’s biggest advantage is its huge variety of cultural, educational and fun events.

The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum has definitely been the most impressive one so far, Mignosa said. “You don’t just look at things;” Mignosa said, “it’s interactive.” She said she especially appreciated the memorial hall where visitors could sit down and reflect on what they had just experienced.

Saunders also enjoys the museums, but she said she misses the friendly people from Maine. “People don’t smile enough here and are always in a rush,” she said.

Although none of the participants are completely sure about their plans, they heartily recommend this program for anybody interested in politics. “It gives you a whole different perspective” on politics, Dubois said.

He said he could see himself staying in politics, while Saunders plans to go to law school and Mignosa considers an ambassadorship in her future.

Pullen said he wants to follow in Snowe’s footsteps. “Who knows, maybe there is a Senate seat in the distant future for me.”