College Interns Face Congressional Heat
about the author
Jordan J. Frasier is a staff writer for NextGen Journal. He’s a senior at George Mason University studying political science and journalism. Jordan is a news editor for Connect2mason.com and is a network news intern in Washington D.C. Connect with him on twitter @jordanjfrasier and at jordanjfrasier.com.
A college intern was one of the first people at U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’ aid when she was shot Saturday by Jared Lee Loughner at the Congresswoman’s “Congress on your Corner” event in Tucson, Ariz.
Daniel Hernandez had only been on the job for five days when he accompanied Giffords to the event at a local Safeway store. As he checked people in, Hernandez heard gunfire and sprang into action.
The intern quickly assessed the injured and found Giffords badly wounded.
Holding the congresswoman upright, Hernandez applied pressure to the wound on Giffords’ head until paramedics arrived, leading many to call him a hero. Friends expressed support on his Facebook wall with comments like, “You have an amazing heart and such courage for doing all that you did yesterday.”
Hernandez, a junior at the University of Arizona, represents a large number of college students across the nation who intern with members of Congress. These interns are often on the front lines of heated interactions between members and their constituents.
Tyler Williams is another such student. He interned with U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge in the spring of 2010, in the midst of the heated health care debate. He knows first hand the strong comments often directed at members of Congress.
Williams never experienced interactions as extreme as Saturday’s deadly gun violence, but he said conversations did get heated.
“I wouldn’t say I ever got violent threats from constituents calling,” Williams said, “but I definitely had some very upset people calling.”
Williams said Rep. Etheridge, who left Congress earlier this month after losing a November re-election bid, was a Blue Dog Democrat, similar to Rep. Giffords, and that Rep. Etheridge’s stance in support of health care reform was unpopular with many in his district.
“Our phone was especially ringing off-the-hook during health care,” Williams said.
Williams said he was told by staff in Rep. Etheridge’s office that if he ever thought there was a serious threat, he needed to let someone know so Capitol Police could be alerted.
During his time as an intern, Williams never received such a threat, but he said he would not be surprised if another intern did receive a threat that warranted a report.
“What you say to people is a representation of the Congressman,” Williams said of taking calls in a congressional office. “Even when they are being angry and irrational, you have to be as rational as possible.”
Williams said there was little concern of disgruntled people entering Congressional offices with weapons because of security measures, but there was some safety talk about procedures if someone became physically or verbally aggressive when visiting the office, something Williams said never happened during his tenure as intern.
Williams heard the news about Rep. Giffords while traveling from Washington D.C. to North Carolina, and said he was saddened.
Williams said he feels for the bystanders and the staffers who were wounded and killed alongside Rep. Giffords because he sees himself in precisely one of those roles after graduating from American University, where he is currently a junior.
“It certainly upset me,” Williams said, “but I’m still as interested as ever in politics and it’s still a career I want to pursue.”
And as a former intern, Williams recognizes the importance of Daniel Hernandez’s actions.
“I’m surprised the Congresswoman is doing as well as she is,” Williams said. “It’s a testament to the intern who did what he could until the medical people arrived.”
Image courtesy of Flickr, Will Palmer.
