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Strategic Approach

A. Set congressional schedule

B. Finalize district program so that constituents can receive newsletters.

C. Run analysis on responses by panel at floor meeting.

D. Provide background on voter’s necessities.

My first agenda was to study the rules and regulations of the office which boil down to

congressional ethics. I learned congressional ethics through a 60-minute video I watched. Before

watching the video, I was told I must complete the video and a test of congressional ethics within

a secured room in the office; I took the test in the office assistant office with the door locked

with a notebook and a piece of paper. I was sent to the office and was directed to a small desk in

the corner of the room where I was told to have a seat, while I was sitting the lead scheduler

Linda Matthews put in a specific login and told me that I can begin. I was given time and was

allowed to study for the congressional ethics test, after the hour had passed I was told that I could

start the test and that I must pass to continue as an intern for the congresswoman. I took the test

for an hour and was asked an array of questions on ethics in Congress and how it applies to life

while working for the government. I learned a lot from the process of taking the congressional

ethics test, it taught me many things that the average citizen does on a daily basis with no issue,

workers of the government have to do with careful thought and the inclusion of how it might

affect the image of their employers, which is the government. For example, it is against

regulation to pay for lunch of s government worker if the price exceeds thirty dollars, this is seen

to be unethical because it could be considered bribery. I also learned how it is also unethical to

purchase gifts worth more than fifty dollars. If a gift is to be more than 50 dollars it must be pre-

approved by the congressional committee of ethics. I found this stipulation to be fascinating, can
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you imagine every time you’re were given a gift over fifty-dollars, a board must approve it, this

is the reality of the congresswoman. After taking my test, I saw that I passed the test and I was

handed a certification sheet. When I passed the test, I was told I could now be considered as an

intern of the congresswoman, I was given a pamphlet with information that relates to the

internship, there were three sections within the booklet, confidentiality, field work, day to day

functions. Within the details of the first part was confidentiality it displayed how technology was

not allowed within certain areas of the office such as the head scheduler room, or the district

managers office. I was taught that no technology could be hooked up to the computer, no flash

drives can be brought in from outside of the office, you are not permitted to use free email

servers outside of what is provided by the congressional office. The field work section showed

how we are to present ourselves when were not in the congressional office. I was able to

understand that we are now employees of the government and that we must conduct ourselves as

so, the rule of thumb was we must feel as if we are in the continuous representation of the

congresswoman. When we go out into the field to represent the Congresswoman at events, we

must carry congressional folders with the United States Eagle presented on it. The folders have

notebooks, pens, and pencils for note taking. I was told that all records that are made when we

are in the field would be subjected to review by the office manager, and if it classified

information, I would be told not to share the specific information and notes. The day to day

function I was briefed on was that I would be paired with a congressional staffer in the upcoming

week and that my job would be to assist them when necessary. I was also told that I could pick

the congressional staffer that I wanted to be paired with, or it would be picked for me. After

reading the information and making it a point to understand the many details that it entailed, I

felt prepared to do my Job as the intern of Congresswoman Marcia Fudge. I was directed to the
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main office desk where I was shown the main office phone. I was taught how to answer calls,

and that each call is vital and should be handled as so. I was taught how to respond to the phone

with this particular phrase, “Good morning or Good afternoon you have reached the office of

Congresswoman Marcia Fudge; this is intern Phil Ghansah speaking how may I assist you.” I

was told that all calls are important, but all calls from the congresswoman are always urgent, and

there should always be a response to it. After being trained to use the phones, I was taught where

to put checked mail from and to the congresswoman. After learning the process of how emailing

works in the office. I was told that I had a field assignment and that I would be paired with

congressional staffer Beverly Charles, who Is the congressional staffer for seniors. The field

assignment would be to go to senior housing in the Cleveland area and meet with the elderly to

discuss issues within the Cleveland community. Knowing my agenda, I was given a

congressional folder with a pencil and pen and was told to take general notes on the concerns of

senior citizens we spoke to. When I arrived at the senior housing complex I entered a community

meeting room where a town hall of elders were assembled, we were seated at a head table in

which we were told to introduce ourselves, congressional staffer Beverly Charles introduced me

as a the congresswomans intern, I went on to say that I was a student at John Carroll University

and that I was excited to be meeting with each and every one of the members of the community.

We were welcomed with applause and thanks for your attendance to the forum. We were told

that improvements were seen around the Cleveland community as a whole, but they would like

to see rapid transportation ticket prices drop to accommodate the senior citizen. They felt as if

they were being victimized for using public transportation. Their case was the fact that they are

known to be receiving retirement and that retirement is too small to add on the extra expense.

They claimed that they could not take on such additional expenses seeing that they do not receive
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much money from retirement, there request was to speak with the congresswoman to have RTA

prices decreased. We told them that their concerns would be noted and addressed when

appropriate. In further discussions with the seniors, they brought up the point of how a Trump

presidency would effect Cleveland; we told the senior citizens that a Trump presidency would

make Cleveland better or worse depending on the productivity and the accountability of the

people of Cleveland. The senior citizens made a point, and the point was that Cleveland crime

rates have risen in some areas and they are in fear of their safety. We addressed the Senior

Citizens by saying that the congresswoman will continue to fight and lobby for security and

safety within Cleveland, we told them that proposed programs in Cleveland by the

congresswoman suppose the increase of community watch groups and the congresswoman has

worked with the mayor of Cleveland to increase police activity in neighbourhoods in Cleveland

to ensure the safety of citizens within this communities at all times. We concluded that if any

issues or to arrive in the future with the welfare of senior citizens that they should not hesitate to

give the congresswoman a call by reaching out to her. By the end of the day, I felt we had made

a sharp connection with the senior citizens within the forum.

After my first day, my agenda was to create correspondence with other congressmen and

congresswoman; I did this by setting up a portfolio of instances in which I saw the repeated

mentions of the Congresswoman Marcia Fudge and what she had lobbied for, I would send this

to various congressional offices so that their congressional representatives could use that

information as support to lobby for legislation they wanted to bring to the floor. I was also given

the project of creating social media templates for the congresswoman every week. Starting

Monday, I would come in and assist the media person with the congresswoman to create a slide

of media points for the congresswoman. The congresswoman would use these media points to
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address opposition when presenting legislation on the Congress floor, from this appointed job I

had on a weekly basis I learned that it was crucial to the success of a congressional member to

know their standing with the people through social media. I heard about this system that allowed

me to mass search social media accounts to see the climate of opinion on how people felt

towards the congresswoman and what proposed policies were worth it. I also learned that it is

imperative that the congressional member knows how their being viewed by the media, whether

it's on television or the internet, the congresswoman has to know how she is being spoken of on

social media outlets. I asked the office manager why it was so, and they claimed that the opinion

of the congresswoman is constantly changing, by understanding the climate of views from social

media outlets we can make improvements or stay the course. If we are not aware of the thought

of the public, which is represented through the press, then we can not adequately represent our

constituency. An effective representative regularly listens to those they represent; you can not

serve citizens without being able to confront the opinions of the public. One week I attended the

Cuyahoga service for senior citizens committee meeting, and at the meeting I heard the issues of

senior citizens not just in Cleveland but in the United States as a whole. I had noted that the issue

that kept coming up was elderly abuse, this abuse comes about from neglect, physical and mental

abuse and abandonment. I was shaken to see that was a real issue experienced by constituents,

and that they sought the aid of the congresswoman to lobby against the issue. I noted the

problem, and when the congresswoman came into the office during congressional recess I

released the notes to her, and she was in awe as well. After that meeting, she mobilized her

agenda towards fighting against these injustices of abuse as it relates to the elderly. I examined

my weekly projects and meeting notes that I acquired while working there and tried to connect

my finding back to politics, so the question I kept asking myself was how does the field projects
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I played a role in, relate to politics. The meaning of politics is the process representing citizens

by making decisions that relate to all members of a community. More indeptly it is related to

control over a particular state or given community. After breaking down the meaning of what

politics meant, I was able to understand why I had the projects I had and how it relates to field

projects I was a part of. The political factor of going to various senior citizen committee

meetings show how important representation is to the public; proper representation is something

that is a core key to America and our values as citizens of the United States. My presence along

with the congressional staffer hallmarks this representation and its vital importance. The very

fact that I was in assistance with a congressional staffer under the capacity of the

congresswoman shows how the voices of the public will and must be heard and I was

appreciative to be a part of the process. The weekly media points of the week created in

assistance with the social media staffer are paramount to the development of proper

representation as well. The media serves as a checks and balance system of those in power, my

job of monitoring media sources to see how the public viewed the congresswoman’s work is

essential to our democracy, and I was a part of that process in which I am thankful. The success

of a democracy is lenient on the public's check on its representatives, in a case in which the

public does not have access to the representative, the social media acts as the watchful eye in the

dealings of the congressional member. The internship provided strong connections with

impactful assistance as it relates to the functions of our community, and I was given the privilege

to impact those within the community with field projects I partook in on a daily basis. The

projects I held all relate to the representation of the people. In my United States politics class, I

was taught the theories of proper representation from the aspect of old theorists. We looked at

Thomas Jefferson and his perception of representation, Thomas Jefferson made it a point to
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connect representation to those that secure property and land, indeed, those with these

entitlements are citizens of the land, and their representation shall come from their government.

Referring to Thomas Jefferson’s theory there is an understanding of how representation needs to

look like for the expansion of proper representation. The old theorists believed that to be

represented; people needed to members of that specific land(state) in which they are given

sovereignty by a higher body, usually the landowners or those that govern the land. The upper

body must make decisions in the best interest of those that dwell in the land. If decisions were

not made in the best interest of the citizens, the citizens would then revolt because there sense of

ownership of land and property is being undermined, and this is what begets corruption. I was

able to understand proper representation of today, and how it relates to how the higher body

reacts and relates to those that they represent, citizens by into the right of citizenship by securing

property, the job then becomes that representatives must secure and protect the property and its

benefits for the citizen. The Congress members should understand the power that those they

represent hold, the power to revoke or install power to those in the office or hold a position.

Proper representation is given under the merit and authority of our United States Constitution.

Proper representation is provided first through credibility, this is issued through the election

process by the constituency or throughout the process of their terms. You must show your

constituency that you're able to bring the promises proposed by the public. The representative

must be able to identify public concerns and values. The representative must be a constituency

leader, a leader that addresses the concerns and problems of those they serve. I also learned that

the government is framed for the benefit of constituents. Many complain that representatives and

even the government as a whole are too powerful, but there needs to be an understanding, that

power is concentrated in the people and not the government. The people wield power and the
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government because the government is controlled by the people. I understood this by working

for the congresswoman; I was able to see the democratic process and how it plays out when

controlled by the people. I recall that constituents would call the office demanding a change be

done in some part of Cleveland or even the United States in general, and what was said by

constituents would be recorded and noted for weekly briefs with the Congress member. Weekly

briefs with the congresswoman would have the inquiries of the constituents so that she could

take it to the congressional floor. This is how democracy works in a free country, a free country

allows for the constant communication between the representatives and those they serve. If there

is not constant communication between officials and leaders, there is a default of power which in

return makes officials too powerful and that makes the government too powerful, thus creating

the disconnect between the representatives and the people of these communities.

Overall I had a great experience with the internship; I made connections with what I

learned in John Carroll political classes and what I picked up in the field through this internship.

I am appreciative of the opportunity to work with the congresswoman and thank them for the

opportunity to see democracy in work first hand.