Jimmy Suess ’17 – On Tuesday, we had the chance to meet with Joseph Pounder of America Rising in the morning, and the FBI in the afternoon. So far on this trip, we have been able to experience Washington, D.C. with more special opportunities than the common tourist. Our opportunities continued into Tuesday.

Pounder, President of America Rising, spoke with us about his job as the leader of this political action committee (PAC). He gave us a new perspective of the political process, a much more realistic perspective. Their job at America Rising is to frame how the people view the candidates; nothing is off limits. Both Democrats and Republicans participate in every election. We see PAC’s work when we see political scandals or flip floppy candidates. An example of this could be Romney’s views on healthcare. It was brought up that Romney had instilled a healthcare bill quite like the Affordable Healthcare Act, so he was framed as a flip flopper candidate by a democratic PAC. PACs do a lot of the unseen work that goes into politics. They are the researchers behind all candidates or nominees, and try to influence politics in favor of their party. I was unaware that this job existed, and I am now very interested in learning more about the process. From a rhetorical perspective, PACs like America Rising, are influencing the audience of their choosing in order to persuade public opinion of their candidate. Since rhetoric is defined as the art of persuasion, applying to work for a PAC would be right down a rhetoric major’s alley. Pounder shared with us some of his experiences working on the Bush and Romney’s campaigns and even opened the door for future internships.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation was an especially intriguing site because not everyone gets to see the things we saw. The Strategic Information and Operations Center (SIOC) looked like the scene of 24. It was where everything big happens. For example, the Boston bombing investigation and pursuit took place in the center. The FBI is the backbone for all national crisis events, and serve as an integral part to the United States’ freedom and safety. Countless times I heard from the FBI agents and officers that their job is to protect the Constitution. This experience of going inside the FBI gives me a new confidence in our internal forces that justice will be served, and this nation will keep thriving.