January 2014 - Amy Lynn Smith

The State of the Union, up close and personal

Posted on: January 31st, 2014 by Amy Lynn Smith No Comments

It’s not every day that you’re invited to the White House for the State of the Union. It’s also rare to have the chance to ask a question that’s answered directly by senior White House officials.

I had the great honor of doing both.

I was one of about 60 people chosen out of thousands of applicants to attend the #SOTUSocial. We watched the State of the Union from the White House and participated in a panel discussion with White House officials immediately after. I shared my experience on social media live from the event.

Needless to say, it was a thrill. You can read all about it in my post at Eclectablog. The post includes a video of the panel discussion, where a question I asked about how White House policies can help Detroit in its efforts to rebuild is answered around the 16-minute mark.

I also created a Storify digital scrapbook of some of my favorite moments.

Tags: Eclectablog, President Obama, SOTU, SOTUChat, SOTUSocial, State of the Union, Storify, White House
Posted in Politics, Social media | No Comments »

The heart and soul of healthcare reform

Posted on: January 30th, 2014 by Amy Lynn Smith No Comments

If you want to feel good about the future of healthcare in America, just spend a few days surrounded by the people Ezra Klein fondly called “healthcare nerds.”

That’s exactly what I did at the 2014 Health Action conference, an annual event hosted by Families USA. I was proud to be among them, learning from some of the best minds in healthcare policy and advocacy. Together, we celebrated how far we’ve come — and shared ideas about how to succeed in the work that lies ahead.