Politics Archives - Amy Lynn Smith

Congressional candor

Posted on: July 23rd, 2014 by Amy Lynn Smith No Comments

In a world where political discourse is too often drowning in double-speak, it’s a rare pleasure to meet an elected official who says it like it is.

U.S. Congressman Dan Kildee is one of those elected officials. As the representative of Michigan’s 5th Congressional District, Kildee speaks his mind — especially when it comes to championing the best interests of his constituents and their fellow Americans.

I had the chance to interview Congressman Kildee while attending the Netroots Nation conference in Detroit. During our chat over morning coffee, he shared his thoughts on the dysfunction in Congress, why it’s happening and what can be done to help legislators do the job they were elected to do: take action that helps our country and its citizens thrive.

Read the full interview at Eclectablog.

Tags: Congress, Congressman Dan Kildee, democracy, Eclectablog, Netroots Nation
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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.