House Democrats are looking for summer interns in a specific place: Parkland, Florida. They’re encouraging the survivor-activists of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School to intern in Congress to learn more about how lawmaking works ... and to bring their perspective to congressional offices:
“We think it would be a great experience for them to be on the Hill to see exactly how things operate — or doesn’t, to some degree — but also to have time with these very special young people that have experienced something that none of us ever want to have experienced and I think we can learn from each other,” House Democratic Caucus Chairman Joe Crowley, who is helping lead the effort, told NBC News. [...]
“I would be thrilled if a significant number of them came up here and spent the summer helping to learn the system better so they will be even more effective advocates going forward,” Rep Deutch, who represents the district the high school is located in, told NBC News.
Hopefully House Democrats will embrace this plan in the full understanding that the students aren’t the only ones with something to learn—and hopefully they’ll extend the offer beyond Parkland to other student survivors and activists. For their part, hopefully any students who do intern in Congress learn what there is to learn about working the system from the inside but don’t lose sight of the power of working from the outside, or figuring out how to change the rules.
Take back the House! Can you give $1 to elect a Democrat in each Daily Kos-targeted House district?