Craazy on the Hill

No, that's not a typo. It is craazy on "the hill." Actually, it might even be craaazy! What an insanely busy time for everyone here. Even my workload has ramped up and I find myself rushing to carry out my tasks before the clock strikes 6:00pm, which is when I turn back into an academic for a round of evening work.

This morning I took my usual route on my morning run, down North Capitol NE, straight into the U.S. Capitol. It's stunning, no? But, as soon as I arrived on the grounds I could see that things were different than usual. There was a significant police and Secret Service presence around the Capitol. I couldn't quite figure out what was going on, but then I remembered the president's first speech before the Joint Session of Congress tonight. As I ran around the National Mall I saw that fences, gates, and barricades had been put back in place, as they were for the inauguration. That's a lot of security to take care of in this one city. Staggering, really.

A United States Capitol Police van positioned on the outer grounds of the Capitol.

I presume that's the Secret Service straight ahead. 

A close-up of said Capitol police. 

Emergency vehicles ready to go. 

More of the same. 

I got these pictures around 4:00pm this afternoon - I dashed out for a quick break from my desk in order to snap some shots for this blog post. The following are pictures of the media, positioning to do their thing. In all honestly though, some of this was already set up at 7:00am.

A reporter appears to be practicing some talking points. 

More reporters gather on the Capitol grounds. 

This appears to be a tent for the media. They were set up at 7:00am today. In fact, they appeared to be testing their high-beam lights at that time, too, which I confess I thought was a bit early. 

In addition to the Joint Session of Congress, it's a very busy time on the hill because it is "budget season." This is when everyone who has a concern about federal funding comes to Capitol Hill to meet with their representatives...or other people's representatives! The halls and cafeterias are so crowded that it is a feat navigating them. There are veterans, child care workers, miners, teachers, pediatricians, and more. They often wear matching hats or ties or t-shirts or lanyards - anything to identify them as part of a special interest group.

I have found the individuals who come to Washington for such meetings to be very knowledgeable. They have a focused message and they know what to ask for. Here's an example from a previous year, giving guidance in how to handle Congressional meetings. This will apparently carry on through March. It's a wonderful time to learn from everyone in attendance and how both parties prepare for and respond to such meetings.

There are buses everywhere right now. Some might be tourist buses, but most are not. I have seen constituents coming and going from these buses. (That's the Library of Congress on the right.) 

The line at one of the visitor entrances to the Russell Senate Office Building.

Outside of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. 

That's my story for this week. It's 11:15pm and I just remembered another deadline that I missed earlier in the day. Until next time!