People, politics, news and being a capitol intern

OLYMPIA — Politics is something I find myself both deeply fascinated with while simultaneously a little repulsed by.

In the past I’ve described politics as similar to a bad car crash — sometimes it’s inexplicably hard to look away.

When the opportunity came to be a legislative reporter for a semester, I was weary at first. However, I was also intrigued, and that ultimately won over. Within weeks I was accepted for the internship, left Washington State University behind, and headed to Olympia.

Admittedly, I knew less than I probably should have about my own state’s Legislature, but I can’t imagine there’s anything that could have prepared me for what was to come.

This legislative session I’ve been caught up in a whirlwind of surprisingly exciting and busy moments, followed by some waiting around, only to get swept up again in another whirlwind.

I learned to not try and report on every single thing the Legislature does. Something I had been warned about, but it still took me a while to remember the importance of having a big picture view on issues.

I’ve met many legislators, with whom I might not agree with politically, but I genuinely like as people — which I think we sometimes forget is what they are. Throughout my time at the capitol, I’ve learned to see past people’s titles and political parties, and see them as a group of individuals who I believe really do want to help the people in the state of Washington.

However, it has been frustrating, to say the least, to watch the gridlock partisanship can cause. Washington state ranks fifth on a list of the most polarized legislatures in the nation, according to research by a professor at Georgetown University.

Witnessing this polarization firsthand and how it can bring our state to a standstill, to the point where a special session had to be called, can be maddening.

Being so close to all of this while bearing the responsibility of reporting on it has been stressful, boring at times, and aggravating, but most of all it has been immeasurably valuable.

I haven’t given up on politics, and I’ve seen now how important it really is to pay attention to these people who are tasked with representing me.