Alex Caton on the Speaker’s balcony. It’s no
St. Ed’s portico, but it’ll do.
St. Ed: When
the Government shut down, were you able to go outside, or were you holed up in
your residence hall?
Caton: The
Senate office, the office that I am with, worked throughout the shutdown, but
oddly, on my off days there was nowhere to go since all the tourist attractions
are taxpayer-funded. I was able to go to the Washington Monument from a
distance, though…and thanks to a kind band of WWII vets who stormed and broke
through the Park Service’s defensive barricades, I was able to visit the new WWII
monument.
St. Ed:
Studying in the shadow of the Government, are some of your classes Log Rolling
101, Intermediate Gridlock and Advanced Gerrymandering?
Caton: I’m
learning gridlock and partisanship from the pros as an intern in the US Senate.
That said, my favorite class is American Political Journalism. It meets at the
newsroom of the Washington Post and is taught by their Sunday opinion
editor and former Steds resident, Carlos Lozada ’93.
St. Ed:
Recently, Azerbaijan released election results BEFORE voting had even started.
Do you think that our Government could reach such a level of efficiency?
Caton: Sounds
like a noble goal. If Hillary runs in 2016, I think we’ll give Azerbaijan a run
for their money.
St. Ed: What do
you miss from home?
Caton: I miss
sleeping seven feet above the ground. I miss the feeling of my bare feet on the
carpet in the Vator. I miss the Observer Viewpoint section—there have been some
real gems this semester. I miss Wade in the Water at Hall Mass and having my
guitar. I miss Hall Council banter and the taste of a Teger hot off the press
at Ed’s. DC is a terribly interesting city, and I plan to come back after
graduation, but it ain’t St. Edward’s Hall.
There you have it
folks… thoughts from abroad, kind of…
