DID YOU KNOW? PT. 4
Denny's sights were set on Washington, D.C. He caught the bug for change after organizing around President Obama's legislative priorities but wanted to do more and get to Capitol Hill.
But how? He didn't go to an Ivy League school. His parents were not huge donors or have political connections that could help (it's not hyperbolic to state that this comprises an overwhelming majority of Capitol Hill staffers).
Denny needed to do what his parents taught him - figure it out and outwork them all. So he did.
He wrote - and this is true - to 353 congressional offices, each with a unique cover letter espousing the accomplishments of each member of Congress (if you didn't know this, elected officials LOVE hearing how great they are). Denny targeted every Democratic and moderate Republican - when they still existed - federal official and asked for an internship.
Only one called back.
Then-Senator John Kerry's office called and said they liked his resume and cover letter, but they ran out of space for interns in their Washington, D.C. office. But, they sent a high recommendation to the rest of the Massachusetts delegation and asked if they had room for another intern.
A day later, then-Congressman John Teirney's office called and offered Denny an internship that would start in four days. He packed his car, drove eight hours to D.C., slept on a friend's couch for two weeks before securing a room in a townhouse living on East Capitol Street near the Library of Congress and the Supreme Court.
Denny would learn the legislative process, research segments of the Affordable Health Care for America Act - specifically, funding disparities between rural vs. urban hospitals and the Medical Loss Ratio - as the bill was making its way through the U.S. House of Representatives.
His most memorable moment was sitting in the House Gallery on the night of Saturday, November 7, 2009, and watching the House of Representatives pass the aforementioned health care bill guaranteeing coverage for over 20 million Americans.
Denny's political education wouldn't end there. He would meet and begin working for his political mentor - Tom Erickson.
Vote #dennyfornyc on 6/28th!