All-Access Politics

Nathaniel Haas remembers when he was on his high school debate team arguing about what caused the 2008 financial crisis. “I spoke about the Federal Reserve, and what it was like under Alan Greenspan’s leadership through 2006,” said Haas, who earned bachelor’s degrees in political science and economics from USC Dornsife this past May.

This summer, he got the chance to meet Greenspan, former Federal Reserve chair, and ask him about the recession. Haas is still in shock.

“I never dreamed that I would be sitting with Alan Greenspan having a substantive, unfiltered conversation about the economic collapse and America’s future in the global economy,” Haas said. “It was an amazing, surreal experience.”

The exchange was one of many comparable experiences that Haas and his classmates had in the Maymester course “How Washington Works — And Doesn’t” led by Robert Shrum, Carmen H. and Louis Warschaw Chair in Practical Politics and professor of the practice of political science at USC Dornsife.

The best way to learn about Washington

The course, which explored the processes and pressures of politics in Washington, D.C., brought a small group of USC Dornsife students to the nation’s capital to meet and speak with politicians, policy actors, and members of the press.

“USC Dornsife has a commitment to teaching students about practical politics,” said Shrum, who has more than 40 years of experience as a political consultant guiding presidential, senatorial and gubernatorial campaigns. “This was a fabulous way of exposing students to it. Being in Washington, D.C., is the best possible way to learn about Washington.”

Political science major Logan Burkhead, a senior, agreed. Reading a textbook about politics in Los Angeles just wouldn’t have the same impact, he said.

“In D.C., what we were learning about was happening all around us,” Burkhead said. “All of the major institutions and agencies that we read about are there. All of our leaders are in the city. There’s a magnitude to it. This is where everything happens. It’s invigorating.”

The class on the set of “Meet the Press” with the show’s moderator Chuck Todd (center). Photo courtesy of Ben Cohn.

In addition to Greenspan, students sat down with an impressive roster of Washington’s top players, including U.S. Representative and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi; Ken Duberstein, former White House chief of staff to President Ronald Reagan; Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist George Will; Thomas Donilon, former national security adviser to the Obama administration; Joe Trippi, a Democratic campaign consultant and contributor on Fox News; Tammy Haddad, former executive producer of “Hardball” and “Larry King Live”; Todd Harris, Republican political consultant and adviser to Marco Rubio; and Paul Begala, Democratic consultant and adviser to former President Bill Clinton, among many other notable names.

Haas said that speaking with so many people who represented a spectrum of ideologies gave him a nuanced perspective on how the government operates, which counters the prevalent representation of politics as gridlocked and deeply divided along partisan lines.

“The ironic thing is that I left with a sense of optimism,” Haas said.  “We sat down with real people that revealed that they have a deep, deep passion for serving the American people and that they are optimistic and trying to make it work.”

For Burkhead, who is active in student government at USC, these conversations reinforced his desire to continue his involvement in government and politics after he earns his bachelor’s degree.

“We got an hour to sit down with these people in an incredibly small group of students and ask them any question we wanted — these enormous players that you see on T.V. every week who had done everything from being chief of staff for a president to running their own network television shows,” Burkhead said. “It was pretty unbelievable.”

Students Logan Burkhead (right) and Nathaniel Haas show their enthusiasm for touring the White House. Photo courtesy of Logan Burkhead.

Students also attended a breakfast hosted by U.S. Senator Harry Reid for his Nevada constituents, sat in on a taping of the television program “Meet the Press,” where they spoke with the show’s moderator Chuck Todd, political director for NBC News, and toured the White House and Capitol Hill.

Students gain priceless real-world experience

Research placements organized by Shrum allowed students to work alongside journalists and political strategists or at political consulting firms. 

Junior Megan Eme, a double major in political science at USC Dornsife and communication at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, worked at the Glover Park Group, a strategic communications and government affairs firm. She researched issues such as GMO (genetically modified organism) labeling and domestic violence awareness for reports prepared for the firm’s clients.

The opportunity gave her on-the-job experience and helped her cement her career goal. Now she knows she wants to work in a similar firm when she graduates so she can serve private sector clients and also contribute to legislation research.

“It was interesting to see how I could use both of my majors — and I don’t have to run for Congress,” Eme said.

Haas interned with reporter Daniel Lippman at Politico, a nonpartisan political news organization based in Washington, D.C. He assisted Lippman and reporter Mike Allen with the daily e-newsletter “Playbook.” He was also invited to pitch story ideas. Haas, who wrote for the Daily Trojan at USC, penned one story about a segment that aired on John Oliver’s show “Last Week Tonight” about poultry farmers and how the publicity created by the show might end up helping farmers gain protections from chicken processors. The article made the front page of Politico’s print newspaper and was the afternoon lead on its website.

“I interviewed two congresswomen for the article and it was because I had the support and the credibility of being a reporter for Politico,” Haas said. “It was a journalism experience like no other.”

Students stand with U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid following a breakfast he hosted for his Nevada constituents. Photo courtesy of Ben Cohn.

Burkhead interned with Benenson Strategy Group, a strategic research consultancy, where he is working through August on the team devoted to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. Founder and CEO Joel Benenson is Hillary Clinton’s chief strategist and pollster.

“I sat in on campaign calls with Clinton’s chief strategists,” Burkhead said. “The team would create and then analyze various polls on her messaging and her potential policy perspectives.”

Burkhead’s placement gave him the opportunity to fulfill two of his goals for the Maymester — working on Hillary Clinton’s campaign and gaining experience in political consulting.

Other students interned for the television news program “Hardball with Chris Matthews” and at the public relations firm Edelman.

Overall, Haas said that the course that Shrum designed is a dream come true for any student interested in politics.

“It’s a practical, hands-on experience where you do a research placement; you’re in the heart of the nation’s capital with someone who made his life there doing incredible things in politics. And, it’s a dream come true in a sense that the people you’re meeting and talking to are simply some of the smartest, most successful political minds. It’s a master class in politics and there’s nobody better to teach it than Professor Shrum.”