As we pulled up in front of the House Rayburn Office Building around 11:30, I was amazed by the long lines to get into the building. It was really a startling reminder about democracy; anyone who can get past a metal detector is welcome to walk around the Congressional office buildings. The next time you are in Washington, consider going into the House and Senate office buildings and checking out the offices of your Representative and Senator.

For both personal and political reasons, yesterday was an exciting day. Along with a couple of my co-workers, I had the chance to meet some of our nation’s most well-known political figures, such as Rep. John Lewis, Senator Ted Kennedy and Senator Barack Obama. I also had a chance to meet perhaps the best athlete in the 110 th Congress, former NFL quarterback Heath Shuler (now a Representative from North Carolina). Meeting these politicians was not simply exciting because of their fame and power, but because it allowed me to see in person the presence that the RAC has on Capitol Hill.

Overall, however, yesterday was really about one thing: change. An atmosphere of change followed us wherever we went. Sometimes we could visibly witness this atmosphere, from the moving boxes strewn about the hallways or from the bewildered former campaign workers, and now congressional staffers, who were trying to grasp the fact that the campaign was over and the real work was about to begin. The atmosphere of change could also be seen whenever one walked past a television showing a live feed of the floor of the House, where the first female Speaker in United States history, and the first Democrat Speaker since 1994, was delivering her opening remarks.

It still remains to be seen, however, whether the atmosphere in Congress yesterday will turn into results. House Democrats have promised to pass a boatload of important legislation in the first 100 hours of Congress and work in a bipartisan manner. Will they succeed? Will the Senate eventually follow suit? For now, yesterday was a refreshing day that proved the strength of American democracy