The picture to the left is of me, the intern I work with, Collin, and Representative Tom Price (R-GA-6) taken today at the 2011 Professional Advocacy Conference for the American Association of Orthodontists. Patton Boggs represents the AAO and organizes a conference each year that provides Orthodontists nationwide an opportunity to visit Capitol Hill. The doctors discuss issues surrounding health care and small businesses with various Congressmen. Before their day on the Hill, the Orthodontists prepared for their visit and listened to a Senator and seven Representatives speak- I had the opportunity to meet them all! I noticed that every man used sports analogies or referred to a sports team within the first two minutes of their speeches. The language politicians use has not changed since Hedrick Smith wrote The Power Game in 1998. Smith explains that Presidents Reagan, Nixon, and Ford all used athletics as metaphors for political power games.
Below are are few examples from the conference:
"The State of the Union is the kickoff to the discussion on health care" - Representative Jason Altmire (D-PA)
"John Jonas [Partner at Patton Boggs] is the quarter back on those issues" - Kevin O'Neill [Partner at Patton Boggs]
"I am from Pittsburgh so I know about the SuperBowl"- Representative Jason Altmire (D-PA)
"Go Packers!" - Representative Ron Kind (D-WI-3)
"I will have to punt that question to Eugenia" -Kevin O'Neill
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