Merging these two political notables was a tough call, but as Leslie met them together it seemed only fitting. Barbara Boxer and Olympia Snowe (incredible name) are and were, respectively, US Senators, and both of them idols to Leslie Knope. Leslie meets them whilst visiting Ben in Washington, D.C. Ben (along with April) was working on a re-election campaign in congress, so has the opportunity to attend a lot of fancy parties, one of which he brings Leslie to. At the party Leslie becomes incredibly intimidated by the swathes of gorgeous, successful, and extremely tall women that Ben works with, and goes outside for some air. When Ben convinces her to come in again he introduces her to Boxer and Snowe. Overwhelmed Leslie reacts in true Knope form. She babbles that Pawnee is "small and unimportant" (lies!), and overrun with racoons and overweight toddlers. Snowe and Boxer look confused, whilst Leslie then goes on to tell them that they are her role models before running to hide in a cloakroom. What was really nice about this appearance was the senators' feelings towards appearing on the show. As a British person, the idea of a politician having a cameo on a sitcom is a bit embarrassing, although clearly this is a normal thing for America. With that in mind, it is quite humbling seeing someone like Olympia Snowe, who was called one of America's best senators by Time Magazine, and is the owner of one of the world's greatest names, praising Amy Poehler behind-the-scenes. There is something humanising about such a powerful and important woman tweeting how hilarious Poehler is, and how much she enjoys this huge success of a "cult" show.
