The Flat Hat

Article Tools
Share on Facebook
Seed Newsvine
Send Article
Print

Students critical in ’08 election

Like students everywhere, last semester’s final exams and papers left me sleep-deprived and more than ready for a long holiday and a respite from Swem library. Why then did I find myself spending those precious holiday days working 18-hour stretches, trudging through the snow and sleeping on hard gymnasium floors? Like most students at the College, I’ll be casting my first ballot in a presidential election this fall. And what a momentous time to make our electoral debut at the polling station — the stakes are huge, a fact demonstrated by the wide open primaries on both the left and the right.

While appreciating a number of the prospective candidates, I’m a strong Hillary Clinton supporter. My parents both hail from New York and I’ve spent a lot of time in the state, so I was thrilled at the opportunity to work as an intern in her senate office last summer. Official government business is strictly separate from political work, however, so I had no experience with her campaign headquarters during that time. But I was deeply impressed by the senator’s brilliance, discipline and dedication. After the senator’s (narrow) third place finish in Iowa, I was more than ready to sign up to help in the New Hampshire primary.

Whatever your political leanings or favorite candidate, I’d urge you to get involved. The bad news: politics is no game. We were up long before the sun each day I spent working in New Hampshire and usually hit the sack — or whatever the equivalent happened to be on any given night — late in the night. Dunkin’ Donuts quickly lost its charm as we got used to subsisting on whatever quick bites we could get while on the run. There’s not much glamour attached to trudging door-to-door to advocate for your candidate, often to be met by citizens who may either not want to be bothered or may be opposed to your candidate.

The good — or great — news is that the work is absolutely exhilarating. Whoever your candidate, you know that you are involved in a great national enterprise and you’re performing public service.

And the psychic and practical payoff is enormous. What better way to learn the workings of American democracy than to enlist as a foot soldier? Beyond politics, working in a campaign offers great lessons in leadership, flexibility and creativity. But what can you bring to a campaign?

Enthusiasm — this is priceless. You also need to know your candidate’s positions, but that knowledge can be learned from scanning websites and campaign literature. What can’t be taught (or bought) is your commitment and excitement about your candidate.

Enthusiasm is infectious and quickly communicates itself to your audience: the American electorate.

Flexibility — show up with a sleeping bag, some granola bars and a willingness to do whatever needs to be done wherever it needs to be done. Creativity — think up your own approaches and materials (subject to approval by the veterans of course!). What’s my dirty little secret? This stuff is also fun and a great way to meet people.

It’s a long way to November so there are countless ways to get involved. I’d be delighted to see lots of recruits to the Hillary bandwagon. Most importantly, I hope all of us will take the time to think through the issues and stake out a position. At a minimum, vote for the candidate of your choice — let’s change that statistic that shows our age group demonstrating the lowest voter turnout. Just go to www.rockthevote.com to register and get started. See you at the polls!

Martin Feeney is a junior at the College.