I don’t know how it happened, but I find myself working another political cycle for another politican. Actually, worse, I am working for a political action committee, and subsequently, the candidates it supports. I did not want this job, I do not want this job, and I know I will not want this job 5 seconds from now, not tomorrow, not in a week, month or year from now. However, I need this job for resume purposes as I look for other things. Having to suffer these terrible unwanted hours working for a cause I don’t truly believe in is the unfortunate residue of the responsibility of being an independent individual. So, in between my hate-spiral lapses and my anxiety-driven work marathons, I have developed a few ideas as to why I hate politics.

Things to consider about campaigns:

1) It is all a ponzi scheme.

This is more true on a national scale, rather than on a state level. I share an office with a certain presidential candidate, and basically the campaign has workers who are ESSENTIAL to the success of the campaign, but they work every day of the week for free. I know that yes, this is a campaign, and this is how it is run, but for someone who says jobs for our youth are so important, you would think the campaign could find minimum wage pay for a worker who is required to be in the office 30 hours a week. 

The goal of this office is outreach. An endless cycle of outreach. Every night a group of volunteers calls into certain universes, and reach out to supporters with the goal of bringing in said supporters who will then do call outreach into different universes with the goal of bringing in more supporters to call to bring in more supporters and so on. Basically, the only goal of this branch is to head hunt for free workers, who will then head hunt for free workers.

The fact that they have a whole section of people believing that this is a good way to spend time, I fully respect on a professional level. They have built a brand that people believe in, almost blindly. However, do you think about what they are actually doing?

These are people (even those who work 35+ a week for free under the guise of a “fellowship”) who have never met the candidate for whom they are working. They are so determined to work for an idea of a person. However, what are they actually bringing to the table? Is this of value to society in anyway, besides getting their candidate elected?What a hallow experience. No, I understand this is how a good campaign is run, and this is good for the success of the campaign, but god, what a sad existence. Their lives revolve around this one person, but does the candidate even think twice about the individual workers hauling ass on his behalf? Is that even possible?

What I do is no better, and I agree that my current purpose in society is lacking of everything good.

2) The amount of money spent to elect people into office is fucking disgusting. Put that money toward some social issue and hot damn, I am sure many of our social problems would dissolve. Let’s say a candidate has to raise 150,000 for a race (for labor, materials and media) think about what that money could do for a homeless family, a microfinance group, etc. It could change lives. However, this insane amount of money (that is tax free!) is used to have someone be elected for 4 years. Basically, a candidate gets paid to run by the people through donations (except self-funded candidates) and then gets paid to work by the people through taxes. If they choose to step down after four years, they then can work as a lobbyists due to insider knowledge and relationships with lobbyists, and get paid lots of money to influence other candidates. And the cycle goes. Blerg. 

Also, people who say that lobbyists shouldn’t give to candidates have no idea how campaign fundraising works because without lobbyists no one would get elected. The amount of money donated by individuals vs. Labor/Lobbyists is 9% vs. 91%

Are lobbyists donations a payment for a relationship with a candidate? Maybe. Is it unethical? Maybe. Does it not sit right with anyone who thinks about it for more than 5 seconds? Yes. The area is grey, and I hate it. I hate working with them on any level.

This is it for now. Basically, I need a new job starting tomorrow or I need to have all the right lotto numbers.

Back to work.

plannedparenthood:

Planned Parenthood is excited to be launching our new Tumblr that’s all about sexual and reproductive health – bodies, birth control, relationship issues, “is it normal for this to do this?” type things. In the coming weeks and months we’ll be sharing what we know, answering questions, and just… tumblring. 

We hope you like it! And we hope it helps.

plannedparenthood:

Planned Parenthood is excited to be launching our new Tumblr that’s all about sexual and reproductive health – bodies, birth control, relationship issues, “is it normal for this to do this?” type things. In the coming weeks and months we’ll be sharing what we know, answering questions, and just… tumblring. 

We hope you like it! And we hope it helps.