Making Politics "My Thing"
Being politically active is important, and it's easier than you think.
This is a flashback post to an article I wrote in 2010 in California, and I was reminded of it because my absentee ballot just arrived in the mail.
The back story on this article is that I met the then-editor of the Monterey Herald at a seminar to advise potential candidates for government office, and I was a bit surprised by his presentation. In his remarks to us that evening, he stated that liberals tend to gravitate toward jobs in media, just as conservatives tend to gravitate toward jobs in the military—and he added that he’d never met a conservative who could write, anyway.
When the meeting concluded, I made it a point to challenge the editor on his snarky statement about conservatives. By the end of our conversation, he invited me to submit an article to him, which he published.
Because election season is upon us and because I believe the message is still relevant for today, I’ve shared the article with you below (the one change I would make to it is that I would urge readers to look into the policy statements made by the National PTA before joining. I assumed PTA was the same organization my mother belonged to when I was a child—but it has changed greatly, and you should know where your dues will be going. Regardless, it is important to be involved in our children’s schools and in some sort of parent/teacher organization):
Making Politics “My Thing”
I recently had coffee with a friend who told me that politics just isn’t her thing. I can’t tell you how many times I hear these words, and it is disturbing because none of us truly has the luxury of saying that politics is “just not my thing.”
The other type of naysayer is the one who excuses his political apathy by being above it all. This is the person who doesn’t want to get his hands dirty with divisive politics.
It’s not like I particularly enjoy politics myself. I am compelled to act and get involved because I understand what is going on around me, and I have an even greater stake in becoming involved because my husband is in the Navy. As renowned military strategist Carl von Clausewitz is credited with saying, “War is a continuation of policy by other means.”
The policies of Washington potentially have immediate effects on all military families. Whether it was the Bush administration military policies or the Obama administration’s continuation and expansion of those policies (in Afghanistan), if it has to do with military, it could mean that my husband will be in harm’s way.
I have found that the primary challenges to becoming politically involved are time constraints. For example, I was once paid to be politically involved when I worked as a senior legislative assistant at the House of Representatives. Serving my country was effortless because I was required to be at work from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., (and sometimes 6 a.m. to 3 a.m.) every day. Since then, I have been trying to find ways to be active in a community when I will be moving every two years as the Navy directs, and when I am still a citizen and registered voter in Florida. I also feel like I have been in the twilight zone for the past 15 months after the birth of my daughter.
Whatever one’s reason, when citizens discover that Congress introduces about 14,000 bills and passes more than 400 laws each year, it is easy to see how becoming involved is imperative. These laws affect everything from the type of gas we use in our cars, to the thread quality of the super-120s wool suits we wear. On my quest to becoming more involved in the political process, I have discovered some very doable and immediate steps that I plan to take myself, and that I would like to share with like-minded readers.
For those with children in school, joining PTA (at least one congresswoman began her career this way) is a straightforward option. Those who pay school taxes, which would be everyone, can run for the school board. Other options within reach of all citizens are writing for the newspaper or responding to newspaper articles. For homeowners, actively participating in a homeowners’ association or being part of its leadership are ways to affect your community. House Minority Leader John Boehner began his political career this way.
Though it will take a bit more effort, other avenues for action include running for local, state or federal office. Each citizen should stay informed about current events and political issues; parents can teach their children about the founding of our nation and about U.S. values. The truth is that none of these may sound appealing, or maybe they are still too time-consuming. In that case, and for those who “just aren’t into politics,” I’ve saved the easiest option of all for last: vote!
Article originally published in the Monterey Herald on April 12, 2010.