Elaine Cartas reports in from the campaign trail. Here are some of her thoughts as the summer comes to a close, with a couple of pictures to give you a closer peek at what it’s like in the office (after the jump):
Elaine Cartas reports in from the campaign trail. Here are some of her thoughts as the summer comes to a close, with a couple of pictures to give you a closer peek at what it’s like in the office (after the jump):
Claire Kim has been hard at work in New Hampshire’s second district to elect Ann McLane Kuster to Congress! Here’s what she has to say about her experience on the campaign trail so far:
Cody Hooks has some final thoughts about his campaign experience:
Well folks, this is it. SNAPPAC, the campaign, a wonderful summer in North Carolina’s Triangle … it’s all coming to a neat, bittersweet end. I’ve learned more than I could have ever expected about that grand and all-inclusive beast that is the American political system, and moving forward in a world of non-profits, unions, laborers, social revolutions, and shows of solidarity, that knowledge is invaluable.
I applied for the SNAPPAC fellowship early in the spring because I loved people, and the opportunity to work and play and talk with people all across the state seemed irresistibly glorious. Though there were long nights, early mornings, and a few strained and awkward moments, true to form, I find myself already missing the folks I’ve come to know and love over the summer: those folks with whom I’ve gotten lunch and gotten lost.
I couldn’t begin to describe the one thousand and one lessons SNAPPAC has afforded me. Persistence. Optimism. Preparation. Or how about that semicolons aren’t folksy. Or volunteers don’t like odd flavored pretzels. How about this one: even a US Senate candidate can laugh at ridiculous movies others are too quick to judge. Or that one good person, a gem in and out of the political realm, running for office can inspire laughter, dedication in a way only great people can. I don’t know now any more than I did 10 weeks ago where I’ll “end up” in a few years, once college is over and done with and I am looking square into the face of my uncertain future. But I’ve grown, found friends, and cultivated a deeper respect for the hard and tiring work it takes to make this country—this world—a place of justice and happiness. These were experiences worth having, and lessons well learned.
Lee Kennedy-Shaffer is a SNAP fellow working for the Jim Himes for Congress campaign in Connecticut. Here’s what he has to say about his campaign experience so far:
Out here the days are long, the nights are lonely. I think of you and I’m working on a dream. I don’t think the (paraphrased) Boss was referring to the campaign trail, but he might as well have been. It’s been almost seven weeks of twelve-hour days, of 250-phone-call days, and I’m tired. But I keep working.
I didn’t really know what to write for this blog entry. I’ve never had a blog before and I’m not one for profound revelations about my life and personality and all that boring stuff. So I’m just going to write about yesterday. It started off like a pretty normal day, making phone calls, corralling the interns, trying to get volunteers out to events this weekend. My calls weren’t going that well and I began to get frustrated and even angry. Then, the boss comes in and says we’re staying late to put data into the system so we have up-to-date lists of who’s coming to our events. So the staff stays in the conference room, gorging on pizza and cookies, entering data, for three long hours. When I finally get off, I drive back home to the beautiful little town of Weston. Unfortunately, the storm had ravaged the roads to Weston, leaving downed tree limbs. I get about halfway home and find three police cars blocking the road. I turn around and try a different route, only to find a fire truck and electric company truck impeding the way. Lost somewhere in Westport, I pull out my map and find yet another route. Blocked. I drive through about three towns to find a way to get onto the Merritt and finally make it home, after almost an hour and a half of a half-hour drive.
I don’t really know what this shows about my personality or my experience here, I just think it’s interesting. Eight hours later, I’m back in the office for another twelve-hour day. So I guess I can thank SNAPPAC for teaching me persistence and making studying for finals look easy. Or for giving me a job I enjoy at least enough to come back day after long day. But until my time here is up, until I must return to my studies, I’ll keep coming back. I’ll keep working on the dream of sending a progressive majority to Congress.
Rebecca Serbin is a SNAP fellow working for the Mary Jo Kilory for Congress campaign in Ohio. Here’s what she has to say about her campaign experience so far:
The following are some reflections by SNAP fellow Cody Hooks on using the World Cup as an analogy for politics:
So there is this popular game called soccer, and here are the things I know about it: 1) I’m in the minority of progressives in this country that aren’t soccer fans, 2) Podolski was the best looking player on the German team, and 3) much to my country’s dismay, Spain, not the good ol’ U.S of A, won the World Cup. While my understanding of this promising sport is quite obviously limited, watching a few games with my fellow campaigners has given me insight the likes of Franklin Foer, and that is that soccer can serve as a good explanation for a campaign.
In soccer, I see three essential components: the fans, the players, and the game itself. Now before you crazed soccer players and avid ESPN watchers start at me, let me explain myself. The Game is like the campaign. Every few years the previous victor has to go back and face off against old challengers and new faces on a leveled playing field. Sometimes, that previous victor has some significant assets, be it skills, an ingenious coach, or in the realm of campaigns, name recognition and money. It’s an uphill battle, but often times, something surprising happens, conventional wisdom is thrown out the widow, and the underdog gets to the final match up. Enter the Marshall campaign.
Secondly, take a look at any campaign team and you’ll see it’s a lot like a World Cup match. It appears chaotic. People are running all over the place, getting sweaty, tiered, and frustrated. Often times, emotions run high, like when you get that first goal, or run-off victory. Yet, somewhere in the bedazzling mess, an order emerges—a plan, perhaps even … a field plan (pun intended). Eventually, you come to realize that those guys on the ground aren’t rowdy kids running around the schoolyard, but focused and passionate individuals trained to produce victory. We: the field organizers, campaign managers, finance team, and interns, are part of something more than superficial confusion.
I suppose here is where the analogy fails. In soccer, the team wins it. It is the culmination of their skill, their coaching, and their shear dumb luck that grants them bragging rights and the golden idol that is the World Cup. In a campaign, however, it’s the soccer hooligans that make history. While many people don’t care and some are only passionless observers, those crazed, nationalistic wig-wearing few are to note. Their faces aren’t painted with black and blue and yellow, but with a big smile as they make the calls and knock on doors: an emblematic chest traded in for a lapel sticker, and the vuvuzela for a phone. They rally the troops, so to speak, get folks excited, and cheer and cry and carry on up until the very end. They don’t win soccer games, but they do win elections. And it is their zealotry and participation that makes for a dramatic finish. The candidate does his or her job and the field does their job, but it takes that added enthusiasm from the citizenry to finally pull off something remarkable.
The game between Burr and Marshall has started, with November so far yet so close. The stakes are high and the pressure is deafening, but I have faith that Elaine and our team, and our supporters’ grit, determination, and passion for true progress with prove enough to take the election. It’s not a golden soccer ball, but the prize looks awfully good from here…
Yasmeen Hussain is a SNAP fellow working for the Jim Himes for Congress campaign in Connecticut. Here’s what she has to say about her campaign experience so far:
Over the next few weeks, we at SNAPPAC will be updating the blog with posts from our fellows. Reporting from across the nation, they will be discussing their experiences on the campaign trail. This is what Evan Kelner-Levine, who is working on the David Segal for Congress campaign in Rhode Island, has to say:
Over the next few weeks, we at SNAPPAC will be updating the blog with posts from our fellows. Reporting from across the nation, they will be discussing their experiences on the campaign trail. This is what Amalia Skilton, who is working on the Roxanne Conlin for Senate campaign in Iowa, has to say:
Over the next few weeks, we at SNAPPAC will be updating the blog with posts from our fellows. Reporting from across the nation, they will be reporting on their experiences on the campaign trail. This one is from Lee Kennedy-Shaffer, who is working on the Jim Himes for Congress campaign in Connecticut.
I never really enjoyed phone calls. I remember the first time I walked into a campaign office and they told me to start phonebanking; I was absolutely petrified! So I never would have guessed I would spend this summer working in southwestern Connecticut, organizing the great communities in this area. I never thought I would spend this summer making phone calls, going door-to-door and meeting volunteers and voters all day long. I never thought I would be able to approach people I have never met and ask them for whom they will vote or to spend their hard-earned time volunteering for Jim Himes.
Thanks to Students for a New American Politics, however, that is exactly what I am doing. I was still petrified walking into the office the first time. What if they expect me to make phone calls? I wondered nervously. What if they want me to talk to people? But I overcame that fear quickly; I had to if I was to continue as a Field Organizer. After just a few short weeks working on the campaign, I now relish the opportunity to talk to voters, to discover their thoughts about the state of Connecticut and maybe even to convince them that Jim Himes is the right choice for the fourth district.
While opening up to the citizens of Fairfield and New Haven Counties and learning about them, I have also seen the effect one person can have on our politics. I have already talked to thousands of voters, people whose opinions might not have been heard if SNAP PAC had not given me this opportunity. I have coordinated a number of phonebanks for volunteers, allowing our message to reach even more voters and engaging even more people with our campaign. Most importantly, I have formed close working relationships with the other members of our field and political staff, enabling us to form a close-knit team that can effectively inform voters from Greenwich to Bridgeport of what Representative Himes has accomplished and what he will accomplish.
Without the generous support of SNAP PAC, I might still be afraid to pick up the phone, afraid to engage with someone about the issues that affect us all, afraid to be truly involved in our political process. More importantly, I would not have been able to work for this great congressman and help ensure that the change we voted for in 2008 continues through 2010, help ensure that the Connecticut 4this still represented by a brave, thoughtful, independent, progressive leader, help ensure that our country keeps improving and does not fall back into a reactionary backslide. For this noble goal, I will keep calling. In fact, it’s almost dinnertime . . . back to the phones . . .