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Victor’s Thoughts Post #4: Lessons from Campaigning
I vividly recall sitting in my classroom listening to my eighth-grade social studies teacher lecture her bright-eyed, bushy-tailed students on the importance of getting involved in politics right before the 2016 Iowa Caucuses. She explained the political spectrum and captured the state of politics at the time in such detail that my interest in politics sparked. Deep within me, I knew I wanted to make a difference for something bigger than myself. So I did.
My first exposure in politics was during the summer of 2016, during which I was an intern for Congressman Brad Schneider. Canvassing for the first time soon became a hot mess — a man called me a “Snowflake Democrat” during my first pass and I was taken aback. I found it difficult to process that knocking on my first door I’d find a label attached to me. But as I would find out in the weeks and months to come campaigning for Congressman Schneider, that’s the nature of politics; there will always be hostility and name-calling. It’s the name of the game. Beginning to overcome the criticism that hurled at me, as I reflect on my involvement in civics and politics, I have come to learn and appreciate the simple, yet effective lessons of canvassing, phone banking, and campaigning.
First, I discovered the importance of listening. Especially during an era when people on both sides of the…
