Are You Younger than 50? Do You Have Political Ideas?

[CC27]

MineralMan (149,113 posts)

Are You Younger than 50? Do You Have Political Ideas?

If so, are you considering actively running for office? No? Why not? Truly. Why not?

If you are posting your ideas here on DU, you're obviously interested in politics and are more informed that most people. Why not become the politics of the future?

I'm being dead serious here. I'm just a couple of months from being 80 years old. I've been politically active all my adult life. I never ran for any office, though. Instead, I joined the local Democratic Party organization wherever I lived and worked to get Democrats elected to offices of all types and at all levels. That was what I did. During that time, I saw many young people who wanted to be elected officials. I watched some of them succeed at that. I like to think I helped some of them along the way.

There are elected offices at every level of government. Someone runs and gets elected. There's no reason one of them might not be you. You can't become a member of Congress or a state legislator, though, until you have a track record in elected office. So, if you want to do that someday, start now and run for a local office. Get yourself known where you live. Keep trying until you win. Then, work like crazy to help the people who elected you get what they want. It's pretty simple, really. Start small and move up from there. As you go, you'll build name recognition and add people to your list of loyal supporters.

Or don't. That's certainly easier. If you don't, you can just continue to post in online forums about what should be done. There's no difficulty in finding somewhere to post your ideas. But, what you can do by doing that is quite limited.

At some point, you have to decide. The sooner you start, the younger you will be when you finally get elected to an office that has the potential to make real changes that make the world a better place.

Think about it. If you think you're up to it, jump in. Or don't. It's your decision.

question everything (50,318 posts)
4. Years back I was active in local politics and someone asked me to run for city council

I refused and my reasons were that there were factions and I would not align myself with any. I agreed with some ideas but not all of both.

I am no expert but I think that one cannot run as a strictly independent. One has to align with others. Again in those local elections there were several candidates for different offices: city, school board, etc. who would run together as a slate. For one, it was cheaper to campaign together.

Things obviously changed. This was in the previous century before social media that really changed everything.

I do agree that we need to encourage people to run. To start locally, to be able to meet party leaders, to visit Congress and talk to elected officials. This is what I was hoping Obama and Biden, starting in 2016 would do. Travel the country to meet and encourage young blood.

róisín_dubh (12,017 posts)
9. I'm under 50

But I-thankfully live abroad. If I did live in the US, I would not subject my poor family to a run for office. I don’t need the ghouls coming after the LGBTQ+ members of my family, or my mixed race nieces and nephews, etc, Nevermind the skeletons in my closet.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100220349326

politics of the future? Dummies running for office? 

[jukin]

PAGING STEVE DAWES. STEVE DAWES TO THE WHITE COURTESY MINI TACO PHONE.

[DefiantSix]

MineralMan (149,113 posts)

Are You Younger than 50? Do You Have Political Ideas?

If so, are you considering actively running for office? No? Why not? Truly. Why not?
[/snip]

You mean like li'l Davey Hogg, Rock Head??? 

[ADsOutburst]

Even if the young posters at DU had good ideas, that would all go by the wayside if and when they got into office. Once there, the powers that be would ensure they take up the party line and echo the party message down to the last syllable.

[SVPete]

Dem leadership is increasingly geriatric. Dems' younger generation - e.g. AOC and Jasmine Crockett - are not very palatable to normal people.

[67 Rover]

róisín_dubh (12,017 posts)
9. I'm under 50

But I-thankfully live abroad. If I did live in the US, I would not subject my poor family to a run for office. I don’t need the ghouls coming after the LGBTQ+ members of my family, or my mixed race nieces and nephews, etc, Nevermind the skeletons in my closet.

Tell me your a pedophile without telling me your a pedophile.

[CollectivismMustDie]

If you are posting your ideas here on DU, you're obviously interested in politics and are more informed that most people.

[Karin]

Rockhead, you asked "why not?  Really why not?"  I'll answer you.  It's incredibly hard work.  Do you know you have to get all these signatures?  You have to beat the pavement to do it.  Knock on doors and be charming and polite.  Do you really think your fellow DUmp denizens have that level of energy, ambition, and stamina to launch any kind of campaign, even for dogcatcher?

Proof:  The thread got 15 replies, including Rockheads, and 6 recs.  Sympth chimed in to point out that the DUmp is full of old geezers. 

[SVPete]

Rockhead, you asked "why not?  Really why not?"  I'll answer you.  It's incredibly hard work.  Do you know you have to get all these signatures?  You have to beat the pavement to do it.  Knock on doors and be charming and polite.  Do you really think your fellow DUmp denizens have that level of energy, ambition, and stamina to launch any kind of campaign, even for dogcatcher?

Proof:  The thread got 15 replies, including Rockheads, and 6 recs.  Sympth chimed in to point out that the DUmp is full of old geezers.