Who Wants to Enter Politics?

~ Laura

A few weeks ago, Jonah, Steve and I were watching the news. Someone commented on how much Obama has aged, since he first took office. His hair is white. Steve said, “I don’t know why anybody wants to be president.”

I’m working on a pitch about kids and political ambition. I want to bring in some personal story here, but I don’t have one. Jonah loves talking about politics, especially international stuff, but he has no interest in public office or even in participating in the school politics. He doesn’t enjoy the limelight.

So, let me get some input from the Apt. 11d peanut gallery. Any of your kids show any interest in public office?

Published by Laura

30 thoughts on “Who Wants to Enter Politics?”

  2. My kids have run for school offices. They’ve lost, mostly, but they keep trying.

    Why? Well, there’s the lure of sheer, unadulterated power.

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    1. Hey, that’s the reason I never wanted to run for any school office, because there never seemed to be sufficient sheer, unadulterated power. I’d be a lot more likely to run to be dictator of the world. Being the president in an incredibly complicated world, with the naysayers in congress, bounding by the courts, and the nattering nabobs doesn’t sound nearly as fun.

      (and, neither does being a student body president).

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  3. My daughter believes it will be her responsibility to run for president if there isn’t one by the time she’s an adult. I donate to EMILY’s list because of her, because I really don’t think she wants to run for president (though she might be willing to serve, if the position was thrust upon her). The consensus around her is that if everyone over the age of 13 was suddenly incapacitated for some reason (like in the Star Trek Miri episode), she would be the one everyone would want to have as president.

    Will she actually run for political office? I don’t think so. She thinks that she could be the brains behind the operation (like Jonah? potentially?), but is dismissive of that option, because she doesn’t want to be the brains behind the man (though, maybe, she’d be willing to be the brains behind the woman?).

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  4. One of my kids ran for a school office because someone she didn’t like was boasting about running. As she won that particular race, I suppose others didn’t like that kid either.

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  5. I wrote an essay first year of high school about how I wanted to run for office – my teacher noted that I was the first female student he EVER had to express that interest. Now, I do hold local elected office (school committee), but I have ZERO desire to run for a higher office – it’s just too much work. I see our state rep at so many podunk little events around town – always in his suit. No thanks – no work life balance there. And I don’t think I’d want that for my kids either – even if they got streets named after them. Better to just be a house builder and build and name the streets yourself – you can name them after you, your kids, what ever you want.

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  6. I was a political hack for a couple of years in my younger days (economic & fiscal policy and analysis) at the provincial level here in British Columbia. Watch the War Room to get an idea of the pace – it’s great fun and a huge challenge when you are in your twenties and have the energy/no life.

    As a career? I don’t think it’s worth it. I used to be all about “change the world” and “be the pioneer” but now I’m more a proponent of “make a nice life for you and your family”.

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  7. I don’t know who will be able to enter politics from my kids’ generation. There’s so much information available online about everyone. They’ve spent years making duck lips at the camera in inappropriate places, thinking up puerile visual jokes that hey, were funny at the time. Some kids even spread rumors of illicit behavior to boost the “cool” factor.

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    1. Or, people will stop caring. When everybody is special, nobody is. We can only hope that they still continue to care about the important stuff. I remain pretty shocked at the stuff people let slide. I still think infidelity matters. Not enough that I’d use that as my sole criterion, but one that matters to me. I certainly think beating your wife matters, and, yes, plagiarizing and cheating. I know there are people out there who argue that infidelity is, at most, a one victim moral transgression, and maybe i can be convinced, but assault, plagiarizing, and cheating are certainly societal crimes.

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    1. Wait, you were there too???!!!

      Seriously, though, the pace and the drama and the challenge were a blast. I often think of the rush of having 30 minutes to digest a federal Canadian budget AND provide 3-5 talking points for the media. That’s a standard day. You find out that you are capable of doing MUCH more than you ever realized.

      I was such a geek that I’d study hard copy of political speeches. Read Tip O’Neill’s book All Politics Is Local. Loved “e-day” (election day) and getting out the vote. Loved cold calling undecided voters and convincing them to vote for my candidate.

      I don’t regret having done it for a few years but it IS a young person’s game. You lose your idealism after a while. And you see that even if your candidate is a reasonably decent person (with the usual array of faults that we share), the system itself is brutal.

      And to actually be a candidate? I take my hat off to anyone who throws their hat into the ring – it’s a tough road.

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      1. I often think of the rush of having 30 minutes to digest a federal Canadian budget AND provide 3-5 talking points for the media.

        Live fast, die young, leave a Brooks-Brothered corpse.

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    2. Kind of like being a science grad student. I did all night experiments, would shower in the excellent rec facilities and hang out in the sauna and go to classes/talks the next day. And no drugs were involved. I think I didn’t even drink coffee then. It was a blast at the time. But, life’s demands change. Now it’s mid afternoon, and I really want a nap, and my kid regulates my coffee intake (he thought I was drinking too much coffee, and he was right).

      But, I also think that politics is one of the things that really can’t just be done by the young, self-centered, high energy narcissists.

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  9. When I don’t like any of the available candidates, I write in my own name for the office. This sometimes results in voting for myself in several races, so I always hope I don’t win, but if I ever do, I will serve to my best ability.

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  10. Jonah should consider being a Congressional staffer. It’s great fun, and there’s a surprising amount of jogging involved.

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      1. Seriously, though, being a political staffer in your late teens/early twenties is an experience not to be missed! He’ll make friends for life and learn a ton.

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  11. I grew up surrounded by the people who sort of fell naturally into local politics. But now that I’m in a city, you have to actually try. It’s very different, but instead people naturally fall onto boards of local non-profit things. As near as I can tell, it’s not nearly as pleasant and people yell at you more.

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  12. S seems to have a somewhat political bent, but not as someone in public office. Too much attention/spotlight. She’s joined Model UN this year because she loves debate. (She must be some relation to her mother.)

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  13. I have two boys who are involved in school politics – both sit on student council, one in HS and one in MS. Both participate in Model UN. Both are also baseball players and Boys Scouts. Both want to run for political office. One would like to be a US Senator (because he says that is where the power is). He is 11. The other wants to be the President of the US. He is almost 15.

    Both my husband and I are politically active and involved in different issues (from early childhood education all the way to preserving 2nd Amendment rights) and often find ourselves on different ends of the spectrum. Our boys have heard it all. And, after living overseas for half their lives, they have seen more of the world than most of their peers.

    When I read this, I asked them both why they wanted to be in government? My 15 year old (who also happens to be an Eagle Scout) said it is his duty as an American who has been given a lot to give back. He said he has seen bad governments and he knows ours is a pretty good system. He wants to make the world a better place. My 11 year old said he is so good at getting people to agree with him that he thinks they need him. He also wants to make sure Baseball remains the national pastime.

    At least among my friends these boys aren’t the exception. Not all want to go into politics, but I have more friends with kids who want to go to West Point or the Naval Academy than I have friends with kids who want to go to school to party and chase girls. I think it so easy to watch the news and be a pessimist. I think I will spend more time with these kids and feel hopeful about the future.

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  14. We live in Virginia and I’ve noticed my kids paying attention to the scandal with our former governor here. It reminds me a bit of growing up during Watergate. My oldest has suggested that most people who go into politics are just greedy and corrupt or self-interested, at least. They seem to find it very unappealing.l

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    1. Talk about somebody who should have taken a plea bargain. Even if it was successful, his defense was still worse than what the prosecutors were offering.

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  16. Someone commented on how much Obama has aged, since he first took office. His hair is white.

    Well, he is, what, 7 year older than when he started running, during an age when one’s hair is pretty likely to go white? I’m a fair amount younger than him and, despite my own stresses, assume my life is rather less stressful than his, and yet, I also look about 7 years older and have significantly more white hair, too. I think this sort of thing is mostly a mirage.

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