Young Professionals in Politics: An Interview

A great deal of attention has been paid during this campaign to the enthusiasm of younger voters (Generation Y) and their impact on the coming election. By and large, the characterizations of this voting bloc from the mainstream media have been skeptical, or dismissive. Pundits and columnists have wondered aloud whether a generation that was raised on Youtube and Myspace will rise above their apathy and actually show up at the polls in November. They sketch this generation as either hopelessly idealistic and naïve, or vapid.

While I am not nearly as excited about Barack Obama as most of my peers are, I am for one, thrilled about the sense of urgency and interest his campaign has created in an entire generation of young Americans.

I can think of no better example of this enthusiasm than Andrew Breen, who is certainly not your typical twenty-something.

While many young people are getting involved in politics, very few actually have a U.S. Senator’s cell phone number in their contacts. During his 4 years of college in Chicago, Breen earned a degree in Cultural Studies, served as Vice President of the student government, founded a chapter of the ACLU, interned as a labor organizer, and worked for an alderman. This remarkable resume earned him a new job recently, working for the Democratic National Committee. Despite his enormous workload, he made time to grant me an interview.

TW: So what do you do?

AB: I work for Grassroots Campaigns, Inc. as an Assistant Director (AD) for the Door-to-Door Canvassing office in Chicago.

TW: Can you tell us a little more? What’s your daily routine like?

AB: Aside from canvassing three to five days a week, I am responsible for ensuring that the office has the resources it needs to be successful; that means making sure we have enough contribution forms and pens as well as “DNC paraphernalia” (i.e. t-shirts, buttons, etc

TW: That’s pretty heavy for someone under 25. How did you get the job, and how many hours do you put in per week, on average?

AB: I recently started in this position but have been involved with grassroots politics, municipal politics and labor ever since I was 18. I got the job by submitting my resume online after seeing an ad on Craigslist.org and going through three or four rounds of interviews. The hours are actually killer… All directors work between 70 and 100 hours a week but that is because that is what is required to ensure a sweeping victory this November.

TW: What’s the DNC’s highest priority right now?

AB: Right now the office’s primary function is fundraising. The DNC has made it very clear that it will not accept political contributions from PACs or Corporations which is why my position is so important. 70% of the contributions that the DNC has brought in (which is completely different from individual campaigns or politicians) have come from people giving $65 or less, the rest has come from fundraising events (i.e. dinners) and “major individual contributors” or those folks that give the Federal maximum.

TW: How does that differ from the GOP’s fundraising?

AB: Two days ago (Sunday or Monday) McCain held a fundraiser in California for 200 people that lasted about 25 minutes and brought in over $250,000; it would/does take our canvassing office (even if every person that contributed gave $100) 10 - 12 weeks to raise that much.

TW: So that explains the hours you have to put in.

AB: Exactly. Most political or organizing work requires lots of hours because the opposition can just throw money at problems or outsource much of the work.

TW: So let’s say Barack Obama wins the Presidency in November. What’s next for you? Do you have any aspirations for higher office?

AB: I definitely have long term career goals and this position is a launching point. What so many people forget is that politics isn’t so much about who you know as it is about how long you’ve known them. I have political aspirations but they are several years into the future and prefer not to dwell on them too much if only because it detracts from the here and now.

TW: Can you tell us how younger voters are getting involved?

AB: I believe the face of politics in this country is changing rapidly and it is starting with our generation. The baby boomers accuse us of being too cynical or apathetic toward politics but you would never guess that if you walked into my office. 95% of the staff is younger than 30 and all of them are extremely motivated, dedicated to clean/interest free campaigns and very well educated on the issues surrounding this campaign season.

TW: Thanks for your time.

Whether or not their man gets into office, it’s clear that the Millennials are going to cast off the negative stereotypes that the media has labeled them with, and will become a lasting force in American politics for decades to come.