Any words on ageism? For example, has anyone speaking at your event actually been replaced by “fresh faces” and worked their way back in? Any of your employment listings or hiring practices even address ageism? The only place to go at a certain age is toward consulting- unless you just don’t want to own a house or have children. The movement loses wisdom all the time for shiny tech or popularity among donors or social media prowess. This is not the recipe for change or unity of purpose that topples dictators. I wish our movement work was a lifetime long and not just until you can’t afford it anymore or desire to live outside the bubble of purple states and DC.
Oh, this is a real issue. I’ve been told directly in post-election job interviews that I was "overqualified"—which many would say is code for ageism or that they can't afford to pay for my experience. That, in itself, is part of the problem.
I left corporate America because I saw the growing gap in experience, I wanted to contribute, save democracy and now we’re going in circles. I have a lot to say about this. Your piece felt like you were reading my mind.
Also, from where I come from, the first question we were always expected to ask ourselves as managers or regional directors when goals weren’t met was: Did you set your team up for success? And the truth is, we are not setting our teams up for success. At the heart of our problem is training and leadership development!!! Not bootcamps - not weekend trainings where candidates and staff are left to "figure the rest out. Oh and to add to the training opportunties we are missing... the GOP is also focused on women ... https://leadershipinstitute.org/program/womens-leadership/ 🤦🏻♀️
One of the things that puzzled me was how quickly campaign staff were cut loose after Election Day with basically no post-campaign debrief or support. In the months since, I was left thinking, "you're deliberately going to lose all that institutional knowledge and enthusiasm for the cause? Just like that?" Like, you just had six months of people putting themselves in a pressure cooker learning and doing the work of electoral politics and after? Literal silence.
It struck me as a kind of hubris, like, "you'll be back; you always come back when we need you, but in the meantime, you're on your own." I dunno', this was my first campaign, so maybe it's natural to just drop folks who, at great personal sacrifice (career, family, etc.) and expense in order to relocate to another state, uproot their lives to do the work with no promises for what comes after.
I'm grateful for the opportunity to do the important work of protecting democracy (especially this last cycle) and for meeting and making all the new friends I now have in my life, but with nary a peep from the party after the election and what appears to be a lack of moral leadership from the party (I guess Bernie, AOC, and Booker notwithstanding) after the fact, it does make me wonder whether it was all worth it? Probably not, if the few I know who were lucky enough to find post-campaign work in the private sector is any indicator. It's almost like those folks are saying, "never again," and *I totally get that now.*
The failure to make meaningful investments in progressive infrastructure takes a significant toll on volunteers, as well. Rather than actually develop this infrastructure in swing states year-round, between electoral cycles, a lot of “fresh faces” without experience or any connections to the communities pop into swing states shortly before elections and often rely heavily on volunteers to actually provide training on local issues and elections. In 2024, I was called upon to fill roles at the last minute in several counties because I was actually physically present in my state and registered to vote here (requirements for certain Election Day and post-election roles). The pressure on volunteers often felt overwhelming — fielding frantic calls for help from staffers while already filling other volunteer roles. After the 2024 election, my state had another significant election but the number of local volunteers dwindled dramatically (we still had a lot of help from out of state of volunteers). No one likes to feel used.
Any words on ageism? For example, has anyone speaking at your event actually been replaced by “fresh faces” and worked their way back in? Any of your employment listings or hiring practices even address ageism? The only place to go at a certain age is toward consulting- unless you just don’t want to own a house or have children. The movement loses wisdom all the time for shiny tech or popularity among donors or social media prowess. This is not the recipe for change or unity of purpose that topples dictators. I wish our movement work was a lifetime long and not just until you can’t afford it anymore or desire to live outside the bubble of purple states and DC.
I'm touching on this in one of my posts a bit more but this is a very real issue that you bring up but not alone in feeling this.
Oh, this is a real issue. I’ve been told directly in post-election job interviews that I was "overqualified"—which many would say is code for ageism or that they can't afford to pay for my experience. That, in itself, is part of the problem.
I left corporate America because I saw the growing gap in experience, I wanted to contribute, save democracy and now we’re going in circles. I have a lot to say about this. Your piece felt like you were reading my mind.
Also, from where I come from, the first question we were always expected to ask ourselves as managers or regional directors when goals weren’t met was: Did you set your team up for success? And the truth is, we are not setting our teams up for success. At the heart of our problem is training and leadership development!!! Not bootcamps - not weekend trainings where candidates and staff are left to "figure the rest out. Oh and to add to the training opportunties we are missing... the GOP is also focused on women ... https://leadershipinstitute.org/program/womens-leadership/ 🤦🏻♀️
One of the things that puzzled me was how quickly campaign staff were cut loose after Election Day with basically no post-campaign debrief or support. In the months since, I was left thinking, "you're deliberately going to lose all that institutional knowledge and enthusiasm for the cause? Just like that?" Like, you just had six months of people putting themselves in a pressure cooker learning and doing the work of electoral politics and after? Literal silence.
It struck me as a kind of hubris, like, "you'll be back; you always come back when we need you, but in the meantime, you're on your own." I dunno', this was my first campaign, so maybe it's natural to just drop folks who, at great personal sacrifice (career, family, etc.) and expense in order to relocate to another state, uproot their lives to do the work with no promises for what comes after.
I'm grateful for the opportunity to do the important work of protecting democracy (especially this last cycle) and for meeting and making all the new friends I now have in my life, but with nary a peep from the party after the election and what appears to be a lack of moral leadership from the party (I guess Bernie, AOC, and Booker notwithstanding) after the fact, it does make me wonder whether it was all worth it? Probably not, if the few I know who were lucky enough to find post-campaign work in the private sector is any indicator. It's almost like those folks are saying, "never again," and *I totally get that now.*
The failure to make meaningful investments in progressive infrastructure takes a significant toll on volunteers, as well. Rather than actually develop this infrastructure in swing states year-round, between electoral cycles, a lot of “fresh faces” without experience or any connections to the communities pop into swing states shortly before elections and often rely heavily on volunteers to actually provide training on local issues and elections. In 2024, I was called upon to fill roles at the last minute in several counties because I was actually physically present in my state and registered to vote here (requirements for certain Election Day and post-election roles). The pressure on volunteers often felt overwhelming — fielding frantic calls for help from staffers while already filling other volunteer roles. After the 2024 election, my state had another significant election but the number of local volunteers dwindled dramatically (we still had a lot of help from out of state of volunteers). No one likes to feel used.
Historically we’ve done a decent job over the years of inviting and training new talent but moving people up the chain has been a gaping hole.
I have highly recommended Amy, and have added to my post:
https://open.substack.com/pub/girluncensored/p/can-you-see-me-can-you-hear-me?r=402am&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true