This is the question my parents ask me each Friday. The answer means very different things to my mom and my dad. I’ve grown up in a house with a Republican and a Democrat (which has made for some very interesting dinner conversations). So my family, along with my experience at the office, and of course Trump’s joint sessions of Congress speech:
got me thinking about party divisions.
I find it interesting that the majority of people who call the office affirm their status as Republicans. On the other side, people often open their calls with “I know I’m a Democrat BUT [I voted for Flake in the past, I’m not really a Democrat, etc.].” This is interesting to me because constitutionally, senators represent the interest of their states.
If a Republican calls our office, I:
1. Thank them for calling
2. Listen to their concerns. Most of them are short and sweet, and they are calling to oppose a bill or cabinet nominee.
3. Ask for their zip code
4. Update the call log, which is organized based on issue and area code. For example, if a woman from Phoenix calls to support Planned Parenthood, I add her to that category (of people from Phoenix calling to support Planned Parenthood).
5. Thank them for calling again and promise I’ll pass their message along to the Senator.
If a Democrat calls our office I:
1. Repeat steps 1-5
2. Then at around 6 PM, our Washington DC office intern Jeb tracks every phone number and removes the opinions of all the callers who did not vote for Flake in the previous election.(That's a joke, for people who can't understand sarcasm).
This is my office building:
Republican, Democrat, Independent or Green Party member, I think we can all agree that it’s a nice place.
One thing that worried me this week was when a caller asked how he could be more politically active. I suggested calling, writing letters, protesting, maybe joining a campaign next year, but he told me he didn’t trust the electoral process--none of that worked for a liberal in Arizona. Talking to him made me sad because while there is a cure for a lot of diseases, there’s no pill for low political efficacy.
In ancient Athens, they paid (and forced) people to attend the Assembly. In America, people have the freedom to stay home if they want to. Which is best?
It’s all very strange to me when people use the word political as derogatory. It seems to be a snub to all the institutions that (ideally) keep our country running. I honestly think that a lot of people (both politicians and constituents) could benefit from working at a political office on “the other side”. I know I have.
