Transitioning from “Politically Interested” to “Politically Active” in 2017

I would not consider myself “politically active,” but rather more “politically interested.” When I was I child, I can recall my parents discussing the presidential and gubernatorial elections at home. I would hear them talk about who would be best for the country, state, economy, jobs, etc. I was interested in their conversations, but never really found myself interested enough to want to learn more and do research on my own.

In middle school, I volunteered for a Republican Congressman, not because I was or am a Republican, but because I needed volunteer hours for school and my best friend signed us up. We made cold calls to voters, giggling and stumbling through our dry scripts, as we left dozens of messages on answering machines urging voters to vote for this Congressman.

In high school, my brother arranged for us to be part of Al Gore’s presidential campaign commercial. I thought that Al Gore was smart and as Vice President he would make an obvious choice for President. The year 2000 was the first year that I could legally vote for our country’s president. I was excited. I stayed up all night with a map of the US, coloring in state by state, red or blue, as the votes came in. Blue state, red state, blue state, red state, red state, red state, red state… I was baffled. How can this be? Was this my America? How did our entire country turn red?

Once Gore conceded, I conceded with my political interest. I, like many disenfranchised millennials, turned to comedy and entertainment shows like The Daily Show and Saturday Night Live to make light of politics and to get the news I needed without the heaviness and details of traditional news outlets. I kept my head out of politics and focused on a nonprofit career, where I felt like I could incite real change among children, seniors, families and communities. In 2004, I voted for John Kerry, and was deeply disappointed when I would hear that Americans would rather vote for someone they could have a beer with rather than someone who they thought would outsmart them. Bush was reelected, I returned to my non-political life.

Then in 2007, when Hillary Clinton announced her candidacy for the President of the United States, I was ecstatic. I bought the Hillary lawn sign, buttons and shirt. I was thrilled to support another Clinton for President, but not just any Clinton, HILLARY CLINTON. Hillary Clinton stood for all hard working women who wanted to do right in their communities and fight for issues that uplifted women and children worldwide. I proudly casted my primary vote for Hillary Clinton, but Barrack Obama won the nomination. Unlike my fellow millennials, I was disappointed. I voted my party, and casted my presidential vote for Barrack Obama and then I slipped back into my non-political life.

I watched my news satire shows, keeping abreast of what was going on in the world, without ever trying to get too entrenched in it all. This continued through 2012, when I voted for the re-election of Barrack Obama, and into 2015. When Hillary Clinton’s name came up as a Presidential Candidate in 2015, I was elated. This woman was relentless and confident. After 2008, I could not imagine Hillary would run for President again, eight years later. But she did, and I loved her even more for it.

Just like in 2008, in 2015, I bought the Hillary lawn signs, buttons and t-shirts. I listened to political news on the radio, had CNN and MSNBC on television at the house, and followed the political election 24/7. I attended a Hillary rally in San Jose and the topic around the dinner table was politics nearly every night. I even ran for a District Delegate position in support of Hillary Clinton. Although I did not win the position, I learned how supportive my husband and stepson are of my political interests and I got to meet other locals who were interested in becoming more politically active.

But then came November 8, 2016. I got home late that night from work to see the numbers start to come in from throughout the country. My husband knew something wasn’t right, but I was hopeful. We watched as the map of the country, just like in 2000, turned redder and redder as the night drew long. We shut the television off before the final numbers could be announced. We were silent. We were devastated. At about 10:30pm that night, when my husband stepped out of the room for a moment, I broke down and cried. I was sad. I was sad for every hard working woman who ever tried their hardest and gave it their all and failed. I was sad for every little girl in America who would have to endure a President who degraded and devalued women. I was sad for Democrats and Democratic ideals. I was sad for my stepson who we would have to break the news to about the newly-elected President Donald Trump when he woke up for school the next morning. I was sad for America. So my initial instinct was to return to my “politically interested” status and not really think about what the next four years would bring. I wanted to ban any political television or radio from our lives for the next four years and pretend that this nightmare never happened.

But then there was November 9th. After the tears, and the worry, and the sorrow, I mustered up some hope. I have always lived my life by the saying, “I always wondered why somebody didn’t do anything, then I realized that I was somebody.” I had put so much of my hopes and dreams into Hillary Clinton, thinking that she was going to represent every woman in America who worked hard and wanted to do good. She was going to serve as the shining example for every young girl who ever dreamed of becoming President. She was going to represent what it means to persevere and exemplify true determination. But then I thought, well why couldn’t I do those things? Why couldn’t I be that shining example of determination and hard work? I didn’t know where to start but at the age of 33, I decided to start my path to becoming the President of the United States of America in 2036.

Okay, so I may never become the President of the United States, but if I spent the next 20 years striving to become President, anywhere that I fall between now and 2036 will be a good place to land. I became a supporter of DEM2018, which is a group that is working on electing more Democrats to Congress in 2018. I reached out to the Alameda County Democratic Party to see how I can become more locally involved in politics. I contacted each of my City Council Members to learn how I could be of more service in my own community. I personally met with my Mayor and Vice Mayor to learn more about my City Council and I was even appointed to a City Council Committee in 2017. I met with the Executive Director of “Close the Gap,” an organization that works on increasing the number of women in the California legislature. I met with the (now former) Executive Director of Emerge, a political training program for Democratic women, who is also currently running for the Chair of the California Democratic Party. I signed up for the “She Should Run Incubator,” which is a set of online courses meant to help women determine their political readiness. I began the process of chartering the Albany Democratic Club, a local club dedicated to bringing Democrats from the Albany area together. I did all of this within a span of 45 days.

Who knows what the next four years will bring, or how far I will actually travel down this presidential path to 2036, but I do know that in 2017 I have made the transition from “Politically Interested” to “Politically Active.” I refuse to bury my head in the sand for the next four years and I advise others to do the same. We can’t continue to live in a cushioned blue bubble in California and watch the country turn red. With a White House and Congress with a conservative agenda that excludes and denigrates millions of women, people of color, low-income individuals, the LGBT community, non-Christians, etc., we as Democrats and Americans need to take a stand. The shock and mourning needs to come to an end and political action and activism need to continue, or in my case, begin. We need to open our eyes, open our ears and open our hearts. We all need to lean in, in 2017.

Author’s Note: The Albany Democratic Club will be hosting its first official meeting on January 24, 2017 at University Village in the Four Corners Room located at 1125 Jackson Street, Albany, CA 94706 at 7:00pm. For more information visit: www.albanydemocraticclub.org.