DENVER – Have a genuine love for people. Learn to enjoy 6 a.m. pancake breakfasts. Take speaking tips from televangelists. Be comfortable asking for money and asking for it often.
These were just a few tips that aspiring politicians were given on Tuesday at the DNC Youth Council, which hosted "The Nuts and Bolts of Youth Voting," a panel on running for office as a young candidate.
The panelists, most of them young members of Congress, offered frank and often irreverent advice for getting into elected office and surviving life as a politician.
Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), who first ran for office at age 26, said that youthfulness can give candidates an advantage when they are running against long-time politicians, who are seen as entrenched in the political system.
"People told me, 'You're too young to be corrupt, I am voting for you,'" Ryan said.
Ryan called it "Playing the youth card," adding that it is something he thinks Barack Obama is doing well.
Although the large auditorium at the Pepsi Center was only partially filled, attendees and delegates from their teens to early 30s displayed enormous enthusiasm at the one hour how-to discussion.
"We are at the defining moment of our lives," said Scott Kleeb, who is running for the U.S. Senate in Nebraska. "Who do you think is going to inherit in 35 years, the choices we make now? Our generation. Which is why this moment, right now, is why we have to get involved. We have to believe we will do better than what we are given."
Young people shouldn't just involve themselves in other people's campaigns, the history teacher and part time cattle rancher said. They should go out and run for office themselves.
Having a personal narrative-a story that the audience can connect with-was another of Ryan's tips. When Michelle Obama addressed the convention, it was because the Obama campaign was selling the story of Obama's family, Ryan said. Young politicians should define themselves and then apply that to how the electorate sees the candidate's story applying to them.
Learning to listen, Ryan said, was another crucial skill that aspiring politicians should learn.
"People in this business have a tendency to want to talk about how smart they are," Ryan said. "Nobody cares how much you know or what you studied in college. They want you to listen."
Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-Fla.), who won his seat in Congress at the age of 27, said that anyone running for office needs to learn how to give an inspiring public speech. Meek suggested that potential politicians of all faiths listen to televangelists and study how they inspire a crowd.
Another suggestion Meek had was to have a solid stock of candid photographs to use in a campaign. But Meek, who correlated his speaking style to that of a baptist preacher, "brought it all home" with a final piece of advice: Love people and have have a genuine concern for what their problems are. Politicians who don't have that type of passion are not going to enjoy what they do.
"People in this business for status are the most unhappy people I know," he said.
After watching the panel discussion, Patrick Rohde, who graduated from UC Irvine last spring, said he would like to take on Congressman Gary Miller (R-Calif.) from Diamond Bar.
That is, of course, after Rohde is done traveling around the country volunteering for the Obama campaign.c
Rohde said he is hoping that Democratic candidate Ed Chau can unseat Miller, but if Chau is unable to, Rohde feels that he would like to challenge Miller in the next election.
"It's time for a change. I want to be part of the movement that turns Orange County into a blue county," Rohde said.
Congressmen give advice to aspiring young candidates
Intrepid Representatives stress the importance of asking for money, effective listening and love of
Published: Monday, September 1, 2008
Updated: Monday, September 1, 2008
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