"Inside the Campaign"

By the Generation Whatever Team

Many young people who still get hassled by security guards at the supermarket may find it hard to imagine that their input would be welcome in a political campaign, but the truth is that youthful energy and enthusiasm are the fuels that run a campaign. This week, the Generation Whatever team goes inside the Stephen Harrison campaign for New York's 13th Congressional seat.

Stephen Harrison http://www.harrison06.com/index.php is the Brooklyn attorney and former Chair of Brooklyn's Community Board 10 who is looking to unseat Vito Fossella, New York City's only Republican member of Congress. We had a chance to talk with Mr. Harrison's young staff about their experiences on the campaign trail.

Brian Kaszuba, 27, the Campaign Manager highlighted the thrill of the campaign:

Reg NYC: How did you get involved in the campaign?

Brian Kaszuba: I've been involved in local politics for about ten years, and I've known Steve through that as well as his daughter and I were in the same social groups back in high school. So, when Steve was looking to run, I was in between jobs. He realized that and gave me a call and asked me to come aboard.

Reg NYC: Is it unusual for someone so young to be in such a high position in the campaign?

Brian Kaszuba: Not really. It's fairly normal. There are a lot of young people in politics. So, it's fairly normal.

Reg NYC: So, what particular issues get you excited, get you mobilized?

Brian Kaszuba For me, the campaign stuff, it's more the game than anything else. I've worked on campaigns both for elected officials and doing constituent type work and stuff like that, and I liked the fast paced atmosphere of campaigns and never a dull moment. There's always something going on. I tell people, "The saddest day of the year is the day after election day," when things just go back to normal, and you're on this rush of adrenaline. All the sudden, just like that, it's over. It's like, okay, you have to sort of get back into a regular routine, and you're not used to it.

Alexandra Silver, 23, the Press Secretary related how quickly a young intern can get thrown into the thick of things:

Reg NYC: How did you get involved in the campaign? Alexandra Silver: A former college roommate told me the campaign was looking for a communications person. She knew I had just finished an internship, and it seemed ideal to me. I was in touch with the campaign as early as June, but I didn't join until the very end of July, because I was traveling. It's been great. I've had several journalism internships and politically-oriented ones in the past, and I'm still figuring out what I am going to do for the rest of my life, but this is perfect for now.

I had recently completed an internship at the Council on Foreign Relations. There were some administrative duties, but I also had the opportunity to write several pieces for the website, on everything from the prosecution of terrorists to Italy's elections. The internship was a great way to combine my interests in foreign affairs and writing.

Reg NYC: So, did you go to school for Political Science or Journalism?

Alexandra Silver: Actually, no - Comparative Literature, but I've always been interested in politics, and I took a lot of politics courses. I also took several journalism seminars and various writing classes. One summer I worked for the Garth Group, the advising firm; that definitely gave me an interesting look at campaigns. During my time there, we were working on the television and radio commercials for a candidate running for State Comptroller.

Reg NYC: So, what particular issues get you interested?

Alexandra Silver: The whole general environment. I like to think I'm not going to have a knee-jerk reaction to certain things. It's funny because in college I actually felt like I was moving more center than I had been. What particular issues? It's tough to choose. It's just a general, I think with this race in particular, it's the way you approach everything. It's the way you go about things. You're getting me on a day when we're seeing campaign lit from our opponent that's just so obviously distorted. I want to work for the guy who says, 'No, this is what's right,' and it's so obviously right in this case.

I am frustrated that, in terms of national security, it's just assumed that only Republicans can handle it. The Democrats may not have it worked out yet. They still have to figure out their plans, but I'd like to think that there is another option.

Matthew McKeon-Slattery, 25, the Brooklyn Field Operations Manager touched on some of the reasons why young people sometimes feel discouraged from getting involved in politics, but his persistence paid off:

Reg NYC: So, how did you get involved in the campaign? Matthew McKeon-Slattery: Well, originally I signed up on-line, and I tried to e-mail the person who was handling new recruits. This was sometime in July. I knew that I was represented by Republican, and I wanted to, you know, not be anymore. So, I sought out to see who was running against Vito, and I found Steve's campaign website. And then I tried e-mailing them again, because I didn't hear back for a few weeks. Then I went onto Daily Kos and complained about it. (laughter) And Mark RC, who's on Daily Kos, actually forwarded my information to Tom (volunteer coordinator). Then Tom called me, and then I stopped in one day. This was late August. So, that's how I got involved.

Reg NYC: Had you done Political volunteering before?

Matthew McKeon-Slattery: I had for one day done (organization name withheld), and that was horrible. (laughter) It was late December, early January. They told me to come in at 2. This was in Downtown Manhattan. I spent two hours there waiting for everybody to show up, and then we got on the subway. We made our way into Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn, and then we stopped to eat. (laughter) And then there was like one of those storms where it's raining, but it's like really cold, so it's like freezing rain. And they said, "Okay, this is what were doing," and it was mercury contamination. And they were saying, "Okay, you're going to go over here and over here." So, I'm outside in the cold rain, and it happens to be a neighborhood where it's residential and there's no streetlights, and I'n not familiar with it. So... And then I said, "Can I call you?" You know, I asked for the coordinators number just in case something happened. He's like, "No, no. Just meet us here in two hours." So, I went to a few houses and I was just like, 'Screw this,' and never talked to them again. I still have the clipboard that they gave me though.
(laughter)

Reg NYC: Did you study Political Science in school?

Matthew McKeon-Slattery: I am now. I was originally working on a duel Bachelor/Master in engineering, and then Bush got elected - or became President - again in 2004, and that was just it. I'm like, I can't do this anymore. I can't just sit by. I'm not going to use this degree. So, I dropped out of that, took a year off, decided to figure out where I was going to go. And now I'm at a new school majoring in Political Science, and I should be done at the end of next semester.

Reg NYC: What particular issues inspired you to get involved?

Matthew McKeon-Slattery: Just overall disgust. I mean there's just so many things now that it seems like every week there's a new thing to be angry about. Like this week, I think it was on Friday or Thursday, when he signed the bill for the 700-mile fence on the 2100-mile border. (laughter) It's just every week, sometimes even every day, it's something new. There's absolutely nothing they've done in the past six years that I've supported - except for going into Afghanistan, and even then they didn't do it right.

So, whether you enjoy the thrill of the chase, the chance to make a difference, or you want to be in the center of world events, political volunteering can be an exciting, rewarding experience.

Generation Whatever team members jmora, Reg NYC, and gmartinez