Once upon a time I dabbled with the idea of pursuing a career in politics. Motivated by a Junior High trip to Washington, D.C. and the honor of attending Boys State in High School, I had big dreams for myself.
Being young and ignorant, I didn’t grasp the idea that there were real differences between Democrats and Republicans, conservatives and liberals; so my senior year of high school I jumped at the opportunity for a Job Shadow experience set up by my School Counselor. I would get to spend two solid days at the side of an elected representative. Who would I get the honor to shadow? No other than J.D. Hayworth, former sportscaster turned Wingnut Republican.
<<insert noise from Psycho shower-scene here>>
Those two days were very eye-opening for me. I remember thinking to myself, “this guy is a total jerk!” and “hey, wait a minute, I don’t agree with what he just told that group of old people regarding Social Security!”
Needless to say, my eyes were starting to be opened and I discovered my Democrat(ic) roots. Since that time, I have been active in community-based efforts within the various Latino groups of Arizona. To me, being a Democrat involves fighting for the equality of all people, helping the poor to lift themselves up from hardship and remaining committed to the global environment.
I guess the reason I wrote this is because I saw an article today in the Arizona Republic regarding J.D.’s nepotism in action. He hired his wife to head up his P.A.C. The article also mentions the shady-dealings of Jeff Flake, the winger-in-chief from Az. Reading it boils my blood; yet on the other side of my anger, I’m transformed back into that young idealistic high school senior who remains committed to changing the world. What they’re doing is fundamentally wrong and I refuse to give up the fight.
“Si, se puede” –Cesar Chavez
