For about the last two years, I have worked and interned in legislatures in Ohio and D.C. While I loved the experiences and genuinely learned from them, a common thread irks my time in each of three legislative chambers: my party is in the Minority. A lot of people get frustrated when their respective party is in the minority, but working in politics and seeing process up close makes the losses even more frustrating and disheartening. Couple that with seeing the country go in the opposite direction that you would like and it is pretty easy to get disillusioned.
Thankfully, my boss for part of the summer was also tired of being in the minority, and not shy about it. Rep. Tim Ryan has always been willing to speak his mind, but when the Democrats lost three special elections this past June, he wondered out loud if it was time for a change in party leadership. This statement ruffled some feathers around the party and the country (I answered the angry phone calls) and fell on mostly deaf ears, but it taught me a valuable lesson about politics. No fight is ever futile. While being in the minority is challenging and at times frustrating, it is crucial to keep fighting and trying to push the issues and the party in the direction you want it to go, because in the end it makes a difference, however small. So one of my takeaways from this to summer is to always be fighter, and the winning will take care of itself.
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