" I ’ve figure out on campaigns where the higher - ups pushed and pushed their organizers to the decimal point of hospital care because they did n’t have time or Energy Department to use up , rest , and take care of themselves . "
We recentlyaskedmembers of theBuzzFeed Communitywho’ve worked in politics to share behind-the-scenes secrets they think more people should know — They did NOT hold back.
Here are their most fascinating responses:
1.“I’ve worked on Capitol Hill for almost a decade, and it’s remarkable how many people don’t realize that our government is largely staffed by underpaid, overworked 25-year-olds.”
2.“In my state, the State General Assembly does much of its voting on motions and whatnot using a simple push-button system at its desks in the chamber. One button is for Yeay, and another for Nay, and you push nothing for Abstain. It’s an open secret inside the room that state members will reach over and push another person’s buttons, especially if they are not present at the vote.”
" If you get up to go to the can , someone will hand over to your desk and vote for you , no matter how you were going to vote . Since there is so much legislation to get through , they do n’t go back if someone lawlessly pushes someone else ’s voting push button because they do n’t have clip to restart the vote . “—Anonymous
3.“I worked at the United Nations for a little bit, and the whole organization is crumbling over the weight of its own bureaucracy. In most agencies and the Secrétariat, senior staff tends to have amazing contracts with huge salaries and loads of benefits, and they tend to be much less academically and technically qualified than younger employees. Definitely not everyone, but a lot of people at the top are paid mostly to go to conferences or wine and dine diplomats but don’t know how to use Excel or PowerPoint.”
" Meanwhile , the brass no longer have enough money to offer good contracts to third-year employee , so they are stuck in volunteer internships and short - terminus contracts with no health care . The summons of actually approving new hire can take half a twelvemonth or longer . The result is that a flock of masses with new perspectives and up - to - date academic degree are getting fire out and demoralized . At the same sentence , aged employee are more interested in protect their own easygoing career than they are in upholding their mandatory or serving the outside community . “—Anonymous
4.“I interned on Capitol Hill in 2013. There’s a rule for government workers and congressional members not to accept gifts over a certain amount because that could be considered a bribe. There are a few exceptions, and one of them is that members of Congress are allowed to accept massive amounts of free snacks/drinks from companies based in their home state.”
" So congresswoman from Georgia get free Coca - Cola product , NJ reps get Nabisco products , etc . But since some states got WAY good collation than others , the staff supporter would organize trades between spot , and interns would be sent out with crate of random products to switch on slow days . It was candidly a deal of playfulness and one of the main thing I remember from my clip on the Hill . “—Alice Lahoda
5.“Campaigns (even progressive ones) can be the most absolute blatant display of employee abuse. I’ve worked on campaigns where the higher-ups pushed their organizers to the point of hospitalization because they didn’t have time/energy to eat, rest, and take care of themselves.”
" Most of these organizers tend to be college small fry or late grade so they ’re sometimes more hesitant to say ' no ' out of fear of lose their job ( a real opening given how petty some folks are ) . The burnout pace on campaigns / the burnout rate of political staff member in oecumenical is insanely high . “—Anonymous
6.“I was a political advisor to gubernatorial and legislative campaigns in Florida. Two things made me leave the industry. First, money DOES change hands, especially for church endorsements. Paper money in paper lunch bags.”
7.“I worked in politics for a member of Congress on Capitol Hill. Your calls and complaints go into an online pile of similar calls and complaints, and a form letter gets sent back to you. They rarely reach an actual member of Congress.”
" This made me pretty cynical about the outlook that people have a voice when they call in ; it seems like they ’re really not listened to . Also , a set of the legislative assistants in the congressional offices ( in my experience ) were assholes and hat their jobs . My experience in spades confirmed that a career in government was not for me , but the orphic underground tunnel from the House to the Senate offices with a train railcar and its own operator was hella cool!"—Anonymous
8.“I worked as a legislative fellow on Capitol Hill in 2020 & 2021. These are actually things I try to tell people all the time, but they don’t believe me.”
" If you are n’t a constituent of the Congressperson / Senator you ’re address , they are allowed to string up up on you or block you without listen to you . You ’d be surprised how many Dems who have a public report of inclusivity and reform-minded economic value are some of the worst boss . What you consider of as ' go on vacation ' when Congress is in recess is actually a sentence when the member is ferment directly with part in their district / state . If you call and endanger the member or their staff , you will receive a sojourn from your local law military force , whom the Capitol police have called to investigate the threat . “—The Bnzr
9.“I’m a Senate employee in a state office. Most people, when they think of Congress, think of DC. I don’t think enough people realize that Senators and Representatives have field offices in their home states and districts. We provide key services for people who are having trouble getting through to federal agencies (VA, Social Security, IRS, Passports, etc.). We’ve been involved in a variety of issues, including helping repatriate Americans who were stuck in foreign countries.”
" The ' secret ' that I would like people to have it away is that if you call the place to get out a message for the Senator and are horribly mean / rude and maledict at us , we most potential will not share your message or register it . It ’s a thankless job , and people whom I ’ve never met have allege the most disgusting and filthy things to me because they are angry with the Senator about certain topics . “—Anonymous
10.“I’m a finance director for a congressional race, and let me tell you. Look closer at the finance reports that come out with each politician. See who’s paying for the campaign and most directly influencing the candidate. Make the FEC your new bestie.”
— Anonymous
11.“People who you work with will take credit for your ideas. Not just other people at your level in a campaign but high-up people who aren’t competing for low-level jobs. Also, people who are related to people with influence will get promotions over you all the time.”
12.“Political reporter here! Most politicians absolutely hate the politicians that they back. I’ve seen so many representatives and senators sing Trump’s praises on TV but trash him as soon as cameras aren’t rolling.”
13.“Campaign manager here. I don’t know why they ask elected officials how they won because a good candidate leaves all those decisions to their campaign manager and focuses all their attention on talking to voters. Also,VEEPis absolutely the closest TV depiction of politics.”
14.“Leadership PACs are vanity projects for the next campaign of whoever is running them. Donate to candidates directly, and don’t fall for their scams.”
15.“Too much of governmental services are being privatized. This means the loss of cheaper governmental workers (who don’t get bonuses for cutting corners) and the eventual much more expensive work by private contractors, who are often awarded the contracts because of political donations. Our state awarded a $66 million contract to a private contractor and laid off 1200 state workers.”
— Demon Copperhead
16.“As a former federal employee, I was political-adjacent. Most people don’t know that there are over 2000 non-Senate-approved presidential appointees, most of whom get their jobs as a favor for helping with the presidential election, with no qualifications required.”
" We had one guy whose beginner was a big wigging state party official , in a state the chairman lost , get an assignment . He had no college education , and his only direct connectedness to the presidential crusade was as a security guard at two local event . “—Alchemist1342
17.“The most vocal right-wing politicians don’t believe an iota of what they’re shilling to their constituents. They see their jobs as winning elections, and the easiest way to do that is to appeal to them about social justice issues and use small words and simple language that is easily memorable.”
— sportycoyote73
And finally…
18.“Most legislators are not particularly informed on the issues they advocate for. The policy staff in their office does the real heavy lifting.”
" So , if you have a technical issue you need sterilise , just email the insurance faculty ; if it fits , they will crop it out . tidy sum of lawmaking is just tinker with existing laws and trying to make them more useable . “—Anonymous
observe : Some reaction have been edited for length and/or clarity .
