Give Thanks For: The Work

When I take a few minutes to reflect on the time I've spent working for the Democratic Party and the countless candidates I've had the opportunity to work for, there are so many things that have impressed me, and so many critical issues Democrats fight for that change peoples' lives every day.

I could use this brief column to celebrate the hundreds of thousands of college students who are able to continue pursuing higher education because Democrats protected Pell grants and federally guaranteed student loans, or all of the children who now have access to healthcare because Democrats worked to extend coverage in CHIPs, or women who have benefited from the Democrats continued dedication to our right to choose. All of those topics, plus dozens of other issues I did not mention, deserve attention in a column that reflects on the good things we do in the Democratic Party. But I am not going to focus on issues in this column. When faced with a question like "what are you most proud of or thankful for during your time in Democratic politics?", I have to go back to the people I have known.

I am always amazed by the dedication and talent Democrats bring to the table when they came to volunteer for the Party or a candidate. I will never forget the group of senior citizen ladies who came to stuff envelopes an hand address hundreds of invitations for fundraisers in a campaign I worked in 1998. I will always be thankful for two campaign volunteers who opened their homes to me in 1998 and 2002, when I was a starving campaign staffer and could not afford to pay my bills and rent on staff salary. Those two women not only let me live in their guest bedrooms for months, but Mary would make me fresh tortillas for breakfast every morning, and Ivy would skim the newspaper before I woke up to find the local news that might be important in the campaign. And I am filled with gratitude when I remember the dozens and dozens of Young Democrats who have given up time studying or hanging out with their friends to walk blocks and make phone calls for our candidates. Blockwalking and phonebanking are two of the most thankless- and vital- jobs in grassroots politics, and I cannot express how thankful I am for the students who keep showing up, campaign after campaign, to get the job done.

Finally, I must mention those Democrats who came into my life because of a campaign, but that I now call my friends. There are several people I have had the fortune to know from one campaign or another along the way, who I now count on for advice, support, and a night on the town every once and awhile.

As I said above, the issues we fight for are critical to the progress of our nation and the good of people everywhere, but it is the people I meet that keep me coming back time after time.