I’ve been hesitant to respond because I do sort of in theory agree with what others are saying but…I personally wouldn’t do it. When you work for someone, you are helping that person achieve their goals (at least if you’re doing a good job). If their goals include things like taking away abortion access or discriminating against LGBT+ or anything else of the sort, I 100% would not want to be a part of that. I would not want my labor - however low level, even if I’m just making the coffee that wakes that person up enough to go out and promote their hate - in any way to support work that in my view actively harms people I love. I would not be a part of that. Period.
If by working for this senator you will not be able to maintain a professional demeanor then absolutely turn the opportunity down. However, if you can keep your personal views from impacting your interactions with the staff then what a great job. I personally think that always staying on one side or the other; and not opening your mind to different view points, especially in politics, makes one very closed-minded and ineffective. How better to debate and formulate your platform than knowing the whys of the other side? There are lots of stories out there and understanding peoples motivations will only help in the long run. I do not think it would “tank” other progressive jobs in the future… you are only a sophomore in high school.
In practice and life it is very hard to “not support” companies, employers, products, etc. that you do not agree with on policy or politics. Some of my past employers supported issues that I absolutely did not… but I had a job and did my job to the best of my abilities. Same with friends… many have different views on things than me, but we still go to dinner and interact socially.
If this person has ideals so opposed to yours…how on the world did you even get this internship? Did you get it because someone recommended you or offered your name? It doesn’t sound like this is a position you sought out yourself.
Really…if you don’t feel comfortable doing this…find another thing to do this summer instead.
It’s up to you. I’d just say you’re not likely to be doing substantive policy work. If you were working at a McDonalds near the Capitol, or working a landscaping crew on state grounds, you could also be seen as helping him, right? If you were working at a Jiffy Lube and you changed his oil, you’d be helping him achieve his agenda, in a sense.
Sure, working in his office might be a little different. But you’d likely be opening mail or answering phones and helping constituents in some way.
You’re not going to be pitching major donors or crafting legislation.
As a nonprofit professional, I have been very fortunate to be able to work in accordance with my core beliefs. I sacrifice a corporate salary to be able to do that. Obviously, different people have different priorities, needs, situations, privileges, values, opportunities, etc. But for me, this has made the most sense for my life and I am grateful to be able to do that and will continue to do so.
Sure, not everything needs to be a purity test. People must make these calculations every day and different people weigh different factors in their calculation. Some people -and I would say many if not most people I know - do boycott certain companies that do not operate in accordance with their values. But it is always an individual decision.
I am not saying what is right or wrong to do. I am simply saying how some people decide things like this. And I am saying how I would decide something like this. Other people are free to decide differently based on the particular factors they weigh and how they weight them. The OP must weigh their values vs future career opportunities/connections as well as potential experience to be gained. Only they can decide which they weight more in this calculation.
I can understand the dilemma, but I would not do it. As others have mentioned, if you have this position on your resume, other people looking at it, including future employers, admissions reps, etc. may assume you share the (presumably well-known) views of the senator. You explain that, in fact, the views of the senator are abhorrent to you, but that will put you in the position of having to explain that you took the position, and possibly asked the senator for a recommendation, although you actually disagree with everything he stands for. That’s not a good look for you. I really don’t see any way that this could help you unless you decide to cross the aisle.
There’s a difference between a disagreement and something “abhorrent”. If it is not hyperbole, it could mean being a Jewish student with a senator who supported the “Jews will not replace us” Charlottesville march or dines with Nick Fuentes, or a closeted LGBTQ student whose senator furthers laws restricting their right to exist.
It’s not open-minded to accept s.o whose views&actions put you (or loved ones) in danger and it will not lead to growth but to degradation, being surrounded by ideas that make you want to scream. Btw I assume you know that, as a HS student and intern, you won’t be able to voice your opinions, let alone change anything.
A 2nd issue is that if @evenflow puts that experience on their resume, it is likely to be seen as a negative since the (state? US?) senator is well-known and extreme - either you’ll be assumed to want to further the same views (which will be a problem if later on you want to join a campaign better suited to your own views) or might even be seen as amoral (you’re ready to do sth like that to further your own goals at the expense of what you believe in, at an age most young people who want to join are idealistic - as you yourself recognize in your OP, that’s not a good look).
I would suggest you look for a local or state campaign -first, you’re more likely to make an impact because they have fewer staffer (v. Bringing coffees and photocopies around at a large campaign); second, there has to be one that aligns better with what you believe. School board races are especially relevant for HS students but anything at the town/township/district level is likely to welcome you.
Agreed or student can complete and learn form the experience and then volunteer for a campaign better aligned with their political beliefs.
With both on the resume they will likely create interest and have a compelling narrative while opening a broader spectrum of opportunities.
The capacity to say I took that job because I wanted to be exposed to diverse perspectives so I can better form and express my own will make you both interesting and compelling.
I think it’s a bad idea to compromise your principles and work for someone or something you strongly disagree with.
In your life you should strive to do work that you feel good about or at least work that doesn’t make you feel bad.
Ostensibly all politicians are in it to serve the people of their constituencies according to their principles. Keep that in mind and get involved with folks that align with your views rather than just gravitating toward this politician because they are powerful. There are some Democrats in Texas. Go work for them!
I think you have other options as a student just finishing sophomore year in high school. As I said, there should be plenty of opportunities to work for someone’s campaign in an election year. Use this time to build some connections for the future. If you don’t agree with the current job, then look for a volunteer opportunity where you DO at least agree with some. You never know who you will meet who might hire you in the future. So build some connections.
You need to build those connections for future opportunities…yourself.
1- What is the content of the internship? My kids did a variety of Congressional internships at various levels/stages of their education. Responsibilities ranged tremendously-- staffing someone who is chair of an important committee (Ways and Means, Foreign Relations, etc.) is a very different experience from Constituent Relations (not implying it’s not important- but it’s a very different experience). For some, being aligned (at least in theory if not in day-to-day practice is important. You don’t want to be writing talking points to make the member MORE effective in winning colleagues over to his/her point of view if you vehemently disagree with that point of view.
But for other roles it likely won’t matter. Constituent relations- you are helping people whose veteran’s benefits suddenly stopped without warning or reason (either an administrative error or identity theft-- and your office will have a guidebook on what to do to get them restored); a constituent who needs to fly overseas for a parents funeral but can’t find their passport (again, there’s a protocol on how to handle); a HS kid interested in applying to one of the service academies, a Medicaid recipient who is having trouble getting a prescription paid for, etc.
None of these require you being ideologically aligned with your boss. These are entitlement programs which have relatively clear guidelines so that when a citizen calls the office, there are specific people who will know what to do and will teach you what to do. No ideology at all. So figure out what you’ll be tasked with doing and whether or not it will bother you. There may be 15 interns at any given moment- you won’t all be working on anything remotely political. There may be an intern whose entire job it is to distribute the coverage schedule for the paid staff (who is handling Comm’s overnight, who is handling transportation over July 4th weekend, etc.) which believe it or not is a full time job-- you put together the schedule, people call you to complain, you adjust the schedule, someone else complains. There’s an intern who has to know whose mother gets dialysis on Fridays so the staffer can’t cover Fridays; who is driving their kids to camp on which day so they can’t be available for Press briefings, etc.
2- How good are you at compartmentalizing? For me, I have a few “bright red line” issues that I just can’t cross without feeling icky and compromised. But otherwise, I’m OK. I’ve worked for and with people who I don’t agree with and it’s been fine; a couple of times it was really problematic and it’s been a good learning experience. You know yourself better than we do.
3- How long do you expect this 6 week or 8 week experience to “stick around with you”? If it’s just another thing you’ll do as a HS kid, I wouldn’t worry about it. Nobody gets a reputation for ANYTHING at age 16 or 17. If you are looking for something which will become the foundation for lots of other things in your life-- then it’s worth another think. But even then- you can turn lemons into lemonade. One of my kids worked for a politician who eventually resigned in a highly scandalous way. Nobody looks at an intern and thinks “this is the person who caused X” (good reason to make sure you don’t get romantically involved with ANYONE in the workplace!) Kid learned a lot being on the sidelines of this massive #$%^-show, and has talked about it in interviews in a “I learned what not to do” kind of way. Plus-- NEVER pick up the phone when caller ID says National Enquirer".
Think about what you wrote. Is this the type of person you want to be ?
There is no easy answer to your question. You can rationalize this as taking advantage of an opportunity or seeing yourself–in your words–as a “sell-out”.
As another poster asked, it would be interesting to know how this opportunity arose for you.
P.S. A similar dilemma is faced by lawyers who want to practice in the area of Environmental Law. In order to pay their bills, they are often faced with the option to work for corporations who pollute the environment even though they are environmentalists.
I know a super progressive staffer who works for a Republican congressman. Her job isn’t policy. She does constituent relations. Connecting vets to VA resources, helping West Point applicants schedule interviews, connecting angry voters to federal agencies such as USDA, USFS, etc.
While culture wars rage about various issues, 90 percent of what the federal government does is provide basic services. How does this rural school district connect with the resources it needs to provide special Ed?
Almost everything a congressional office does is outside anything you’d consider “abhorrent.”
You might choose to do business with a company because it offers a good product or service for the money (or because it pays well for what you are selling) in your point of view (or because it is a monopoly or monopsony). However, when the product or service is explicitly political, it would not be surprising if political agreement or disagreement is more likely to come into play when deciding whether or not to do business, since there are fewer other factors to consider.