Twenty-Something Year Old Journalist

Not to be political, but things are going to get political in this next entry. I became active in politics in 2019 ahead of the 2020 presidential election and developed a love and passion for politics, wanting to possibly major in Political Science, but more notably becoming obsessed with shows like Veep and The Politician. 

I got involved by volunteering for presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke, you all remember the guy, right? The guy from El Paso, Texas, who said “Hell yes, we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47?” and who for some reason answered a question in Spanish on the debate stage? That guy. I became aware of him during the 2018 midterms where he ran against Ted Cruz for the Texas senate and effectively, for a moment in time, made Texas slightly purple. 

I absolutely loved being politically active. I attended rallies for O’Rourke, I ran an informative Instagram page titled @california4beto, (creative, I know) I went and helped at community events with a very interesting group of South Bay Beto supporters, and I even met the guy! Although I knew it was a long shot for him to get the nomination, I felt his policies and visions for the future were the right ones. Unfortunately, that all came to an end the day I was at Six Flags with my friends right before Halloween, when I was reduced to tears in the flying swings ride line when I got the notification that Beto O’Rourke dropped out. 

I promise I wasn’t that much of a loser in high school to be crying over my preferred candidate dropping out of the presidential race, I had just felt that I had found a community and had found a purpose bigger than myself. After Beto dropped out, I knew the nomination was going to be Biden, although he definitely was not my second choice. I felt so passionate about being involved, though, that I continued to do so in support of Biden. 

As we flash forward to 2020, the year of covid, of Black Lives Matter protests, and protests in support of women’s rights, I continued to stay politically active by attending these protests, posting online, (I did not post a black square and call it a day, for those of you wondering) and staying informed on what was going on in the world. These were all causes I felt strongly about and were important to me, and I wanted to make an impact however I could. 

I know many people who look back at 2020 and the 2020 presidential election and feel embarrassed about their posting habits, about calling out Trump supporters, and about their descent into ‘wokeness,’ but I’m not embarrassed about any of it. Everything I posted, everything I did during that time, every response to idiotic Trump supporters who tried to fight me in my DMs, I stand by. Being politically active and fighting for the rights of people in this country was not a ‘trend’ for me, and I never was able, nor am I currently able, to be friends with Trump supporters in any way, shape, or form, because it’s not just a difference of policy with them, it’s a difference of ethics and morals. 

Following the election of Joe Biden in 2020 though, I became less politically active. As time went on and the Republican party descended deeper into ‘Trumpism,’ politics just felt… depressing. The Trump party was becoming more and more polarizing and cultish, and the Democratic party was becoming more and more pathetic with their inability to play dirty like the Trumpians were. 

As 2024 came and the 2024 presidential election dawned closer, feelings of hopelessness for the future of America became stronger. It felt like we had all just given up and accepted that Trump was going to win in November and democracy would be destroyed, just like the rights of every minority. 

But then. 

Cue Kamala Harris! Cue Brat summer! Cue electing our first femininomenon! But then there was hope. Suddenly it seemed the Democratic party wasn’t headed towards a mass suicide and people found a candidate to fight for again. Just to be clear, Trump could have been running against a used condom and I still wouldn’t cast a vote for him, but seeing the effect that Kamala Harris has had just on the overall feeling in this country has been inspiring. 

I had always been sad that I lost my passion for politics and wished that someday I would find it again, as the political atmosphere had just felt so depressing these last few years. Presidents used to be respected, regardless of what party they are, and being a politician used to feel like a real, noble job. I remember going to an event where Hillary and Bill Clinton were speaking and almost being star-struck at being in the same room as a previous president. I had the opportunity to meet (yes, meet!) Joe Biden ahead of the 2020 election and still can’t believe I shook the hand of the current most powerful man in the world. 

Kamala Harris and her campaign makes me feel like there is hope for our future and hope for a return to what politics used to be and should be. (And maybe a rebrand of @california4beto) I appreciate a world where politicians say cringey things in an attempt to show their knowledge of pop culture, and I appreciate a campaign that has Megan thee Stallion twerking in a cropped pantsuit. 

I also appreciate being able to feel patriotic about being from America without it feeling like that means I’m a racist, white supremecist, so a big thanks to Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky for that one. 

Whether it be that my antidepressants are finally working, or the campaign of Kamala Harris, I finally feel hopeful for our future again, not that that means all the icecaps won’t be melted ahead of the 2032 winter Olympics. Although I’m excited to be alive during the election and presidency of our first female president, and even get use out of my old “I’m with Her” merch, I’m not sure how excited I am to continuously have to explain what “Brat” is to my grandparents.