Hello Hivers!
This week I got a call from my sister asking at what time the election tables close trying to schedule her return to the army.
I was confused at first but with some math in-between, I quickly figured it was that time again, my favorite time when I was in politics.
Many don't know this fact but, I spent half of my life involved in politics (I'm only 25).
It started as a pure curiosity when I was 12, I really wanted to understand what they were talking about on the news.
However 12 years old is somewhat young to get yourself affiliated with any party, so it wasn't until I was 13 that I got myself affiliated with a friend of mine on the Portuguese Socialist Party (PS).
I was super excited, eager to learn and change the world (poor baby) but my stay on the Socialist side was rather short.
After one full year of total disagreement, I decided to take a step back and give some more study to it to figure which side I was on and not being jumping from party to party. This time I wanted to make "the best" choice for good.
A couple of months later and hundreds of books read I realized I was more of a liberal democrat and the only party representing my ideals was the Social Democrat Party (PSD) which stands on the right-center.
Eventually, I came to terms with the fact that you will never, and I mean NEVER, find a party that you identify yourself with 100%. That is absolutely impossible.
I proceeded to get myself affiliated with it and start over.
This time things were completely different!
(NOTE: Here in Portugal political parties have a "wing" for the youth and that was where I acted).
Those were great years! We worked a lot (congresses, reunions, campaign preparation, campaign on the streets) but we also had looooots of fun (everything eventually ended up with some cocktails).
During a usual year we mostly concentrate on working towards the next campaign, along with that we also join efforts with people from other cities and we end up creating a nice support foundation.
What I mean is, if we needed people to show up at a certain event we would call our friends from the other cities and the same way back.
This ends up enriching the whole experience. There's no better place to network.
You organize congresses, you go to others, you do charity work, all that while you are with people that you identify with.
Campaign Year:
If you ask anyone I know that is involved with or has been, which part is your favorite, hardly someone will say another thing rather than the campaign.
There's nothing like it.
It's super tiring I won't lie but is so worth it. If done right, even if you lose you will be happy.
My last campaign was in 2017 right before I got accepted into Law School.
In January we were already working on it, we have to see who is the right candidate for each position, wait for their answer, if they decline, you have to find another.
You have to get a Campaign Director, the guy for strategy, the guy that trains your image and posture, the marketing company, providers, sponsors, terrible amounts of phone calls and e-mails, so on and so forth.
Get an agenda, decide when we are going here and there. Coordinate with the whole team. Find a spot to hold the committee.
All the heavy logistics happen in the first months of the year.
By the time Summer comes, you are all ready to hit the streets and attack.
Taking aside the fact that you will walk for miles, this is the best time.
It's the last and ultimate effort to win.
Here you approach people, you talk to them and figure what their needs are and I can assure you there's nothing like it.
I learned that I lived in a place where one street would have treated water but the back street didn't have it. In plain XXI century.
You get in touch with different realities and ages.
Most of the people in rural areas would always offer us some wine/beer and something to eat, which was AMAZING.
But at the end of the day, you can't even get dinner. They get rubbed the wrong way if you decline it so you end up eating and drinking all day long.
We share experiences and learn a lot. But if logistics seemed to be over, you are wrong.
If you think the logistics were over, think again.
Every day that we went to a different place, the population was different, probably one had more kids than the other, so when we give away "freebies" we have to take into consideration the demographics.
Why would I take a school timetable and a ball to an old lady who would much likely prefer a mug? But someone needed to do that job.
So be prepared to barely even stop at home or see your friends and family.
A normal day for me would be:
7 am - fill up the car;
8 am - campaign until I leave for work
2 pm - work
10 pm - leave work
11 pm - campaign headquarters
2 am - get some sleep
Hectic but I loved it!
Election Day was another adventure!
Get hundreds of people to be on the voting table is no easy task.
After all, we need trustworthy and attentive people to avoid trouble. Fraud is our bread and butter.
I was always the head of the table and with all my responsibility, my role was the only unpaid position.
Since it isn't monetized is usually a position held by someone who took it seriously.
Then why I left my +10 years career in politics?
It certainly wasn't one reason-based decision, in fact, was something that happened in a very "organic" way.
When you enter the world of politics at such young age you grow up in that environment, so you see and hear a lot of things.
Not always the best things.
The first lesson you learn is "You don't make friends in politics". Trust me. During the 2017 campaign, we had "Facebook leaks" where some of our candidates were exposed on a PDF with their Messenger group where they bad-mouthed tons of people.
That's the 2nd lesson, you don't trash talk people to no one on your phone unless the other person talks badly too, otherwise, you are in for a "cancellation".
When you navigate those circles you learn that it's an ecosystem with only two types of creatures: fishes and sharks.
So you better morph into a shark as soon as possible otherwise you'll be eaten.
However, as time goes by and you start going up the ladder you reach a certain point that your morality might come crashing with your political career.
In my experience, I could see from a very close spot how women were treated in that circle.
In fact, my last relationship ended because he couldn't stand the fact that I had much more power and influence than him.
Men will talk to you, will even text you hoping you slip so they will bad mouth you.
Others will show you the ropes and help you get there, but only if you sleep your way up the ladder.
It gets to a point where you can't figure if someone gets close to you because they want something from you or if you are being manipulated to do their bidding.
Not to mention getting bugged.
After the last candidate lost and left on the worst terms, we had to go through the party headquarters with a fine-tooth comb to make sure they didn't bug it.
Needless to say, we found a couple...
The distance wasn't helpful either. The positions I held and all my work was in Porto, north of Portugal.
But Law School was in Coimbra. Even it being a 2-hour drive, just wasn´t feasible. I was spending more time on buses rather than actually doing my part, and spending tons of money to go back and forth every week.
All these factors lead me to the decision of leaving my career in politics behind.
I wasn't and I'm still not willing to lay for something I knew I could achieve by my own means, I'm not willing to lie and cheat everyone.
My dad made sure I knew a bugged phone before I was 10 so I do not want to have a career where I'm at constant risk.
I was doing everything out of love, every cost I had for those 10 years came out of my wallet without receiving a dime.
But I can't pay more than I get to commute every weekend.
Lastly, but most important, it wasn't good anymore. I was slowly entering a new phase of my life and that was being left on the side until it wasn't mine at all.
Sometimes I do miss these times, but taking a look a the world we are living in where no one can say anything without someone being offended, I'm glad I'm no longer in the circle.
I mean, I definitely would have been canceled by now! 🤔
With all the bad that made me left, there was also a lot of good.
I'm forever thankful for all the lessons I learned and the experiences I had.
Met amazing people along the way that I'm in touch with up to this day.
If I'm ever coming back? Hardly, but who knows?
