Commentary : Student Politics: Serious Business

After serving as news editor of the student newspaper and as an elected member of the student council, I ran for president of the UC Irvine student body a few weeks ago--and lost.

Although I was disappointed, I have great confidence in the president-elect. The bad news, though, is something I learned during my campaign: Most people think all politicians are crooks.

That lesson came early. The day I announced my candidacy, a friend asked why I was “lowering myself to politics.” I had thought I was elevating myself to serving students and their interests, but as the scoffing continued, such ideals began to sound so corny--even to me--that I couldn’t defend myself. So I began to question my own motives.

I had hoped the incident would be an isolated case, but I soon found the cynical attitude was widespread.

Over and over, when I told students I was running for office and asked for input, they would smile and sarcastically ask what kind of promises I was making. Others suggested I was looking for resume material and asked, “Honestly, why do you want to be president?” in a tone that excluded the possibility of a favorable response.

I simply couldn’t find an answer that would satisfy them--or, finally, myself. It seemed people were not looking for a good candidate, but rather the best crook.

I was ready to drop out of the race when I went to a 21st birthday party for a high school buddy named Mike Becker. Five close friends and I met at the Beckers’ home to have dinner with his family. Mike’s dad has always been interested in my activities, and eventually the subject of my candidacy was brought up at the dinner table. By that time I knew what to expect from my peers. I wasn’t disappointed. One even wished that, “for my own good,” I would lose the election.

I felt a growing distance between me and everyone at the table--including Mr. Becker, who had just been listening up to this point. He seemed disturbed, and I assumed he shared the view that politics is an inherently dirty business. I was wrong.

He began to make that clear with a toast: “To my son, and to all the sons of today who are to be the fathers of tomorrow.” That got our attention.

Then Mr. Becker rose and made a small speech. He acknowledged that most of the claims laid against politicians were valid. But Mr. Becker had more to say: “We must remember that regardless of what some politicians have or have not done in the past, elected officials are, and will continue to be, vital to our society. The responsibility of running our schools, cities, states or country affects us all. Can anyone here deny this?”

The room was silent now.

“If you agree,” he continued, “you must also agree that it is up to us to find and to support those who will do the job best. To shrug off this responsibility is to lose faith in democracy and our way of life in America.”

I went back to Irvine with a renewed determination to give the campaign my best shot, and I’m proud that I campaigned day and night until the last ballot was cast.

Now that the election is over and I’ve had time to think about what I’ve learned, I’m worried about my friends--about my generation. Too many of us have given up on the democratic system. It is our responsibility to be aware of who is running for office, what they’ve done and what they plan to do.

If we expect politicians to take their jobs seriously, then we better be willing to take our votes seriously. Not only do we need to continue watching for those who are not genuinely concerned with our welfare but we also need to look for and to support those who really will work for the people.

Good leaders do exist. Good politicians do exist. They deserve to be respected for their dedication, not dismissed as crooks.