Renter45
02-07-2008, 09:53 AM
http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2008/02/07/19983/
As a student at Princeton, I never would have imagined I'd be working where I am today. I first found out about Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) a year ago, when a friend and fellow Princeton alum sent me an article about Paul's little-known congressional career. While I previously had been passionate about politics, I had pretty much tuned out for the last five years, tired of the "choices" from the two major parties.
Paul's supporters often say, "Ron Paul cured my apathy." I would say that Ron Paul cured my disillusionment. No longer did I have to settle for a choice between infeasible social programs from the Left and pernicious foreign policy from the Right, always asking myself, "But how are you going to pay for that?!"
Paul was refreshing. There were issues on which we didn't agree, but his record was consistent, and he seemed to actually believe in what he said. And it was awesome to see a Republican speaking out against the Iraq war on principle, standing up against public and party sentiment to do what was right.
My political reawakening came when I saw Paul, a slender, self-effacing man, standing up - alone - to former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani last May, confronting him with the logic that our actions overseas just might have something to do with global anti-American sentiment. I was sold.
Despite little experience in politics, I left my job in finance and got involved with Paul volunteers in Connecticut. After unwittingly meeting a campaign coordinator in New Hampshire, I was asked a few weeks later about my interest in leading the campaign's fundraising efforts. "Sure," I thought, "but should it matter that I have no experience in political fundraising?"
That seems like eons ago now. The campaign office, discreet and located above a laundromat, showcases Paul's principles in action. There has been little hierarchy, and our fundraising success in particular has been nothing short of a decentralized group effort. Fundraising ideas that I've helped implement have come from the most disparate sources: our web designers, security director, scheduler, campaign chairman, press and policy teams, and yeah, even our fundraising director once in a while.
What started as general agreement on policies has transformed into deep personal respect for Ron Paul, the person. Subtle things have won my admiration - his understated intelligence, his care for staff and family, his soft-spoken demeanor and most of all, his genuineness and deep humility. I often wonder whether other candidates are the same. But I remind myself that statesmen do not come along that often.
And that's the secret reason why you'll find thousands of revolutionaries across the country - many politically active for the first time - dedicated to this man and his message. Indeed, many of our staff members are similar to me - young idealists driven by raw passion and the deep conviction that people actually can make a difference in the world. That's no small feat when you're wrapped up in a media-driven process that leads people to vote for the candidate who is "mainstream," "plays the part," or "looks presidential."
And so, even though the primary campaign season may be winding down, this race will go well beyond the 2008 presidential election. My work, and the work of so many others like me, is just beginning.
Jonathan Bydlak '05 is the fundraising director for Ron Paul 2008 and graduated from Princeton with an A.B. in economics.
As a student at Princeton, I never would have imagined I'd be working where I am today. I first found out about Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) a year ago, when a friend and fellow Princeton alum sent me an article about Paul's little-known congressional career. While I previously had been passionate about politics, I had pretty much tuned out for the last five years, tired of the "choices" from the two major parties.
Paul's supporters often say, "Ron Paul cured my apathy." I would say that Ron Paul cured my disillusionment. No longer did I have to settle for a choice between infeasible social programs from the Left and pernicious foreign policy from the Right, always asking myself, "But how are you going to pay for that?!"
Paul was refreshing. There were issues on which we didn't agree, but his record was consistent, and he seemed to actually believe in what he said. And it was awesome to see a Republican speaking out against the Iraq war on principle, standing up against public and party sentiment to do what was right.
My political reawakening came when I saw Paul, a slender, self-effacing man, standing up - alone - to former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani last May, confronting him with the logic that our actions overseas just might have something to do with global anti-American sentiment. I was sold.
Despite little experience in politics, I left my job in finance and got involved with Paul volunteers in Connecticut. After unwittingly meeting a campaign coordinator in New Hampshire, I was asked a few weeks later about my interest in leading the campaign's fundraising efforts. "Sure," I thought, "but should it matter that I have no experience in political fundraising?"
That seems like eons ago now. The campaign office, discreet and located above a laundromat, showcases Paul's principles in action. There has been little hierarchy, and our fundraising success in particular has been nothing short of a decentralized group effort. Fundraising ideas that I've helped implement have come from the most disparate sources: our web designers, security director, scheduler, campaign chairman, press and policy teams, and yeah, even our fundraising director once in a while.
What started as general agreement on policies has transformed into deep personal respect for Ron Paul, the person. Subtle things have won my admiration - his understated intelligence, his care for staff and family, his soft-spoken demeanor and most of all, his genuineness and deep humility. I often wonder whether other candidates are the same. But I remind myself that statesmen do not come along that often.
And that's the secret reason why you'll find thousands of revolutionaries across the country - many politically active for the first time - dedicated to this man and his message. Indeed, many of our staff members are similar to me - young idealists driven by raw passion and the deep conviction that people actually can make a difference in the world. That's no small feat when you're wrapped up in a media-driven process that leads people to vote for the candidate who is "mainstream," "plays the part," or "looks presidential."
And so, even though the primary campaign season may be winding down, this race will go well beyond the 2008 presidential election. My work, and the work of so many others like me, is just beginning.
Jonathan Bydlak '05 is the fundraising director for Ron Paul 2008 and graduated from Princeton with an A.B. in economics.