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I remember WAY back in August when I first heard about the leader in the field project. I thought it would be easy. Honestly, how hard could it be to send someone a list of questions? It turned out to be a lot more difficult than I had originally thought.
I started off the semester as an “undeclared petroleum engineer,” but later realized this was not my calling. After much deliberation, I changed my major and declared myself to be a political science major. I realized that I liked helping people and as a politician, I could help people on a major scale. All that was left for the project was to find a politician who shared my values.
After much searching, I found Brad Carson. Brad Carson served in the the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2005. He’s only forty-three and you can already see that he’ll be important to this country in the future.
My next dilemma was, “What questions do I have for a politician of this level?” I came up with a few and contacted his assistant. His team was very quick to respond and were very courteous. They answered all of my questions which are as follows:
Q) What motivated you to want to be a politician?
A) From an early age, I had an interest in politics. I loved hearing about what was happening all around the world and I dreamt of being able to affect the world in some way.
Q)What does it take to be a politician?
A) You have to be able to move the general public. Explain to them what you believe in in an intelligent manner and allow them to form their own decisions. Don't try to pressure them into believing what you do because, that's the beauty of our society; everyone gets to make their own decisions!
Q)What, in your opinion, is the most important attribute someone can have as a politician?
A) Patience. More times than not, whatever you might be fighting for will be rejected before it really has a chance. Also, this job focuses, for the most part, on long term changes. You have to have the patience and resolution to see your project through until the end.
Q)What traits do you think it takes to be a successful leader?
A) I believe a good leader has patience, intelligence, charisma and have the ability to remain calm in times of stress. If a leader isn't intelligent, why should he be able to run institutions or create laws that will affect thousands of people? A leader also needs charisma because he leads by example. Lastly, being a leader means that there will be times where you feel like the whole world is against you. Being able to deal with this stress effectively and move past it is what defines a true leader.
Q)What advice would you give to someone looking for a career in politics?
A) Be ready for long nights, thousands of coffee runs and receiving little to no praise for your efforts. Like any leadership position, it must be earned. You'll start your career at the bottom, but if you believe in what you're doing and stick to it, someday you'll be in a position to change the world.
Overall, I believe Brad Carson is a great leader in politics. I was honored to have someone who has been in the House of Representatives answer my questions, which I’m sure seemed remedial to other questions he is probably asked on a daily basis.
Link for more info on Brad Carson:
http://www.ontheissues.org/AVA/House/Brad_Carson.htm
