It is the classic back-to-school conversation starter.
“What did you do this summer?”
You probably know the typical answers. Worked. Went on vacation. Went out a lot. Took a few classes.
As I decided what I wanted to do with the three months of down time I would have this summer, going on vacations and taking a class just did not seem appealing to me. I wanted something that would challenge me and change my view of the world. I ended up spending the majority of my summer volunteering for Sen. Roy Blunt’s reelection campaign in Missouri. It changed my view of politics and it changed my view of the world.
I had the honor of working for a man who puts people first and embodies the values of the people he represents. I remember July 4, when he was walking with campaign volunteers in an Independence Day Parade in suburban St. Louis. It was a wet, long parade, and the friends I brought with me woke up at 6 a.m. to walk in a long parade and on a rainy day. A lot of politicians might cancel and go to a sunnier part of the state. Roy Blunt did not. He was there, welcoming every single volunteer with a handshake and introduction. It was a display of character and humility that I saw from him so many times on the campaign trail. Roy Blunt might work for the state of Missouri in Washington, D.C., but his roots are still in the humble values of Southwest Missouri.
In an election year full of candidates that have record low ratings on qualities like likeability and honesty, many, especially young Americans, wonder: “Do good politicians exist?” I can tell you from the summer I spent immersed in Missouri politics that they do. In a world driven by wall-to-wall media coverage and relentless cynicism, it is easy to go along with the deception that all “career politicians” are people who have no idea and could care less about what their constituents struggle with. I found the importance of politicians putting people first volunteering for Roy Blunt’s campaign, and I got to know so many others at the local, state and national levels. So, next time you hear about how horrible politicians are, don’t fall into that trap of distrust and suspicion some would want you to believe. Instead, look at the facts. Look for what they have fought for. You might not agree with it, but that does not automatically make them corrupt and horrible people.
Patrick Waters is a sophomore Accounting major from St. Louis, Missouri.
