No Illusions...plenty of illusions
The MoveOn campaign was not even a sure thing until maybe a week before I saw the Craigslist ad. Maybe it wasn’t a sure thing until two days before. Even after the deal was official, most of the details of “Leave No Voter Behind” – who, how, etc. – still wouldn’t be known for several more weeks.
But this office that I’d sauntered into had been up and running for more than three months. The staff I saw before me, many of them at least, had been working here already for longer than the entire time I would eventually be on the campaign myself. They’d seen rounds of staffers come through, work like crazy, and pass right on. They were weathered, experienced, cocky with confidence. While I’d been lurking in a basement and then frolicking with common-law bliss through Park Slope Yuppietopia, there were people out here in dingy rooms sweating and fighting to push the campaign forward, lay the groundwork, bring the pressure. I was already late to the front.
What I didn't know then was that this front was just the most recent battle, in part of a war that stretched back ages. The staff hadn't sprouted this demeanor spontaneously, out of the sheer pressure of the moment; they'd stepped into a tradition, assumed the stance handed down by generations -- it was a culture, one with longstanding rules, language, mores. It was bigger than all of us, even bigger than this election, and if you told me that then I would have probably been fine with it, as long as it gave me the opportunity...
* * *
Later, different directors would say that the majority of the interview is almost unnecessary – Laurie told me that within five minutes of seeing the group, she would be able to make a pretty good call as to who was right for the job. Josh and Mike told me that they were usually able to spot ‘em as early as the introductions, when everyone gives their reason for being there.
What is it they see? They see articulate people, intelligent people yes. but that’s not enough for the job. The something is essentially nonverbal; it’s a confidence, an inherent assertion, a willingness to accept anything to move toward the stated end.
That end being?
Why, justice for all…
Normally, perhaps this is a lofty, even madly intangible goal.
But in the summer of 2004 it had a shape, a feel, and a face.
But this office that I’d sauntered into had been up and running for more than three months. The staff I saw before me, many of them at least, had been working here already for longer than the entire time I would eventually be on the campaign myself. They’d seen rounds of staffers come through, work like crazy, and pass right on. They were weathered, experienced, cocky with confidence. While I’d been lurking in a basement and then frolicking with common-law bliss through Park Slope Yuppietopia, there were people out here in dingy rooms sweating and fighting to push the campaign forward, lay the groundwork, bring the pressure. I was already late to the front.
What I didn't know then was that this front was just the most recent battle, in part of a war that stretched back ages. The staff hadn't sprouted this demeanor spontaneously, out of the sheer pressure of the moment; they'd stepped into a tradition, assumed the stance handed down by generations -- it was a culture, one with longstanding rules, language, mores. It was bigger than all of us, even bigger than this election, and if you told me that then I would have probably been fine with it, as long as it gave me the opportunity...
* * *
Later, different directors would say that the majority of the interview is almost unnecessary – Laurie told me that within five minutes of seeing the group, she would be able to make a pretty good call as to who was right for the job. Josh and Mike told me that they were usually able to spot ‘em as early as the introductions, when everyone gives their reason for being there.
What is it they see? They see articulate people, intelligent people yes. but that’s not enough for the job. The something is essentially nonverbal; it’s a confidence, an inherent assertion, a willingness to accept anything to move toward the stated end.
That end being?
Why, justice for all…
Normally, perhaps this is a lofty, even madly intangible goal.
But in the summer of 2004 it had a shape, a feel, and a face.
posted by Greg Bloom at 4/25/2005 03:28:00 AM
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