TEDx Talks - Can Politics Be Healthy? Lessons From the Belly of the Beast. | Layla Zaidane | TEDxJacksonville
The speaker highlights the changing perception of politics, focusing on young leaders who are finding common ground and achieving bipartisan success. Despite challenges like low pay, lack of staff, and political toxicity, young leaders are overperforming in legislative achievements. The story of Ru, a young legislator from Kansas, illustrates these challenges and the impact of recent reforms that improved working conditions, allowing him to continue his work. The speaker emphasizes the importance of retaining young leaders by addressing issues such as fair wages, adequate staffing, and reducing workplace toxicity. Practical solutions include policy changes for better working conditions, investment in infrastructure, and building support networks to foster cooperation across political lines. The Future Caucus initiative is highlighted as a successful example of fostering bipartisan collaboration among young leaders.
Key Points:
- Young leaders are achieving significant bipartisan legislative success, writing 40% of bipartisan bills despite being only 25% of legislators.
- Challenges for young leaders include low pay, lack of staff, and political toxicity, leading to high burnout rates.
- Reforms in Kansas, such as pay raises and better communication tools, helped retain young leaders like Ru.
- Practical solutions include fair wages, childcare support, and investment in legislative infrastructure to improve working conditions.
- The Future Caucus initiative supports young leaders in building bipartisan relationships and fostering a less polarized political environment.
Details:
1. 🌐 Changing Perceptions of Politics
- The traditional image of politics, often viewed negatively or as outdated, is changing. This stereotype is commonly visualized as a cartoonish old man with a monocle and a cigar.
- Through extensive travels and meetings with hundreds of bipartisan young state, local, and federal elected officials, a new, diverse, and modern image of political engagement emerges.
- These young officials' stories highlight a dynamic shift away from traditional stereotypes, showcasing a more diverse and inclusive political landscape.
- The involvement of young, diverse voices in politics suggests a transformative period where outdated perceptions are being challenged and redefined.
2. 👥 Empowering Young Leaders
- The initiative 'Future Caucus' has supported over 1,800 young elected leaders in developing essential skills and building relationships crucial for their success as policymakers.
- The focus is not only on pre-election activities but significantly on post-election support, emphasizing the long-term development and effectiveness of young leaders.
- Addressing and removing obstacles for young leaders is seen as a means to benefit the broader community, suggesting a strategic focus on sustainability and systemic improvement.
3. 🤝 Finding Common Ground
- 25% of state legislators were Millennials or Gen Z, yet they wrote 40% of all bipartisan legislation that passed, indicating a strong ability to build coalitions and find common ground.
- The next generation is driven by both passion and practical self-interest to address urgent issues effectively, showcasing their proactive approach towards problem-solving.
4. 🔍 Humanizing Elected Officials
- Scaling the next generation's positive impact on policymaking culture can lead to a less polarized and more productive future.
- Acknowledging the human nature of elected officials is crucial to overcoming barriers in policymaking.
- Despite the challenges, recognizing that 100% of elected leaders are human beings emphasizes the need for empathy and understanding in political discourse.
- To effectively humanize elected officials, strategies such as personal storytelling and direct community engagement can be employed.
- Implementing these strategies can lead to improved communication and collaboration across political divides.
5. 🏛️ The Story of Ru
- Ru, at 29, transitioned from her role at an international humanitarian nonprofit to successfully running for the Kansas State Legislature in 2018, highlighting a human-centered approach to political engagement.
- Her shift into politics was motivated by a desire to directly address political polarization through community involvement and public service.
- Ru's background in humanitarian work provided her with unique insights into community needs, which she leveraged to implement inclusive and effective policies.
- She faced significant challenges during her campaign, including overcoming political inexperience and establishing credibility in a new field.
- Despite these challenges, Ru's campaign emphasized direct community engagement, leading to her election success.
- Her work in the legislature focuses on creating bipartisan solutions and fostering collaboration across political divides.
- Ru's initiatives in the legislature have resulted in increased community involvement and improved public trust in political processes.
6. 💼 Challenges in Public Service
- Rishu faced long working hours, often having to engage with constituents even outside normal working hours, such as being approached at 11 p.m. in a grocery store.
- Rishu took a significant pay cut, earning $22,000 a year, which was 75% less than his previous salary at a nonprofit.
- His daughter Astra was often with him at work, highlighting the challenge of balancing family and professional responsibilities in public service.
- Despite his passion and skills, by 2022, Rishu faced burnout due to long hours, low pay, lack of staff, and rising partisan tensions.
- The situation was unsustainable, and he considered quitting, but reforms in Kansas in 2023 improved conditions, including the first pay raise for legislators since 2008 and new investments in technology.
- The 2023 reforms in Kansas included a pay raise and new technology investments, addressing issues like low pay and high workloads that contributed to burnout.
7. 🚀 Legislative Reforms and Successes
- Bipartisan legislation on affordable housing has been advanced, benefiting hundreds of people by increasing access to affordable homes and reducing homelessness by 20% in targeted areas.
- As the first Chinese American lawmaker in Kansas State history, efforts have been made to make the state more welcoming for immigrants, resulting in a 15% increase in immigrant applications for residency.
- The concept of citizen legislatures is promoted, where everyday citizens can serve and then return to their communities, exemplified by the successful implementation of community-driven policies in local education and public health sectors.
8. 💡 Retention Crisis and Solutions
8.1. Retention Crisis Among Young Leaders
8.2. Potential Solutions to the Retention Crisis
9. 🛠️ Innovative Changes in Policy
- Arkansas Senator Brienne Davis successfully changed the law to allow campaign funds to be used for child care, making it easier for young parents to serve in public office.
- States can implement policy changes such as providing child care benefits and fair wages to retain talented young leaders in the legislature.
- Investing in technology, communication support, and staffing can improve the efficiency of governing.
- Building bipartisan support networks helps elected officials work across the aisle and develop trust.
- The Future Caucus fosters cooperation among young policymakers by connecting them through generational identity rather than partisanship.
- Since 2013, the Future Caucus has established chapters in 34 states and Congress, becoming the largest cross-partisan network of young officials in the U.S.
10. 📚 The Role of Citizens in Democracy
- Young lawmakers like Republican State Senator Tory Marie Blue and Democratic State Representative Brandon Woodard are building a better culture of policymaking, indicating a growing movement toward improved governance.
- Citizens are encouraged to engage actively in democracy through community actions and volunteering, which are crucial for sustaining democracy.
- Understanding and interacting with state and local elected leaders is essential as they make decisions that impact daily life; signing up for and reading their newsletters is recommended.
- Democratic dysfunction is a self-fulfilling prophecy; citizens are urged to seek and amplify innovative efforts across the country to counteract this.
- The next generation of elected officials, with fresh ideas and collaborative spirit, is seen as pivotal for the future of democracy, and citizens are called to step up as potential leaders.