Conversations W/ Our Interns: Gabe
We’re back with the third and final installment of our Future Now Fund intern series. Gabe taught us that activated 20-somethings know a lot, care a lot and want to do a lot. Whether it’s making his own pasta from scratch or volunteering his time to make our country a better place, Gabe isn’t content to let others do the heavy lifting. He is going to get his hands dirty and fight for what’s right. He’s inspired us and we know he can inspire his peers as well.
So meet Gabe. A lightly edited transcript follows.
Q: How did we get so lucky to find an intern like you?
A: I wanted to work in politics for a long time, so this seemed like a really natural step toward that goal. I’ve really come to appreciate the organization’s focus on state politics. That’s not really where my awareness was before — but it is now. I think the states are the most important theater of politics because Washington has become mostly a political thing. Congress is so often just this area where each party is making their case to the public, rather than actually legislating. And that belies the fact that a lot of policies that affect people’s daily lives in really, really profound ways are being passed everyday in the states — whether its a minimum wage increase, Medicaid expansion, or pain points like bathroom bills, voter ID laws and redistricting. These are things that you don’t really hear about on CNN or MSNBC or Fox News — and they are really, really, really important.
Q: Why should others sing the #WhyStatesMatter gospel?
A: I think that there’s a really strong case to be made for states being laboratories for good policies. That’s why we have Obamacare and that’s how we’ve gotten any range of policies, whether they’re good or bad. A lot of people in my life don’t even know the name of their State Senator or State Representative. So my case to my friends and my family is: this is going to affect your life.
Q: When you watch cable news, or scroll through Twitter, or read The Washington Post, do you feel hopeful?
A: No, not at all.
Q: What about when you’re at the FNF office?
A: Much more. I feel like we’re doing something positive, rather than just like complaining. I think it’s going to have an impact. I really hope so, at least. I tend to be superstitious about calling shots in the future, but I think we have a real chance to help Maine, for example, get a Democratic trifecta that’s going to do a lot of really important work. I think we have a chance to break the supermajority in North Carolina, and that’s going to make it a lot easier for Governor Roy Cooper to operate. It makes me feel happy and hopeful that I can say that I’ve learned from and contributed to an organization that is trying to change something for the better.
Q: Is FNF special? You’re already leaving us for an amazing new job, so you have nothing to lose by being honest.
A: First, I think that our approach has been really strong. I think the way that we’re using data to select target districts has been outstanding. I also think that America’s Goals are a really powerful tool. Something that gets me really excited about the organization is the fact that it’s not just about combating the current majorities in statehouses across the country, it’s about these ideas that are worth working towards and worth fighting for.
Q: What are you excited for us to do next?
A: I’m excited to see what happens once there are bunch of people who we helped get elected across the country who can work together to implement policies and respond to issues as they come up. That is something that I’d like to see a lot more from institutional groups like the Democratic Party. I think that’s something that we’re doing really well.
