Any Political Consultants out there? I need some career advice.

[UCLA Dem]

I am currently a grad student working on my Master's in Public Policy. I was wondering if there were any political consultants who could tell me more about what they do and how to get started.

I need to find an internship and I would like to do so in a Democratic consulting firm. If anyone has some insight it would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

[WilliamPitt]

1. Depends on what you want to do and who you want to do it for

If you want to work for the big dogs who may actually win something, be prepared to fetch a lot of coffee in firms like Shrumm's before getting a shot. You'll learn how to run a national campaign without offending anyone or saying anything especially relevant. But you might actually help a winning campaign.

If you want to work for doomed footnotes who believe what you believe and really want to shake things up, it's actually not hard. Dive in, volunteer, write position papers and just hand them over to the campaign manager, who will be sharing the desk next to you in the beat-ass headquarters they rented from the Indian restaurant that went out of business three months ago. You'll never ever ever ever win (maybe) but you will sleep better.

[UCLA Dem]

2. Thanks. Do you know of any big CA firms I can look into?

[tkmorris]

3. Yikes (nt)

I was kinda hoping you'd stay ideologically pure myself. Not my business though I guess.

[UCLA Dem]

5. I'm looking into all my options right now. I've just started exploring.

I feel like I need to learn the game before I can actually help so more "ideologically pure" candidates win.

[tavalon]

8. That's a very good point n/t

[WilliamPitt]

4. I'm on the wrong coast

but the Dem party is srtong in California, particularly in LA and in NorCal. Here's a start, tho:

http://search.dmoz.org/cgi-bin/search?search=california&all=no&cs=UTF-8&cat=Society%2FPolitics%2FConsultants

[UCLA Dem]

6. Thanks!

[eridani]

7. How does that explain Bernie Sanders and Paul Wellstone?

There's lots to be said in favor of picking up street cred by being effective in local office. Or successful issue campaigns, for that matter. A couple of our local pols can claim recognition on the basis of "Isn't he that guy that got the sales tax off of food?" or "Wasn't she the one who got the junk food contracts cancelled in the public schools?"