Should People Still Run for Office?

UnfairNation

It’s been a while since I recorded an episode, so apologies for that, but I think you’re going to like the changes we’ve made over the last few months. First, I’m making episodes a little shorter - just the right length to listen to on a three mile run, and because this podcast is a great cure for insomnia, you can also use it to knock out at night.

Second, we’re now recording UnfairNation at Arizona State University’s beautiful and historic Herald Examiner Building in downtown Los Angeles. As some of you may know, I run The Difference Engine at Arizona State University, where we build products communities can use to reduce inequality.

I’ll be sharing more information about our work later in the year, and also introducing you to the students who will help research the content for this podcast as well as edit and produce it. In the meantime, I want to give a shoutout to Aubrey Hicks, The Engine’s Chief of Staff, who helped produce and organize this episode.

So! On to Dulce! I met Dulce when I first started at ASU. She’s got more energy than almost anyone I know and she was one of the first supporters (and currently serves as the first fellow) at the Difference Engine. Last year, she announced her candidacy for Los Angeles City Council District 9 and by all accounts ran a stellar grassroots campaign to unseat an incumbent politician. Despite her tremendous efforts and those of her team, she failed to unseat him.

In her quest for political office are important lessons for those thinking of running. The electoral system in this currently has been inherently unfair since this country’s founding, and because the system is so tilted, many people today think that running for office is one of the last ways to influence positive public policy change.

But, as you’ll hear, despite acknowledging and agreeing with the cynics, despite her own loss, Dulce remains steadfastly positive about the electoral system.

So let’s listen to Dulce and her views on why local politics are still inequitable, what we can all do to make things less unfair and why she still thinks people (especially women) should run for office.
Dulce talked about:

• Learn more about Democracy Vouchers


• Learn more about Emerge America

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.unfairnation.com