Would You Ever Want to Be a Politician?

Would you ever want to hold or seek an elected office in the government? Why or why not? What do you think would be the most rewarding or challenging aspects of holding political office? Do you consider being a politician an important or honorable job?

According to the Pew Research Center, public trust in government is at near-record lows. Less than 20 percent of Americans say that they trust Washington lawmakers to do what is right most of the time or always. Do you have trust in your local, state and federal lawmakers to make a positive difference in the lives of their constituents?

In “The Exit Interviews: 12 Departing Lawmakers Tell Us What Congress Is Really Like,” The New York Times posed the same eight questions to House and Senate members in both parties who are on the way out, looking for patterns and prescriptions to get a handle on Washington.

Here are some of the Congress members’ answers:

What’s one word you would use to describe Congress today?

“Dysfunctional.”
— Representative Anna G. Eshoo, Democrat of California

“Chaotic.”
— Representative Dan Kildee, Democrat of Michigan

“Tense.”
— Representative Ken Buck, Republican of Colorado

“Difficult.”
— Representative Tony Cárdenas, Democrat of California

“Misunderstood. The misunderstanding is that people are purposefully trying to not accomplish goals on behalf of the American people. That’s just not true.”
— Representative Larry Bucshon, Republican of Indiana

What’s the best perk of the job?

“To me, the best part of this job is the fact of who you get to be with everyday.”
— Senator Benjamin L. Cardin, Democrat of Maryland

“The house gym is great.”
— Representative Ken Buck, Republican of Colorado

“The first time I went to the White House and met the president of the United States, I was really over the moon.”
— Representative Anna G. Eshoo, Democrat of California

“The most amazing part of my job as a United States congressman is every time I am driving up to the Capitol and I see that beautiful, iconic dome.”
— Representative Tony Cárdenas, Democrat of California

Did you make a difference?

“I really feel like I was able to make a difference.”
— Representative Doug Lamborn, Republican of Colorado

“66 bills”
— Representative Anna G. Eshoo, Democrat of California

“Hundreds of amendments.”
— Representative Doug Lamborn, Republican of Colorado

“Solve the surprise medical billing problem.”
— Representative Larry Bucshon, Republican of Indiana

“Expanding rural broadband.”
— Representative Derek Kilmer, Democrat of Washington

“Helped write a bipartisan infrastructure bill that has the biggest investment ever in climate provisions.”
— Senator Thomas R. Carper, Democrat of Delaware

Students, read the entire article and watch all of the short video interviews, and then tell us:

• Would you ever want to serve in Congress or become a politician? If so, why? Would you like to serve on the local, state or federal level? Would you like to be a mayor, a member of Congress or the president?

• What is your reaction to The Times’s video interviews with House and Senate members who are leaving Congress? Many lawmakers described Washington as “dysfunctional,” while Representative Larry Bucshon, Democrat of Indiana, used the word “misunderstood.” What did you learn about serving in Congress? Which statements were most surprising?

• Despite what they characterized as chaos and dysfunction in Washington, many of the lawmakers said that they had made a real difference in the lives of Americans. After watching the interviews, what do you think are the best and most challenging parts of being a politician? Did any of their remarks change your understanding about a career in public service?

• If you had the opportunity to conduct a similar interview, what questions would you want to ask a politician? What would you hope to find out?

• With trust in government at near-record lows, how might more people — especially young people — be persuaded to pursue a career in politics? What would you say to convince them that being a politician was an important job?

Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public and may appear in print.

Find more Student Opinion questions here. Teachers, check out this guide to learn how you can incorporate these prompts into your classroom.