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HomerRamone

(1,112 posts)
Wed Jun 17, 2015, 12:12 PM Jun 2015

Hillary Clinton's unpaid intern limbo: a grassroots campaign of 'free help'

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jun/13/hillary-clinton-unpaid-summer-intern-campaign

“If Secretary Clinton wants to show she’s serious about economic opportunity for young people, that has to start with her campaign,” said Mikey Franklin of the Fair Pay Campaign.

“It’s wrong that they are not paid because they are giving their labor and labor should be compensated,” he said.

Franklin said the entire concept of an unpaid campaign fellowship program had raised wage issues dating back to the Obama campaign. Now, however, with fellows doing work “of value to the Clinton campaign which would otherwise be done by paid staff” and with “set hours, set responsibilities and a clear chain of command,” her operation had effectively blurred the lines between the privileged and the politically hopeful.

“If you need to work for free to get your foot in the door with the Clintons, you have be from a wealthy family,” said Franklin.

For all the distaste of experience people working for free, the 2016 presidential race may ultimately prove to represent a new market demand for political campaign jobs: veteran staffers said they saw more long-term career prospects after interning for Hillary Clinton than working as paid staffers for upstart candidates like Senator Bernie Sanders or former governor Martin O’Malley.

In the meantime, they’ll just have to figure out how to pay rent in Des Moines, Iowa.
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Hillary Clinton's unpaid intern limbo: a grassroots campaign of 'free help' (Original Post) HomerRamone Jun 2015 OP
Oh look... DURHAM D Jun 2015 #1
Headline: "Hillary gave all her money to charity" joeybee12 Jun 2015 #3
Hillary cannot dance around this line DonCoquixote Jun 2015 #2
Really? I've been volunteering to work on campaigns since MineralMan Jun 2015 #4
I would be totally amazed if there were no people working for free for the other candidates dsc Jun 2015 #5
EXPERIENCED campaign staff treated like college kids with no experience by a multi-millionaire HomerRamone Jun 2015 #6
I have to agree that this practice goes on too frequently olddots Jun 2015 #7
 

joeybee12

(56,177 posts)
3. Headline: "Hillary gave all her money to charity"
Wed Jun 17, 2015, 01:35 PM
Jun 2015

Interpretation on DU: "She'll do anything to avoid paying taxes!"

DonCoquixote

(13,616 posts)
2. Hillary cannot dance around this line
Wed Jun 17, 2015, 01:29 PM
Jun 2015

"Now, however, with fellows doing work “of value to the Clinton campaign which would otherwise be done by paid staff” and with “set hours, set responsibilities and a clear chain of command,” her operation had effectively blurred the lines between the privileged and the politically hopeful. "

In other words, this makes sure the dregs cannot afford to work with her and feed themselves.

MineralMan

(146,308 posts)
4. Really? I've been volunteering to work on campaigns since
Wed Jun 17, 2015, 01:35 PM
Jun 2015

1960. I've never been paid a penny for any of that work. It stands in for monetary contributions I can't afford to make. Nobody every called me an intern. I was a volunteer. Was I doing work someone might have been paid for? Sure. People were being paid to work for those campaigns, too. But I was a volunteer.

I've done all kinds of work for free for candidates, from toting campaign yard signs and installing them in supporters' yards to writing campaign website content. I've even done some speechwriting. All for no pay.

Why? Because I supported those candidates and wanted them to win their elections. Money they might have paid me went to things like advertising, travel expenses and other areas of the campaign. I was a volunteer.

dsc

(52,162 posts)
5. I would be totally amazed if there were no people working for free for the other candidates
Wed Jun 17, 2015, 01:42 PM
Jun 2015

It is a very, very, common practice that has gone on since the beginning of campaigns.

 

olddots

(10,237 posts)
7. I have to agree that this practice goes on too frequently
Wed Jun 17, 2015, 06:39 PM
Jun 2015

Hopefully it isn't going on with some very talented and non wealthy Bernie workers but I don't have that info .

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