"Dear White Staffers" Isn't New to Political Chaos

Politics are, and have been, chaotic, depressing, and disheartening. News alerts pop up seemingly every minute with more jaw-dropping, heart-wrenching, horrifying updates by the ping. In Connecticut, it can feel like we have little influence over what goes down in Washington, DC. Yes, we should all be more involved in local politics, but it feels like our state will go blue, stick with the neolib politics of the richest in Connecticut, and be on our way.

@dearwhitestaffers is who we at Connecticunt and many of our mutuals rely on for insight into what is happening in Washington, DC. The account is run by a staffer who started working on the Hill in 2016. At the time, he didn't see the sort of Capitol Hill meme accounts that provided a perspective similar to his - no one who was talking about being a person of color, how little they’re paid, what it feels like to be surrounded by more and more far-right Republicans who openly want to take away your rights. He also saw a lot of fellow staffers who liked to think of themselves as people who exist in the version of the “before times” of Trump, as he describes it, “like West Wing people who are not Republicans or Democrats, we’re Americans.” All the while, harmful policies are being pushed out by representatives about immigrants, trans people, and different communities that are written by 22-year-olds on the Hill.

He also saw Democrats not responding online and in legislation to the Trump administration. He did not see Democrats as offering an alternative and creating a more inclusive world. Seeing that play out in person at the Capitol was “very radicalizing, depressing, frustrating, and isolating.”

So he started @dearwhitestaffers as a way to organize staffers, find community amid despair, and share with other people on the Hill that there are others like them working at the Capitol and around the country who want a government in the United States that is very different from what we have now.

A lot has happened in the past two weeks: Netanyahu spoke at the Capitol while representatives gave a standing ovation for a Palestinian genocide, President Joe Biden stepped down, Kamala Harris became the defacto nominee, and there was an assassination attempt on former President Trump. I spoke with @dearwhitestaffers to get a pulse on what is happening in DC and what CT can apply to our organizing here.

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Dear White Staffers (DWS): I think this has been the most chaotic, intense ten months since October I've ever witnessed on Capitol Hill. I'm sure many people have never experienced something like this: you've got this ongoing genocide, a ton of new energy into an anti-war movement that is very intersectional, very young, and incredibly organized, and then you have this backdrop of the national politics where Joe Biden's supposed to run against Trump. And we're all just sitting there, feeling a little powerless. This weird, ambient dread for the last several months. It brought up a lot of different feelings. I felt like the left didn't have a lot of places to go during this whole Biden question. Many of my friends are unironically coconut-pilled and were posting about Kamala Harris. At the same time, I feel like we quickly moved on from the assassination attempt of Donald Trump, which is nuts. It’s starting to fade away.

Connecticunt (CT): What do you think people aren’t discussing when brushing it over?

DWS: We’re not processing how deified Donald Trump is. How many other possible attempts that there may have been? This 20-year-old shooter was 12 when Trump was elected. How does someone that young get so radicalized? I think that speaks volumes about where we are as a society.

Like crap. This kid didn't have any support, resources, or community. It’s also a gun access issue, but also, how many other young men are falling through the cracks like this that are that close to doing something so drastic or harmful?

There’s not just one kid in western Pennsylvania; there are probably kids like that who are so close to the edge all over the place, and that's scary.

CTCUNT: What’s keeping you going in these scary times?

DWS: I'm holding out some hope that Kamala is marginally better than Joe Biden, and hopefully, her vice president pick will be the least bad option for the people being considered.

I think what's giving me hope right now is that there are way more people today who are active in politics. The genocide in Gaza is an incredible activating moment for people, and I think a lot of these antiwar groups and Jewish groups are doing an excellent job with messaging, being very intersectional and intentional about how they're approaching all of this.

CTCUNT: Do you think you're going to continue being a staffer?

DWS: I want to continue to organize. It's not even the job, it’s not working for a specific member of Congress. I want to work here to organize and be on the ground.

I mean, it sucks. There are days where I'm like, this whole political world sucks, and I want to do something completely different, like move to the woods or desert or something.

But I want to stay a little bit longer. If Trump wins, I honestly don't know anyone on the Hill right now who was here during the first Trump term. There’s high burnout, so the average stagger tenure on the Hill is two years, max. They leave to get a different job or go to grad school. I would want to be here to help organize around that because I remember being here for all that shit. Hopefully, I don't have to do that.

CTCUNT: In a state like CT, it can feel like, well, Fairfield County and money moves politics, and we’ll go blue no matter what, so the average person may feel like their actions don’t matter. Any thoughts on mobilization in areas outside of DC?

DWS: I understand that and how it might make people feel apathetic. That’s a valid perspective. I feel that way sometimes, too. But I think school boards and city council seats can be mobilized on a state or local level.

Also, I know it’s cliche, but calling your representatives helps. I know it's silly to hear sometimes, and it feels very Schoolhouse Rock, but they do tally all these calls and letters. I think that it does matter, and representatives do see it.

And then, whenever you can, I try to go out of my way to talk to my neighbors. Like asking in neighborhood group chats like, there’s a little too much police over here, what do y’all think?

CTCUNT: It’s funny you say that because my second-floor neighbors put a huge Trump flag on our shared apartment building.

DWS: When I moved to DC, my upstairs neighbor was like a Trump staffer. He was an Army veteran, had a massive white truck, looked cartoonish. But I extended a lot of kindness towards him. I don't have to be outwardly mean because we live so close to each other, but also, if we let our guards down, hopefully, he sees my humanity. Maybe that’s very aspirational and nonsensical, but I'd like to think that if he can see some of that kindness or grace, he might return it.

It’s weird, and sometimes you can’t change people’s minds. But I think many supporters don’t believe in some of this stuff. They kind of feel isolated and want an identity. You want to feel belonging. You want to feel seen and understood, and you weren't receiving that wherever you came from.

There are a lot of people who are for sure fascists and hate a lot of people. But sometimes, it’s just a weak identity.

To see more from Dear White Staffers check out @dearwhitestaffers on Instagram