Scalia: Democrats and Republicans should be more like brothers and sisters

 

 

 

by Kathryn Anderson and Kusum Aryal

Long time political advocate Derek Scalia believes that Democrats and Republicans should work together instead of treating elections “like a football match.”

During a keynote briefing with the Presidency and the Press program, Scalia discussed how politicians and campaign workers forget the true meaning of elections. “We become so focused on the end result, we forget how we really engage in democracy,” he said.

Scalia explainedhow he feels that the true meaning of politics is being lost within the animosity  between sides. “We don’t have to use demeaning rhetoric and mock a person for how they look. Republicans and Democrats are brothers and sisters,” he said.

Scalia’s career in politics began as a senior in high school volunteering for Al Gore’s presidential campaign in 2000. After working on several different campaigns, he began to advocate for disability rights and people in poverty.

This work fed a “deeper flame” that he had within him. “There is a passion, there’s a real energy about politics and that’s what drew me in deeper,” he said. “It can have that Superbowl type feeling of that your team is winning.”

Scalia believes that there is more to politics than winning and losing. He said, “When really engaging with people you are engaging with the deep level of democracy.”