Elissa Slotkin tells students like me not to work in government. Dont listen to her

Last week, Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin came to the University of Chicago to send a message to young conservatives: stay out of government, or else.

The visit came with little attention initially. Senator Slotkin chose her words carefully. She talked about fighting for the middle class, criticized President Trumps economic policies, and kept her name in the running for president in 2028.

But, buried between her typical politician-speak, she made a clear threat towards young conservatives. Asked whether she wanted to impeach the president, she pivoted and spoke of effectiveness. She thought the 67-vote threshold for conviction in the Senate was too hard to meet, so instead the best course of action would be to go after the people around the president. That way, young people who may be interested in working in the Trump administration would say, "Lord, that might be buying myself a ton of problems that I dont want, so let me avoid participating in that."

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That threat felt personal to me. When I was in high school, I served as a United States Senate Page. For those unfamiliar with the program, it selects thirty juniors from across the country to spend a semester going to school and working in the Senate. I did my math homework on the Senate floor when Congress was out of session and ran around delivering messages and papers during session. I made many of my closest friends during that program, few of whom share my viewpoints on politics. And I gained a deep respect for the body I worked for.

When I completed the program, my friends and family asked me whether I felt more optimistic or pessimistic about our government. The news coming out of Washington was so bad, they just assumed it would be pessimistic; they were interested in stories about senators yelling at one another and fighting to the death in meaningless partisan battles.

But I came out of that program more optimistic than ever. Top of the list of reasons was that no matter their political allegiance, senators encouraged us — a group of impressionable high schoolers — to go into politics and make our voices heard. I was excited about the prospect that I could really make a difference in the future of our country.

Hearing Senator Slotkins comments, I am left wondering whether that impression was incorrect.

But, I choose to believe that the United States Senate can still be the worlds greatest deliberative body and that young people can, in fact, have a say in our shared future. Senator Slotkins remarks should be an exception to how the Senate operates, not the rule.

Thankfully, her threat could not have come at a more prescient time. The midterms are only two weeks away. Senator Slotkins words are not empty; they are a gameplan for what Democrats will do if they retake power in Congress this November. Unfortunately, running that gameplan will come at the expense of young men and women interested in serving their country. More still, in that very same discussion Senator Slotkin left the door open to running for president in 2028. It