Opposition

Scott Hardie | August 12, 2016
Under what circumstances would you be willing to work on the campaign of a candidate who you detested? I don't mean volunteering; I mean being a paid staffer.

Steve West | August 12, 2016
Not a chance, Too many jobs available for perhaps less money but my integrity, self-respect and dignity have value themselves.

Samir Mehta | August 12, 2016
[hidden by request]

Scott Hardie | August 13, 2016
I intended it as the last of the three, but interpret it however you'd like. Presumably in this scenario you would have some skills that are useful enough to the campaign for them to pay you.

I'm curious whether 1) you consider there to be a moral failure in working for a campaign that you didn't believe in, and 2) you would be mercenary and/or apolitical enough to take your skills wherever you could apply them. ("Mercenary" is a negative term but I don't really mean it that way.)

I could work on an opposition campaign, working for a side that I don't really agree with. I'd probably learn new skills and definitely make new connections. But there are indeed certain candidates who I find so reprehensible that I would have to draw a line. At the risk of bashing him further after other recent references, one of these candidates is running for president right now.

It's moot, really. Loyalty is critical in politics, and opposition campaigns are a red flag on your resum´. Even if you flipped sides and successfully got hired for this scenario, it would hurt your chances of working again in the future.