Presidential candidates refuse to pay interns... Except Bernie, who pays his

[Bubzer]

Actions speak louder than empty words and platitudes.

although many of the leading candidates for president bemoan the eroding middle class and rising social inequality, they seem to suffer from cognitive dissonance when it comes to unpaid internships.

In August, Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton tweeted an application for unpaid interns, requiring a résumé and two letters of reference. Just a few days later, she was posting about the student debt crisis.

On the Republican side, former Florida governor Jeb Bush has called the opportunity gap “the defining issue of our time,” and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) has railed against “upward-mobility stagnation.” Like Clinton, both of them have proposals to reduce student debt. Even retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson wants public universities to pay the interest on student loans, while business mogul Donald Trump has accused the federal government of profiting off students.

But of the 16 candidates running for president, only one pays his interns: Sen. Bernie Sanders

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/presidential-candidates-ignore-the-costs-of-unpaid-internships/2015/12/03/07436850-99d6-11e5-94f0-9eeaff906ef3_story.html?postshare=5711449201485102&tid=ss_fb

[firebrand80]

1. Why not $15/hr?

But of the 16 candidates running for president, only one pays his interns: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), at $10.10 an hour

[Bubzer]

8. You mean versus the absolute lack of pay by the likes of hillary?

[blackspade]

54. Fresh thinking is apparently not a Third Way strong suit....

[Bubzer]

56. Guess not.

But I might know what is......... ▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼

[roguevalley]

59. 12$ per hr. Clinton pays nothing

Because queens don't pay

[rhett o rick]

102. When you are trying to be the first responder in a thread you don't have time to think of a good

response.

[TM99]

12. This has been explained so much

it is almost comical.

$15.00 an hour BY 2020 is what Sanders put forth. $10.10 an hour is above the CURRENT minimum wage AND is better than WORKING FOR FREE which is what your candidate supports.

Go it now?

[valerief]

32. They never will. They'll continue to demonize Bernie for paying interns. nt

[TM99]

37. Projection as a defense mechanism

against a very unpleasant truth and equally unpopular candidate.

Par for the course in both parties these days, it is.

[Buzz Clik]

45. +1

[leftofcool]

2. Well, here is the deal.

Volunteering as an unpaid intern for the next potential President looks damn good on a resume and gets you a job. I know someone doing just this and has already had 6 job offers and as soon as the election is over, she will get to choose exactly where she wants to go with it.

[el_bryanto]

3. Yep and it ensures that the people who have the financial wherewithal to work for free for months

continue to have a leg up over those who have to work.

Bryant

[leftofcool]

5. Wrong again!

She is being supported by lower middle class income parents, some help from grand parents as well as a few people who believe in her future including us. Try again.

[TM99]

11. So she does have financial wherewithal.

Last edited Fri Dec 4, 2015, 03:08 PM - Edit history (1)

She has support not only from her parents and grandparents but y'all and some other family friends.

Many do not have even that so yes, she has a leg up over others and can afford to do a job for free.

[intersectionality]

49. That was an impressive misunderstanding

Of this entire situation. Keep crushin TM99.

[Nitram]

66. Keep crushin?

Is that what passes for intelligent conversation in these parts?

[intersectionality]

117. Love the smell of elitism in the morning!!

Nt

[TM99]

71. Who are you?

[intersectionality]

116. Just some progressive from nyc

Who started working on campaigns starting with de blasios run for public advocate. Not into random props? I find the generic +1s a little boring.

[Bubzer]

9. You're on target. No one who doesn't have some additional support could afford such a position.

Not exactly supportive of the average American is it?

[Renew Deal]

72. This is dues paying for young professionals

Paying your dues builds connections, relationships, and character.

[Bubzer]

74. Dues? And what exactly do these students owe? Hmmm? Thats GOP thinking there.

Building relationships, and character is all bullshit excuses for justifying slave labor. It doesn't pay the bills. Might as well be offering an artist "exposure" for their hard-won skills. Pure bunk.

Read post #30

[Renew Deal]

78. The choice between taking an unpaid internship with Hillary and a paid internship with Bernie is up

to the interns. A Hillary internship will sparkle on a resume. Sanders is paying for interns because he has to.

A Hillary internship pays the bills long term both in terms of opportunity for a gov't job and resume prestige. A Sanders intership is about as valuable as a Sanders button (unless he wins). If he wins, then a Sanders internship opens up the gov't job route, but a Hillary internship will always include resume prestige. It's less risky.

[Bubzer]

81. I can see it now, 2/3rds of hillary's interns trying to pay bills with resume prestige...

Ought to work out real well...

[Renew Deal]

83. It worked out very well for Obama interns.

Probably less so for Romney interns.

I feel like this argument is a little bit of denial of reality.

Another thing to consider that we didn't talk about is that a lot of these kids want to do important/good work serving the public. They feel government is the best chance to help people and this is their way in.

But patronage is a big part of politics. A Democrat winning in 2016 is good for many of the people currently employeed. A Republican winning is bad. You're living at the whims of the voters.

[Bubzer]

85. Having a desire to do important work doesn't negate hillary's hypocrisy on the issue.

She said she wanted to help students. That sounds great. Actions, however, are MIA.

The reality is this; she could afford to pay her interns. She chose not to. Her opponent chose to pay his interns... and contrary to your unsubstantiated claim earlier, Bernie has no shortage of willing volunteers.

She will look bad by comparison. There's no getting around that.

[Babel_17]

103. That's an issue in the Capitol

http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurareston/2015/06/24/unpaid-interns-are-a-fact-of-life-on-capitol-hill-not-just-in-the-clinton-campaign/

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/08/how-the-senate-exploits-unpaid-interns/279111/

Their chart shows Sanders with one, who gets paid. Bucking the trend.

[NurseJackie]

4. I wonder if the number of job offers will vary depending on the candidate who was supported.

Are the interns for a winning (or popular) candidate more likely to receive the most prestigious or highest-paying offers?

[leftofcool]

6. I doubt it

As far as I know, none of the job offers have anything to do with politics or anything to do with Government. What she was told by one company is that since she is capable of working for someone like HRC, she would be a capable, loyal and steady employee. Something to that effect.

[Bubzer]

7. That's actually a rather interesting question. One I'd like to know the answer to as well.

[leftofcool]

10. Already answered.

[Bubzer]

15. Except I dont accept you as the authority on the topic. Sorry.

If you have evidence to support your statement, I'll happily look at it.

[leftofcool]

19. Sorry, I wouldn't dream of giving out my God Daughter's private information.

Suffice it to say that she is happy doing what she is doing, she has mega family support, she has a great resume and job offers. Sorry you aren't having as good an experience in your internship.

[Bubzer]

20. I wouldn't dream of asking for your God Daughter's private information.

Surely if what you claim is true, there must be information you can find somewhere online and post the link here.

"Sorry you aren't having as good an experience in your internship." - Please stop presuming you know anything about my status... it borders on being offensive.

[leftofcool]

22. You might try Googling information on unpaid interns and resumes/potential job offers

I am not concerned enough about political interns to worry about it. They are voluntary positions so it isn't as though anyone is dragged kicking and screaming into an unpaid position.

[Bubzer]

23. I could... but it's not my job to defend the claim I challenged you on.

If you're unable or unwilling to prove your statement when challenged , then you cannot reasonably expect people to take your stance seriously.

[leftofcool]

25. No, see, I don't care whether interns are paid or unpaid.

You seem to be the only one that actually cares about this. If Bernie pays his interns, good for him. If there are those who want to volunteer as unpaid interns, also good. If it helps them get jobs, whether paid or unpaid as interns, also good. I don't see a problem.

[Bubzer]

30. Of course you don't see the problem. You'd have to question hillary's stance if you did.

hillary says she wants to support students... then takes advantage of them through unpaid internships. She could put her money where her mouth is... but she wont. It's all lip-service.

If that's not enough of an explanation for you, here's some material for you to read:

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/may/07/unpaid-internships-unfair-cheap-labor-abuse

http://internjustice.com/2013/08/06/unpaid-internships-exploitation-and-abuse/

http://ucaecho.net/opinion/despite-benefits-unpaid-internships-exploit-undervalue-students/

http://www.nyunews.com/2015/11/10/unpaid-internships-a-loss-for-both-employers-and-employees/

Bottom line is this: It should not be a privilege to work in the field one went to school for. It should be a privilege to employ that person in a paid position.

That goes doubly for anyone who claims to want to represent the American people as POTUS.

[blackspade]

58. "She could put her money where her mouth is...."

Especially considering the buckets of cash she has on hand.

[Bubzer]

79. Exactly!

[FairWinds]

46. Please stop the ridiculous deflection . .

That person is NOT the only one who cares about unpaid interns.

Making ludicrous arguments does not help HRC.

[Bubzer]

76. ...

[dsc]

118. actually to answer that you would have to compare what happens to Sanders' interns

to Clinton's. My guess is this would be fairly partisan. I have to say if I were a business owner I would be loathe to hire a campaign intern from say Cruz or Trump but would be glad to hire one from any of the Democrats.

[jeff47]

28. It's a fantastic way to keep the wrong people out of the political machine.

Have to have enough financial support to work for free for months. Keeps all those icky people who have to work for a living out of the machine.

[TheBlackAdder]

48. Jeff you are 100% correct. I'm a continuing ed Poli-Sci student. This is a class-centric position.

.


It's akin to a poll tax for students to build their resumes. You can only build it if you have the financial wherewithal to self-fund most or all of your expenses. My daughter worked on some local campaigns, and she had to pay for her own gas, without reimbursement as well as the volunteering of time. Since she is still a full-time student.. I was the one who paid the gas for her


Financially constrained kids can not participate for gratis, which cuts out a lot of participation and causes a little resentment in the ranks. The campaign workers are less motivated to follow their captains instructions--who are mostly paid a decent salary


.

[Javaman]

40. okay, so you are defending not paying interns. check.

wow. just wow.

[roguevalley]

62. unpaid serfs = window on candidates

Thinking

[Hiraeth]

52. Some great deal for those who can afford to donate their time and effort. Congratulations to your

acquaintance.

[Renew Deal]

13. Hillary's interns have better long term prospects

Are more likely to reach higher levels of government
And looks better on their resume

[Bubzer]

17. According to who exactly? I'm not gonna take just your opinion as gospel.

[Renew Deal]

70. According to logic

It's like a choice between taking an internship at Joe's Crab Shack or Google. Joe's crab shack has nice perks like food, but Google sparkles on your resume.

[Bubzer]

73. Who's logic? Yours? Your not exactly a non-partisan.

Statistics show only about a 3rd of unpaid-interns get hired. Gambling for employment isn't logical.

[Renew Deal]

75. You can call it gambling.

There is something to that. People go to certain colleges for their reputations. People buy homes in certain neighborhoods for the schools or the lifestyle. People take internships for certain companies for the prestige of the companies name. And political operative types take jobs in credible campaigns for access to government.

In the case of this race, Hillary has the best chance of winning, the best connections, and the most sparkling name on a resume.

[Bubzer]

77. I'll say it again; go read post #30.

[Renew Deal]

80. I read it

This line is interesting: "It should not be a privilege to work in the field one went to school for."

Reality is that it is when it comes to federal gov't jobs. There is only one employer. And fed gov't experience carries weight if someone wants to do something at the state or local level.

[Bubzer]

82. The reality is people like hillary are perpetuating the Oligarchy with this type of action.

There are considerable examples of wall street abusing internships. hillary is demonstrating she is part of the problem...not the solution.

[Renew Deal]

84. You're mixing things up.

The federal gov't is about as far as it gets from oligarchy. The private sector is far more profitable than the public sector. If these kids just want to chase money they'd stay out of gov't. Obama has said as much. He would have made a lot more money as a lawyer from Harvard than he would as a state senator, Senator, etc.

[Bubzer]

86. You're pretending wallstreet doesn't have its puppet strings firmly attached to the decision makers.

I don't think it gets much more disingenuous than that. hillary is certainly no exception. She wants to take on the mantle of leadership, yet she can't even put actions to the claim that she wants to support students. By not paying her interns, she's validating corporation abuses of interns in similar manners.

[Dawgs]

21. That makes sense.

[Hepburn]

24. Better long term prospectes to whom?

Prez Rubio or Cruz?

All the Repuke candidates for lower offices who get elected if we Dems run Hillary?

Yeah, Prez Rubio...or Prez Cruz would just LOVE to hire an unpaid Hillary intern!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

27. Oh, come on! Working for Hillary is such a privilege

that the interns should be paying her!

[bvar22]

96. They ARE paying Hillary

....with their time and work.
Don't worry.
Hillary will say "thanks" when she loses the Primary.

[freedom fighter jh]

39. Yeah, because if she wins she'll pay them back with government jobs.

Jobs that, in Bernie's administration, would go to the most qualified, not those most skilled at playing up to important people.

[Renew Deal]

69. Major presidential campaign experience is serious experience.

And patronage is a part of politics. Sanders will do the same thing. Something would be wrong if he didn't.

[TheBlackAdder]

51. Did you just write that?

.


It's akin to a poll tax, favoring the financial elite, which flies in the face of the Democrat ground-up infrastructure.

That's more of a position for the Republican top-down party, as they favor keeping rewards to the entitled.


.

[Renew Deal]

68. Your post doesn't make sense.

How is not paying interns a "poll tax?" What prevents them from voting? And is paying interns a "bribe?"

I'm not arguing about whether people should take internships. I'm saying some are preferable to others. In 2012, a Romney internship was much more valuable than a Cain or Gingrich internship because Romney had a bigger campaign and was more likely to win the primary.

[TheBlackAdder]

119. Wow, such thoughts.

.


It's akin to a poll tax in the form that it prevents certain segments of society from participating in the 'intern' program (unpaid staffer program)--thereby preventing them from adding that to their resumes and college graduate applications. It's an if you're rich, you can play scheme. I'm dumbfounded that you could not see the point I was making and stuck rigidly to 'voting' as the point expressed.

Paying interns is not a 'bribe,' it's a return from the perversion of corporate business. An unpaid intern is to be offered 'college-level' education as a reimbursement for their efforts, else they are just unpaid staffers working as 'interns' to bypass labor laws. Being an intern in a political campain offers almost zero college-level teachings. So, claiming a person is an intern is an abuse of the role they play, the worker, and the labor laws.

John Oliver just did a bit about this. Perhaps you should see it, though it probably wouldn't make a difference to you.


.

[Renew Deal]

120. I get what you're saying now

I thought you were talking about voting when you said "poll tax."

Corporate interns and interns at political campaigns are very different. Campaigns are short term and it gives you access to political and government jobs. Corporate interns also can provide access to jobs, but they are about experience, apprenticeship, and resume building.

Corporate interns probably should be paid depending on the arrangement (too many situations to ponder). High level political interns probably should be paid, but it can go either way. Campaigns are non-profit low budget operations. The payoff is in the election of the candidate. Being a formal intern in a winning presidential campaign is even more rewarding.

Then there is a question about where is the line between a volunteer and an intern. I've seen volunteers put in 60+ hour weeks in campaigns. Should they be paid? It's not an easy answer.

[bluedigger]

63. This is about access, not opportunity.

[demmiblue]

87. Yep, the interns that can afford no pay because they come from wealthier families.

Screw the socioeconomically disadvantaged folks.

I will not say anything further, but I am sure most can connect the dots.

[Renew Deal]

89. Sanders is paying $10/hr

They're not getting rich working for him. They're not even getting by. Sanders is paying them because he needs to.

[Bubzer]

91. Prove Sanders is paying because he needs to, or it's untrue.

[demmiblue]

92. What is Clinton paying her interns?

No, $10/hr is not a lot, but it certainly helps. Especially for young adults who are attempting to achieve life experience/contacts while still living with their parents. I guess only the offspring of the wealthy are suitable for interning for political campaigns.

Sanders is paying them because it is the right thing to do.

[Luminous Animal]

110. Poor people need not apply.

[WillyT]

14. K & R !!!

[mopinko]

16. bernie staffers even get health insurance.

have a friend working as a field organizer in iowa.

[Bubzer]

18. Thats amazing!

[senz]

99. Bernie walks the walk.

He is the absolute best candidate for president. No one else even comes close.

[angrychair]

26. More compromise

Last edited Fri Dec 4, 2015, 02:43 PM - Edit history (1)

From the canidiate that wants us "compromised".
Work for me for free, creating a huge financial burden for yourself and/or those that support you and as a "compromise" it may or may not help you get a job later in life.
Or
Work for a candidate that pays you, with benefits, and you still may or may not be able to leverage that experience for a job later in life. No compromise.

Which sounds better??

[Bubzer]

34. Think you meant "pays" rather than "plays"

[angrychair]

61. Lol

Yes, just changed it. Thank you!

[Bubzer]

65. No worries!

[jalan48]

29. Hillary's interns are competing in the hopes she will throw a few dollars their way if she wins.

Trickle down politics.

[retrowire]

31. Wonderful.

Integrity matters, Hillary.

[Marrah_G]

33. Even though I am sure its rich people's kids getting the spots

It is obscene that they are not being paid. Unpaid internships should be illegal.

[Bubzer]

36. +1

[Ed Suspicious]

44. That's the problem, precicely. Only rich kids can afford

unpaid internships on presidential campaigns. I think it's part of the perpetuation of class division. It keeps the proles in thier place while rewarding the bourgeoisie with connections and opportunity.

[demmiblue]

88. Yep. n/t

[senz]

100. One more way the system keeps people down.

Class divisions are not healthy for a democracy.

[liberal_at_heart]

95. I agree with everything you just said.

Maybe if they were paid internships more than just rich kids could apply for the positions.

[HerbChestnut]

35. Indefensible if you ask me.

Unpaid internships are a disgrace.

[freedom fighter jh]

38. They'll pay if they win.

For the volunteers, it's a bet: Work for a candidate and if he or she wins you get a job in the administration.

Bernie, unlike the others, won't have to pay his volunteers back with taxpayer money.

[LibDemAlways]

41. My daughter was fortunate to land a one year

paid internship at her university's career center. She started out at $10.00/hr. and, within three months, the boss upped it to $15 in recognition of a job well done.

Back in the 1970's I was a student teacher. Most definitely an intern.I was assigned to a public school where I took over half of a teacher's classes for the entire year. I prepared lesson plans, graded papers, lectured, tutored after school, and interacted with parents. I did it all. The compensation was a grade on a report card. Still pisses me off when I think about it.

All work should be paid. Not to pay interns for the work they do ought to be against the law. Hillary, a woman who has raked in hundreds of thousands for a single speech, should be ashamed of herself for taking advantage of her interns. They have expenses and bills to pay and either must be subsidized by family or forced to take out costly loans. It's unconscienable.

[Bubzer]

90. Right! This issue also crosses genders.

Some hillary supporters have claimed women make up the majority of politically active persons. If that's the case, hillary should be bending over backwards to pay her female interns. But she doesn't. They're all unpaid.

Great way to stand up for women's rights...

Despicable.

[Luminous Animal]

111. +1!

[senz]

42. Bernie's the real deal. The rest are trash and hypocrites.

Yes, it really is that simple.

[truedelphi]

60. Your comment was alerted on and survived a jury's

Scrutiny, six to one!

[Go Vols]

67. Dissenter says:

Juror #7 voted to HIDE IT
Explanation: Just 'cuz.

:/

[senz]

98. "Just 'cuz" isn't a very convincing reason.

I wonder what Skinner would think of that?

[Go Vols]

104. You have Bernie in your ....

[senz]

107. If so, it's such a shame.

The price of being with the good guys, I guess.

Now that is a consolation.

[Go Vols]

112. +1

[senz]

97. Thank you, truedelphi.

I seem to be getting more alerts than usual.

[truedelphi]

106. Well thank goddess they are off my back -

Thanks for taking the heat for a while. (Not that you deserve it.)

[senz]

108. LOL, looks like there's more than enough to go around...

We'll make it.

[Agschmid]

105. No it's really not that simple.

And this is a ridiculous post, I wouldn't have voted to hide it either but good lord.

"The rest are trash"

Something stinks that's for sure but it isn't our potential nominees they are all good people and skilled politicians.

Go democrats aka "not trash".

[senz]

109. You, Agschmid? After what you did?

You, who made a frivolous alert on one of my comments in the wee hours of the morning, seven hours after I had made a sincere comment that abused no one, managed to get the comment hidden, and then sent a PM to me gloating about it? And I didn't know who you were or what was going on.

And now you're going after me again? Of course you would have voted to hide. There is no doubt about it. You've shown me all I need to know, Agschmid.

Now please: stop the baiting. Leave me alone.

[Agschmid]

113. So you had a post hidden...

Which means 4-3, 5-2, 6-1, or 7-0 voted to hide... And you call it a frivolous alert?

Nah.

When a post gets hidden clearly that means the alert wasn't frivolous.

I'm sick of this alert stalking bullshit, people from both sides alert. It's pretty easy to NOT get a post hidden... And most of us move on, and get over it.

I alert, I am alerted on. My posts are hidden, and sometimes they aren't. Either way I move past it.

[senz]

114. No, I had the alerter send me a gloating PM about it.

That's different.

And now the gloating alerter has come pestering at me again.

So I repeat: leave me alone.

Okay?

[Agschmid]

115. And I repeat again...

You got a post hidden.

It happens.

Move on.

[Live and Learn]

43. K&R nt

[FairWinds]

47. This is a big issue for me . .

my students used to get ripped off all the time as unpaid DC interns.

It's a national scandal.

[AzDar]

50. K & R

[AtomicKitten]

53. Thanks Bernie, because it's the right thing to do. <nt>

[Politicalboi]

55. You can't expect Hillary to "pay" interns

They usually "pay" her for the privilege of just being near her. And if they pay her enough, she will do their dirty work for them.

[olddots]

57. Show Business is full of unpaid interns .

not only are unpaid interns not paid most of them spend a fortune to be used and abused by the suits .

Politics has become show bizz .

[LibDemAlways]

93. My daughter has a friend who interned for a

Hollywood talent agency two summers in a row hoping to land a job after graduation. She drove 80 miles a day roundtrip in miserable LA traffic to get there. She wasn't paid and her duties consisted mostly of making Starbucks runs for the staff. She's in her senior year at school now and it remains to be seen if her internship will get her a foot in the door. I doubt it. In that business as in politics, it's strictly who you know and how close the connection is. Nothing else matters.

[blackspade]

64. A sad commentary on corporate politics.

Internships should always be paid.
My company always pays its interns. Many of our competitors do not.
But it is the right thing to do.

[liberal_at_heart]

94. Yet another reason I am contributing to his campaign. He is the real deal.

[Thinkingabout]

101. I am glad I am not an intern, I am just a paid poster, still getting paid.