Dylan Loewe ’04

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Executive Director, Ballotground

For Dylan Loewe ’04, taking a sabbatical from a joint degree program in government and law does not mean playtime. He’s put it all aside to pursue his passion for political advocacy by establishing Ballotground. Here he takes a few minutes out of his schedule to talk about what spurs him to action.

1. What is Ballotground?
Ballotground is a political organization founded with the goal of placing anti-war resolutions on the ballots of 2008 battleground states. Anti-war ballot initiatives will be a disaster for the Republican Party. Their presence on November ballots will undoubtedly boost anti-war turnout on Election Day, providing a true anti-war mandate to the next president, and helping to ensure that he or she is a Democrat. Unprecedented in American history, Ballotground's coordinated campaign will quite literally make the 2008 election a referendum on the Iraq War.

Ballotground's success will pose a significant threat to the Republican Party. As we build momentum, we’ll continue to put pressure on congressional Republicans, driving them further away from Bush’s failed policy. If 16 Republican senators and 66 Republican congressmen can be compelled to oppose the war, we’ll have the votes we need for an override of President Bush’s veto.

2. What motivated you to take a sabbatical from your graduate and law school studies to start Ballotground?
More than 3,600 American soldiers are dead. More than 650,000 Iraqis are dead. We’re spending $10 billion a month on a war that cannot be won. In the face of almost unanimous opposition, President Bush is still acting recklessly. In the meantime, our army is broken, and our original objective of pursuing al Qaeda in Afghanistan has been completely ignored. Democrats in Congress can’t end the war until Republicans in Congress join them to override Bush’s veto, but those Republicans are perfectly comfortable putting party above country, protecting Bush instead of protecting us. The 2008 election and the run-up to it will be the best opportunity to end the Iraq War. I couldn’t let the fact that my degree programs were ending in 2009 prevent me from doing what I could in 2008. The temporary leave of absence was an easy decision.

3. How did start your career in politics? How do you recommend others get involved?
Actually, I can thank the Daily Bruin ad team for kick-starting my career. During my freshman year at UCLA , I saw an ad in the Daily Bruin that read, “Do you watch The West Wing? Do you want to be like C.J. Cregg?” I thought, “Yes I do. And, well, yes I do.”

The ad turned out to be for a congressional campaign internship. During the campaign , I became close with the field director, who eventually got me an internship with his wife at the California League of Conservation Voters. When a campaign finance consultant called her to ask if she knew of anyone looking for some part-time work, my boss recommended me for what became my first paid position in politics. The consulting firm was small and I was able to prove myself quickly, eventually becoming the senior associate of the firm. During my last year in college, I took a leave of absence from the firm and UCLA and ran for the Board of Education of my hometown school district. Though I lost the race (badly), there was a silver lining. After meeting with the mayor of Calabasas to ask for his endorsement, he asked me to join his staff as his deputy, to serve as his political advisor. I continued to work for him and the campaign finance firm. When the mayor was ready to run for re-election, he asked me to resign my position on staff so that I could become his campaign manager and general strategist. The day before the election, I was accepted to Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. All that happened because I decided to answer an ad in the Daily Bruin.

My recommendation to anyone trying to get involved in politics is to show up. If you’re good, you get noticed. It is incredibly commonplace for people to skyrocket into politics. Barack Obama’s head speechwriter is 26 years old. So is MoveOn.org’s executive director.

4. Has anything made you think twice about politics?
A lot of people get a close-up look at politics and turn incredibly cynical. I’ve just never been one of those people. There are a lot of frustrating realities of politics to be sure: the ever-present importance of money; the fact that being good at campaigning is fundamentally different from being good at governing.

But if you can put those frustrations aside, just for a moment, look what you have. Here’s a chance to secure real and lasting change for millions of people with all the things that matter most to them – their health, their safety, their education, their wages, their retirement, among countless other values. I can’t think of a better way to help a larger number of people.

I mean, yes, politics often feels like a game and rarely is it fair, but those are the kinds of obstacles one should expect from something that has such an enormous potential payoff. Changing the way things operate is hard. It should be hard. But rather than shut it out, or give up, I think we ought to rise to the challenge.

5. How do you respond to voter apathy?
I think there is a tendency to blame apathetic voters for their apathy and I don’t think that’s entirely fair. The view of Washington, D.C. from most parts of the country is pretty unpleasant. And I think convincing voters their vote will change that is a hard sell. But I believe it can be done. The right kind of candidate, the right kind of leader, will have to show the American people how things can be changed fundamentally. The people will vote when they have someone worth voting for.

6. Do you think satirical news programs like The Daily Show are helpful or harmful?
I don’t think political satire has ever been harmful to the public’s mindset or voting behavior. I think Jon Stewart is a brilliant comedian and a gifted interviewer, and I think his political insights are almost always spot-on. He’s our generation’s version of Bob Dylan.

7. What are the practical steps to starting a nonprofit?
There is definitely no set path to starting a nonprofit, and I doubt I am qualified to tell anyone what the practical steps are to starting one. But I think there are two essentials: a good idea and a source of money to fund it.

8. What do you hope to accomplish with your joint graduate degrees in government and law?
[Going] $250,000 in debt and a few more letters glued to the end of my name.

9. What’s the best career advice you’ve received?
My high school English teacher, quoting Hamlet, told me to always remember, “The readiness is all.” You never know when opportunities are going to present themselves or what form they’re going to take. So be ready. Always.