During the summer of 2014 I spent my days canvassing the Town of Huntington on behalf of Congressman Steve Israel. I walked all across New York’s third district, located on the North Shore of Long Island’s Nassau and Suffolk Counties, stretching all the way from eastern Queens to the edge of Smithtown.
I can honestly say that Congressman Israel was someone who held the district’s interests at heart; he epitomized Long Island. He grew up an avid Mets fan, wanting to be an outfielder and he put himself through school. Spending two years at Nassau Community College and then transferring to George Washington University in D.C. Congressman Israel was one of the few "moderates" remaining in the House. He was never afraid to reach across the aisle to ask for help or to give help to the Republicans. After serving 15 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, Steve is finally calling it quits.
On January 6, Israel announced he would not be seeking reelection in 2016. There will be no “Israel for Congress” signs adorning the lawns of my neighbors. The Democratic Committee in Huntington will need to galvanize support for another candidate seeking to win the Democratic nomination for the third district.
Israel, in a New York Times Op-Ed, admitted that politics was not all he thought it was cracked up to be. From the moment he set foot in Congress and took his oath, the Long Island congressman felt the immediate pressure to win reelection. It is this pressure, Israel writes, which finally forced him to leave office.
Steve Israel was a member of the House leadership for the Democratic Party. Many thought he would be the successor to Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer once they retired from Capitol Hill. Instead, Israel will be working on his second book, a follow up to his hit “The Global War on Morris,” a parody of the post 9/11 security state.
Sadly, Israel’s departure indicates a severe sickness associated with the American political process: fundraising. Politicians, especially Representatives in the House, are forced to focus on fundraising, rather than crafting policy and forming relationships that can overcome foster bipartisanship.
Our elected officials are trained to seek reelection, rather than serve their districts. Time and again, candidates campaign on grand platforms, supporting a wide array of issues and potential proposals for when they arrive in Washington, only to succumb to the fear of losing, and its evil fundraising symptom.
Many will see Israel as a man fleeing a sinking ship. After all, it will take quite an effort for the Democrats to retake the House and Israel still needs to wait for Pelosi and Hoyer to abdicate.
When a congressman openly admits that the political system is broken, something must be seriously wrong. In his piece for the Times, Israel cites Citizen's United as the point when he realized there was a serious problem in the way people receive money for campaigns (Citizen's United recognized corporations as people, giving them free speech and the same rights to fund candidates as individuals).
I'll never forget my time interning for Congressman Israel that summer. I learned some great skills, and met some really incredible people and dedicated people. While I know Israel will enjoy his time as a civilian, he will be sorely missed by his constituents.
