“I’m a
lightning rod.” says Jaime Perez, a candidate for El Paso Country Judge and political
activist in El Paso. Jaime O. Perez has
been an active participant in politics in El Paso for many years. He served as
Policy Analyst for City Representative Eddie Holguin and as Chief of Staff for
El Paso County Judge. Mr. Perez has a
number of degrees in political science and economics from various universities
including Brandies University, the University of California Berkeley,
University of Texas Austin, and earned a Certificate for Community Building
from the John F. Kennedy School at Harvard University and studied at the Colegio
de Mexico, “It’s like the Harvard of Mexico” he offered. Mr. Perez is currently
the vice-chair of the Libertarian Party in El Paso.
I met
Mr. Perez on Facebook, through the El Paso Liberty Group page which I
co-administer. He was recommended to me by another one of our
administrators. When I found out who he
was, I knew he was someone I wanted to know and someone from whom I wanted to
learn.
I learned of his vision - “A world
in which everyone who wants to make a living, feed, and educate their family
can do so,” his mission - “To
promote a local government that minimizes restrictions on free enterprise as a
method of creating jobs and building wealth,” and his values
“Individual liberty, respect for the rule of law,
and dignity, and kindness towards all.”
I sat down with him in one of the
many places he works -- Denny’s.
It is
Sunday afternoon and the church crowd is out to breakfast. It is loud with
clanging of silverware on plates, drink glasses, and conversations. It is
somewhat dark and the smell of bacon, eggs, pancakes with syrup, and coffee
permeate the air. I am both honored and
excited to have the opportunity to talk with someone I consider one of the
greatest thinkers in town. It is difficult to keep my focus on the assignment
as I want to glean as much wisdom as I can. We share a coffee and a piece of
cheesecake.
I
learned many things that day about how Mr. Perez sees his own activity. Below
are some of these.
As a political activist, one of the
primary things he does is research. His
research consists primarily of reading articles on the internet, and blogs from
such people as Michael Hudson, Steve Keen, and Greg Mannarino. All of whom are
economists who espouse the Austrian School of Economics’ principles of sound
money, small government, and free markets. As a candidate for mayor, he also
keeps up with his fellow candidates by reading their web sites and getting to
know their policy biases and prescriptions.
Jaime Perez has also been a
political consultant behind the scenes. He advises political candidates as well
as sitting representatives one-on-one. The work environment is usually in his
home office where he does his research, and any venue, such as Denny’s, Village
Inn, or anywhere else a group will meet who invite him to speak. His
interactions are usually with politicians and other activists. There isn’t
really anyone who hires a political activist, but once in awhile someone can
get lucky.
There
really is no set of qualifications for a political activist, although a good
understanding of the issues is a must. Volunteering for political campaigns,
activist groups, and directly acting on an issue are the best ways to prepare
for this job, but then again, that is what a political activist does. It is
essential to constantly research the issues, derive policy recommendations, and
constantly refine your skills of persuasion.
The job
is not very physically demanding, but does require a lot of time. Mr. Perez
says the amount of time required is up to one’s level of commitment. Work is
always taken home, since his home is his office. Writing skills are essential in this function
since an activist must convey information to others he works with and to the
public as well. It is very important to know how to present a position
convincingly. Mr. Perez doesn’t find the job very stressful, although it can
be, especially when taking a contrarian position. The personal assaults can get
quite awful.
Being a
political activist usually doesn’t pay. In fact, it usually costs the person
for membership dues or to go to conventions. The reward is the personal
satisfaction of knowing you are making a difference. In politics, it is very
important to earn your place. It is important to know the issues you are
championing or challenging. “You have to pay your dues” he says. You must be
able to present your case and rebut arguments against your position. You must
put in the time and effort to become someone who is credible. To Mr. Perez, it
is all worth it because he is making changes for the better if only by having
some influence over the process or policy debates.
There
aren’t really that many people who choose a life of political activism, which
is unfortunate because what politicians do while in office affects everyone’s
life in almost every way. Mr. Perez highly encourages young people to get
involved, to run for office, to be engaged.
Being a
political activist is a hard and thankless cause to undertake, but well worth
the effort. How great could our city, state and nation be if everyone was
involved? We take our liberties for granted and often drown ourselves in
entertainment that dulls our minds and keeps our focus off of what is happening
that affects our lives.
I found Jaime O. Perez to be a very
intelligent, thoughtful, and wise man. El Paso is very fortunate to have him
fighting for her. I hope that I may be found worthy to stand with him in his
cause for liberty.
