Don’t Be an Empty Suit: Know Your 5 Ws

There’s a saying that “politics is fame for ugly people.” I think it’s mostly unfair. Not only because dissing people for their bodies is shallow, sexist, ableist, mean-spirited behavior that’s entirely unnecessary — but because most politicians, most of the 500,000+ Americans who serve their country in this way — have no sense of fame and glory.

But, the wannabe celebrity candidates are common enough that it’s a warranted stereotype. We’ve all seen him on TV. The guy with the slicked back hair, the law degree, memberships to the Rotary and the Masonic Lodge, the one who wears an American flag pin everywhere for no reason, and has been running for office since he was 12. 

There was no single cauterizing event that pushed him into public service. No specific wound he wants to heal. No one asked him to stand up, but everyone around him already knows he will. 

He’s worked in an office his whole life. In a bubble surrounded by people of the same education level. The DEI training he took at work didn’t make him notice he’s on fast track for junior partner while the Latina across the hall, who has been there 2 years longer and takes on the same work load, isn’t even in the conversation. 

His community connections are more forced, because he moved specifically to a place where a certain politician was going to be termed out of office. He’s been around for about 2 years…long enough to avoid accusations of carpet bagging. But most of his “community involvement” has a political angle to it. Democratic clubs here, left leaning nonprofits there. 

He has a lot of political opinions, and is prepared to parrot talking points on any issue at any time. He can tell any room what they want to hear, and even make himself believe that he believes it. But he’s never lived through the most pressing ones. He has no experience with poverty, disability, racism, or life as a religious minority. He’s never been without health insurance. He’s always known where his next meal was going to come from. Has no student debt because his parents paid for college. 

He grew up in a well resourced suburb with well funded schools and lots of advanced classes. He knew enough BIPOC people growing up to not notice that his school was 85% white, and that outside school he never saw someone who didn’t look like him at the grocery store. He still doesn’t realize he lives in a largely segregated neighborhood.

He’s a fine person. His opinions are mostly correct by the MSNBC standard many Democrats hold themselves to. 

But I hope he never runs. We have had enough of him. 

I call him The Empty Suit.

What problems do you want to solve? 

When Empty Suits get into office they tend to be somewhere between useless and actively damaging. Without their own passions, lived experiences, and community to keep them honest they’ll turn over and show their belly to whatever special interest walks in the door. 

They’ll tell everyone what they want to hear, which mathematically means they’re lying to half the people at any given time. They don’t know what they stand for, and don’t have a calling to fix anything specific — so they fix nothing. They govern by press conference and Twitter.

They don’t have a North Star to point toward. And no one benefits from that kind of governing. 

In order to lead with integrity, grit, determination, and an eye toward actually helping people, you must identify WHY you are here. What are the core values and motivations that are driving you to do this work?

In politics and policy, Why is an incredibly nuanced concept that is actually the culmination of answering the other four questions: Who? What? When? Where? 

WHO 

• Who do you want to help?
  Your answer cannot be “everyone.” It’s unrealistic. Impossible even. And if you spread yourself too thin you will help no one. Think about the moment that made you consider running in the first place. Because this closely ties to both your lived and professional experience, you will likely come up with a relatively long list. Narrow it down to 3 things that keep you up at night and/or are demanded by your community. Stay focused. 
  

• Who is potentially in the way?
  If these issues were being handled, you wouldn’t need to run, right? Who is currently stopping this progress from being made? This is deeper than looking at your potential opponent. It’s about systems. No one politician makes something happen by themselves, not even the President. For example, if you’re thinking about running for Mayor because you want to be in a position to hold the police accountable, then you need to be looking not just at the current Mayor, but at the police chief, the police union, the lobbyists in the state capitol working on their behalf and the legislation they’ve proposed and passed to protect them, the law and order politicians in both parties, the District Attorney who refuses to charge them with crimes when they murder someone on camera. Behind every issue is an army of people trying to hold the status quo. And don’t let party affiliation blind you — not all Democrats are your friend.
  

• Who will be impacted by your work, positive or negative?
  Politics is inherently an exchange of power. And the truth is, whether we like it or not, there is a finite amount of power in this world. When you build power for your community, you take it out of the hands of special interest groups and back room deals. For example, if you pass a worker’s rights ordinance that increases wages and protections for workers, you will be negatively impacting the people who run those businesses. Is it the right thing to do? Yes. Is it going to take money and power away from someone? Also yes. If you lower drug prices, you’re giving power to patients and taking it from pharma and insurance companies. It may sound common sense, but you’d be surprised how often elected officials are totally blind to this and therefore surprised when people get mad at them for “doing the right thing.” 
  

WHAT

• What problems are you trying to solve?
  This is the nitty gritty of your platform. You’ll communicate mostly in values statements and vague ideas and promises — because that’s how you make people feel your message. But there has to be some real, tangible, quantifiable goals behind it. Do you want to fix the playground down the street so the neighborhood kids have somewhere safe to play? Do you want to lower the proportion of BIPOC folks harassed by police? Do you want to increase the number of homes with solar panels on them? What specific things would you need to get done or make progress on to be considered a success? Don’t shy away from this part. Without it, you’re The Empty Suit.
  

• What level of involvement do you want?
  Elected leadership comes in lots of shapes and sizes. Do you want to be the person everyone turns to in a crisis? (And therefore the one everyone blames when it isn’t fixed the way they like it?) Do you want to be in every possible room making every possible decision? Or would you prefer to stick to a niche area, get yourself informed, have some conversations, make a vote or two and go home at the end of the night? Think through the answers to the questions about how your personal life will fit into politics, and then find an office that will make it work. You can fight climate change from a water board for 15 hours a week or from the Mayor’s Office for 90-120. 
  

• What relationships/resources do you have available to you?
  Are you well connected in a certain industry or part of the community? It’ll certainly make action easier in those areas. Are you good with media? Communicating with the public will be easier. Have a huge social media presence? Direct contact with the public makes organizing and calls to action easier. Think through what parts of your personal/professional life will come with you into office and how that could help meet your goals. 

WHEN

• When can you start?
  I mean this both in a long term sense and a very specific time of day sense. If you have your House In Order and you’re ready to take the leap tomorrow, great. If you don’t and you need 2-3 more years, that’s also great. There’s no rush. The world will not run out of problems that need solving. But also think through your daily schedule. Can you be in Council Meetings at 10 am? Or do you need to go to work during the day and save political meetings for evenings? There’s an office for every schedule.
  

• When do you need to stop?
  This is another one that has two meanings. Both, in the daily sense (do you need to be home for dinner most nights? Or to tuck kids in bed?) and in the macro sense. How will you know when you’re approaching burnout and need a break? Do you want to stop after a certain goal is met, or do you want to make a career of it? What’s your exit strategy? Trust me, you need one. We do not need more 90 year olds who don’t know how the modern world works and won’t be alive to see the consequences of their votes in office. Do not be that guy. 
  

• When will you feel like you’re ready?
  Trick question. Never. You can do every single thing on every check list in this book and you’ll still be on the eve of your first campaign and feel like you must be insane for making this choice and there’s no way someone more qualified won’t come along. Embrace the uncertainty. Too much vanity will lead you down a road of ignoring the needs of the public. You should always feel like you may lose your seat. And you should be prepared to earn it every single time. 

WHERE

• Where do you live?
  Don’t run for office where you don’t live. It’s anywhere from immoral to illegal. Move if you need to. That’s way less gross than living outside the jurisdiction.
  

• Where does the jurisdiction you’re campaigning in have impact?
  Some elected offices are very “small” and “only” impact a few thousand people in a very specific geographic location. (The quotation marks are to denote that the idea that helping thousands of people is small is stupid, outdated, and generally only held by the Empty Suit.) Others cover larger populations, or issue areas that are relevant on a larger scale and you could be making decisions that impact millions, or even hundreds of millions of people. 

WHY

• Why would you give up your seat?
  There should be lines you won’t cross. Votes you won’t take. Deals you won’t make. Issues you will not sell out on. In those cases, you should be more than willing to risk losing or pushed to resign to do what you know is right. If that is not the case…you might be The Empty Suit.
  

• Why are you here?
  Fill in the blanks below. Write it where you can see it often and be reminded of it. Sit with it for a while. Edit it if you need to as you grow and change. Make peace with it BEFORE you throw your hat in the ring each and every time. This will not be a public statement, but a personal one.
  
  I am running for office to fix ________________, ___________________, and ____________________, for ______________________ in _________________. I am willing to take power from _______________________ to increase it for ___________________. I will not sacrifice ______________________ just to be in office.
  

Your answers, inscribed in the blanks provided, should be your North Star — a personal, unwavering reminder of your purpose. They should encapsulate the issues you aim to address, the communities you aim to serve, and the principles you refuse to compromise. This internal compass, guiding you through the storms of politics, ensures that you are not just another politician but a true advocate for positive change. In a world full of Empty Suits, be the leader driven by purpose, passion, and a genuine commitment to making a difference.

This post was written by Eva Posner, president & founder of Evinco Strategies. If you’re not an empty suit — Evinco wants to be your partner while you find your place in the movement. Book a free 15-minute call, and let’s turn your “why” into action.