Mike Brodo ’18 wants
to talk about politics
(And he wants you to talk about politics, too)
n this current political
climate, identifying
yourself as a democrat
or a republican can be an
invitation for argument,
and talking politics is no longer
dinner table conversation - it’s
taboo. That’s what Mike Brodo
wants to change. He wants people
from all sides to be able to share
ideas, to disagree with civility, and
to move the conversation forward.
He’s not just talk either, he’s action.
“We need to get over the
idea of rigid partisanship,” says
Mike. “Proposed legislation or
ideas aren’t inherently bad just
because the sponsor has a D or
R next to his or her name. This
bipartisanship is coming to life
on Beacon Hill, and I’m proud
to be playing a direct role.” He’s
referring to a bill that he, as the
State Chairman of the Teenage
Republicans of Massachusetts,
helped to pass through the
Senate in a bipartisan effort
with the Teenage Democrats of
Massachusetts. If approved by the
House (House Bill 1582), it will
require the implementation of
comprehensive civics education in
schools across Massachusetts.
Education is the key, according
to Mike. “Civics education is a
bipartisan, student-oriented issue,
and it’s so important because it
gives students the tools they need
now so they can be better citizens
later in life.” For Mike, a better
citizen is an engaged citizen, one
with knowledge of the issues and
the tool set to discuss and debate
them with an open mind.
Here at Xaverian, Mike helped
to establish the PolitiX Club to
give students a place after school
to talk, listen, and learn from each
other in a supportive environment.
He says he wanted to provide
students with “a firsthand, positive
experience discussing issues
affecting our generation.” He
adds, “It’s not just talking about
issues, it’s learning how to talk
about politics; because we are a
democracy, we’re supposed to
talk about the issues. It shouldn’t
become something personal when
we talk politics. The more involved
I got (in politics), the more I
realized that people can get very
angry. But these are things that we
are all supposed to work together
on to find the best way to bring
about change. The PolitiX Club
shows us how to foster discussion
and engage with the issues
personally, instead of just going off
on social media.”
Mike himself has been the
recipient of that anger, from
attacks on social media to insults
being shouted at him in person.
In addition to his work with the
Teenage Republicans, Mike has
manned the phones, pounded
the pavement, and tallied the
votes for candidates in campaigns
across Massachusetts and New
Hampshire. When he was four
years old, he says, he became
enamored with the presidential
election. By 2012, he began
collecting and posting lawn signs
(a collection which he says now
fills his bedroom). He played an
active role in the 2016 election
cycle, and became a recognizable
face on the campaign trail for
Governor Charlie Baker. What he
learned at the last convention he
served at is this: “The more people
recognize who you are, the more
they attack you.”
“We had a Republican
state convention in late April,”
he says. “There was someone
challenging the Governor that I
very vehemently disagreed with,
he was a more far right, social
conservative. What I experienced
and saw at that convention
highlights the urgent need for civics
education and the need for this
discourse to become common-
place in society, so we don’t have
people hurling insults and attacks.
We want to help people and we
want to put our best ideas forward,
not hurl insults at each other.”
Despite the personal attacks
and the sometimes heated
exchanges, Mike says he is glad he
has gotten into politics. He adds, “I
learned to stand my ground, and it
allowed me to mature a lot faster.
People think politics is an adult
world, but I’m changing that.”
Mike is attending the
Georgetown University School of
Foreign Service next year, where
he plans to major in international
politics and minor in international
development. He aspires to become
a U.S. diplomat, working on issues
of gender equality and education,
particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa.
He says he wants a job “that allows
me to craft policy and is constantly
making me try new things, meet
new people, and expand my
horizons, all in an effort to better
the lives of others.”
He qualifies his hopes for his
future, saying, “I don’t want to
plan it out too much. I want to see
what happens. But I do want to go
forward and leave my mark on the
world.” In many ways, he already
has.
Mike takes his turn standing in the pulpit in the House of Representatives
Chamber at the State House in Boston.
People think politics is an adult world,
but I'm changing that. — Mike Brodo ’18
4 www.xbhs.com