Campaign Internships

I noticed a comment (I'm not used to receiving them!) so I figured I would take some time to answer it.
"Hey Sean, I'm curious--where did you intern? whose campaign? when gaining experience in politics/government, is it ever okay to intern on a campaign for someone whose politics you DON'T fully agree with?"
For the record, I interned in Washington DC for Senator Joe Biden's Presidential Campaign. But the more important question is the last one. I for one interned for Senator Biden because I admire the man and his politics. I felt and still feel very strongly that he is the right man to be our next President. When it comes to agreeing with their politics, I think the concept of NOT agreeing with them has to be more fully elaborated. In general, I would say that if you're a Democrat, you should campaign for Democratic candidates, and if you're a Republican, Republican candidates. This is a matter of putting someone into public office, so volunteering your time (as most internships are unpaid) for someone of the opposite party could be suicide for your career within your own party.
However, if your political differences are confined within the party, i.e. you're a moderate Democrat thinking of interning for a Liberal Democrat, then you should be OK. What's most important is BELIEVING in who you are working for. You'll do much better work if you're committed to your candidate. Either way, your doing campaign work is a terrific learning experience. However, all that learning would be for naught if your goals are within the Democratic Party and you're working on a Republican campaign.
On the other hand, if it's government work your after, then political differences are less of a factor. It actually is a terrific learning experience to work for someone you DON'T agree with after he's already there. It makes you more well-rounded to hear different points of view. That being said, most of the paid employees WILL be of like mind, and as I experienced myself, being a liberal in a conservative office can often times be an uncomfortable situation. Moreover, if you do decide to go this route, I wouldn't advertise it when you're applying to an openly partisan job. At the very least you should be vague on your resume so that you can explain it away in a later interview.