The Washington Post’s Catherine Rampell released an article yesterday that basically shat on progressive youth organizations.  Rampell makes the claim, as so many uninformed journalists do, that the recent surge in youth turnout should be accredited solely to Barack Obama and not in the least to youth activist organizations. 

She mentions Rock the Vote and Declare Yourself specifically, and ignores every other organization that has been working hard in the past 5 years.  She clearly has had no involvement in this movement, and failed to look beyond what is covered in the mainstream media in order to write this one-sided piece.  First off, she attacks groups for making voting to appear as a rebellious act, a way to fight the system.  While this might have been a popular tactic in the 90’s (when young people didn’t vote), it is not the case today.  The millennial generation that is driving this movement doesn’t share the apathetic rebellious attitude towards politics that its predecessors of Gen X did.  Instead, they are more likely to accept the system that has been created and work within it to create a positive change.  The notion that voting is a way to “stick it to the man” died a long time ago.  P. Diddy tried to revive it with his bullshit public image campaign in 04’ “Vote or Die”, and he failed miserably. 

Ms Rampell claims that “removing barriers to registration generally results not in an increase in youth turnout, but, rather in a decline in the proportion of those registered to vote.”  How is it then that in 04’ 81% of all registered 18-29 olds voted?  While the youth turnout was not as high as expected that year, those who were registered mostly showed up.  Therefore removing barriers to registration does increase voting.  This is exactly what HeadCount and other groups have been doing for the past 5 years.  Barack Obama has given many young people a candidate to believe in and vote for, but he hasn’t made it any easier for them to vote.  Even with the help of voter registration organizations, thousands of people will be denied their basic right to vote because of unjust laws created by their state or local board of elections. 

The real problem with this article is that Ms. Rampell hasn’t been paying attention for the past 5 years.  Her arguments point out all the flaws in youth organizing and voting in the 90’s, and for the most part they are correct.  But now it’s 2008 and for the past five years progressive organizations have been working hard to drop the bogus tactics used in the past such as celebrity endorsements and shallow media campaigns in exchange for grass-roots peer-to-peer organizing which are mostly responsible for the recent turn-out in young voters. 

I can understand how the average citizen might have missed how all of this has been happening in the past 5 years.  Most grass-roots organizations are shunned by mainstream media, and unless you’re going to the places where these groups work you may not have been aware of their existence.  But isn’t it the job of a journalist to dig a little deeper than that?  If Ms Rampell had put any effort into researching the topic beforehand, she might have talked to some people or read some articles that informed her of what has been going on in youth organizing. 

Check out the article at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/28/AR2008032801857.html

I know this post is about a week too late but I still wanted to talk about that speech.  I spent a lot of last week thinking about it and listening to commentary on it.  To this point I would not have called myself an Obama supporter, and I am still not quite there, but after that speech, I am definitely a lot closer. 

The most refreshing part of that speech was that for once, it was clear, that here is a politician who actually has something to say.  For sure, there were tid-bits of bullshit mixed in, but for the most part, it was genuine.  It’s come to the point in American politics where you take every speech with a grain of salt.  You know most of what they are saying is too vague to possibly mean any sort of commitment to policy or action, and the rest is spineless assessments towards the state of the country, trying not to offend anyone, therefore ignoring everyone. 

Obama addressed race in this country in a completely different manner.  Instead of referring to the best stereotypes of each race, and simply pointing out their achievements in society, he pointed his finger directly at what they are doing wrong.  He used history and personal experience to expose where we stand today.  In the end, he argued whites need to appreciate and accept the injustices towards the black race that have occurred throughout history, and blacks need stop using them as a crutch.  He took a huge risk in doing this, as most of the country unfortunately won’t understand much of what he said, and several others will spin it as reverse racism or anti-patriotism.  This is exactly what was so wonderful about the speech.  He disregarded the repercussions that speaking his mind might have, and chose to just be honest.

You rarely get to see great speeches these days.  Political junkies are limited to reading those given by politicians 50 to 200 hundred years ago.  It is inevitable that pieces of this speech will be taken out of context and turned against him.  Hopefully the public will be smart enough to see through these unfortunate attacks.  Still, the greatest tragedy that could occur is if this speech is ignored, or forgotten.  In the past week it has received a lot of coverage, but how long will that last?  Most people probably didn’t hear it in its entirety or take the time to read it online.  I strongly suggest that if you have not done so already, find the speech online and read it beginning to end.  The media will find something new this week and coverage of the speech will die, but the people themselves can continue to read it, dissect it, and discuss it.  The content of the speech was important, but the affect is has on people and policy will be the true test. 

The only problem I had with the speech, and the reason Obama gave the speech to begin with, is Obama’s denouncing his Pastor’s comments.  It showed a lot of character to not completely distance himself from him.  He pointed out that a few radical comments don’t make a man, and he wasn’t going to end his long relationship with this person because of his views on American history and foreign policy.  Still, why were these comments even denounced?  As far as I know the pastor said that America was founded on racism (true), continues to be racist today (true), and that our horrible foreign policy caused the terrorist attacks of 9/11 (true).  Why are comments like these still considered radical?  I thought we were past the point where terrorist attacks were blamed solely on crazy Muslims who “hate our freedom.”  In the tapes released after 9/11 didn’t Bin Laden say that the reason for the attacks were the United States support of Israel, ties with Saudi Arabia and its overall presence in the Middle East?  These are the same type of statements that Ron Paul was making.  While he clearly wasn’t going to get elected on that platform, he wasn’t considered crazy and necessary to denounce.    

I was hoping that people had come around enough to the point where they were no longer eating up the bullshit served by the current administration telling them that our policy is just, and terrorists only hate us because of the freedoms we so justly enjoy.  But if comments like Pastor Wrights are still going to be viewed as radical, and a candidate for President must denounce them, we haven’t come as far as I thought.

Hopefully part of the reason for the objection to these comments was that they were made in an emotional sermon, in angry condemnation, and in “god’s” house.  We know Americans are still afraid of anybody who shows any emotion, as we learned with Dean in 04’.  I don’t think it’s possible for Obama to be stirred, so maybe one day he will address these issues in his calm manner, and people won’t be so freaked out.  But if we go through another election where the candidates don’t address even the possibility that our foreign policy is the reason for the hatred towards us in the Middle East, we are in big trouble. 

I just finished reading Mike Connery’s book “Youth to Power” and I felt the need to write about it. Not because I feel the right to critique it, or that anyone would take that critique seriously. I want to write about it because it has given me so much to say and I work in an office by myself with no one to talk to.

 The youth movement is something that is now a popular topic. From campaigns, to news, to social networks, to bars, almost everyone is either a part of it or talking about it. Yet, most people probably have no idea how it came about. They figure its Obama or…, well they probably figure it’s because of Obama. So some guy says to you “okay, if it’s not because of Obama, then why?” You then proceed to list a bunch of reasons you know to be true but you can’t quite get your thoughts out clearly. Wouldn’t it be nice if the history of this movement was laid out conveniently in a 186 page book?

(Insert cheesy introduction here)

I feel as though I’ve just had a crash course in a subject that I have been a part of for a long time. Up until recently this whole movement didn’t really go further than HeadCount for me. I knew we weren’t alone, but I just figured all these organizations were doing their own thing, with similar goals, but no connection within a greater picture. What the book does so well is accurately describe how these organizations came about, what their goals were and what affect they have had. It makes you realize that while all these groups have found their own niche, and reach out to a certain demographic or particular cause, they are all working together to form a unified young progressive movement.

A popular criticism of the book will probably be that Mike fails to mention a great deal of the organizations that have played a significant part in the past five years. While it might be true, this criticism sort of misses the point. In order to touch even briefly on every organization that has done something in the past five years you would have to write a long tedious book that nobody would read. The point is that every organization has dealt with the same situations and been through the same experiences as the ones discussed in the book. They have applied for the same grants and been screwed by the same laws. HeadCount is only a mentioned a few times in YTP and with no real details, yet while reading it I felt as if parts were written specifically about HeadCount. This book is about every organization involved in the progressive movement, and if you don’t pick up on that by reading it, you and/or your organization probably aren’t involved.

The other criticism will probably come solely from College Democrats, who get it pretty bad in the book. I don’t know much about these guys other than the one meeting I went to in college was a complete waste of my time full of bickering amongst members about outreach ideas and budgetary problems (sound familiar?)

In making it clear that there is a greater youth movement beyond each organization, he creates a greater sense of optimism. Achieving the goals set out by individuals and organizations would be much more difficult if they thought they had to go at it alone. Knowing that are others there to support you is a great comfort and allows you to take more risks. Not that there is some sappy undertone or an “everything’s going to be okay” message. Mike lays out very clearly the great obstacles that lie ahead for the progressive movement. This is an important point. While things are moving along nicely right now with Obama picking up on the youth movement, it would be the worst time to assume success. Where will the energy from the campaign be funneled if he wins, or loses? What will happen to all these organizations if the elections don’t sway in the direction they would like? Mike notes that by 2050 Millennials will hold all branches of office. That is an inevitable fact; it is up the progressive movement today to decide what that government will look like.

There a lot of people out there who are more involved and more informed than me, who probably already had a pretty good idea of the information in this book. But I am willing to bet there are a larger amount of people who don’t. There are so many who want to get involved but don’t know how, or have become involved by some inner urge, but don’t really know why. This is the perfect book to help someone realize the bigger picture that they are involved in

If you looked at my ankles right now, you would think I had Chickenpox. There are red dots everywhere, and they do itch. However, those red dots were not caused from the varicella virus. Nope, I was the victim of fireants!

Now that I have been back in D.C. for a few days, the fireant bites are healing. I am also sleeping now without the fear of a panther coming up to me in my sleep or stepping on a gator or snake on the way to the portable toilet in the middle of the night. But living on the edge like that is exciting. That edge was there throughout my visit to Langerado.

Not only was I nervous about the creatures prowling around me at night, but to be honest, I was nervous about my first experience in the field with HeadCount. Would we be able to get everything accomplished? After a few hours, my nerves about getting the job done and making sure the team was was working well together went away. I could not be more satisfied with the folks working with me. Our organization is so lucky to have leaders like them. They were so talented and dedicated.

We were well on our way to registering a lot of voters.

But then there was a different type of nervous energy that emerged. I saw all around me, 15,000 members of the live music community who could be organized to make a difference in our society, a difference at the polls and a difference in our communities. I saw so much excitement in the eyes glued to the big screen during setbreak of Phil and Friends as our documentary, A Call to Action, was screened.

I saw this same excitement in the 316 folks we registered. I met 19 and 20 year old students with dreams of becoming lawyers and working for the least well off among us. I met pre-med students wanting to give care to the uninsured. And I met musicians who in the footsteps of Brownie, Bobby and Franti, wanted to connect our community through music.

It reminded me of when I was in college, walking through North Campus at the University of Georgia, rushing to a final after after just getting back in town from a festival, djembe in tow and everything. It reminded me of how I wanted to register voters and organize the jamband community at festivals then, and how lucky I am to be helping an organization do exactly that.

At Langerado I saw so much potential. That kind of potential makes you a little bit nervous. But it's a good nervous. You realize that we can make a difference at the ballot box and in our communities. You realize that our time has come.

You see it in the smiles and bright eyes of folks jamming to a Government Mule or Keller show. You see it in the way people are coming together.

We must register our peers to vote. We must make sure they go the polls on Election Day. We must keep them engaged and develop them into leaders of our community, and the community at large.

Langerado was a blast...fireants and all. I am so happy to be working with folks who like me see the potential that lies within the live music community. It's going to be a terrific summer. Come November, we will be heard at the ballot box. And in years to come, we will see folks who were at Langerado emerge as leaders in our communities.

My partner's father is a Vietnam veteran. He was sent around the age of 19 and flew schanooks over Vietnam, mostly being responsible for picking up bodies (from both sides). I have heard him describe how when they picked up casualities on the side of "the enemy" how they would dump them in mass graves that would be covered in one swoop by a bulldozer. It was a grim scene.

This weekend, my partner and his father Bougie went on a snow boarding trip to West Virginia, accompanied by an old Vietnam war buddy, Tim. As opposed to Bougie, who went the route of hippy after the war, his friend is the more prestigious war veteran, having gone on to many years of education and living the "stright and narrow." When my partner came home, he told me a story which touched me deeply, and saddened me about the situation that our own youth are facing within the supposed "war on terror" today.

He told me that the one night, (after a great day of snowboarding) Tim approached Bougie and told him that he wanted to thank him...

 Tim, while in Vietnam, was on a tank going down the road, and someone jumped out in front of the tank. Tim, being responsible for firing, blasted the person with machine gun bullets, and the person fell to the ground. Apparently, they later learned that the person was just a child. Tim was 23 at the time, and when he came home, he was wrecked with regret and his soul was sad for the life he had taken. He simply could not get over it. He consulted a priest, who told him to "pray for his sins" which made him angry. At this time in his life, he expressed his feelings to his war-time buddy, Bougie. Bougie turned to his friend as said, "Tim, what were we supposed to do? We were all children."

This day in West Virginia, in front of Bougie's son, Tim thanked him for those words so many years ago. He said that it was the only thing that put his mind at peace. It was the only thing that allowed him to stop reliving the horrible things that were forced upon him as a soldier. They were children.... 

We are children... we are just children...

This war has entrenched us in a major, major debt. (And its growing right this second) And, let's not forget, we'll all be recieving those nice "bribe" checks from our lame-duck President for $600 each (more if you're married, more if you have kids, and half as much if you just don't work). I'll be taking my money with a spoonful of sugar--it helps the medicine go down. And this is a hard pill to swallow for me. I know that in some way or another, we are all going to be forced to pay that back when the democrats take office and subsequently take on this debt. (Thanks, old white men, for putting your grandchildren in soo soo much debt!) But I think Huckabee is right. Okay, he's quirky--maybe even strange--but he plays the guitar and had a tax plan which any demoocrat is smart to keep silenced right now, but may want to consider once they are elected into office. The Consumer Tax!

The consumer tax is just what our country needs. For anyone who may not know, the consumer tax means that you keep your paycheck and then when you go shopping for things, you pay tax there. Under this premise, those who make the most, (and most importantly, consume the most), pay the most. Those who live more meagerly, or those without a lot of money to spend, therefore get to keep more of their money. This also cuts out the money that government loses as a result of the blackmarket (drugdealers, prostitutes, gambling) and totally disintegrates the much-hated IRS. We could get people paying taxes in a fair way, and  this plan could do more to pay down the debt than what we (the government) have coming in from taxes now. I believe that this system could save our country from this enormous debt, as well as help to distribute burden more evenly.

From each, according to their means; To each, according to their needs.

I stay away from the ethical or moral argument as much as possible.  I’m not secure enough in my own ethics to possibly pass judgment upon another’s moral choice.  I find it even more disturbing that throughout the United States history the “moral police” have been implementing morality though law or brutish tactics with an unfounded sense of righteousness.  I won’t go into detail on that, but hey, we burned witches?   

What is even more disturbing is the consistent hypocrisy that almost always goes hand in hand with those who speak out in the name of morality.  It wasn’t surprising that the politician arrested for soliciting sex in an airport men’s room had previously spoken out against gay rights.  Just as I wasn’t the least bit surprised today to find out that Elliot Spitzer, the Governor of New York, who promised to bring credibility back to Albany, and has sent everyone to jail from Wall Street Bankers to low-level drug dealers, was linked to an upscale prostitution ring today.  Again, I don’t judge the guy for hiring a prostitute.  He broke the law, and he should face legal repercussions just like any citizen would, but where he stands on an ethical scale means nothing to me.  What pisses me off is that when Spitzer was attorney general he prosecuted more than two prostitution rings similar to the one he so frequently enjoyed.  After arresting sixteen people he spoke out against the rings with disgust.

After thinking about this a little more I realized how crazy it is that I am no longer surprised by hypocritical politicians who are caught in the same scandals they simultaneously fight against in the name of morality.  I have become desensitized to political scandals.  If Al and Tipper gore were closet S&M fans I would say, told you so!  If GW was secretly learning to read I would say, wait what?   Does anyone else feel this way? 

I’m now going to allow my youthful righteousness to come out a bit.  I am of the opinion that young people have a distinct advantage over their elders in being able to see through bullshit.  Ask any teacher and they will tell you that if you’re full of it, the kids will see right through you.  It’s got to be more than a coincidence that young people have not voted in high numbers in the past 30 years and somehow our government is full of hypocritical, judgmental, and downright dirty old men.  So this year, take a good look around at all the politicians you plan on voting for, trust your judgment, and if they seem full of shit, they probably are.  

Also, I am stating here and now that from here on out anytime a politician is outted in a scandal he or she should be referred to as a "client 9" in honor of our wonderful governor Spitzy.  Lets coin the phrase people. 

Whenever I tell people about my involvement in HeadCount, I am usually met with various forms of agreement and approval.  "Yeah, I've see those booths at shows," "Way to go," or "Wow, that's cool.  I wish I could volunteer," and to them I reply, "You can!"  But sometimes people seem baffled about why I would've become engaged with HC in 2004 in the first place, but now why I am back four years later.  Here's what I tell them - call it my spiel.

"I grew up the daughter of a State Senator (WA) and an ethnomusicologist professor, so politics and music have always been together in my life.  After being absurdly involved with civics and student government in high school, I earned a BA in Political Science and went to work in the State Senate, but never really felt like I was engaging all of interests.  Politics are interesting and constantly in flux, but government can be a bit of a bore.  I missed being out of my element and on tour with my friends, seeing places I'd never see if Phish or moe. wasn't playing there and meeting people who'd never been to Seattle or even the west coast.  I relish the seat of your pants lifestyle.  And so when I heard of an organization called HeadCount that strived to integrate music and politics, to engage a segment of the concert-going population that had become largely apathetic, and to instill a degree of civic involvement in those younger than my ripe age of 26 (at the time), I was all over it."

This is a pretty effective bit of wording and having listened to it, most peeps want to know more.  But sometimes folks need more convincing and that's when I break out my "Oh, the humanity" speech, which goes like this.

"I believe in civic engagement and I believe in democracy.  I believe in compassion for others and looking beyond yourself.  I believe in love.  I believe that giving your time and other resources is incredibly gratifying.  I also believe that we exist in a polarized, fragmented society - whether it be race, politics, money, or something else that drives us.  Too many extraneous things - material objects, emotional drama, and life's static - now distract us.  I believe that as a society we are losing our humanity and thus, some of America's core values.  And I don't like it.  This is a chance for me to feel like I am making a difference in a tangible way.  That's why I am involved in HeadCount, and that's why you should, too."

At least if I can't convert them, I can give them something to think about.  Maybe they'll come around and maybe not.  But it doesn't make me feel any worse. 

On Friday, I had the chance to contribute to the IMPACT: Conference on Service, Advocacy, and Social Action (www.changingthepresent.org/campusconference2008). The conference, held at Northeastern University, was supported by many great sponsors and a worthy planning committee. The IMPACT conference was a mainstay of activism for 24 years, and when it looked like sponsorship was about to dry up in 2007, groups from many different campuses and organizations took action to make sure the legacy of the conference would live on. The event is, at its core, a truly community-driven achievement.

With over 800 registered attendees, the IMPACT Conference is historically the largest convening in the country of campus community members involved in service, activism, politics, advocacy, and other socially responsible work across philosophical and ideological lines.

It was not only very humbling and inspirational to be among all these socially mindful folks, many of whom were there during their college spring break, but very constructive as well.

Sitting on my panel were: moderator Karlo Marcelo- CIRCLE (www.CivicYouth.org) research associate and HeadCount Advisory Board member, Maya Enista- CEO of Mobilize.org, and Mike Connery- editor of FutureMajority.com, author of the book YOUTH TO POWER, and himself a HeadCount Advisory Board member.

Now, much like this blog post, this was essentially my first time presenting in a forum. Not only that, but the conference participants had PAID to be a part of this. I certainly did not want to let them down, and at the same time wanted to make sure I was doing right by HeadCount and myself. I knew I had a lot to contribute, but would I be able to do so effectively?

Over the week leading up to the conference, I poked around with HeadCounters who had done this type of thing before, bothered Karlo for info and tips (thanks dude), and, in general, agonized over this little block of 3 hours I had coming up.

Karlo, Maya, Mike, and I had the pleasure of contributing to the Get Out the Vote (GOTV) forum. Participants had a variety of choices during the "Friday Forums" portion of the conference, and I was in awe at how many fellow young people found the GOTV forum to be the one for them.

Eventually, participants would break into groups to discuss different obstacles and strategies of their potential GOTV campaign. Some gathered to discuss GOTV campaigns exclusively on campuses. That was their interest. Other groups focused on GOTV campaigns for often ignored groups of voters, and another group discussed national or state-based GOTV campaigns.

First though, the panelists tried to put a bit of perspective on GOTV campaigns in general. We tried to impart our experiences from the field, and as organizers, so that the conference attendees could come up with the best campaign possible without having to tackle many of the obstacles we already have.

Then, when the participants broke into their focus groups, the four panelists would rotate through the different groups- offering advice or answering questions that came up during group discussion. Afterward, groups had the chance to share their ideas with the rest of the forum and we were able to do a bit of brainstorming as well as a Q&A with the panelists.

Once we had broken into the groups, the pressure of sitting in the front of the room was over. It was amazing how many issues and questions raised by the groups have been dealt with by HeadCount in the past. I was happy to be able to share some suggestions and otherwise learn from them!

Some ideas can't help but stick with you after something like that. Key ideas that many GOTV groups are faced with include knowing the community you want to target, mutual recognition within that community, incentives for volunteers, and networking through your community and beyond. The enthusiasm of the participants was second-to-none. The lively rate at which all of our ideas were shared, and at which email addresses were exchanged, was uplifting.

In addition to being on-the-look-out for other people like them who can contribute unique talents or services, as non-profits or small do-it-yourself campaigns, the common theme of course, is making the most of what you have and what is already available to you.

I hope to address these different ideas in future posts. For now, I will leave you with my impression of the conference and the perspective it gave to me.

Between now and then, I ask that you reflect on these concepts and make as many comments as you like about them, or any other ideas, here on the blog. After all, discussion is the catalyst that leads us to the answers we need. Others have "been there, done that" (a concept which came full circle for me after drawing on HeadCounters for general "panel" advice and parlaying that into advice for the conference attendees).

And while we always hope to explore new ground and come up with new & better solutions, there is no end to what we can learn from others. This became evident to me as I began to feel comfortable in front of the room, and at the conference as a whole- as a part of a bigger picture.

One thing that has astounded me, (and quite frankly, I sort of feel uncomfortable talking about it) is how much I have heard Barack Obama supporters say how scared for his safety they are. I am big believer in the power of positive thought, and the power of the mind to bring thoughts into reality, and as such, the power of these fears makes me very nervous. On a more sociological end of things, I feel really sad to have the realization that in today's world, when we have these people who are beacons of hope to so many, that we are automatically afraid of the dangers that they inherit through their status and prominence. One can see that this is a product of past experience and the loss of JFK, and Martin Luther King, Jr., and it's almost daunting to realize that the country still has post-traumatic stress disorder over these events, but it seems increasly evident. I think it also speaks to the degree of which we really all do fear one another. If America is supposed to be "the greatest," why can't we break through the fear of eachother... Furthermore, why do so many feel that others are always trying to foil unity? Are they? There are deeper seeded questions that go hand in hand with the fear factors that are painting the campaign these days. Personally, I (mostly) choose not to speak about these things and I try to have confidence that the people surrounding our likely presidential nominee are looking out for his safety as their top priority. But when it is reported that the people in Dallas stopped searching people coming into a rally for Obama, (because most of the supporters, "looked like nice people",) it makes my stomach turn...