Young Democrats of Massachusetts

YDM Statement on President Obama's State of the Union Address

admin — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:08:52 +0000

Highlight advances in employment and education for young Americans, differences from former Gov. Romney

BOSTON - In response to President Barack Obama's State of the Union Address, Young Democrats of Massachusetts Chair Elaine Almquist issued the following statement:

"President Obama and congressional Democrats have fought to stem the tide of rising unemployment for young people and all Americans, and the President's speech laid out a positive vision for an America that is built to last.

Results of the 2011 Municipal Elections, YDM Endorsed Candidates

EAlmquist — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 22:36:22 +0000

Tuesday's Elections showed some pretty amazing results for the endorsed candidates of the Young Democrats. Most of our candidates won, and many of those candidates whose races didn't turn out as we'd hoped still came in close and ran great campaigns. The Young Democrats of Massachusetts thanks our members and allies for putting themselves out there as leaders in the community, and for supporting our Democratic ideals. Congratulations to our newly elected and re-elected friends. We wish you the very best of luck in your terms.

Six Days till Election Day

JHKleschinsky — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 00:58:56 +0000

It is essential that young people have advocates not just in the State House, but in our own cities and towns as well. Local elected officials make decisions everyday that affect students and young professionals and our allies.

You are not watching this post, click to start watching

YDM 2011 Municipal Endorsements

EAlmquist — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 14:03:50 +0000

The Young Democrats of Massachusetts have made their endorsements for the 2011 Municipal Elections on Tuesday, November 8th, 2011.

Boston:
At Large City Council:

Felix Arroyo
John Connolly
Stephen Murphy
Ayanna Pressley

District 2 City Council:

Greater Boston Young Democrats react to police crackdown on Occupy Boston; issue statement of support

admin — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 19:05:25 +0000

BOSTON – In response to the growing Occupy Boston and Occupy Wall Street movements, and an overnight crackdown on Boston protesters, Greater Boston Young Democrats Vice Chair Sarah Betancourt issued the following statement on behalf of the organization's more than 500 members:

"The Greater Boston Young Democrats are proud to stand in support of Occupy Boston. Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Boston are movements born out of a frustration shared by many members of our organization, a frustration that for too long the top one percent of earners in America have overwhelming influence in our political system, a frustration that all too many of our members face disproportionately high rates of unemployment, predatory lending practices, and soaring health care costs.

"Our own junior senator, Scott Brown, who has received millions from wealthy corporate donors like the Koch brothers, is a glaring example of how the top one percent is buying influence that hurts the other 99 percent of us. Sen. Brown has held unemployment benefits hostage in exchange for tax cuts for the rich, has stood with corporate polluters instead of protecting our air quality, and has even filibustered his own jobs bill. Sen. Brown even voted against summer jobs for youth despite benefiting from the program when he was younger and voted to reduce Pell grants even though he struggled to pay for college.

"We're encouraged to see so many young people stepping up to lead and support this movement, as well as the many diverse groups who are joining in. We encourage our members to raise awareness about and participate in the Occupy Boston movement, and we encourage members of Occupy Boston to join GBYD in helping shape the future of our politics here in Massachusetts. Later this week, members of GBYD will join Occupy Boston to ensure that every eligible participant is registered to vote in time for the October 19 deadline for voting in this year's municipal races. We hope that anyone interested in learning more about the Young Democrats will visit www.ydma.org."

In response to last night's crackdown by more than 200 police on peaceful protesters occupying a space on the Rose Kennedy Greenway, Betancourt added:

Mass Democratic Party: The Stakes of the Massachusetts Senate Race

admin — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 18:58:40 +0000

The following message was sent by Massachusetts Democratic Party (MDP) Chair John Walsh and includes and important memo from MDP Communications Director Kevin Franck on the stakes of the 2012 Massachusetts U.S. Senate race:

Dear Democrats,

Kevin's right. The stakes of the Senate race here in Massachusetts are very high.

The first debate for our Democratic Senate candidates will be tomorrow, Tuesday, October 4th at 7:00 PM in Lowell. If you can't make it to Lowell, you can watch a livestream of the debate here.

Thanks,

John

---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: Kevin Franck <kfranck@massdems.org>
Date: Mon, Oct 3, 2011 at 7:50 AM
Subject: The Stakes of the Massachusetts Senate Race
To: undisclosed recipients

Memorandum

TO: Interested Parties

FROM: Kevin Franck, Communications Director, Massachusetts Democratic Party

DATE: 10/3/2011

RE: The Stakes of the Massachusetts Senate Race

It is clear that the stakes in the Massachusetts Senate race are much higher than Scott Brown might be willing to admit. With incumbent Democratic Senators locked in tough-reelection battles around the country, it’s not hard to imagine a scenario where the winner of the Massachusetts Senate race determines which party will control the Senate.

Since Tea Party Republicans took over the House of Representatives, the Democratic Senate has been a solid firewall against the spread of the Tea Party agenda. The Democratic Senate that stopped Republican Paul Ryan’s plan to end Medicare as we know it and the Tea Party’s Social Security-destroying “cut, cap and balance” scheme is at risk and the Senate race in the Commonwealth will have national implications.

The choice for Massachusetts is stark: Elect a senator who will be a voice for the middle-class or send Mitch McConnell the 51st vote he needs to give Tea Party Republicans control of the U.S. Senate.

Today & Thursday...

admin — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 18:57:16 +0000

Happy Boston Preliminary Election Day!

If you live in Boston City Council Districts 2, 3, or 7, you have an important opportunity today to shape the future of our municipal representation. And on Thursday, make sure you join me and the YDM Women's Cacus in Boston for our first meeting of the Fall!

As you probably know, GBYD and YDM endorsed Suzanne Lee for the Boston City Council District 2 seat because she will bring more progressive and responsive representation to the residends of District 2 and the entire city. Please make sure you get out and vote Suzanne Lee for City Council! Whether you live in the district or not, come out and volunteer as early as you can.

If you live in District 3, check out candidate questionnaires from the Dorcheter Reporter or this roundup from the Boston Globe to learn more about who's running. If you're voting in District 7 check out the Globe's Q&A with the candidates. If you're not sure what district you live in or don't know where to vote, find out at wheredoivotema.com.

Young Democrats endorse Lee in Boston City Council race

admin — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 21:59:17 +0000

Organization pledges ground and financial support in election campaign

BOSTON – The Young Democrats of Massachusetts (YDM) and Greater Boston Young Democrats (GBYD) are proud to announce their endorsement of educator and former principal Suzanne Lee for the Boston City Council District 2 seat.

Lee, who led the turnaround of the Baldwin School from a low-achieving school into a nationwide model earned the young democrats’ endorsement through her commitment to education and engaging young people in the political process.

"Suzanne Lee has dedicated her adult life to ensuring that generations of Bostonians have access to quality education. The Greater Boston Young Democrats and the Young Democrats of Massachusetts are happy to endorse a candidate with the passion and experience that Suzanne Lee brings," said YDM Chair Elaine Almquist.

During the endorsement process, Lee highlighted the value of engaging and empowering young people in the political process and leveraging technology to foster dialog and create change.

Young Democrats Urge Scott Brown to support President Obama's American Jobs Act

admin — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 00:56:52 +0000

Statement from Young Democrats of Massachusetts Chair Elaine Almquist Calling on Sen. Brown to support President Barack Obama’s American Jobs Act

BOSTON - Young Democrats of Massachusetts Chair Elaine Almquist issued the following statement today calling on Senator Scott Brown to put partisanship aside and support President Barack Obama’s American Jobs Act. Previously, Young Democrats of Massachusetts Vice Chair of Programming & Policy John Kleschinsky penned the organization’s stance on how the president can invest in American workers.

“The Young Democrats of Massachusetts are very supportive of the President’s comprehensive plan, which can produce real results for unemployed Americans, particularly young people. Investing in education and infrastructure now will improve the economy today and create a stronger future for all Americans.

“Now, our attention turns to Congress to act. We are confident that many in our delegation will be supportive. We hope that Senator Brown, who has voted with Republicans almost 90 percent of the time, will put aside his partisanship and help get this bill passed. Senator Brown has a great opportunity to act like the independent that he ran as and we hope he will put aside his tired rhetoric of opposing tax cuts for the wealthy, his opposition to youth job programs, and his unrelenting desire to remove important regulations that protect Americans. Young people across the Commonwealth call on Senator Brown to work with his colleagues on both sides of the aisle to get this package passed.

“With unemployment among youth at a staggering rate twice that of average Americans, the Young Democrats of Massachusetts are very pleased to see that the President included funding for youth job programs in his proposal. This common sense measure provides critical job training for thousands of young people, will strengthen our economy, and provides essential opportunities in communities of color where the unemployment rate is a staggering 31%. We only hope that our junior Senator, Scott Brown, will follow the President’s lead and reverse his opposition to funding youth job programs.

“Members of YDM are also very supportive of President Obama’s commitment to creating jobs through investment in our infrastructure and new technologies. Massachusetts is a leader in these areas, but further investment can take us further and put more young people back to work. Despite being the first state in the nation to create a subway system and our investment in the Big Dig, the MBTA is now facing barriers created by its age and we still have many neglected roads and bridges. Public transportation is particularly important to young workers and students, and we are grateful that the President seeks to put people to work to address these issues. We hope that Sen. Brown will abandon the anti-infrastructure rhetoric he uses to describe the stimulus and support these important investments.

“We are encouraged that President Obama has called on those who have benefited the most from the American economy to give back and help make it stronger. We hope that Sen. Brown will abandon his unrelenting support for tax cuts for the rich to allow for these important investments in our economy.”

President Obama, Invest in the American Worker.

admin — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 00:14:04 +0000

The US economy remains weak at best. The latest jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that job growth in August was at zero. And this while a number of US corporations reported record revenues and profits during the second quarter. It leaves us wondering, where are the jobs? We’ve been told countless times that we need to cut taxes, further, to improve the economy and get people back to work. The reality is tax cuts will have little if any impact on real job growth. And tax cuts fly in the face of all those calling for the US to cut deficit spending and reduce the national debt. Now is the time to invest in the American worker. We need bold plans to invest in our future and support young workers who are disproportionately affected by the current economic crisis. Below we highlight key areas we hope the President addresses in his speech Thursday night.