Young Democrats of Atlanta

Continuing blogging from Manuel's w/ Governor Dean

communications@atlantayoungdems.org (Young Democrats of Atlanta) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 16:47:00 -0400

4:47 P.M. Starting a new entry here, with some unique individuals (including Tom Baxter and Tom Crawford) along for the ride here, with obligatory comments about me and their sandal straps.

Tom Baxter just asked whether Governor Dean was still confident that we are going to see a public option, and he said that he was, through the prism of a bipartisan compromise (with the assorted chunks in that sausage as usual).

4:52 P.M. Catherine basically asked how we can convince people that our system is in need of change - Governor Dean is bringing it back to the point, which is choice (something we Democrats know more about than the other side). The choices will be private health insurance and a version of Medicare not restricted by age as the current version is.

Tom Baxter is bringing up a study that showed that blue states could bear more of the cost of the new system than red states, but points out that those red state lawmakers haven't been convinced by these statistics. Governor Dean is saying that these folks are ignoring public opinion at their peril - I mostly agree with that, but as the economy continues to struggle we may also find that public opinion may change beneath us. It's really a game of chicken - will the public change for the lawmakers, or the other way around?

4:57 P.M. In response to a question from Tom Crawford, Governor Dean points out that there's not a lot of competition to be destroyed by health care reform, with a handful of big insurers in most states.

Catherine is asking why corporations like GM aren't speaking up about the problems being inflicted on them by current health care costs - the Governor says some want to, but are afraid to rock the status quo, but that there is still a lot of misplaced faith in the efficiency of the private sector. Governor Dean also believes most employees would want to keep their employee-provided plans - and hey, I might too, until I figure out what the new plan that passes will do for me. Yay choice!

Governor Dean is saying that the public competitor will lower costs in two ways - it will provide a more attractive product, with no predatory pricing and other such "gotchas" we all know and hate about the private sector, and by lowering administrative costs (read: CEO pay and advertising).

5:04 P.M. Just as an update, we're looking at a select group of fourteen of the local political elite and "new media" (is that still a real term?) here with the Governor. Bernita asked how women receiving breast cancer coverage will be affected, and Governor Dean says there won't be any changes to such existing public programs.

5:10 P.M. Governor Dean just said that the old coalition that defeated this last time isn't there anymore - I wouldn't say it's gone, but maybe they don't have quite the muscle they did in the 1990's. I also wouldn't agree that the public isn't afraid of this at all, we have to assuage their fears as much as we can in the face of these sneaky attack ads.

I asked Governor Dean about some of the "maybe" public options, like the "trigger" option (which would only create a public option if the private sector doesn't reduce costs by some magic amount) and "co-ops" (I commend the reader to Google on that one, not familiar with it), and he immediately labeled all of those as "fake public options" that wouldn't be effective and wouldn't pose a threat to the "real" public option". I haven't seen where various party figures stand on these fake options, but I think it's always up for grabs in the Senate.

5:15 P.M. On the future of the Republican party - Governor Dean is suggesting that the Republican party will have to stress their fiscal credentials and leave all their social conservative nonsense to the fraction of the population who are yearning for the resurrection of Richard Nixon.

Catherine asks, "What's our next big goal?" and Governor Dean immediately pointed to climate change, legislation addressing which (or not, to varying degrees) is already underway, which he expects to be a more traditional political pitched battle (than the health care battle).

And with that (5:19 P.M.) this special session is at an end. We could wish the Governor was still running the DNC!

Live blogging from Dean's book signing at Manuel's

communications@atlantayoungdems.org (Young Democrats of Atlanta) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:39:00 -0400

3:39 P.M. Well, this begins anticlimatically, since the event started at 3 and it is sooo crowded here there was no way those of us who arrived late had any chance whatsoever at this one. Fortunately Paula was there to capture the event for our friends at Blog for Democracy. Governor Dean is here at Manuel's signing his book and talking health care reform - although I haven't read the BfD post, so I don't know what he actually said...

The Q and A is over, so people have managed to get a better foothold in the room, but it's still pretty hard to maneuver.

3:47 P.M. There are a number of people here in orange shirts in support of H.R. 676, sponsored by John Conyers.

They had a banner too, but I missed the chance to take the picture. I guess it's not super crowded here now, there are places to sit.

4:01 P.M. Paula is totally making the most of the chance to be a Dean groupie, with YDAtl friend Catherine Smith:

YDAtl financial friends A Capella Books are providing the printed materials for this event. At some point these updates will fall to a lull until the book signing is over, but hey, something exciting could happen in the next hour (like a martini).

4:26 P.M. The dreaded Last Call has been issued - for books, that is. Governor Dean is posing for some photo ops with a medium sized handful (melts in your mouth, not in your hand) of the folks still here. Not sure what's next, but this ain't the end of this post - stay tuned.

YD's at the Democratic Party of Georgia Jefferson-Jackson dinner

communications@atlantayoungdems.org (Young Democrats of Atlanta) — Tue, 12 May 2009 18:36:00 -0400

7:43 P.M. The YD table, featuring your YDG president Jane Bradshaw...

7:24 P.M. If you haven't met your Atlanta region rep Leslie Small, or his dynamic ("dynamic" = "sweet but don't facking mess with her") fiance Nikema, here they are!

7:03 P.M. Michael Julian Bond isn't a Young Dem, but he was at our May business meeting, and we were happy to see him.

6:42 P.M. This isn't the real live blog from the JJ dinner, but you might like to see some friends all dressed up. Amir Farokhi, our friend running for city council, is here:

Recognize Mr. Male Young Democrat of the Year and president of Most Improved County, Cobb?

Zak and Khaz hangin' with Senator Curt Thompson, a friend of ours from Gwinnett:

Live blog from the remainder of Sine Die

communications@atlantayoungdems.org (Young Democrats of Atlanta) — Fri, 3 Apr 2009 20:09:00 -0400

12:05 A.M. This legislative session, and maybe MARTA as you know it, is over.

Might wanna bring a Segway to your next Braves game. Oh well, guess it could have been worse.

11:58 P.M. House is reading the resolutions, it's all over on this side.

Jerry Keen has moved to adjourn Sine Die on this side... and I hear the Senate adjourning too.

11:52 P.M. King Glenn has put in a call to the Bat Phone, time's getting real tight. H.B. 169 is again not considered on the motion to suspend the one hour rule 55-107. Another motion to suspend the rule fails 67-97.

11:47 P.M. Motion to suspend the one hour rule in the House fails 87-82 - supposedly that was because the bill had not lain on the table for an hour. Rep. Morgan is moving to adopt the CCR to H.B. 251 again, and it is adopted 97-73. One hour rule is again not suspended, 76-90, to consider H.B. 169.

11:43 P.M. Senate rejects a bill whose number I can't remember, but some evil people cheered, while the environmental folks stood by.

11:37 P.M. Larry just told Tim that transportation is toast. He might not have been joking when he asked for a ride back to the Inman Park station...

11:32 P.M. Senate passes H.B. 2 38-16. More immigration enforcement, 'cuz that's what we need to focus on now.

11:23 P.M. House rejects Rep. Morgan's H.B. 251 77-78, but votes to reconsider 103-62. Word is "payback", not sure I'm at liberty to say for what though.

11:15 P.M. Bunch of boring House conference committee reports, one by Rep. Major Jerk of the 80th, who incidentally isn't that much taller than I am. My feet hurt. Here is our next Attorney General taking a break:

H.B. 189 passes 91-66, but is reconsidered 87-77. I don't know what this bill is but it seems controversial.

10:59 P.M. House rejects H.B. 169 55-110. No sub metering.

10:50 P.M. Word is that S.B. 164 (billboards) may come back and Tim's talking call-out strategy and counting votes.

10:45 P.M. Amazing, S.B. 67 (English only written drivers' examinations, among other things), fails 22-22. House just passed S.B. 56. 107-60.

10:26 P.M. House votes 136-30 to take S.B. 56 off the table. Don't we already have laws that keep you from stocking up on Sudafed?

10:21 P.M. S.B. 82 finally passes 141-20. Some education stuff is coming up in the House soon, we hear, but we're not being called on to act yet.

10:17 P.M. The Senate votes down Adelman's amendment to S.B. 200 22-33. Senate adopts the House substitute 33-22. Rep. Golick seems to be speaking in favor of S.B. 82.

10:07 P.M. The Senate debate on S.B. 200 is continuing and is not proceeding quietly.

9:57 P.M. Page and Tasso are chillin'. The YD's are scattered. I'm bored. Rep. Smyre isn't.

9:53 P.M. The Senate (in the form of Sen. Thompson) has been discussing something that sounds suspiciously like the DOT revamp.

9:44 P.M. The Big Show and Rep. Alan Powell are passing the time while the House continues droning on about metal recycling.

9:26 P.M. The House is debating S.B. 82. Hopefully someone will be able to explain to me why something trying to cut down on copper theft by imposing some regulations on metal recyclers is generating so much controversy. Leslie Small says the purpose of the bill is to make the night longer. Guess they'd rather chit chat about metal recycling rather than talk about MARTA.

9:22 P.M. Sen. Orrock is taking questions from Sen. Thompson on the conference committee report on H.B. 481, which would provide part-time unemployment benefits. Speaker (sic) Richardson is up to his usual silliness.

9:14 P.M. S.B. 86 passes the House, 104-67.

9:07 P.M. There is some action going on now, yes. Debate on S.B. 86, which requires proof of citizenship before you even register to vote (as though the voter ID law wasn't strict enough), is ongoing. Rep. Pedro Marin (Gwinnett) is in the well and a good number of the YD contingent have headed to the gallery.

8:50 P.M. Check the array of Young Dems ready to spring into action when (not if) the Republicans try something sleazy:

And in what HAS to be the moment of the day, an intrepid soul (pictured) managed to capture Sharon Teague's latest unbelievable DFI transgression.

This blogger's opinions regarding Rep. Teague are once again vindicated.

8:34 P.M. Dinner's over, and the crew is getting ready for the last shift. Larry Pellegrini is always a good guy to talk to...

Tim's been on top of the game for the whole day. Brad says he thinks there's something voucher-y going on, but when isn't there with these bozos in charge?

8:10 P.M. More or less just got here. I hear that many YD's have taken a semi-permanent break at the Irish pub near the Capitol (because the service sucks, not because anyone's giving up or anything). When Tasso (and Lauren Benedict)...

...and Calvin Smyre...

...have time to kick back to this degree, you know it's going slow. They're back to voting on some stuff now, but I see Ben Myers and Nikema Williams still sitting here near me, so nothing too important seems to be imminent. Reading Young Democrats of Georgia guru Tim Cairl's running commentary (interrupted by some Guinness, as I mentioned), seems that some of our stuff is still in play.

I figure it's probably not a good sign when random old guys high-five while waiting at the rope for their legislative victims.

Celebrate Earth Hour tonight

communications@atlantayoungdems.org (Young Democrats of Atlanta) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 10:48:00 -0400

The annual observance of Earth Hour, an hour where the lights of cities and homes are dimmed to promote awareness of environmental issues, has once again arrived. From 8:30 P.M. to 9:30 P.M., whatever your time zone, turn off the lights and show your Mother some love.

No Surgeon Sanjay after all

communications@atlantayoungdems.org (Young Democrats of Atlanta) — Fri, 6 Mar 2009 06:59:00 -0500

Atlanta's most visible doctor, Sanjay Gupta, who was *squinchy gesture* thisclose to being Surgeon General, has removed himself from consideration for the post. Is it ok to be a little disheartened by another first choice not working out?

Sunday sales squashed, again

communications@atlantayoungdems.org (Young Democrats of Atlanta) — Wed, 4 Mar 2009 17:59:00 -0500

Another year, another victory the Sarah Palins of the Georgia Legislature. The Sunday alcohol sales legislation was withdrawn in committee in the Senate, again, because the votes to pass it weren't there, again. We tried, guys!

Sunday sales committee vote today?

communications@atlantayoungdems.org (Young Democrats of Atlanta) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 05:49:00 -0500

For those of you who don't like having to ask "What day is it?" before you head out to the convenience store, YDAtl is lobbying today in favor of a bill that would allow Sunday alcohol sales - a committee vote on the bill could be coming soon. This may be one of the very few issues where we can actually get on the same page with the Young Republicans - that's when you know our state has some silly laws!

Blue Dining: Flip

communications@atlantayoungdems.org (Young Democrats of Atlanta) — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 13:47:00 -0500

Flip Burger Boutique

www.flipburgerboutique.com

1587 Howell Mill Road

Lunch: M-S 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Dinner: M-Th 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., F 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Saturday: Open all day 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Closed Sundays

By Jeff Romig

I’ve eaten countless Krispy Kreme doughnuts in my 31 years.

For as long as I can remember, I believed the only way to eat an original glazed Krispy Kreme was hot and fresh.

When the hot sign is lit, that’s the best time to get your fix.

But thanks to Chef Richard Blais, I’ve had a paradigm shift.

Blais has taken the traditional goodness of a hot, fresh Krispy Kreme and flipped it on its head.

While any given meal at Blais’ Flip Burger Boutique won’t necessary begin with the Krispy Kreme milkshake, it should certainly end with the liquid version of America’s best doughnut.

It’s as amazing as it sounds. I promise.

As for what to get before you order your milkshake, Flip also reinvents the idea of what a burger can be.

The top and bottom of each burger is a buttery, delicious brioche bun, while the middle is your choice of 15 or so different options from new takes on the traditional beef variety as well as nontraditional takes like a Shrimp Po Boyger, a Cuban and a Breakfast burger.

My favorite is the Steak Tartare burger, which is a wonderful mix of chopped rare steak, garlic, capers and Worcestershire topped with a smoked mayo.

And you can’t go wrong with a side of Vodka-battered onion rings and an old-school bottle of Cheerwine or Sundrop.

But if that’s not your style, I guarantee with all the choices offered on a daily basis, you’ll find something you’ll love.

I recommend going early because lines are consistently long and there are no reservations.

But even if you have to wait, it’s more than worth it as the food and atmosphere are truly a blast!

Is this the end for Morris Brown?

communications@atlantayoungdems.org (Young Democrats of Atlanta) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 07:02:00 -0500

Morris Brown, an HBCU founded by former slaves, has been on life support for years, and today might be the day the feeding tube gets disconnected for good. The college owes the City of Atlanta $214,000 in back water bills, but only has $60,000 to pay. They have until 5 P.M. today to come up with the cash or the water switch gets flipped off (again). It doesn't seem to be looking good.

100 years of the NAACP - where does it go now?

communications@atlantayoungdems.org (Young Democrats of Atlanta) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 18:55:00 -0500

The venerable NAACP, an organization that over the years has stood both at the forefront and the middle of the push for civil rights, turns 100 today. It's come a long way from the days of Brown v. Board of Education and W. E. B. Du Bois - not least in that many people now would be hard pressed to identify him, or to identify any of the NAACP's ongoing activities. When was the last time you saw the NAACP in the news? For me, it was when they were leading the outcry against the treatment of the Jena Six. That was a time to remember that even with Barack Obama in the White House, the battle is not yet over. But what vision can move the organization to its next victory? Is the NAACP suffering a similar fate to many of the HBCU's in Atlanta, as we see Morehouse, Clark Atlanta, and others struggling? Will there be another John Lewis, Ralph David Abernathy, or Martin Luther King Jr., and if so, will (s)he come from the ranks of the NAACP?

Bzzt, time warp, we're still here!

communications@atlantayoungdems.org (Young Democrats of Atlanta) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 07:13:00 -0500

Wow, a lot as happened since our last blog post on May 6, 2008.. Barack Obama won the primary, John McCain imploded (insert "poof" sound here), America elected a black man as its President, and now the news of the day is President Obama and his three best friends in the Senate, who just happen to be Republicans at the moment: Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe, and Arlen Specter. Oh yeah, and that guy who makes the jokes still hasn't finished beating Norm Coleman yet. Hope Y'ALL have been doing good in the last, what, 9 months? We have! Look for slightly more frequent updates here going forward.

communications@atlantayoungdems.org (Young Democrats of Atlanta) — Tue, 6 May 2008 13:44:00 -0400

Future is Blue: Passing the Torch: Connecting the Young Democrats of 1968 to the Young Democrats of 2008

Please join us on Monday, May 12th at Carolyn’s Gourmet Café at 7 p.m. for our annual fundraiser, Future is Blue.

Forty years have passed since the events of 1968 reshaped our nation. Young Democrats of Atlanta is deeply honored to host Democratic leaders who will lead a night of remembrance and storytelling.

Speakers will recount their 1968 experiences related to Vietnam, the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, the lives and deaths of Martin Luther King, Jr., Bobby Kennedy, and more.

We are pleased and deeply honored to feature the following speakers:

Winston Johnston - confidant of Coretta Scott King, who inspired her involvement in LGBT issues.
Lonnie King – Civil Rights Movement Student Leader and former President of the NAACP
Tasso Knight – 7th Congressional District Chair and Political & Legislative Directors for UFCW 1996
Nan Orrock – Georgia State Senator
Kay Scott – President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Georgia

Additionally, we will present video recollections by U.S. Representative John Lewis

Georgia State Senator Kasim Reed and Atlanta City Councilman Lamar Willis, representatives of a young generation of lawmakers, will serve as the evening’s hosts.

We could not be more thrilled to be the next wave of Democrats from the birthplace of the civil rights movement.

If you would like to make a donation to the Young Democrats of Atlanta, please visit our website at www.atlantayoungdems.org or join us Monday at Carolyn’s.

Admission: We are asking a minimum donation of $25 dollars.

Carolyn’s Gourmet Café is located at 1151 W. Peachtree Street, Atlanta, GA 30309
-A note about parking: There is limited parking at Carolyn’s and Einstein’s Bros Bagels, as well as street parking on 13th. There are also pay lots across the street and at the corner of 14th and Spring streets.

Live blog from YDA quarterly meeting in Anaheim

communications@atlantayoungdems.org (Young Democrats of Atlanta) — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 16:55:00 -0500

Sunday, 10:45 A.M. Last pictures before I hit the shuttle...

I leave you with a picture of Tomorrowland, and it's *blue*, people! Great conference - we'll be back, Ah-nold.

Sunday, 10:12 A.M. Things are wrapping up here. Unfortunately our coverage will have to end prematurely due to my flight out at 1:30, but we currently have the state presidents' association meeting...

...as well as the college caucus (which has more people in attendance than you can see in this photo). Not sure who the guest speaker is (not pictured).

The LGBT caucus meeting starts at 10:30, which I can bring a little bit of before I catch the bus to the exciting theme park known as LAX, featuring thrills, chills, and surly TSA agents.

Saturday, 7:13 P.M. Just got done with the Southeast Region meeting - we have a new region director, Alan Brock from Florida. We are getting ready to go get some food and inevitably degenerate into, um, other activities, so this may be the last update for tonight.

Saturday, 6:11 P.M. Dispatches from the picket line:

Word from Tony Cani is we had 286 people on the picket line - it's amazing how powerful you feel with a picket sign in your hand, shouting "Si Se Puede" or "We are the union, the mighty mighty union". We were on the picket line with people in their chef's uniform and with their kids. Anyone up for finding a picket line around here? :-)

This is definitely uncharted but awesome territory.

Saturday, 4:18 P.M. This rally is STARTED! Do we have a huge crowd here or what?

We are ready to march and take the message to management!

Saturday, 4:07 P.M. Oops, guess there were also breakouts on LGBT issues, women's rights, immigration, and a couple more things I can't read from here. The number of people gathered outside waiting for this issues stuff to finish is pretty impressive.

Saturday, 3:58 P.M. We're very close to starting the labor rally, but here are the four breakout sessions (the fourth one was environmental issues or something).

Environmental issues:

Health care:

Veterans' affairs:

And education:

Not sure how this rally thing is going to work. The VA group is advocating Google bombs, which I don't think is really very kosher ;-P

Saturday, 3:42 P.M. Bunch of photos. Between all the branding and cuteness, the kids, and the incessant Disney theme music, everything is seeming very corporate Stepford here...

This guy has got to be rolling in his grave.

The smokers' caucus had a little meeting. They've really raised their profile here - the prominent members really have their own special credentials and positions (Lindsey Barret is VP of chain smoking or something...).

The video taping and general geekery has been continuing (the interviewee in the second photo below is the labor caucus secretary, which you can probably guess from his Teamsters shirt):

The issues meeting has divided into breakouts on health care, education, veterans affairs (or something), and something else which I didn't catch. Here are some photos from earlier...

Our union march supposedly starts in ten minutes, but as usual we've been behind for most of the afternoon. At least it's not really raining at the moment.

Saturday, 3:10 P.M. Here's the Christine Pelosi clip:

There seems to be strong interest in purchasing the "Boot Camp" book, as well as in getting it signed by Ms. Pelosi...

Tony Cani is now running a session on issues activism and advocacy, similar to what I remember him doing for the Southeast Region meeting last year. According to Tony, the main reason legislators listen to us under the Dome is a desire to keep their seats and/or look good to their constituents (rock stars like Nan Orrock being the exception rather than the rule).

I met one of my fellow bloggers earlier today, who suggested that we might profitably blog occasionally on Kos (which I confess I know nothing about) and reach a wider audience in Georgia. Maybe that's something worth looking into.

Saturday, 2:49 P.M. Sweet, looks like the video upload worked this time. Christine Pelosi is uploading now. This is turning out to be another good session - giving people a chance to put into practice what they just heard is a lot more effective, and that's what we're getting here. My cyber colleague Ken Whitaker from Michigan is going to have pretty much this whole shebang on YouTube somewhere sometime, so if you're looking for more Christine check it out. You can see him to the right of the picture below, with the video camera.

At one point, the bloggers in the audience (and the audience is pretty dang big) were asked to raise their hands, and a bunch of people did. We're hearing a practice campaign speech from a man running for a judgeship in Texas.

Saturday, 2:34 P.M. Let's see if this works this time - I recorded a few minutes of Mark Newman's fundraising presentation from earlier, and I believe the sound and all is working this time (unlike it was when I tried things in Dallas). Mark had a lot of good things to say, and if this works I have some footage of Christine Pelosi as well that is rendering as we speak.

Christine specifically mentioned Max Cleland's experience as an example of the lesson that you should not let the opposition define you. (We're perfectly willing to define Saxby, of course, but this is a family blog.)

Saturday, 2:16 P.M. The next item on the agenda (after the conclusion of what was a great panel with some WGA members) is a "boot camp" session run by Christine Pelosi.

You know, she's a YD as well as everything else she is, which makes it that much cooler that she can speak so authoritatively about what it takes to be a candidate.

Saturday, 12:54 P.M. We're about halfway through lunch now, and we are just starting a panel discussion with some members of the Writers Guild about the recent writers' strike.

This may be the most pro-union place I've been - we gave a big shout out to the people serving us, who we are probably going to be joining us in the march (I don't know whether there's a picket line - people have said these people aren't actually on strike). Fist in the air for Labor!

Some of these people on stage have written for such well-known shows as The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, and others were prominent strike organizers, so this is pretty cool.

Saturday, 11:16 A.M. Holy dollar signs, Batman, this fundraising training meeting is *packed*. Every seat is taken and there's barely space to sit on the floor in the back. Mark Newman and Amy Lewis are running through some power point slides that I am hoping to get my hands on - I missed the start of this by being at the labor caucus. Mark just said that the thing he hates most is when people view donors as ATM's rather than investors.

The whole "I can't believe she said no!" thing is definitely going to be my least favorite part of my finance chair job!

Saturday, 10:31 A.M. Coincidentally, one of the people here is also live-blogging, so that makes at least 3 people at this meeting, and any number of other people with video cameras. Tech power!

Saturday, 10:24 A.M. There are some interesting ideas being discussed at the labor caucus, which seems well-attended (President Hardt is here as well). In addition to discussing the march for the Disney hotel workers later today, there's also a suggestion to have Young Labor Democrats (or some such slogan) t-shirts printed for Labor Day, and to have photos of chapters around the country wearing them to Labor Day events. We'd look good wearing them to the Labor Day picnic at the Hapeville UAW (assuming that happens...), don't you think?

It's kind of neat to be asked to introduce yourself with "I believe the brother from Georgia has joined us?" ;-)

Saturday, 10:07 A.M. Geez, walking between the buildings here is a real trial. I mean, there's the kids screaming "I wanna go hooommmeeee!!!" (seriously), as well as towers named "Dream" and "Wonder" ("Tower of Wonder IV, the Quickening", coming soon to theaters), and then the Donald Duck topiary that looks more like a nightmare than a dream...

I'm at "On Camera Media Training", which is looking like it's a very good training indeed - attendees are going through some media pitches for their organizations while getting tips from the woman doing the training...

Got to grab my stuff from the demographic training room.

Saturday, 9:56 A.M. Dropping in now on "Working with the Media" (my favorite subject <sarcasm>)...

Judging by attendance here, it seems that learning about the young and unmarried demographic is less interesting to young people than learning how to talk to the media. Guess demographic outreach just isn't as sexy as getting interviewed and sending out press releases... They're now mentioning my #1 lesson, "Nothing Is Off The Record. Ever." I could raise my hand and be like "yeah, here's what I said off the record that ended up in the AJC!" ;-)

Saturday, 9:45 A.M. Reporting briefly from Rules and Charter, the topic under discussion is some arcana related caucus formation and procedures - seems there is desire to have a Veterans Caucus, but I've missed a lot of the preceding discussion.

Now we're on to the soooo exciting "Amendment 2", so I think I'm heading elsewhere.

Saturday, 9:11 A.M. My portion of the Georgia contingent called it a night early last night, but the welcome reception did feature some fairly high profile people. We had the vice chair of the California Democratic Party, as well as Crystal Strait (DNC representative for YDA) and Phil Angelides, who you may remember as the Democratic challenger to Ah-nold in 2006. He was not a girly-man, and he kept his comments short so we could get back to the open bar.

This morning some of us (Billy and Kirk) are enjoying the Fun that is Rules and Bylaws, while me and Jane are currently at a session on reaching woman and young voters, put on by a speaker from Lake Research Partners.

We know that these demographics are trending Democratic, but there are still some interesting figures here. Only 21% of unmarried woman have a bachelor's degree - wow. Also, contrary to what I thought at least, young people and unmarried women list jobs and the economy as their most important issue, above Iraq. With 80% of these demographics indicating that they are following the election closely, we clearly have a chance to really impact the election and win some new converts to the Democratic cause.

Friday, 7:52 P.M. We're hearing from president of Unite Here Local 681, which represents the hotel workers here who have been on the job since February 1 without a contract.

We're hearing from some of the rank and file union members as well, one of the bellmen shared his concerns about his employer health care. So yeah, I'm going to be there marching tomorrow. Disney can sure afford to pay these people more than $8 an hour, which ain't the same as $8 back in Atlanta. You can't live on that here.

Our last speaker is Tim Steed, the president of the California Young Democrats, and then we are off to the welcome reception.

Friday, 7:24 P.M. Well, guess I was wrong - the conference "kickoff" is in progress. We got some nice propaganda (this is the only picture of the video that came out, not that the video favored Obama):

We heard from Tony Cani, who is (I think?) YDA political director, who introduced YDA president David Hardt, who happens to be a Texas superdelegate (i.e. more popular than Britney Spears these days).

This is the first time I've seen David since he was elected at the convention last year. We're seeing a YouTube video about the "youthquake" that is shaking the nation ;-)

Friday, 6:56 P.M. We're here now, with an hour before the welcoming ceremony.

Everything has names like "Magic Way" (street) and "Sleeping Beauty Pavilion" (meeting room...). Ugh! Tim told us all about how we're supposed to be supporting the Disney hotel workers tomorrow, or something.

Dinner was tasty, although apparently "Tex-Mex" isn't a concept that exists around here. I guess Jason doesn't have to worry about the cow tongue tacos on this trip...

Friday, 4:28 P.M. Well, we have finally arrived at the hotel, after an exciting trip in the rental car, where we ran into some of the famous LA palm trees...

...as well as that famous LA traffic.

Looks kinda familiar, huh? Turns out we could take public transportation from here to Disneyland (we're opting for the cheap and Mickey-free hotel), but it would involve two different buses and would take an hour - this is for five miles. Yup, that's something us Atlantans know all about!

We're going to hunt for some edibles of the Tex-Mex variety before we join our friends at the Disney hotel.

Friday, 1:55 P.M. I bring you news from Anaheim, or more properly LAX at the moment, where me and Jane Bradshaw are waiting for Exalted President Cecil, who is arriving late after a fun snow delay in Chicago.

The YDA meeting is at the Disneyland hotel and resort, and we are looking forward to a productive couple of days - although some people are probably still going to be in full campaign mode (like our YDA president from Texas, for one). You can see we're having lots of fun ;-)

The Bill on the Hill

communications@atlantayoungdems.org (Young Democrats of Atlanta) — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 22:32:00 -0500

In honor of our first lobby day under the gold dome, I figured I would treat you to a Seuss-inspired meditation on the joys of lobbying...

One bill,
two bill,
bad bill,
good bill.

People vote for the bill -
on a hill in the city, they will!

Will the people kill the bill on the hill?
Or will they dote when they vote their fill?

How will the people vote on the hill?
The people on the hill serve us, the public, still -
They note what they hear, with a cheer or a sneer -
They hear and they note, before they vote,
What the public says, however remote!

You can call them on the phone -
You can call them from home or from your ring-tone phone -
You can grumble and groan about the bill on the hill -
Only a goat would vote for that swill of a bill!
Just be humble, don't mumble - it's part of the drill,
But they'll listen, the people who vote, they will!

Boy or girl, give it a whirl -
You can write them a letter!
If you're a go-getter, you can do even better -
you can go go to the dome, unless you're a gnome,
and call the people, big or small, short or tall -
They'll come to the hall!
You can grill them on the bill on the hill
If you're on the ball!

So give it a try -
Start the Lobby Hobby - don't be shy!
Bobby and Robby and Sue,
Mildred and Maggie and Lou!
Don't be blue because of Sonny Perdue -
there's still a lot to do!
Don't let them vote for the bill on the hill without you!

Live commentary on the Democratic debate in South Carolina

communications@atlantayoungdems.org (Young Democrats of Atlanta) — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 20:11:00 -0500

8:12 P.M. Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, and Barack Obama are debating tonight in South Carolina, and hopefully all of you are watching from home - the rest of us are here at Verve with the Atlanta Urban League Young Professionals. A lot of Hillary and Obama supporters are here. The opening question is focusing on short-term economic issues, and Clinton and Obama have promised economic help. John Edwards unnecessarily began with a preamble about Martin Luther King Jr., which got a "uh yeah" look from Obama. Obama is now taking a middle ground between Edwards (who is anti-free trade), and Clinton (who is more pro-trade, if I understand her stand).

8:23 P.M. WOW, the gloves are coming off early! Edwards made a comment about some of Obama's plans, saying that they put control in George Bush's hands, and Obama said "Well, first of all, in a year I'll be the one in control." And then Obama called out both Hillary and Bill, to which Clinton retorted with her perception that Obama hasn't followed through with his war speech and that he agreed with Ronald Reagan. Clinton and Obama at one point were talking over each other and everyone here was like "ooohhhhHHH!!!" Obama accused Clinton of supporting Reagan herself, and now Clinton has attacked Obama for serving as a lawyer for some "slum landlord" in Chicago. I don't even know half of this shit! Edwards is now playing the "Hey I matter too" card, so we're calming down again.

8:33 P.M.

John Edwards is talking about predatory lenders and such, and I'll take this opportunity to wonder if maybe both Obama and Clinton are missing an opportunity a la Drew Westen to defend themselves without resorting to some pretty low blows. Hillary is defending her interest rate freeze plan, which doesn't sound like such a bad plan to me. I don't know how this debate is playing nationally so far, but I don't think Hillary can win with South Carolina voters by tearing down the black man on national TV.

8:39 P.M. Obama has just said that he spent five hours on the project that he worked on that prompted the "slum lord" comment from Hillary. Hillary is still on the attack on Obama, saying that he's done the bidding of the insurance companies and voted against limiting credit card interest to 30%, and Hillary just said "Senator Obama, it's very difficult having a debate with you because you never take responsibility for any of your votes." YIKES!!!! There are still people out there who are using this debate to make a decision, and I'm not sure they're going to have a lot to go on here.

8:47 Edwards just went off on Obama too! "You've done the same thing you've done to us [me and Hillary], picked out certain votes out of the thousands of votes we've cast." Obama is using his support for reforming the death penalty in Illinois to show that he's willing to make the tough decisions, and I have to say that's probably going to score him points with this audience.

8:51 We're finally back to some substance in the debate; Hillary is talking about her health plan, although not quite specifically answering the question which specifically asked how black women would benefit. "Senator Obama, does your plan cover the illegal immigrants?" The answer is no; he's avoiding calling for universal health care, as Hillary has done here. Sadly, this is well-traveled territory for both of these candidates, it's not too interesting. Edwards is pointing out that Obama has taken drug company money and Clinton has taken insurance company money, and that Obama's health care plan isn't really "universal".

8:58 P.M.

Hillary is coming out strong on universal health care, "If we don't start out fighting for it, it isn't going to happen." She's calling out Obama again by saying that he is taking a pass by not going for universal health care. Obama is saying that a good plan will induce people to purchase it, which really is a fundamental philosophical disagreement with Hillary - again being honest, hoping that people are going to purchase your magical health insurance plan sounds a lot like Mitt Romney's position. Like, geez.

9:03 P.M. Hillary is talking about the Iraq surge, and she's saying that she will put pressure on the Iraqi government by withdrawing troops (not ALL troops, no one missed the absence of that word). Edwards is talking about why John McCain is wrong about the surge, which is not an answer that is really going to surprise anyone. Obama is also not giving an answer that's really different than the usual rhetoric, yeah, he's not a fan.

9:20 P.M.

We are just getting back for the halfway mark break:

The people I talked to weren't generally very happy with the very uncivil tone of the debate thus far, and I'm inclined to agree. I don't know that it presents a problem for us in the general, but I think both candidates involved in the semi-personal attacks could have scored more points with a less combative approach without allowing their opponent to score unwarranted points against them. Incidentally, I'm blogging with my back to the T.V. here, and other people have told me that Hillary's body language has in particular been too aggressive. Al Gore lost the election partially on the basis of his step towards Bush during one of the debates that he "won", so clearly there are some lessons from the past that could profitably be applied here.

The question is basically "Senator Obama, should black people vote for you or for the best candidate?" and he had a snappy comeback, "Well, I think Senator Clinton things women should vote for the person who would do what's right, and John Edwards is looking for his white male constituency to do the same." John Edwards is on his poverty stump again, and Obama and Clinton are responding. The Obama folks at the front seem amused by Senator Clinton's answer.

9:30 P.M. Hm, I suspect things are going to get interesting again. The question to Obama is "Do you think Bill Clinton was the first black president?" Obama is saying that Bill Clinton deserves credit for what he did... LOL Obama just said that he's not sure whether Bill was in fact a brother, and Calvin Smyre in the audience apparently got a laugh out of it. Hillary is saying that one of her heroes was Frederick Douglass, which I'm not sure is going to come across as inspiring or patronizing. I wish she could have had a chance to make that comment earlier.

9:37 P.M. Hee hee, Mijha just leaned over to me and said "Do you figure Howard Dean called during the break and said 'YOU FREAKS GET BACK ON MESSAGE, DAMN IT!'", because so far things have been a lot more subdued in this half of the debate.

9:40 P.M. The next question is for Hillary, "Do you think Bill has overshadowed you and your message?" and of course the answer is "No, I'm my own candidate." It's dressed up a lot better than that, of course, she is casting it as "I want to help these people in our country, they are what inspire me." Obama is basically agreeing but of course alluding to the big issues he and Bill have had over the last few weeks. Obama: "Bush and Cheney, the one good thing they have done for us is give their party a very bad name."

9:45 P.M. Wow, John Edwards just said that John McCain is increasingly likely to be the Republican candidate. What? I haven't counted Mitt Romney out of the equation yet, and the only reason McCain won South Carolina is that Fred Thompson took a lot of Huckabee's votes away. If Fred Thompson reverts to form and sucks it up the rest of the way, Huckabee has a great chance of winning Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and Tennessee on Super Tuesday, and probably any number of other states with a bunch of evangelicals. So I definitely don't agree with Edwards on that point. We're into another break.

9:54 P.M. We're back, and Hillary is playing along with Edwards and assuming that McCain will be the nominee, and she's saying that she can beat McCain at the national security game. Despite Edwards disagreeing with her, I think she's completely right. McCain is Iraq, Iraq, Iraq, Iraq, and Iraq, and it's a lock that national and international security are going to dominate the election. And all of a sudden the Howard Dean call is out the window and Hillary is going back on the attack on special interest money, lumping Obama and Edwards in with the "take money and help from lobbyists" and saying "you just have to say no". Obama isn't really taking the bait, but he's saying that Hillary can't contrast herself with McCain because she voted for the war with "reservations".

10:01 P.M. This might be a make-or-break question to finish, it's "Why would MLK endorse you?" Edwards is on his poverty stump again, and hey, MLK might have gone with that. It would be interesting to have them answer, "Why would Malcolm X endorse you?" - I think that would be a total win for Obama. Obama is saying that MLK wouldn't endorse anyone, which is a nice idea, and he's dressing up the answer, but I really think MLK would have made a choice just like everyone else - and really, he might very well have gone for Obama, for any number of great reasons. I suppose that was the right answer though. Hillary is answering along Obama's lines, talking about what MLK's values were. And that's the debate!

10:05 P.M. Last thoughts, before the pundits beat me to it: I rate Hillary 50, Barack 45, and Edwards 5, but with the audience listening, I don't honestly think Hillary came out better than 45 and Obama 50. She can't treat the black man on stage, who's between two white people, like one of the pathetic old white Republican dudes one of them will face, and she has to attack him differently. So my prediction, which you should believe as much as the pollsters who said that Obama would win NH, is SC will go 49% Barack, 43% Hillary, and 8% Edwards. Maybe more Edwards at the expense of Hillary. (Full disclosure: I'm a Hillary guy, which doesn't mean that YDAtl is endorsing her).

5 Days Left!

communications@atlantayoungdems.org (Young Democrats of Atlanta) — Wed, 2 Jan 2008 17:48:00 -0500

If you haven't done so, please register to vote. Deadline is January 7th.

Thank you, Chris Dodd

communications@atlantayoungdems.org (Young Democrats of Atlanta) — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 14:56:00 -0500

Say what you will about Chris Dodd's chances of winning the nomination, let alone the presidency, but I think the man deserves our gratitude for doing what the Democrats really should have been doing since the day George W. Bush took office - putting the brakes on when legislation comes through that deserves scrutiny, careful thought, and, in many cases, raucous laughter as it's booted out on its legislative ear. The reauthorization of FISA with immunity in place for the telecommunications companies that enabled the president's illegal wiretap operation should not pass. Dodd came off of the campaign trail to say exactly that, and his leadership, along with that of Russ Feingold, has kicked the reauthorization back until after the Congressional recess. While this is only a delay, it is still a change from the usual rubber stamp given to measures the administration deems crucial to our national security without providing (or even being asked to provide) any reason that that is the case. As I'm sure we all remember from when the warrantless wiretapping story broke, there was nothing in the existing FISA scheme to stop the administration from wiretapping terrorism suspects. The protections the law offered citizens were far from difficult to navigate - the White House just decided it didn't have to consider them at all. Instead of holding them accountable for their illegal activity, the Democratic majority rolled over and gave them temporary amendments that essentially gave legitimacy to the illegal wiretapping program. The passage of these amendments was an embarrassment. It was another case of capitulation for no discernible reason, something akin to folding with a full house. Just like so many times before, the majority acquiesced, perhaps hoping for favor from the administration in the future when the past has shown that such favor won't come. Thank you, Mr. Dodd, for finally showing us that we can have a spine, and for standing up for the rights of all Americans.

Less Than A Month To Go - How Do I Register To Vote?!?!

communications@atlantayoungdems.org (Young Democrats of Atlanta) — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 12:37:00 -0500

That’s right, the Presidential Preference Primary is right around the corner! And thanks to overzealous states, ours has been bumped up a month. That also means that registering to vote has been bumped up a month too! So how do you register? It’s Easy!

Option 1:

Are you moving before January 7th? Then registering is easy. When you make your dreaded visit to the DMV (or now DDS) and they ask if you’d like to register to vote, say YES! If you are changing your address via internet, like I did a few years ago, you can also register to vote; just click the correct radial button. Trust me, it is easy!

Option 2:

Show up to the next Business Meeting or FCDP Holiday Party! This Wednesday, I will be at the Fulton County Democratic Party Holiday Party armed with registration forms. I will also be at our meeting in January, just days before the deadline, with more forms.

Can’t make either. Then send me an email and I’ll make sure a form is in your hands before the deadline. If you choose this option, please do so many days before January 7th.

Option 3:

Online Options: Go to the Secretary of State’s Website before January 7th and download a voter registration form to mail to your County Board of Registrar's Office or Secretary of State's Office. Again, no postage necessary if mailed within the United States.

Option 4:

Any of these other locations before January 7th: Fulton County Government Center (141 Pryor Street, SW, Suite 4085, Atlanta, GA 30303), South Service Center (5600 Stonewall Tell Road, College Park, GA), North Service Center (7741 Roswell Road, Sandy Springs, GA), All Public Libraries, All County Courthouses and City Halls. If you are a student or school personnel, you can also register at your college or high school.

Please note that we are currently subject to the new voter registration laws in Georgia. Please visit this site to learn about which IDs are acceptable, or how to obtain a free voter ID if you currently do not have an acceptable ID.

REMEMBER THE DEADLINE IS JANUARY 7TH!

Will you help turn Georgia Blue?

Candidate Round-Up.

communications@atlantayoungdems.org (Young Democrats of Atlanta) — Mon, 3 Dec 2007 13:20:00 -0500

Clinton Scare.

As you may have heard, a man made his way into the Clinton Campaign office in Rochester, NH on Friday. He entered the building around 1PM, with what was later determined to be road flares strapped to his chest, and the standoff ended around 6PM. Luckily, all 5 hostages were freed unharmed. Also, luckily, this was the work of a man who wanted to speak to Clinton regarding mental health care – he is a man who describes himself as needing mental care that is very difficult to come by – and not the work of someone who does not want to see a woman in the White House.

Rudy Gets No Love.

Rudy Giuliani visited our wonderful State this weekend. He was in town for a Buckhead fundraiser, and decided to make a stop in Marietta. It was in the Marietta Square where he met about 2 dozen supporters – and about 2 dozen louder, younger Paul supporters. Granted, it would be nice to have these enthusiastic Paul supporters vote for the Democrats, but it is refreshing to see young people making a call for change, even if we don’t agree with the supported leader of said change.

Rove and Obama?

In an unsolicited memo sent from Karl Rove to Barak Obama, Rove explains to Obama how to beat Clinton for the Democratic Nomination. So what is Rove’s advice? In a nutshell, “stop acting like a vitamin-deficient Adlai Stevenson.” While, on the surface this appears to be solid advice, I have to wonder what Rove’s motives are. The Republican Party has already implemented the “lets make out like Clinton is going to win the Democratic Nomination, so our base will be motivated to vote - because, lets face it, they don’t like any of us” card. It seems that any advantage Rove might give to Obama would erode the carefully laid Clinton plan for the Republicans. Or is that the point?

Huckabee’s Surge.

Recent polling data shows Huckabee in a tight race with Romney in Iowa, and with Chuck Norris’ help, Huckabee may just have a clear path to win the Caucus. We shall see…

Transgender Day of Remembrance

communications@atlantayoungdems.org (Young Democrats of Atlanta) — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 11:39:00 -0500

Today, Tuesday, November 20, is Transgender Remembrance Day. For those interested, there will be a vigil tonight at 8pm at the Georgia State Capitol. If you cannot be there, please take a moment tonight to remember those who struggle to gain acceptance.

For the LGBT community, the fight for equality has been a long, hard fought battle, and continues to be. It’s amazing to see that no matter how far we have come within the last few decades, we still have a long road ahead. And it makes my heart ache. I would like to point out a couple of recent instances with regards to our friends that are an example of the continued discrimination within our borders: ENDA and the Riverdale City Council Election.

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act, unfortunately, hit a wall in the House this year and will continue without the gender identity provision. Many felt that the Bill had a greater chance at success without the provision, others were against it completely. No matter the reason, we have failed as a society to live up to the ideals our Nation was built upon. I only hope that change will come soon.

The other recent tragedy of humanity came in the form of a law suit against Michelle Bruce for committing fraud during the Riverdale City Council Elections – right here in Georgia. Bruce, the Incumbent, earned enough voted to be considered for the runoff in her election bid to the Riverdale City Council, holding off two of the challengers. Those challengers, Stanley Harris and Georgia Fuller, filed the law suit claiming fraud on the part of Bruce due to the fact that she identified herself as a female prior to the election. You can read the article here.

I ask that all of us stand up and fight for everyone with in the LGBT community. We some times forget while supporting our lesbian and gay friends that there is a transgender community who needs our help as well. And this, I know, is starting to change. Thanks to the Stonewall Democrats for pointing out this event in our community today and for the continued information with regards to ENDA.

Leadership Drought

communications@atlantayoungdems.org (Young Democrats of Atlanta) — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 22:09:00 -0500

There is an oft-told story about a man sitting on the roof of his home as rising flood water laps ever closer to his feet. A man in a boat comes by and offers him a ride. The stranded man declines the ride, explaining that he is waiting for G-d to save him. Later, a helicopter whirs overhead offering a lift to safety. “No, no,” says the man, waving off the helicopter, “I am waiting for G-d to save me.” Having declined all assistance, the man eventually drowns.

Governor Sonny Perdue’s showy prayer display last Tuesday (conveniently scheduled just before a brief rain shower that had been in the forecast for days), reminded me of this story. Our state is drying out, we have not ever had a statewide water plan, and our governor’s two-pronged response is to take more water from our downstream neighbors and to call a prayer conference. To be sure, prayer is important. However, as a Christian whose Democratic values are informed by her faith, I am tired of watching Republicans co-opt my faith and use it as a cover for poor leadership. The Georgia legislature, led by Speaker Richardson and Lt. Gov. Cagle, is poised to start considering the state’s first-ever water management plan in the 2008 session. They should be ashamed. The water emergency did not sneak up on our leadership; they ignored it hoping that we would be blessed with a monsoon that would eliminate the need for planning and sacrifice.

G-d gave humans the ability to reason, to plan, to foresee threats and to mitigate them. The refusal of an individual to use those gifts and rely solely on divine intervention is lazy; the refusal of a leader to use those gifts is an abdication of the trust placed in him by the citizens of this state.

Atlanta Business Chronicle recently published an article focused on the Dallas region and its water management plan. The Dallas region has a water plan through 2060. I doubt that Dallas’ leadership is lacking in religious fervor. What they have in abundance is the foresight and courage to face the water crisis and head it off through sacrifices made upfront that will protect the region’s future.

I don’t have a problem with what Sonny did. I have a problem with what he didn’t do. I suspect that most Christian leaders pray for guidance. They don’t need to put on press conferences to prove that they’re doing so. Still, failure to plan is planning to fail. We ought not to reward failure, even when it dresses itself up as piety. A prayer conference to make up for a gross lack of leadership is a cynical and manipulative ploy. Georgians deserve better.

I call on Georgia to pray. Pray for leadership. Pray for a governor who takes the state’s problems seriously enough to create a plan to confront the challenges we face. Pray for a governor who will follow through on his word. And of course, since there's nothing like a quick fix, pray for rain too.

communications@atlantayoungdems.org (Young Democrats of Atlanta) — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 13:28:00 -0500

Happy Hour/Debate Watching Party - Thursday, 11/15

This month's Happy Hour will be a special debate watching party at Manuel's Tavern, this Thursday at 7PM. Come out and cheer on your candidate(s) of choice with the Young Democrats of Atlanta.

Once again: November Happy Hour/Debate Watching Party at Manuel's Tavern, Thursday, November 15, 7 PM

Don't miss it!

Copyright/Far Right

communications@atlantayoungdems.org (Young Democrats of Atlanta) — Wed, 7 Nov 2007 14:28:00 -0500

At a friend's suggestion, I watched Larry Lessig's speech to the March TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) conference yesterday (see it here). While it is about Lessig's views on copyright, toward the end he raises a point that really struck me, especially after watching Bill Clinton's speech at the same conference (see it here). Lessig discussed how digital technologies have become entirely integrated into our culture, to the extent that the types of creativity they allow have become the younger generations' core understanding and means of expression. As he points out, young people today learn and think and express largely in terms of mashups. Easy, inexpensive tools for digital duplication and manipulation have become widespread, and they have fostered a creative boom, filling YouTube to the brim with cobbled-together music videos and mashup sensations like Danger Mouse's "Gray Album." In fact, you need look no further than our own Shelby Highsmith's Canvassing with YDAtl video to see this idea at work. While much of the discussion of copyright law centers on simple 1-to-1 copies of music and movies, which Lessig acknowledges as piracy, these mashups and the culture of sampling are often given the same label, and thereby declared illegal.

That's a significant point (and the point of this post) - the way young people think and express themselves is being regularly labeled illegal. I'm not going to get into the discussion of right or wrong in this instance - right or wrong, this is the reality. It's similar to the discussion of legalization of marijuana. Whether you feel that smoking dope is good or bad, there are a great many people out there who feel that it is very much right, and they opt to smoke up, despite knowing that it's illegal. This shapes their attitudes toward the police, laws, and government in many ways, some overt and some subconscious.

One of the subjects of much YouTube creativity has been Ron Paul. I've been kind of vexed by the popularity of Dr. Paul, as he's by far the most mainstream Libertarian in recent memory. The popularity of Libertarianism has bugged me for a while. Most of the Libertarians I've met have essentially defined their political views as "stay out of my business, let me do what I want." I'm not going to win any friends by saying so, but that worldview always struck me as, well, lazy. There's something to the idea that, left to their own devices, people will be inherently decent and kind - I like the idea of trusting humanity that much. Thing is, a small group of people who fall short of such decency can easily make life difficult and unpleasant for the majority, and history has shown us that such groups are essentially inevitable. Pure Libertarianism fails in precisely the same way pure Socialism does - imperfect humans have to live up to those lofty ideals, and a few bad apples and all of that... As Lessig points out, we're defining youthful expression as illegal. As more and more people come to see the government as against the way they live their lives and see it as unable to help them in any way (thanks, Bush administration FEMA), it doesn't take much of a leap to believe that government is at best useless and at worst predatory and dangerous.

I don't mean to make this sound conspiratorial - I don't believe that there is a plot afoot to drive young people to the right by telling them they can't pirate music. I do, however, know that disillusionment is widespread, and if we as Democrats are going to succeed, we'll have to overcome a pervasive belief that the government simply cannot be a force for good. And you should really check out both TED speeches.

That About Sums it Up

communications@atlantayoungdems.org (Young Democrats of Atlanta) — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 13:20:00 -0400

It seems no matter how gross the excesses and misdeeds of the Bush administration get, people still like to harp on Clinton's transgressions. Thanks to Huffington Post's Hail to the Punchline, a collection of pundits listing their picks for the most comical president, and specifically the piece by Joe and Jerry Long, a perfect encapsulation of the difference is now available to us:

When Bill Clinton left the White House, the damage his sleazy, self-centered administration inflicted could be wiped away by a mop and bucket guy from the late, lamented Times Square peep show booths. When our current Rodent In Chief sashays off, the building will have to be disinfected as if for hantavirus, lest anyone inhale the terminal putrefaction of cronyism, incompetence and psychotic absoluteness staining everything our nation claims to be.

That about sums it up.