Category: Blog Posts

Happy New Year From the Manhattan Young Dems!!

MYD 2010 Recap from Manhattan Young Democrats on Vimeo.

New York is incredibly lucky to have 2 Senators that fight hard for what New Yorkers need. Thank you Senators Schumer and Gillibrand for standing up for our heroes!

Check out their joint statement in the New York Times

Check out QCYD President Costa Constantinides talking about the new speed bumps in Astoria

First off, I would like to thank you all for sending me to RootsCamp National 2010. I truly had an amazing experience.

For those that went to RootsCamp NY, I must tell you that RootsCamp National is a whole other experience. First off, we had 2 days of sessions and each was 45 minutes long and in 12 different rooms. “The Wall,” I estimate, was about 20 feet long. There was just too much to do and everything I say here, truly, is the tip of the iceberg of the experience.

Unlike RootsCamp NOI, the sessions were filled with experts. And I mean experts (it was in DC after all, so it is not a real surprise). These were the heads of departments of well-known progressive organizations. Blue State Digital, DNC/OFA, ActBlue, Democracy for America, Salsa, Democrats.com, Voter Activation Network, NGP, MoveOn.org, 1 Sky; you name it, they was likely represented.

But what do I mean by experts? As most of you know, I am a computer nerd. Thus, I mostly went to technology, new media, and social media sessions. I thought I had a good understanding of various technologies and how they could be use for activism. I am a novice in comparison to many of these people. They had understanding of APIs (Application Programming Interfaces – simply put, a way for various programs to communicate with each other) that I had no idea even existed.

One of the rules of RootsCamp is “If this is your first time at RootsCamp, you HAVE to present.” (It is not actually enforced.) The first session I attended entitled “Changing the World with Your Cellphone.” In that first session, we went over how text messages have a certain priority for us over phone calls or emails in that we drop everything to read a text message as soon as it is received. From there, we went over various mobile practices like text messaging tools, QR codes, and writing smartphone apps. I was fervently paying attention and taking notes on my laptop. I was having such a fun time learning from others that I realized that I did not want to present, I wanted to learn.

I am not to say that RootsCamp is by any means intimidating. Quite the opposite. One of the necessary parts of education is that people learn from each other. We were encouraged to give our own ideas and experiences. Just because the presenter is talking about a topic does not mean that he is an expert. The real experts are those that have tried the different practices and seen how it works when tailored to their needs.

The best example I can give in regards to that is what I got from the last session I attended on Saturday, entitled “Making Technology Cheaper: Free and Open Source Software.” Some representatives from Stars with Stripes explained how they have been working to merge various Drupal (a web content management system) modules (mini-programs for the CMS) into an easy-to-use right-out-of-the-box system. However, a debate about WordPress (a blogging-oriented CMS) versus Drupal ensued. Team WordPress talked about how easy-to-use it is and how it works well for the vast majority of users. Team Drupal explained that though it is not very user-friendly, it grows with the website and scaled well. (In full disclosure, I am on Team WordPress. I have used Drupal and it just was over head.) The consensus of the room, in the end, was that each program was good, but the decision on which to use is dependent on the size of the website, what its goals are, and who would be using it.

I was having a great time learning even more maneuvers for using technology in politics. However, while on line for a food truck for lunch, I heard a gentleman explain how he lost his job as a science teacher in Louisiana. He explained that since Gov. Bobby Jindal refused to accept stimulus funds, some of the budget cutbacks fell into education. Thus, many school districts replaced math and science teachers with computer programs. As he told it, the students logged onto a computer, opened the program and it went over the materials for the class as well as provided exercises and tests. It was a wake-up call to me about how for all of the technological developments our society has made, we cannot take out the human element.

On Sunday morning, I attended a New Organizing Institute Technology Working Group meeting. We talked about the challenges we have with technology and politics. Namely, we have so much data, how can we sift through it? Also, there are so many different solutions out there and some firms are charging hand-over-fist for their products, how can we find the best solutions while using minimal resources? Well, the solution was clear that we would be working as a community and a team to solve these problems and making them as multi-faceted as possible that it can easily be adapted to a given user’s needs. Thus, those of us in attendance became the founding members of the New Organizing Institute Technology Working Group. Everyone works with these programs and data in different ways and, by collecting the most input possible, the greatest possible output can be produced. This was proof positive of the mission of RootsCamp in that everyone has some skills or experiences that are essential in making a productive plan for activism.

On Friday, I received an email from one gentleman named Mo Maraqa who was an ambassador from NOI. He told me that I was identified by NOI as a rising star in NOI and that he wanted to meet for 10 – 15 minutes to discuss the opportunities NOI offered for my future career. I have to admit, when I got that email, it felt, at first, random. After a moment, it was flattering that a national political activism organization such as New Organizing Institute found potential in me just from my meager work as a college student. Mo and I scheduled to meet on Sunday at 12:30 for lunch. However, he had an emergency and was unable to make our meeting.

The only downside to this education is that it was tailored to activists and groups with large budgets. I looked at the prices of some tools that were being introduced, some were thousands of dollars. Coming from the Brooklyn Young Democrats, a small and young organization, such options would be out of our price range. I would have liked to find more free or low-cost solutions for many of the tasks. But, that is by no means to say that no products for groups on a slim budget were not presented. For example, on free way to send out text messages is to use Twitter and have your membership sign up for updates via SMS (more details can be found at http://support.twitter.com/articles/218610-how-to-get-updates-on-your-phone-without-a-twitter-account).

I am positive that my fellow campers will agree with me on this: at RootsCamp, you get back what you put into it. Like I said after RootsCamp NY, I wish I had more time to go to more events. From what I detailed, it may seem like it was a progressive technology conference. It was not. I just chose to go to the technology-oriented sessions. However, there were also sessions on national security, the “Citizens United” decision, fundraising, canvassing, storytelling, and venting about the problems with the Democratic Party. There were only a small handful of the 100 or so sessions that I really had no interest in attending.

I would recommend that everyone tries to go to RootsCamp next year. If you cannot make it, at least, try to go to a state RootsCamp. Every second there is worth ten times as much as the money and effort it would take to attend.

The long awaited release of the Pentagon’s review on Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, has affirmed Young Democrats’ position that every person deserves completely equal rights as one another, no matter what. The Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy is contradictory to our nation’s founding principles and has, to this point, been upheld by the idea that Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) serving alongside heterosexuals would jeopardize the security of our nation. The Pentagon’s report is yet another demonstration of a fact that has become abundantly clear throughout this country. Our leaders in national security and defense have spoken and now there are no more excuses; this policy must be repealed.

Many opponents of the policy hid behind the excuse of enforcing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell for national security reasons, the Pentagon review proved this to be false. The review states that 70% of the active service members, who participated in the poll, felt that repealing the policy and affording ALL soldiers the same rights would have a positive, mixed or no effect on their units. Secretary of Defense Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mullen both echoed this sentiment with a full endorsement of the repeal.

We saw in the last century that there were some in political leadership as well as within the military and society in general, who believed that skin color defined your level of citizenry and therefore your civil rights. As a nation and society, we stood up and demanded equality; this time and this fight are no different. There were some within Congress who declared that racial integration of the armed services would somehow compromise our national security. Once again we watched those barriers fall as President Truman ordered the de-segregation of our armed services. As only America could, we adjusted. Our servicemen continued defending our nation without any notable disruption as an even larger, united, patriotic front.

Even more concerning than the policy itself, is that in this day and age, as military leaders and service members vociferously voice their support of a repeal, the hate and fear of change still runs deep through those who deter us from perfect justice without a justified reason. They will attempt to deny those willing to sacrifice their lives for us, basic civil rights. It is for this reason we must repeal the antiquated policy of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, not just because the Pentagon has indicated its support, but because, it’s next.

The culture of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell must be changed. We must work for a day when the concept of the closet is no longer in existence and, where we celebrate and affirm LGBT people. The next stop on the journey towards achieving a more perfect union will be the repeal of the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Policy.

Copy and paste the text above and send a message to our Senators Schumer and Gillibrand to tell them to ensure that the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is voted on and adopted.

New York is fortunate enough to have two Senators who have been tremendous leaders during this fight; let them know how many of us stand with them.

Senator Elect David Carlucci will now be the youngest member of the upper chamber and legislature as a whole. David ran a campaign based on restoring trust in government, increasing fiscal accountability and transparency and working to implement new and innovative ideas that will help jump start New York’s economy. Check out this interview with YNN‘s Liz Benjamin to catch some of Senator Elect Carlucci’s initial thoughts on what he will get done in Albany!

Yesterday, YDA President Rod Snyder and Young Republican National Federation Chair Lisa Stickan appeared jointly on Fox News to discuss the changes in youth voting trends and political involvement going into the 2010 Midterm Elections

September 7, 2010

Mr. Larry Young
President, Dr. Pepper Snapple Group
5301 Legacy Drive
Plano, TX 75024

President Young,

We are writing today in support of the striking workers at the Mott’s facility in Williamson, New York (Retail, Wholesale & Department Store Union/UFCW Local 220). The Young Democrats of America (YDA) and the New York State Young Democrats (NYSYD) are proud to stand with our union brothers and sisters in Williamson, because we know that their struggle is one that profoundly affects all of us.

The Dr. Pepper Snapple Group is demanding workers to take a pay cut, reduce the employer contributions to the company’s 401(k) retirement plan, freeze pensions for current workers, and increase employee contributions toward health care premiums

We fully understand that during an economic recession, sacrifices are sometimes necessary; however, Motts’ parent company, Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, saw $555 million in profits last year. Much of this success is a result of the hard work of your employees.

While many corporations across America have recovered from the recession swiftly, working men and women are still struggling to make ends meet. The companies have a much larger responsibility to support the communities that have supported them for years. They should be reinvesting in their workforce to help them navigate through these tough economic times rather than reducing salaries and benefits to increase profit margins.

We agree with the sentiment expressed by the wife of a striking worker in a recent editorial to the Wayne County Star: “Don’t forget they are standing up for you too. They are standing up for the men and women that break their backs everyday to bring home a paycheck that allows them to live from week to week. They are standing up for not only their families and yours, but the community too.”

YDA and NYSYD urge you to work with the union to bargain in good faith for a fair agreement that protects the pay and retirement of the employees.

Regards,

Rod Snyder
President
Young Democrats of America

Kevin Lawrie
President
New York State Young Democrats

The New York State Democratic Party has been moving full speed ahead with their “Road to a 1000 Democratic Ideas“. They’re reaching out to everyday New Yorkers for their ideas for making New York the best place in America to live, to work, to raise a family, and to retire.

Now, they’re looking for ideas from Young People from across the State and we’re looking to get as many of our ideas submitted as possible!

To participate and submit your idea, click here. The State Party will be posting updates frequently on their web site at http://www.nydems.org

On Wednesday, September 1, 2010, several chapters around the State will be conducting a straw poll of the 5 Democratic Candidates for New York State Attorney General.

Each participating chapter will provide each person in attendance, upon entry, with a ballot. Each of the chapters’ straw poll events will begin at 7:00 PM. Every 30 minutes, each chapter will tabulate their vote totals for each of the 5 candidates and call in their responses to the Manhattan Young Democrats with the first call in at 7:30 PM and the last call in at 10:00 PM.

The Manhattan Young Democrats will tabulate the results and announce vote totals for each candidate at the end of the evening.

The 5 Democratic Candidates for Attorney General are:

• Richard Brodsky
  Westchester Assemblyman
• Sean Coffey
  Former Federal prosecutor
• Eric Dinallo
  Former NYS Superintendent of Insurance
• Kathleen Rice
  Nassau County District Attorney
• Eric Schneiderman
  Manhattan State Senator

To find out if you’re local chapter is participating, contact Seamus Campbell at scampbell@nysyd.net