Kevin Bondelli's blog

From the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy:

DMI Scholars is a “Public Policy 101” for young people who want to keep our country moving forward. The Drum Major Institute for Public Policy created DMI Scholars to identify progressive college activists from underrepresented communities and train them in the skills necessary to obtain and succeed in entry-level public policy positions.

Our two-week Summer Institute for DMI Scholars will be in New York City during Summer 2012. There, Scholars will learn to approach problems through a policy lens and meet people on the frontlines fighting for fair and just public policy. After our intensive summer training, we will help students throughout the year explore careers in this field through internships and follow-up trainings.

With DMI’s network and expertise, DMI Scholars will become the future Legislative Directors, Policy Analysts and Advisors who fuel the progressive movement with new ideas and effective advocacy.

We strongly encourage students of color, immigrant, members of the LGBTQ community and students from low-income and working class backgrounds to apply. All expenses are paid.

Download the application at http://bit.ly/DMIScholars2012. To apply, please send application materials to abranche@drummajorinstitute.org.

Application deadline: January 31, 2012.

In August I wrote about the astroturf "youth organization" Generation Opportunity and how it was using people who liked "Being American" as a means of legitimacy. Well, it turns out one deceptive Facebook page just wasn't enough. Generation Opportunity has announced their new Facebook project: The Constitution.

The page was created on October 26, 2010 and has the same modus operandi as "Being American": posting loaded statements and questions that push conservative ideology and policy. "The Constitution" obviously feels violated by the Affordable Care Act, is a big fan of the 10th amendment, and is outraged by the government assassination of Ronald McDonald.

Over 500,000 people like "The Constitution," which is giving Generation Opportunity a bigger number of people that they claim to speak for. I was curious to see if there was an actual Generation Opportunity Facebook page and find out how many supporters it had. Turns out that there is one, and they sure have a massive following:

They have 148 fans.

The following is a guest post by John Petro of the Drum Major Institute and originally appeared on the DMI Tumblr.

I was among the thousands of people cramming into Foley Square Wednesday evening, observing those who had come down to show their support for the Occupy Wall Street movement. I arrived at 4:30, and for the next hour roamed around the park. It had the energy of a festival, a celebration. The air was permeated by the sound of drums. Placards waved about in the air, many of them hastily written with marker on brown corrugated cardboard. And though the rally was organized by labor unions, those with union t-shirts were vastly outnumbered by those with no obvious union affiliation.

I could find no central focal point. If amplified speeches were going on, I could not hear them. Nearer to the drummers people were dancing. Standing on top of the fountain, I found it impossible to get a true sense of the size of the crowd. It was difficult to get it all within view.

This was symbolic, perhaps. The most frequent criticism of the Occupy Wall Street movement is that there is no central organized message. However, looking out over the amorphous crowd that evening, it was very simple to identify what the movement was all about. That is, thousands were gathering here to speak out about economic injustice—injustices dealt to them, their families, and to the entire nation. There was a palpable sense that our democracy is in danger, that the voices of the many are being drowned out by the few: those with vast fortunes and a certain political agenda.

“We are the 99 percent,” the protesters chanted. In contrast, those that make the decisions that affect our lives are the other one percent. They’re the ones telling us that we’re better off if we allow corporations to pollute our air, to ship our jobs overseas, to cut corporate taxes and those on the wealthy. They tell us that we’re better off if we cut health benefits for workers, if we get rid of pensions, if we do away with the social safety net. We’re better off without high-speed rail or universal health care. These things are unattainable, we’re told, because government is out of money. If we raise taxes on the wealthiest to help pay for these things then the whole economy will fail, we’re told.

The crowd at Foley Square wasn’t falling for it.

Student loan debt was a common cause. After all, we were all told that we must go to college to get a good job. For some this is no problem; their parents can simply write a check. For others, loans are the only practical solution. Now many are out of college and are tens of thousands of dollars in debt. There are few jobs to be had and those who haven’t found one are wondering just how they’re supposed to pay all this debt off.

“The banks got bailed out, we got sold out,” the crowd chanted.

These are big, institutional problems that don’t lend themselves to easy answers. The seductive power of the Tea Party is that it offers simple, easy answers. Cut government and cut taxes. Get government out of your life and maybe someday you will be rich. The real answers aren’t going to be that easy.

Earlier that morning a Republican presidential candidate told the protesters that they ought not to blame Wall Street for the fact that they’re not rich. But no one at Foley Square said anything about wanting to become rich. For the former CEO of a fast-food pizza chain this may be a difficult idea to understand. It’s also difficult for New York City’s billionaire mayor to understand. He called the protesters “ridiculous.” This is the same mayor who expresses no concern over the growing gap between the rich and poor in his city.

The crowd at Foley Square wasn’t concerned about amassing riches. They wanted economic security and a say in their political process. They wanted to end the injustice that they see all about them, to eliminate want in the face of greed.

An hour later, looking south on Centre Street, the setting sun reflected off of the silver façade of a new luxury apartment building. A two-bedroom apartment in this building rents for $72,000 a year, a sum greater than many of the attendees’ salaries. And then the crowd began to move forward for the march down to Zuccotti Park. I walked with the chanting crowd in silence. When the march met with those encamped at Zuccotti Park there were cheers. There was dancing. Later a small group tried to storm some barricades. A white shirt officer swung his nightstick at the group. Thousands of cameras captured the moment.

The Nation has announced their newest topical page, StudentNation, that focuses on issues affecting young Americans and college students. The page also features information about internship opportunities, student conferences, and their student writing contest.

Below is the announcement email:

Dear Nation Reader,

Despite unkind media impressions about youth apathy, there are countless examples of engaged young people creatively combating racism, sexism, economic injustice, climate change, draconian social policies and religious intolerance.

StudentNation chronicles these projects in a continually-updated group blog written by students and young writers taking on a vast range of issues and reporting projects.

Check it out today for an insider's look into the world of youth activism, and please tell any young people you may know about the writing opportunities for young journalists and activists we're providing through StudentNation.

See you online!

All the best,

Peter Rothberg
Associate Publisher

While it is good that students are getting this kind of focus, there is still a lack of writing and resources on non-college youth. Hopefully we will see more outlets follow suit and even expand to young adult issues beyond the student demographic.

Jefferson Smith, one of the co-founders of The Bus Project, has announced his candidacy for Mayor of Portland. He currently sits in the Oregon House of Representatives. Jefferson was one of the major figures of the progressive youth movement during the aughts, and it is great to see our leaders advance in the world of politics.

Here is the text of his announcement email:

I want you to be among the first to know that I’m running to serve as Portland’s next mayor. And I’d like to tell you why.

I love Portland. This city shaped me. I was born here. Went to high school here. Made mistakes here. Built a nonprofit here. Learned here. Represented neighbors in the legislature here. Took for granted that it would always be great here.

As a nonprofit founder and then a state representative from East Portland, I’ve met neighbors struggling to find work or make ends meet, who want safe homes in healthy neighborhoods and don’t have either. I’ve heard about what my neighbors of different stripes are facing and needing: sidewalks, paved roads, a fair chance at real employment, a home that isn’t underwater, safe and efficient transportation, manageable bills, healthy and kind neighborhoods – and a hope for their government to be connected to their reality. And I realized at a deeper level that we can’t afford to take our city for granted.

To decide whether to give up a safe House seat to run for mayor, I started by listening and thinking not merely (or primarily) about whether I wanted to be mayor, or whether I could win an election, but about what we could do as a city together. And I my wife and I – and some priceless friends – considered whether I could help. Like a little engine, I think I can.

We are starting off right away by offering some brief thoughts on priorities for the city. Our campaigns shouldn’t just be marketing campaigns to gain power; campaigns should also be conversations about where we want to go as a city, and how we’re going to get there. I am writing this the night before I suspect a bunch of members of the media are going to ask me questions. The brief policy areas are not meant to be quick (or final) answers, but to be kickstarts to a conversation. A conversation I hope you’ll join.

Growing up and working here, I’ve come to understand something else: Portlanders love to work together to solve problems. And, to borrow from a former president, there is nothing wrong with Portland that what’s right with Portland can’t fix.

We can have big vision and work in small and real ways. We can be prosperous, sustainable, and fair. We can reconnect the people of the city with the power of the city. We can be a city that works … for the whole city. We can set an example to the world of what a city can be. I can’t do that alone, but we can do that. Together, Portland Will.

To be successful, we’ll need your help. Please go to my website and sign up to help.

Thanks for all you do,

Jefferson Smith

Last month, Sarah wrote about the GOP recently pushing a "youth are leaving Obama" narrative. One of the major sources for these conservative columnists is a new 'youth' organization called Generation Opportunity.

Since its public announcement on June 1, 2011, Generation Opportunity has become one of the largest and fastest growing organizations targeting young Americans through social media, issue education, and grassroots mobilization. Generation Opportunity’ s facebook page – Being American – has rapidly grown to over 650,000 fans.

Generation Opportunity Press Release, July 1, 2011

Most of us who are actually in the youth movement had never heard anything about this "largest and fastest growing" youth organization until their press release blitz, and many of us were puzzled by how different their "research" results were from existing research. Out of curiosity, I decided to dig deeper into this organization.

Here is how Generation Opportunity describes itself:

Generation Opportunity is a non-profit, non-partisan 501 c4 organization that seeks to engage everyone from young adults, early career professionals, college students, young mothers and fathers, construction workers, current service men and women, veterans, entrepreneurs and all Americans who find themselves dissatisfied with the status quo and willing to create a better tomorrow.

Generation Opportunity operates on a strategy that combines advanced social media tactics with proven field tactics to reach Americans 18-29. The organization announced its first communications platform – “Being American,” a Facebook page that has already amassed a fan base of more than 650,000.

Generation Opportunity currently has a website (just an email sign-up landing page), a Facebook group (for "Being American," not Generation Opportunity), and a series of press releases.

THE PRESS RELEASES

June 14, 2011: As Economy Further Impacts Young People, "Generation Opportunity" Takes Flight to Educate & Organize Them on Current Issues

July 1, 2011: As Americans Prepare To Celebrate July 4th – Majority Of Millennials Embrace American Exceptionalism

July 8, 2011: Generation Opportunity Reacts to Job Numbers: US Department of Labor Jobless Numbers Underscore Mounting Challenges for Millennials

July 18, 2011: Generation Opportunity Poll: As Congress and President Battle on Debt Ceiling, Young Hispanics (18 - 29 Year Olds) Prefer Spending Cuts Over Taxes by Close to 3 to 1

July 26, 2011: Generation Opportunity Poll: Young Americans (18-29) Rate America’s Debt as the Top National Security Issue

July 28, 2011: Self-Identified Independents Ages 18-29 Say to Washington, "You Do Not Reflect Our Interests, America is on the Wrong Track," According to Generation Opportunity Poll

August 5, 2011: More Signs That a Generation of Young Americans (18-29) Have Been Left Adrift by Joblessness as Anemic Jobs Numbers Are Released - Generation Opportunity Statement

August 18, 2011: Young Americans (18-29) Say Less Government, Not More, is Solution to Lack of Jobs in Generation Opportunity Poll

These releases fit suspiciously well within the conservative narrative. Millennials are apparently big on tax cuts, hate government spending, are American exceptionalists, believe the national debt is the most severe national security concern, and support expanding domestic coal and oil.

Prior research by the Pew Research Center showed that Millennials hold a more favorable view of the government than prior generations. From Millennial Makeover:

Millennials, also to a greater degree than members of older generations, have confidence in the federal government and are more likely to favor a clear, rather than ancillary role for it in American life. A decisive majority (64%) of Millennials disagrees with the statement, 'When the federal government runs something it is usually inefficient and wasteful,' while 58 percent of older generations agree with that harsh appraisal. Millennials are also substantially less likely to believe that the federal government should run only those things that can't be run at the local level (63% vs. 71%).

These more favorable Millennial Generation attitudes toward the federal government are not simply a matter of 'normal' youthful liberalism. Millennials today are far less likely than Gen-Xers were in the late 1980s to believe that the federal government is usually wasteful and inefficient (32% for Millennials, 47% for young Gen-Xers) and that it should do only what can't be done at the local level (63% vs. 76%) (Pew Research Center 2007a).

Pew also found that:

• 73% of Millennials believe the government should take care of people who can't take care of themselves.
• 59% of Millennials believe the government should help more needy people even if it involves debt increases.
• 73% of Millennials support federally guaranteed health insurance for all Americans even if it requires tax increases.
• 69% of Millennials favor a bigger government that provides more services.

While the GOP has made gains with young white males (though just how much is in question do to an oversampling of the south in the cited report) since the period those surveys were done, overall the ethnically diverse Millennials have not drastically changed, with the majority of disappointment in Washington coming from the left:

But the political enthusiasms of Millennials have since cooled -for Obama and his message of change, for the Democratic Party and, quite possibly, for politics itself. About half of Millennials say the president has failed to change the way Washington works, which had been the central promise of his candidacy. Of those who say this, three-in-ten blame Obama himself, while more than half blame his political opponents and special interests.

To be sure, Millennials remain the most likely of any generation to self-identify as liberals; they are less supportive than their elders of an assertive national security policy and more supportive of a progressive domestic social agenda. They are still more likely than any other age group to identify as Democrats.

THE FACEBOOK PAGE

Generation Opportunity bases their legitimacy on the number of followers on their Facebook page, "Being American." At the time of writing, the page has just under 940,000 fans, which would be very impressive for an organization that was publicly announced less than 3 months ago. According to their announcement press release, their fan page already had over 600,000 fans before they even publicly announced their existence. That is a little bit too impressive. Rock the Vote has been around for 20 years and only has 68,000 fans. The RNC only has 236,000 and the DNC 266,000. They even have more fans than John McCain. Then again, Generation Opportunity doesn't have any fans, "Being American" does. Apparently, "Being American" is a Generation Opportunity project. Here is the timeline:

• In November of 2010, someone associated with what is now Generation Opportunity created a non-profit page called "Being American" in order to mislead people into becoming fans.
• On May 28, 2011, the page publishes a post about a new organization called Generation Opportunity asking people to sign up for the email list on the website. The profile picture is changed to add the Generation Opportunity logo at the bottom, though the thumbnail remained unchanged.
• On May 31, 2011, the page again solicits list sign-ups for a new organization, not mentioning to their fans that they themselves are the new organization.

Anyone who has liked "Being American" on Facebook because they like being American is unwillingly being counted as a supporter of this organization, and Generation Opportunity is using these people as 'evidence' that they are legitimate and "one of the largest and fastest growing organizations targeting young Americans." This is astroturfing 2.0.

Their Facebook photos consist of a couple of stock images, including the original page's initial profile picture of a soldier hugging a little girl uploaded on November 15, 2010. It was not until someone added the Generation Opportunity logo to the previous profile picture of a stylized eagle and a flag on May 28, 2011 that there was any indication that people were now fans of Generation Opportunity. One person commented on said photo saying "I didn't know being American was a project." In fact, the page's thumbnail looks exactly the same as it did before the Generation Opportunity branding was added, so people who do not click through the page still think it is for being American:

Instead of asking open-ended questions for feedback from the community, the majority of posts ask fans to like a conservative position or a loaded question. Here are some examples:

This article argues that raising taxes in order to reduce the federal deficit will especially affect areas where unemployment is already above average and growth is sluggish, ultimately raising unemployment even higher. LIKE this post if you think that reducing taxes and cutting federal spending is ultimately the best way to get more Americans working again!

Warren Buffet said that the rich need to bear a higher burden for the taxation of America. However, according to actual IRS data, the richest 1% of Americans already pay more than 95% of all the rest of America. The top 3% already pay more than the bottom 97% of Americans. LIKE this if you think that raising taxes on the wealthy is not the primary solution to fixing America’s debt problem.

Thousands of Atlanta residents showed up for a job fair and waited in line for hours in the heat to get inside. Some camped out overnight desperate to find a job. LIKE this to show your support for your fellow Americans who are struggling to make ends meet and think the government needs get out of the way to let American businesses create opportunities for American citizens looking for work.

According to the Dep't of Agriculture's Secretary Vilsack, food stamps are the "most direct stimulus you can get" because buying food at grocery stores means people are stocking, processing, and shipping food items. LIKE this post if you think real stimulus comes from the American people and the feds need to roll back regulations and government spending so we can create jobs and lessen dependence on federal programs!

Reading through the posts and comments since the page was created in November 2010, you can see evidence of people who began to realize they were misled. Here are some fan comments:

"I don't think this site is about being American. It's more about being Republican."

"Can you change the name of this group to "Being Republican"? We don't even celebrate America in the posts, we celebrate how much we love Republican talking points."

"To whoever controls this page: You need to use more politically neutral language."

"Since when did this become a bashing page on Obama???"

"i liked this group because i thought "being american" was something we could all agree regardless of political beliefs. this is a place for shared patriotism not empty political rhetoric"

"As a general rule, let's not put something from the Heritage Foundation on what is supposed to be a non-partisan page."

"Hating "ObamaCare" AKA the "law of the land" is not what "Being American" is about. This page is partisan, and this page blows."

"If I wanted to here sob stories from the rich i'd watch fox. Thought this group was gonna be fun, not tea party political."

"One more thing, I don't know who runs this joint. But please try posting topics from a neutral standpoint and let it be fleshed out amongst your viewers. Asking biased questions is no way to run a page. I agree with this particular post; but you're asking people to hate you. Then again, what do I know..."

"Who in the hell writes these Being American status updates..the Koch brothers?!"

"Wow I didnt realize being American was so hatefull and angry. This page is not what I thought it was so I will be disliking it."

"Didn't realize that "being American" would have so much political bias."

"Yea, Im officially unliking this page and spreading the word, I thought it was about being American and the UNBIASED views of our nation. You cant fool this U.S. Soldier. Goodbye and Hooah!"

"Is Being American just another site that says liberals are unpatriotic?"

"A page called "Being American" should be about all Americans and about the greatness of our country as a whole and not simply a mouthpiece for right-wing ideologues. If this page isn`t going to honor the experience and wisdom of all types of Americans, then the name should be changed to "Being Conservative" or Being Republican."

"So what's the point of this post? I love being American, but this page is nothing but political bashing."

"For real though, since when does "Being American" mean Obama-bashing? Asshole Facebook page, dislike"

"The moderators are once again showng their true colors as partisan hacks, I see...LIKE this post if you think the moderators need to quit carrying water for one political party and ideology and live up to the billing of this group."

"Wow, I'm leaving this page. It has nothing to do with being an American any more. It is clearly slanted in one direction."

"Wait, so for me to like being american, i have to be conservative and not completely check facts?"

"Like this post, and all others from this group, if you think Bias and push polls rule!"

"This page should be renamed, "Being Conservative," Because almost half of Americans' views are ignored completely."

And there are a lot more where that came from.

In other news, I would like to announce "Pizza: A Future Majority project."

SECRECY IS SUSPICIOUS

In a Daily Caller profile about Generation Opportunity entitled Rock the Right: Free-market activists eye youth vote, which inadvertently outs the organization, Generation Opportunity president Paul T. Conway refused to disclose who is financially backing the 501(c)(4).

Generation Opportunity's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy make up 99% of their website's content, with no list of who is involved in the organization or how to contact them with the exception of a generic mailto email link when you click "Contact Us," an Arlington, VA P.O. box c/o Generation Opportunity spokesman Matthew Faraci listed in the privacy policy, and an office suite also in Arlington, VA c/o Faraci in the DMCA Takedown section of the terms of use. In addition, the generationopportunity.org domain name was privately registered via proxy to prevent people from seeing who paid for the URL.

Neither Generation Opportunity nor The Polling Company/WomenTrend has released crosstabs or demographic data for any of the polling cited in their press releases.

GENERATION OPPORTUNITY: THE PLAYERS

There are only three people publicly associated with Generation Opportunity: Paul T. Conway, the organization's president, Kellyanne Conway, the organization's pollster, and Matthew Faraci, Senior Vice-President for Communications.

Paul T. Conway

Paul T. Conway was formerly Chief of Staff to George W. Bush's Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, who is now a Distinguished Fellow at the Heritage Foundation. Prior to this position he was Chief of Staff to George W. Bush's Office of Personnel Management Director Kay Coles James and Chief of Staff of the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Gulf Coast Rebuilding under Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff.

He was appointed to the Virginia Board of Health Professions by Gov. Bob McDonnell in 2010.

He was staff at the Heritage Foundation:

Paul T. Conway most recently served as Deputy Director of the Citizen Project at the Heritage Foundation. During his tenure with the Heritage Foundation, Conway coordinated a series of national public policy dialogues for faith and community leaders on a variety of issues, including education and health care reform and faith-based initiatives.

He was listed as faculty for the openly conservative youth organization, the Leadership Institute. Although his faculty bio page has been deleted, its existence is revealed using a Google cache and an event page for a Civic Service Opportunity school that links to his now deleted page as one of the trainers. Here is the mission statement for the Leadership Institute:

The Leadership Institute’s mission is to increase the number and effectiveness of conservative activists and leaders in the public policy process. To accomplish this mission, the Institute identifies, recruits, trains, and places conservatives in government, politics, and the media.

Founded in 1979 by its president, Morton C. Blackwell, the Leadership Institute (LI) teaches conservatives the nuts and bolts of how to succeed in the public policy process.

The Institute strives to produce a new generation of public policy leaders unwavering in their commitment to free enterprise, limited government, strong national defense, and traditional values. Institute graduates are equipped with practical skills and professional training to implement sound principles through effective public policy.

He graduated from the University of Maine in 1986, putting him in his mid-40s.

Kellyanne Conway

Kellyanne Conway is the owner and principal of The Polling Company/WomenTrend, the firm responsible for the polls cited in Generation Opportunity releases. Her current/previous clients include The Heritage Foundation, Massachusetts Republican Party, Mercer County Republican Committee (NJ), National Republican Congressional Committee, National Republican Senatorial Committee, Republican National Committee, Republicans for Environmental Protection, American Life League, Americans for Tax Reform, Americans United for Life, Family Research Council, Family Security Matters, The Federalist Society, National Right to Life Committee, The Susan B. Anthony List, the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, as well as a number of other corporate, government, and non-profit clients. According to her bio:

Kellyanne has worked for leaders such as the late Congressman Jack Kemp; former Vice President Dan Quayle; Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich; Senator Fred Thompson and Congressman Mike Pence, the Chairman of the House Republican Conference and the third-highest ranking Republican in the House.

She was a speaker for the aforementioned Leadership Institute in September of 2001 (video here). Her bio on the Leadership Institute page lists her as a board member of the Young Republican National Federation and the Young Elephants PAC. At one time she was listed as one of the "30 Most Powerful People in Generation X in America."

She is married to attorney George T. Conway III (I do not know if he and Paul T. Conway are related), the tobacco lawyer who was Paula Jones' secret advisor and alleged Drudge Report source.

Matthew Faraci

Matthew Faraci, who uses the title Senior Vice-President for Communications, is Generation Opportunity's spokesman and press release contact.

Faraci was previously Vice-President of Communications and Marketing for Americans United for Life, spokesman for the U.S. Council on Competitiveness, and "spokesman for former Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao and also handled press operations for the Labor Department's Employment and Training Administration and Mine Safety and Health Administration." He was press secretary for former Indiana Congressman John N. Hostettler and a producer on PBS's The McLaughlin Group and Think Tank with Ben Wattenberg.

Here is a video of Faraci at the 2008 Republican National Convention on why he supports John McCain (hint: it involves cutting government spending):

He also has another video rant from the RNC Convention as well as a guest segment on an Americans for Tax Reform bloggers briefing about the anti-abortion role in fighting health care reform (Stupak).

He graduated from Calvin College in 1998, putting him in his mid-30s.

What they all have in common

For an organization that claims to be large and encompassing, it certainly seems to be composed of a small, tight-knit heterogeneous group of people.

• All of them are heavily involved in conservative organizations and causes.
• All of them worked in or for Elaine Chao's Labor Department.
• None of them are Millennials
• Paul T. Conway's employers, the U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Office of Personnel Management, and the Heritage Foundation, were clients of Kellyanne Conway's The Polling Company/WomenTrend.

The most interesting thing is that all of them are on a crusade against government spending despite the fact that they spent a large portion of their careers as federal employees/contractors. I mean, Faraci even worked for PBS!

CONCLUSION

Generation Opportunity is a conservative astroturf front group being used to push a pro-conservative youth narrative using the false legitimacy of their misleading Facebook page. There are no Millennials involved. There is nobody involved in the organization that is not a conservative activist. None of their polling data has included crosstabs or demographics.

Paul T. Conway, Kellyanne Conway, and Matthew Faraci are not bad people. Kellyanne Conway in particular has been a long-time advocate of youth outreach on the right and has spoken openly about improving voter access. If conservatives want to start another youth outreach or advocacy group, more power to them. I welcome the addition of organizations that seek to engage young voters regardless of their place on the political spectrum. However, I do not support the idea of a falsely non-partisan organization disingenuously using a misleading Facebook page as legitimacy to push a conservative narrative to appear unbiased.

A Washington Times editorial today by some guy named Ted Nugent, who apparently is an unknown expert on the Millennial generation, states that Millennials "are being led to their own slaughter and are blindly following along instead of fighting for their own survival."

Nugent is "stunned that they are not participating more in the Tea Party" and says Millennials "appear to be terminally stoned on apathy."

While I personally condemn violence of any kind, I am stunned that they are not participating more in the Tea Party, even rioting in the streets, clashing with the cops, conducting sit-ins at their colleges, interrupting political events and so on. Instead, the young people of this generation appear to be sound asleep, lethargic and seemingly unaware of how badly their generation is being royally abused by the deep-seated corruption and abuse of power in the government. They appear to be terminally stoned on apathy.

According to Nugent, students should be raging against the things that matter most, like the deficit and not kicking enough ass overseas (or staying at home if we aren't going to "implement total war and break the will of the enemy and all who harbor enemy actors. We have the weapons, warriors and technology to wreck everything.")

While he may be right that Millennials aren't flocking to the Tea Party and rioting in the streets protesting raising the debt ceiling, he is dead wrong about students not protesting at all.

A number of student protests have received national attention over the last couple of years: the California tuition protests, AZ SB 1070, Wisconsin and Ohio, the nationwide tuition protests. I decided to do a quick search on Google to see if it was truly that difficult to find other examples of recent student protests. Here are some of the results:

Students across USA protest over college funding, tuition
March 4, 2010

Dickinson College students protest school's handling of sex assaults
March 3, 2011

Cerritos College students protest proposed summer cuts
May 18, 2011

Half-naked college students protest coal
April 15, 2011

‘Students are not ATMs'; college students protest budget cuts
March 15, 2011

College students, staff protest budget cuts
April 13, 2011

College students protest higher fees
January 12, 2010

Three Arrested at Hunter College Protest
March 4, 2010

College students protest death penalty
March 27, 2010

College students protest PA budget cuts
March 30, 2011

'Ramen' protest highlights community college fee increases
March 2, 2011

California college students protest higher ed budget cuts
April 13, 2011

High school, college students to protest state education cuts
March 19, 2011

PSU students, State College mayor protest funding cuts
April 5, 2011

College students protest HOPE cuts outside State Capitol
March 2, 2011

Vt. college students protest planned cuts
March 16, 2011

Phoenix high school, college students organize Capitol protest
March 4, 2011

Michigan College Students Protest Higher Ed Cuts
March 24, 2011

College Students Protest Voter ID Bill
April 4, 2011

Allegheny College students protest education cuts
March 18, 2011

College students protest strip mine plans
September 14, 2010

Carthage College students protest anti-gay speaker
February 24, 2010

College students protest HB 176
February 24, 2011

Emory protesters arrested during student protest
April 26, 2011

TUSD on image control after student protest cancels meeting
April 27, 2011

Supporters rally for students arrested at SB 1070 protest
November 16, 2010

Thousands of students flock to Capitol to protest SB1070
April 22, 2010

Wisconsin Students Protest Governor's Attack on Unions
February 15, 2011

Zombie protesters lurch for voter, student rights
June 8, 2011

That's just from a quick Google search. There have been a lot more protests, sit-ins, and flash mobs than this. A conservative over at TownHall.com even referred to college students as hot-to-protest. Though it is true that I couldn't really find a lot about students protesting over the deficit. Perhaps this Nugent guy's problem with Millennials is that they don't protest the things he wants protested.

Photo by Steve Rhodes

This summer, the Drum Major Institute will begin its leadership pipeline program for the fifth class of DMI Scholars.

The DMI Scholars program helps bring talented young people from underrepresented communities into the field of public policy, allowing them to realize their dreams and serve as voices for the communities.

Among DMI Scholar alumni:

• 85% of DMI Scholars are students of color
• 59% are women
• 22% identify as LGBTQ
• 57% are first and second generation immigrants
• 50% come from low-income and working class families
• 28% are the first in their families to attend college

Here are a few updates on past DMI Scholars:

Joseph Thomas continues to serve as a Legislative Assistant on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee and will begin law school this fall.

Rebecca Buckwalter-Poza is currently writing in Hong Kong for the Asian Human Rights Commission and will begin law school at Yale University this fall.

Zach Duffy was a national finalist for the Truman Scholarship this year and will be interning at Campus Progress, the youth arm of the Center for American Progress this summer.

Tamara Joachim recently joined the Brennan Center for Justice as a Research Associate.

Daniel Wu will begin a joint Ph.D. in Social Policy and Sociology at Harvard University in the fall.

Dana El Kurd will be researching neo-liberal economic policies in the Arab world and their effect on democratization this summer as a Research Fellow at the University of Houston.

Rakim Brooks is among the first Ed Baker Fellows at Demos where he will be writing about democratic values in shaping varied social, political and economic issues.

Julia Yang recently left the Asian American Legal Defense & Education Fund to begin a graduate program in Social Policy at Oxford University.

Joseph Taranto continues to serve as Legislative & Budget Director for New York City Council member Melissa Mark- Viverito but will also begin his Master’s in Urban Policy Analysis at New School University this fall.

Gina Chen will be work at World Business Chicago this summer, an economic development public-private partnership in her hometown of Chicago. In the fall she will travel to China to research post- earthquake community development through a Fulbright grant.

Today, Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA) spoke out against one of the Affordable Care Act’s most popular provisions, which allows young adults to stay on their parent’s plan up to age 26. Speaking from the House floor he said “I have four kids under the age of 26. I have raised them to be responsible. The average age of soldiers in Vietnam was 19. World War II probably the same. I have raised my kids to be responsible, to get health care at 21. Kids don't need to be running home to mommy and daddy until they're 26 for healthcare.” The dependent coverage provision is one of the most popular in the health care law, with polls showing as much as 70% of Americans support the provision.

“Jack Kingston and his family have every right to not extend coverage to their children. That’s their choice. But apparently Rep. Kingston thinks his ideas on how to raise children should dictate the health care choices of millions of families and their children. Rep. Kingston should tell the families in Georgia already benefiting from this provision that he knows best when he tries to take coverage away from their kids,” says Aaron Smith, Co-founder and Executive Director of Young Invincibles.

Rep. Kingston may not know that Georgia already had a law extending dependent coverage before the new health care law. The old Georgia state law extended coverage to young adults up to the age of 25, although it was full of restrictions. The law only required a family plan to offer coverage to young adults that were financially dependent and enrolled as full-time students for at least 5 months of the year, or who were eligible to be a full-time student but prevented due to illness or injury. The state law also did not apply to many large employers that were self-insured. The federal law raised the age to 26, removed almost all of these restrictions, and applies to all employers, including self-insurers.

In 2010, 343,000 19-25 year olds were uninsured in Georgia, while the unemployment rate among the same age group in Georgia is a staggering 20%. An estimated 43,500 young Georgians are predicted to benefit from this new federal provision in 2011, at no cost to the federal or state budget, while thousands more will benefit when the exchanges are fully implemented in 2014.

Rep. Kingston’s position is at odds with many other Republicans who have supported dependent coverage. For example, Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina recently said “[t]here's some things in there like parents being able to keep their kids on insurance while they're going to school -- that's good stuff."

Young Invincibles has a fact sheet on the impact of the dependent coverage provision in Georgia, among other states. Find it here.

The Department of Health and Human Services announced today that consumer protections for individual plans in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will extend to college health plans. In many cases, these new protections and benefits will mark a significant improvement from existing college health plans, which are often low quality and bad value. Since the passage of reform, Young Invincibles has advocated that college students receive the same protections and benefits as all Americans. These regulations achieve that goal, in a major victory for students and their families.

Key provisions such as free preventive care, no discrimination due to pre-existing conditions in 2014, elimination of limits on lifetime benefit caps and a phaseout of annual benefit caps, and a required medical loss ratio of 80%, will take effect for college plans beginning after January 1, 2012. College health plans, often cited for poor coverage, will mirror the rest of the market in their improved standards.

“As advocates for strong consumer protections for college students, we are very excited that students will finally begin to see better college health plans and much-needed protections from abuses of the insurance industry,” said Jen Mishory, Deputy Director of Young Invincibles. "College health plans are not a new issue- college students have been fighting for better college health plans at their schools for years. These improvements happened because young people spoke up in their communities and in DC to help pass the new health care law, and continued to work during the implementation. Young Invincibles and other youth groups like Campus Progress and PIRG have worked for months to mobilize students to speak up for improved standards in college health plans and to share their stories, and their voices were heard."

In the past, because there was little to no oversight of college health plans, plans varied widely and many were viewed as bad value for young consumers. With medical loss ratios as low as 35 percent and internal benefit caps as low as $1,500, profit margins for college health plans are up to 5 times the industry average.

For Sara, 22, of San Diego State University, this decision means that her college’s insurance plan, previously inadequate for dealing with her Type 1 Diabetes because of low benefit caps that made treatment extremely expensive, could now become a viable option. College health insurance plans will have to phase out these caps, and the annual benefit caps will be eliminated entirely by 2014.

“These regulations are a big win for the millions of students on these plans and their families. We are happy to see that HHS heard the voices of young people, and guaranteed they will finally get the health insurance that all Americans deserve,” said Aaron Smith, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Young Invincibles.

To learn more about Sara and other students that will be impacted by the new regulations, please read “The Faces of College Health Plans."