Quick Hits - July 22: Netroots Nation Final Edition
So, I'm finally settled back in. Here's the rest of those Quick Hits I didn't get to while at the Austin airport, as well as a few more that have accumulated since.
- The Austin Statesman picked up our little youth caucus, but seemed to miss the point. The caucus was an informal meeting, not a strategy session to construct a master youth plan. And the focus of the discussion - to what extent our youth movement needed to be about GOTV and infrastructure for organizing our peers, or building an ideological consensus - was barely touched on in his piece.
- In this piece by The Washington Post, 29 year old Republican tech strategist David All confirms the complete disconnect between the GOP and Millennials. My favorite line:
David All points to a page on McCain's Web site as more old-fogy branding:
- PEW reports that young voters in this election are at least - if not more - knowledgeable about the candidates' position on Iraq.
- Anderson Cooper's ac360 blog profiles HeadCount and their latest work at the Camp Bisco festival.
- The Virginia Pilot reports that young Viginians (under 25) are registering at twice the rate of their elders. Registration has increased 10% in the last year.
- Rumors abound that Barack Obama is going to show up as a surprise guest at this year's Lollapalooza, which takes place in his hometown of Chicago.
- Young People For just announced the new class of their Front Line Leaders Academy.
- Nine Latino organizations are teaming up to spend $5 million on a nonpartisan voter registration effort targeting 2 million Latinos.
- Finally, Rock the Vote is teaming up with Comcast in its effort to register 2 million new voters this election cycle. I'm not a fan of this partnership. Last year, Comcast was caught blocking internet traffic from peer to peer networks. They are on the wrong side of the Net Neutrality debate.
Election Resources
Election Day is November 4th - VOTE!
If you encounter trouble at your polling place, call 1-866-OUR-VOTE.
Voter Registration Deadlines - State by state voter registration deadlines.
Absentee Guide - State by state information on absentee voting rules.
Go Vote Absentee - Simple website to walk you through the process.
Count More - Should college students vote at home or at school? Count More will help you make the best strategic decision.
TheBallot.org - DIY guide to down-ballot races.
Election Protection - Volunteer and stop voter disenfranchisement before it happens.
Mobilize the Youth Vote - Instructions for planning and executing traditional and non-traditional youth registration and GOTV campaigns.
Overseas Vote Foundation - Information for youth and military personnel abroad.
Student Voting Rights - Know your rights, protect your rights.
Vote Back Home - Toolkits to help students register their peers from swing states. Includes data on the top 300 schools in the country for this type of work.
Vote for Change - Register to vote, find your polling place. (Official Obama campaign site)
Breaking News
TPM Election Central:
McCain's Brother Says McCain Would Chase Bin Laden Across Borders -- Echoing Obama's PositionAt a campaign event in Virginia over the weekend, John McCain's brother, acting as a McCain surrogate, told a crowd that McCain would pursue Osama Bin Laden across the border into a country that ...Think Progress:
Lynne Cheney: Right-wing blogs are ‘centrist.’In an interview with Newsweek’s Tammy Haddad this weekend, Lynne Cheney, the vice president’s wife, revealed that she’s a blog reader. Cheney said that during the 2000 and 2004 ...First Read:
Will Obama's time in red states pay off?From NBC/NJ's Athena JonesAfter two close elections, eight years of bitter partisanship and confronted by an electoral map best described as a vast sea of red with some blue around the edges, Obama ...TPM Election Central:
McCain Lawyer: McCain Did Nothing Wrong Amid Keating Five ScandalFor years, John McCain made elaborate displays of public contrition about his involvement in the Keating Five scandal, admitting that he made errors in judgment when he lobbied regulators on behalf ...Political Wire:
SurveyUSA: Obama Way Ahead in New HampshireA new SurveyUSA poll in New Hampshire finds Sen. Barack Obama leading by an astonishing 13 points, 53% to 40%.A little history: "New Hampshire voted Republican in 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988 ...
Recent Blog Posts
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The voter registration press releases are streaming into my mailbox nonstop today. From Rock the Vote: As many states' voter registration deadlines come to a close tonight, Rock the Vote is ...by: Michael Connery | 0 comments
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A press release from the Student PIRGs just hit my inbox. In the next week, 29 states will reach their voter registration deadlines. As we know from previous elections, at least 70% of registered ...by: Michael Connery | 0 comments
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Last week I noted that the Wall Street Journal, NBC and MySpace released a joint poll in which they attempted to gauge the views of "new" and "lapsed" voters, who were defined as voters who had ...by: Michael Connery | 0 comments
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Over the past few weeks we have seen the McCain campaign flailing, as the economic crisis has forced its way into the political dialogue, forcing McCain and the Republicans to talk about an issue ...by: Craig Berger | 0 comments
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In yesterday's Quick Hits I posted a link to a story coming out of Montana this week, where the state Republican Party has challenged the registration of 6,000 Montanans in the Democratic strongholds ...by: Craig Berger | 0 comments
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Statesman
It also should be noted that the Austin American Statesman ran a hit piece on the Netroots Nation convention as a whole, for which they have been forced to apologize.