jefferson smith

Speaking of Jeff Smith ... here's his TED talk!

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

Yesterday, at Netroots Nation some good friends of the youth movement presented a panel on the successes of the youth movement and discussed where we go from here in terms of policy and continuous engagement for the young voters that elected Barack Obama.

Here is the Introduction by Jefferson Smith of the Oregon Bus Project and Biko Baker from the League of Young Voters. I'm dealing with a pretty sketchy internet connection as the hotel seems to be stuck in 1999, but as it uploads I'll post here and comment.

Erica Williams from Campus Progress

This has been a difficult past week for me as my department at work got cut and I am now sadly unemployed. So – before I start my blog I want to give a huge shout out to the folks who have really stepped up to help me find work. The people that have offered their contacts or passed around my resume have been overwhelmingly thoughtful for which I am exponentially grateful.

So, let me kick off my first day of unemployment by addressing an important and too often ignored political topic: Volunteers.

That's right... I'm bringing in some funny....

In both the democratic and republican parties today you see a split between old school traditional establishment party members and new school members that tend to be the activist-y folks who get the work done. In our movement you know these folks as the big check writers vs. the grass/netroots people. On the other side it’s the Evangelicals vs. the Goldwater Geezers.

In the past it’s been the check writers who have run both of our parties. Sure we’ve had spurts of activism here and rallies there and shaking hands, parades, kissing babies… etc. But, for the most part money went toward thousands of points in national media and direct mail all over the place. Media reigned supreme as the ONLY way to get a message out, move votes, and win elections.