young elected officials

Not a lot going on this week - but a few notable things I thought I'd share.

• This week Markos over at the DailyKos wrote a piece about the GOP's attempts to win over young voters. Markos says ... good luck with that... He outlines their "genius plan" on the issues

  "The environment: Trash it.
  War: Wage it.
  Economy: Undermine it (for all but millionaires and billionaires).
  Education: Cut it.
  Freedom to marry: Hate it.

  And don't forget—nothing brings home the youngsters more than worshipping a guy who first got elected president 31 years ago. Fact is, as much as this granddaughter of the Founding Father of the Great Depression might want to talk about "individualism," it's Republicans who get in the way of the aspirations of the millennials.

• House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi met with Young Americans this week to talk about the debt crisis and hear their concerns. Video from Campus Progress:
  
• On the table for cuts in the budget is - you guessed it - Pell Grants. After an historic increase in the investment in youth in 2007 now we're looking at historic cuts in youth investment all to continue to subsidize the wealthy. Leader Pelosi and other Democrats are standing up to fight for it.
• Speaking of young republicans. Young Americans for Liberty - the Ron Paul Revolution offshoot is doing a co-conference this week that they'll be live streaming.
• You can read David Halperin's remarks from Campus Progress's national conference from last week. Amazing talk about our generation fighting for progressive victories.
• Reuters has a piece about the higher ed crisis titled Schooled in Austerity: Students Reluctantly Borrow.
  

  For many who came of age during the financial crisis and deepest economic downturn since the Great Depression, blindly borrowing for an education makes little sense, especially when they are not certain they will find work after graduation.

• Feel good Alert! Young voters and young elected officials are taking New Jersey by storm says this piece.
  

  ""It’s sort of a harbinger of things to come," said Elizabeth Matto, director of the Eagleton Institute’s Youth Political Participation Program, which has tracked younger political up-and-comers at the local, state and national levels for nearly a decade.

  Matto attributed the rise in participation to the so-called Millennial generation’s commitment to community, and a propensity to get and stay involved, which itself could be tied to current socioeconomic factors: a poor economy, high unemployment, ballooning national debt and growing angst tied to war and terrorism."

• If you've served in the armed forces - don't forget you can get college credit for that. An article reminds us tours of duty get you credit and save you money
  

  "The Lone Star State is luring her back to school in San Antonio with a pledge that her war-time tools can translate into college credits: Credits that could make her a “sophomore” her first year in school.

  “So, I guess about 60-credits hours? That would usually cost about 30-thousand dollars a year, or something to that effect. It’s a huge savings.”

• In the line item budget cuts in Virginia mental health services paid for by Medicaid for teens and children is on the chopping block. Seems like a good idea - I mean it isn't like mental health persists into adulthood right? There's no real chance of these problems getting worse and creating dangerous or violent adults that will be a greater drain on tax dollars, right? Great place to start Virgina... good luck with that.
• In religious news - young evangelicals are taking back their religion by "creating" this piece says, rather than "condoning."
• And finally this week began the end of Harry Potter. If you don't know how it ends - I'll fill you in. Harry quits school and creates a social network. Ron's twin brothers sue him, but if they had thought of it... they would have made it. The final book that I've heard is being written by JK Rowling (via Bill Maher) is Harry Potter and the Burden of His Student Loans.

A conversation among those working in the youth movement today surrounded a list of resources for candidates who wanted to run for office. Local candidates of all stripes are stepping up to the plate for the upcoming 2012 election because they want to help change the world. But once you decide you want to make an impact and take those first steps declaring you're in it to win it .... where do you go from there?

Worry not! There are so many organizations out there working with state and local candidates. To make things easier - we here at Future Majority have made a handy list!

• The New Organizing Institute has recently announced its Candidate's Project - a great resources for state and local people who want pledge to be one of their 2012 people to run in 2012.
• Democracy for America Campaign Academy travels around the country teaching skills to activists to help them be more efficient and effective in helping candidates and causes. Don't listen to them when it comes to young voters and new media though... the one we had in Wichita had a guy who said they didn't matter.... :)
• Camp Wellstone - so named for the late Senator Paul Wellstone who inspired a generation of activists to make a difference. His legacy lives on in the lives touched by programs that help train staff and candidates across the country. I think I still have a green Wellstone training manual around somewhere.
• Progressive Majority - supporting candidates running for office who want to make a difference in progressive legislation. PM works to train staff and candidates and has tons of resources on their website to get you organized.
• The New Leaders Council - started in 2007 in San Francisco and has grown to be a powerhouse organization that works within local infrastructures to train young people who work in politics, policy, government, etc... further skills so they can move up the ladder. My favorite part is that they use local leaders to teach their classes, so it becomes a huge networking benefit for these fellows as well. Full disclosure the second I met Adam Borelli I knew the NLC was going to be a thing and pledge to do anything for him until the end of time.
• EMILY's List - stands for Early Money is Like Yeast ... because it raises the dough. They got started because there wasn't a lot of money out there for women running for office and as a result there weren't a lot of women IN office. So amazing strong women joined forces to help women raise money, get good solid staffs, and win. I think I've actually been to every single training except for the candidate training that EL offers. Their fundraising manual is a Bible for anyone working in politics or running for office.
• EMILY's List has a few state spin-offs like the California List, Annie's List (Texas), and Sally's List (Oklahoma) all of which work at the local level to help women running for office.
• Emerge is another good resource for young women who want some help getting elected. They boast over 500 women they've helped train and inspire to run for office. Go them!
• PoliCorps - is a project of The Bus Project that helps train 20-24 year olds to be genius political organizers. Their program is an intensive ten week political organizing and leadership development bootcamp.
• The White House Project - got started in effort to inspire a richly diverse group of women in to the leadership pipeline.
• The Women's Campaign Forum - works as a non-partisan resource for all women at all levels of government who would like to run for office. They run the She Should Run project that gets more women candidates involved and trained.
• For LGBT candidates you can check out the Gay and Lesbian Leadership Institute who runs a great training program for candidates.
• The Truman Project I heard does candidate trainings specifically for veterans but I couldn't find it on their website. What they do that is critical is help progressives message around national security policy.
• The New American Leaders Project - help prepare first- and second-generation immigrants for civic leadership. They recruit and train candidates and help bring a face and a voice to immigrant issues for sure.
• Leadership for Educational Equity - inspires Teach for America alumni - as well as others I presume - to seek leadership in politics, policy and advocacy as a critical lever for long-term change ensuring all children have the opportunity to attain an excellent education.
• The Front Line Leadership Academy - a project of Young People For and the Young Elected Officials Network that helps 20 talented young people from across the country every year. FLLA provides prospective candidates and campaign leaders the ability to learn from successful political campaign professionals.
• Running to Govern - This all partisan organization helps recruit and train people to not just run for office but how to govern as well. Hence the name...

I know there are probably tons that I'm forgetting - so please email us if you have a training program you would like to list here. FutureMajority (at) gmail (dot) com.

Here's what's going on today/this weekend.

• Why should holding office be for old people only? One of the most important questions today. The two examples the writer gives are the number of elected officials in Parliament in Canada and Britain who just lowered their voting age from 21 to 18. Which is a joke - in the US people can't run for federal office until they're 25, Senate at 30 and President at 35. Whether someone at 18 could get elected is inconsequential.
  

  The U.S. is an outlier -- which means that our younger voting-age citizens, those aged 18 to 34, do not enjoy full civic enfranchisement compared with their generational peers elsewhere. And our general electorate, by the same token, doesn’t enjoy the liberty of hearing from, evaluating and perhaps voting for (or against) younger adults, whose official candidacies might prove compelling were they not preempted from running.

  Read this whole piece. It's an important argument for why young people are second class citizens when the laws that are passed "on behalf of us" has a greater impact.

• Cell phones throw off poll takers. Not to be disparaging to the good reporters of Chicago but... duah! Let's not focus on the fact that you're late to the party but embrace you showed up at all. Polling is a science - those who exclude young people or reject cell phone only house holds is conducting a poll that is a complete waste of time. Like.... CNN.
• Orange County CA might allocate $3.5M for youth jobs - Which is awesome but read the story and you find out this is a cut in half from last year.
  

  "The money is needed to help youths gain job experience, build confidence and learn skills, said Supervisor Don Knabe, who represents Long Beach and nearby communities.
  "The unemployment rate among young people is staggering," said Knabe, who proposed the funding along with Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky.

  The summer jobs program has been popular and successful in years past, officials said. This year, however, the county will be on the hook for all of its funding due to the end of the federal stimulus program.

  Last year, roughly $6.5 million from the federal stimulus was doled out to county work force investment boards, including the South Bay Workforce Investment Board in Hawthorne, to help thousands of young people find jobs."

• LTE saying Kudos to young lobbyists who are trying to make civics education a grad requirement. Original story on the young people working to bring awareness to American Government is here.
• The Millennial Generation is among the best ever produced says this guy.... Boy this is kinda happy news today!
  

  "As a life-long teacher and school administrator, I can say with confidence that this generation of students is the best I've worked with in my 20-year career. It remains to be seen if their talent and optimism will allow them to guide our country towards a brighter future than what older Americans predict for them, but if the future for today's youth is bleak, you wouldn't know it by talking to them."

• Interesting... To reach millennials - marketing firms are reaching out to moms
• Evangelicals pissed at young people who are at the Wild Goose festival in NC. Damn kids these days with the hair and the music.... Get off my lawn!!
• Study: Montana could do more to encourage young people says these good people. After ranking 4th in the country in the Rock the Vote young voter friendliness scale Montana is asking how they can be even better. It does my heart good to hear they care so much. Where as other states are working to make things worse.
• How to pay off debt while starting a new business- a UK piece but the takeaways are good for anyone with financial troubles and ambition to be a business owner.
• Reduce Soldiers debt load! Sen. Amy Klobuchar has introduced legislation: the "Servicemember Student Loan Interest Relief Act" along with Republican Senator Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma.
  

  According to the Project on Student Debt, nearly three-quarters of Minnesota college students graduate with debt, and the average debt load is over $27,000.

  Many service members, especially National Guard members . . . had already racked up considerable student debt, often through the Federal Direct Student Loan program. . .

  Under current law, when service members are called up for active duty in a hostile area like Iraq or Afghanistan, they receive a deferment on paying back their student loans for that time period. Service members also receive a waiver on the accrual of interest on their student loans for the length of their deployment in a hostile area.

  But there’s a problem. This benefit applies only to Federal Direct Student Loans dispersed on or after Oct. 1, 2008. It does not apply to loans dispersed before that date. The interest on those loans continues to accrue.

  This new law would level the playing field for all soldiers.

• Students seeking job training skills can end up paying thousands more at For-Profit schools, so know what you're getting into before you start.
• Former Governor and candidate for president Jon (not John) Huntsman plans to reach out to young voters and we say good! You should!
  

  "But most of his short speech was devoid of the kind of rip-roaring quips or emotional appeals expected at a campaign kickoff aimed at generating buzz. Huntsman made three points about the campaign: It will squarely focus on jobs and the economy. It will be polite. And it will reach out to young voters."

Have a good Monday! Come back later today for my report on Maine's voter rights legislation.

On Saturday I, Andrew Gall, went to the tea-party rally at our nation’s capital to engage folks that obviously are passionate about our country’s governance. While I found a few quite nice folks willing to engage me on the issues, I also had a great number of individuals (many with their children in tow) that quickly dismissed me with a wave of the hand and a declaration that “I was too young to know better,” or some variation thereof. I knew that as a candidate for Congress, I would face challenges because of my relative youthfulness, but I wasn’t speaking to these people as a congressional candidate, I was simply speaking to them as an American citizen who also cares about the direction of my country.

There appears to be a fundamental disconnect between the oft-repeated rhetoric of the potential of youth and the reality of dismissiveness of young people. While I am not running solely as a young person, I do believe that it is important to have an advocate for students, and our generation in Congress. Right now the only representative from the Millennial generation- a generation that is quite progressive- is a Republican. I have studied youth voter engagement, I participated in a summit on Millennial generation leadership, and I worked on President Obama’s campaign; as such, I know that we are capable of great things, and we are not the ignorant, apathetic generation we are sometimes portrayed as.

If I am old enough to fight and die for this country and I am old enough to be a husband and father, I certainly am old enough to make decisions about the future of my country- a future that I actually have to live in. American history is littered with evidence of young people carrying this country forward to new heights. The Greensboro Four were freshman in college when they helped light the spark that ultimately overturned Jim Crow laws in America’s South. Thomas Jefferson was only 33 years old when he wrote America’s founding document. The idea that I am too young to form a well-reasoned opinion on a complex issue such as health care reform is farcical.

I am running to hold my congressman accountable for his support for the invasion of Iraq, his willingness to allow illegal wiretapping of American citizens, and his support for anti-gay legislation. I am also running to bring a new generation of leadership to Washington. If elected, I will use my unique platform as the youngest member of Congress to focus on increasing access to a quality education for all, increasing domestic production of renewable energy, and more than anything, advocating for publicly financed elections because the undue influence of special interests is a threat to America's future. When you have these small groups of powerful interests that are able to carve out tax exemptions and write their own regulations, you decrease the dynamism of an economy. An economy that is tilted towards the entrenched and away from powerless start-ups is an economy that will fail. However, the only way to alter the current pay-to-play rules is to truly shake up Washington’s power structure, and that is why I, as a college student, am challenging one of the most powerful men in Washington- to shake things up and bring about needed change.

Despite the chatter from the punditry, yesterday was a big day for Millennials. While they focus on two races with candidates that ignored the youth vote and wonder why turnout did not match 2008's all time high, a number of young people won local elections throughout the country.

In New York, Young Democrats of America Democratic National Committeewoman Stephanie Hausner was the highest vote getter in her election to the Clarkstown Town Council. Former NYSYD National Committeeman David Carlucci won re-election as Clarkstown Town Clerk. Two former New York Young Democrats local chapter leaders, Dan French and David Fried, won local elections as well.

In New Hampshire, state Young Democrats President Garth Corriveau was elected Alderman in Manchester as was fellow NHYD Patrick Arnold.

In Washington, Kim Cole was elected to the Lynnwood City Council, Andy Ryder to the Lacey City Council, Amy Ockerlander to the Duvall City Council.

Over Twitter I've been told of a recent high school graduate that was elected to a school board in Michigan, as well as a number of other Millennial candidates that were giving victory speeches last night.

In towns and cities across the country young voters showed up to the polls to elect their own. These young local candidates realized the power of their generation, chose to run for office, and by reaching out to fellow young voters won their elections.

Yesterday's lesson was not that young voters only showed up to the polls in 2008 to elect Barack Obama, but that Democrats must continue the youth outreach and funding that occurred during the 2008 cycle. The Millennial generation does not exist to serve at the beck and call of the DNC without being respected. When a candidate speaks to the issues of young voters and actively campaigns for their votes, they will deliver. The new generation of candidates understands this, and most of those candidates have a title with -elect after it today. Creigh Deeds and Jon Corzine didn't, and in return were relegated to giving concession speeches.

The lesson for Democrats in 2010 is this: take the youth vote for granted at your own peril. If you want young voters to deliver for you, you have to be serious about earning their votes.

Also check out Sarah's take on what yesterday meant.

UPDATE: It is important to note that the 2008 youth turnout was the result of funding and youth turnout effort from 2004 through 2008, and not an isolated 2008 effort.

Kansas Minority Leader Paul Davis is a young elected official who recently took on a leadership role in the Kansas State Legislature. We are grateful to have his perspective both as someone who is still young and someone who is leading the House Democratic Caucus in the heartland. -Sarah

During the 2008 campaign, President Barack Obama frequently reminded us that progress is always possible if we walk down the right path and refuse to give up. This has been the motto of House Democrats in the Sunflower State for several years. Outnumbered by Republicans two to one, Democrats in Kansas are forced to do business differently. We take tremendous pride in being the largest voting block of the Kansas Legislature as a result of our inclusive, progressive approach to public policy. We must work harder and smarter, be more open to compromise, and vigilantly watch for vehicles to advance our most important priorities. This is not always easy, but when you are on the right side of the issue, opportunities eventually seem to surface.

As the minority party we do not control the calendar, so most of the accomplishments for House Democrats in Kansas come in the form of creative amendments and thoughtful, vigorous debate on the floor. Our legislature wrestles the same issues year after year, which is why some of our most noteworthy victories in the House result from the new ideas of our young members and first termers. Of course we do not win every battle, but every victory builds a more prosperous state and strengthens our resolve to send more Democratic lawmakers to the Kansas Legislature.

We must keep working on behalf of our progressive principles, because history proves that these are the true values of Kansas families and communities. This state expects its government to provide for our children’s education, be good stewards of our environment, make health care more affordable, stand up for working families and protect our must vulnerable citizens. Sometimes small steps in this direction become the foundation for future improvements.

For example, after 20 years of work, today we finally approved an increase in the Kansas minimum wage. This is an enormous victory for our caucus and for the 20,000 Kansans currently working for the shameful minimum wage rate of $2.65 per hour. In addition to raising the state minimum wage, House Democrats have continued their work this year as steadfast protectors of Kansas public education, both for K12 students and for post-secondary education. With the help of Governor Sebelius, we held off devastating cuts to K-12 education earlier in the session and have placed significant pressure on the majority party to keep public schoolchildren high on the priority list in the wake of the 2010 budget crisis.

In the face of overwhelming challenges, it can be easy for young progressives to forget what makes our state great. But we have a heritage that should make everyone proud to be a Kansan. Whether it be our pioneer determination to enter this country as a free state, Amelia Earhart taking flight across the Atlantic, Clyde Cessna and Walter Beech giving birth the aviation industry or Linda Brown and her family who went all the way to United States Supreme Court to seek justice and end segregated schools, Kansans have been at the forefront of what makes America a country of noble, globally celebrated ideals. These noted Kansans did not give up when faced with obstacles, they persevered. Our challenge is to keep working to promote what is right and just for Kansas and its citizens- despite our red state status.

Ad astra per aspera.
(translation: To the stars through difficulty)

State Rep. Joe Dorman from Oklahoma was an ally in demanding there be a student ID prevision in the Voter ID bill that Oklahoma's Republican House passed a few weeks ago. He was elected in 2002 as a former young elected official and member of Gen X. His district borders Cameron and University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma. We are grateful to have his perspective here. --Sarah

A recent commercial I saw during the NCAA tournament stuck with me even longer than most of the exciting games I watched.  In this commercial, a group of cable executives are looking for a catchy slogan to help win over customers.  One of the people comes up with the slogan to "Youthenize" their viewership.  While this was meant to be play on words with "euthanize" or be a slam, I see where this slogan can easily be translated positively into politics.

For centuries, there has been a "Good Old Boy" system run the affairs of our states and the nation.  With recent changes to law in fifteen states, we have seen term limits implemented and drive out many of these long-term officials.  While this is an issue that can be argued good and bad, the end result has often given younger elected officials an opportunity to serve, therefore "youthenizing" the various public forums.

Unfortunately, the result has often not been consistent with voting for issues affecting the youth of our nation. Party politics too often has driven the focus on many votes.  We have seen many key issues driven by national interests to stipulate policies that frequently disenfranchise voters and various groups.  One area in particular is voter identification; it has been questioned as a system that will disenfranchise elderly and young voters alike.

In Oklahoma, we have been fortunate enough to have an author of this bill, Rep. Sue Tibbs of Tulsa, who has agreed that college identification should be considered valid.  This will take care of at least one aspect to allow voters from other states to legally cast a vote even if they do not have a local drivers license. Too often, students will register where they are enrolled in school, and the last thing we want is a poll workers turning them away should the student not have an in-state license.

While we have many younger elected officials who have had the opportunity to serve in Oklahoma, we have also seen a trend towards less accountability though their actions.  The ability to manipulate the message with their own agendas has been growing stronger.  Many younger politicians master the Internet to publicize forums, issue press releases and promote opportunities for voters to meet them (as I even do on Facebook and Twitter). Too often, the public buys into this message as factual and forgetting that these are generated by the politicians or paid staff assigned to make them look good.  Further, there is less accountability from the media, the "fourth branch of government" in these changing times and especially with the financially strapped situations their outlets have faced.

Fortunately, many advocates have stepped up to the plate. One such is Mr. Brown, a gentleman from Singapore, who has blogged about local and international politics and has gained worldwide appreciation for his efforts in accountability.  We have also seen individuals in Oklahoma spread awareness on issues such as autism coverage and seek out support through various outlets which has brought in a new audience who formerly paid little attention to politics.

Another example of issue awareness is the interview of CNBC's Jim Cramer (host of Mad Money) done by Jon Stewart of the Daily Show which I saw on a blog because I missed the original airing. This was a brilliant interview about our financial problems and should be seen by everyone. I'm glad I had a second chance due to a blog posting.

The best part of all this is that blogging has piqued the interest of a younger generation who formerly felt like they could make very little difference in the political system. It has brought them together on message boards, in chat rooms, and using social media to show them that they are not alone in this crazy, mixed-up world.

While "youthenize" might sound like something bad if you are listening to this instead of reading it, I hope you will believe me when I say that it is exactly what our current system of government needs. The next step is to move away from the keyboard, get active and maybe even run for office yourself. Even if you do not win, you are advocating the message which is important to you.

If we are to bring back a heart and a conscience to politics and empower a generation that is seeing opportunities unlike any other before, we have a lot of "youthenizing' to do to the system and to the "Good Old Boys" politicians.

Editor Note: You can add Joe on Facebook and Twitter

After years of floundering a group of young political operatives decided to take over the Young Democrats in their state, raise money, and become the youth outreach leaders in Kansas.

After seeing an alarming shift between red to blue among 18-29 year old voters in Kansas, it wasn't surprising that young political staffers thought there was room to grow.

Tyler Longpine ushered in a new generation of leadership with a slate of candidates who have worked on campaigns and hold leadership positions in the state's county party system. In a recent interview he spoke with us about his hopes for the future and enthusiasm for young voters in Kansas.

"Throughout a series of post-mortem discussions following the 2008 Election it became evident that the long term viability of Kansas Democrats would require a committed effort to develop and retain the next generation of skilled operatives and candidates," Longpine says. "With the right leadership I believe the Kansas Young Democrats can be a partner in a crucial and historic party building effort that prepares young activists for political and public leadership."

YD Labor Caucus Chair Chad Manspeaker agrees

"I'm excited about all of the people who got elected because they are young professionals and they will give us the organization that we've greatly needed. Some of the best political minds in the state are in this group, and if you put these people in a room together they won't just hang out we'll get something done... we're doers."

Already filled with big ideas - Longpine is eager to develop his relationships among the parent party infrastructure and explain the importance of youth outreach to the establishment in Kansas.

"The first objective is to develop the Kansas Young Democrats into a viable, solvent and professional organization. Restoring credibility and financial solvency now will enable the organization to engage in chapter development and campaign activity during the 2010 midterms."

The biggest change is in plans for candidates and helping with their connectivity to young voters. Manspeaker believes candidate outreach is two fold

"One we must reach out to candidates and teach them how to connect through social media in a meaningful way that builds relationships between candidates and constituents, rather than someone you see on tv. Candidates are real people, we should let them be! The second part is that is we must elect more young people, I mean, who better to be in touch with young people than young people."

Longpine is ready to work with the YD's to encourage more peer to peer outreach to young voters and when it comes to candidates outreach is key.

"Many candidates now understand the importance of young voters. However, Young Voters still present an organizational challenge if you're unable (or worse, unwilling) to incorporate emerging media, technology, and peer-to-peer communication into your campaign.

We've all heard the concerns from candidates and campaigns; young people are transient, young people don't have land lines, young people are hard to organize, etc. These are valid organizational obstacles that require creative means of outreach."

With many YD chapters across the country electing new leadership, it is essential to have the kind of officers that see a clear path for candidate recruitment and outreach to young people. I'm encouraged by Heartland chapters like the Kansas Young Dems and I wish all of the new leaders the best of luck as they move forward.

Tonight, at 7pm PACIFIC, 10pm eastern, we're going to have our first live-blogging session in at least 3 or 4 months. Our guest will be Emanuel Pleitez, a 26 year-old candidate who is vying to win the seat left vacant by Hilda Solis.

More event details here on Facebook. We hope you'll drop by and/or spread the word.

Happy Holidays. Here's what's caught my eye this week:

• The Washington Independent notes that Obama's energy policy is being driven by (young) green votes.
• AlterNet asks, Will the youth movement save the labor movement?
• Daily Kos has data that Join the Impact's anti-Prop 8 protests have changed enough minds in California that the ballot measure would not pass a second time. And they have data to prove it. That's an effective use of the protest model.
• The National Journal credits young voters with Obama's win, noting that his advantage among Millennials is bad news for the longterm health of the GOP. Generation We, YDA and others get good play in this excellent article.
• Oregon local news notes that young people were elected to the state legislature in droves this year, doubling their numbers within the Democratic caucus. Jefferson Smith, one of the founders of the Bus Project, is one of those new Young Elected Officials and he is quoted in the article.
• Netcentric Advocacy gives us the Obama campaign by the numbers. Interesting stats here.
• This is a must read. In the Huffington Post, Jake Brewer of the Energy Action Coalition, son of a GM worker, gives a heartbreaking and insightful account of the state of the auto industry. Word on the street is that this piece is getting read by GM execs.
• MySpace and Change.org are partnering with a number of other youthy and techie c3s to ask for your ideas on what President Obama should do once he takes office. They've got a cool Digg-style site set up to rate ideas, which must be no more than 250 words in length.
• The Obama Transition Team wants your ideas on healthcare.
• The Daily Kos empire expands with the launch of Congress Matters, a new blog that will track what's going on in Congress and offer activists and regular citizens information on how they can most impact the policy process.
• Danah Boyd and some other smarties have finished a three year ethnographic study of digital youth. This should be interesting.
• Engaged Youth has a post up about the "Activism Style of Millennials."
• At Tech President, Micah Sifry interviews Marshall Ganz about Obama's field operation and the upside and dangers of Obama as the first President backed by a full-fledged movement.