Monday, July 30, 2007

**edited 7/31/07 - 8:08 am to add pictures**

Now that we courageous folks who drove twenty hours in America have returned to Wisconsin (and caught up on sleep), I'd like to add to and expand upon Ryan's comments about CDA convention. I have lots of pictures as well, but alas they are still on my camera.


Thursday, July 26
- CDA for 2008 brainstorming meeting for State and Chapter leaders. Led by Parag Mehta (a brilliant and charismatic former speechwriter for Bill Clinton and now DNC extraordinaire) and David Boundy (newly hired DNC Political Director), this was a conversation about what College Dems need from the Party and vice versa. There was some exciting talk of new ways to keep track of college students in the Voter File via something called VoteBuilder (which I don't quite understand yet) and how best to go about collecting a vault of data on our voters. I felt this was a great conversation with the DNC leadership and that they recognize and appreciate the role of 18-24 year-olds in winning elections.


- Lots of tables set up in the lobby, mostly for individual candidates. The Obama, Edwards, and Clinton campaigns were there in full force, as was Biden and - later in the weekend - Kucinich, with t-shirts and buttons and chum galore. Issue campaigns and allied organizations, like the One Vote Campaign to End Poverty, ED in '08 (for education, not Edwards...), Model House of Representatives, AARP, Fair Tax, etc. Interestingly enough - no sign of (and no signs of) the Richardson campaign. I found that surprising considering how many college students appreciate his platform and policies.


- Opening Ceremony.
Rev. Romal Tune of North Carolina was the most dynamic speaker of the weekend, in my opinion. His impassioned speech about Democratic values and progressive ideas revolved around the theme of "what you believe is directly proportional to what you achieve." His energy and eloquence were something that I have rarely seen in a political speech. I've asked LaToia Jones, the Executive Director of CDA, for a copy of Rev. Tune's speech; I'll share it when I get it.



Rev. Tune is a hard act to follow, but Senator Barack Obama did try. Overall, Obama's speech wasn't quite what I was expecting, but, to be fair, not only did he have to follow Rev. Tune but also the teleprompter appeared to be malfunctioning at points. Nevertheless, the energy of the crowd (which filled up a ballroom and an overflow room) and the excitement of Obama's supporters did not dissipate.

A few points from Obama's speech:
- "We have it in our power to begin the world anew."
- [In reference to the Civil Rights Movement and his work as a community organizer changing neighborhoods] Taught that change was impossible, "I learned that it was, I believe that it still is."
- "a movement of everyday Americans committed to change." [A reference to his many first-time contributers and small-amount donors and populist appeal]
- I wasn't counting but it felt like he spent more time talking about healthcare than the war. I welcome the focus on domestic problems.
- "and one more thing... I opposed the war." "You don't get a do-over on issues as important as a war." [A jab at Senators Clinton and Edwards, among other rivals? Not the only subtle negativity towards the other candidates. Stay positive, folks!]
- It was at about this point in the speech that the teleprompter malfunctioned or reflected an odd glare at Senator Obama's eyes. Not quite sure what the technical problem was, but he stumbled only briefly and caught up again pretty well. But his squinting into the prompter made him frown and seem angry, when he was talking about hope. An odd juxtaposition...
- "stubbornness vs. strength"
- "This country needs you. As someone who's ready to serve as the next President, I need you." [news flash: college students are vital in 2008. In case you didn't already realize.]
- [Talking about Selma in '65]. "They didn't know me at the time, but they were marching for me... they imagined me, imagined you." [I thought this was a beautiful expression of our role in forming tomorrow's world].
- "Young people have been at the head of every major movement ... civil rights, women's vote, Korea..." [This same concept was echoed by both Senators Edwards and Clinton later in the weekend].
- "We need more than a new President. We need a change." AGREED.

A great message of hope and possibility, but a little too much of a history lesson, in my opinion. He made many references to civil rights, slavery, the Depression, Dr. King, Fascism, inequality, etc, and also described at great length the March in Selma in 1965. Was he trying to hone in that he appreciates the struggle?

Side note: Madison's own Students for Barack Obama organization was photographed quite extensively by the AP as they were in the second row with signs.


- Caucuses. CDA has within itself a GLBT caucus, African-American caucus, Hispanic caucus (soon to be renamed the Latino caucus), Disability caucus, Women's caucus, and the Asian/Pacific Islander American (APIA) caucus. In these groups, the real politics and policy action occurs. UW-Madison's own Kira Brenner and Andy Gordon were elected National Vice Chair and National Communications Director (respectively) for the GLBT caucus, and I was elected as National Chair of the APIA caucus. Wisconsin in general was very well represented in South Carolina, with the second largest delegation (only to North Carolina... and we had farther to travel).


Friday, July 27
A day of trainings. There were various seminars and workshops led by party leaders and professionals in the fields, ranging from message to fundraising to recruitment to candidacy. I won't bore you with details, but I learned a little bit here and there, and from what I gather, so did the rest of the UW-Madison delegation.

- Planning for 2008, by David Boundy. "Organize everywhere, count everything, question assumptions." Yup, that about sums it up.

- There seemed to be a lot of talk about the Young Democrats. Apparently its a similar organization to the College Democrats, particularly in the south, and somehow YDA and CDA are rivals. Interesting... not sure I understand but still worth a mention.

- New Media, by Frank Chi, Communications Director for CDA. I don't do the whole technology thing, but, as Frank demonstrated, its powerful and will be key in any election from this point onwards.
Side note -- Frank Chi is to CDA as Adam Lang is to the world.

- Screening of American Blackout, a documentary by the Guerrilla News Network about voter intimidation. POWERFUL. I was disgusted that our country, that fights for democracy in other countries, would let our own democratic process disintegrate. A must-see film.
"Election protection is the most important thing the Democratic Party can do." - Parag Mehta

- Block Party.
Howard Dean was unable to make it. A big disappointment for me, as I was very much looking forward to hear him speak.

Comedy Against Evil's Jeff Kreisler (writer on The Daily Show) opened, and the Democratic Rappers, a duo from Florida, closed. Both were poignant and pointed - great entertainment.

Senator John Edwards. Overall, a lot of bringing issues to the forefront, as has been his theme. Not the most captivating speaker, and I felt that fewer people were rapt by him (however, this could be due to the outdoor setting, the humidity, and the food line). This was my 4th time seeing him speak in person, so it didn't hold the novelty that Obama's speech did for me the day before, but it was still a quality speech. He was a hometown favorite, with many Carolinians (not Convention delegates) coming to see him.

A few points:
- He opened with a story about biking with Lance Armstrong and how his shorts needed more padding. Senator Edwards is definitely charismatic and at ease in any crowd.
- "The time to talk to these people is after we beat them." [I don't think he meant it as it sounds... I took that comment as quite partisan and unwilling to work towards compromise, but his record suggests otherwise.]
- "The last thing we need is 2 Democratic candidates spending time attacking each other." [An obvious reference to the YouTube debate]
- The 2 Americas, no longer generous and noble. How could we forget?
- After a story about the failure of the healthcare system for a young child who died of an infection from reparable cleft palate: "I didn't feel generous and noble. I felt outraged." [I commend Senator Edwards on his detailed healthcare accessibility plan.]
- Emphasized his work with poverty and in the field, on the ground, in the trenches.
- When he mentioned that he wants to make it easier to organize into unions, he received a huge cheer, the loudest (by my rating) of the speech.
- "The first day I'm President of the United States, I'll close Guantanamo." "... not engage in or condone torture, illegal spying, secret prisons..."
- "It's a fantasy that the President...will do this. The truth is, we need a movement." [Appeal to the populus, acknowledgement of minimal individual ability - a recurring theme in every political speech, but well phrased by Edwards].
- "We need you to be patriotic about something other than war." [This comment got a hoot/yelp from the University of South Carolina administrator standing next to me. Heartwarming that the state that flew the Confederate flag on its statehouse in the recent past has people with differing definitions of patriotism.]
- "They will never silence me." "We'll fight, we'll stand up... create a moral and just America we can be proud of."


Saturday, July 28
Final day of CDA Convention, 2007.

- Road to 2008 DNC Convention. Do you want to go to Denver next August? Here is where we learned how to become a delegate. I won't elaborate here, but, yes, I took many notes; if you would like more info, let me know.

- Former Senator Mike Gravel and Representative Dennis Kucinich cancelled at the last minute. A pity, because I was excited to see the maker of "The Rock" video.

- Representative James Clyburn, D-SC, House Majority Whip.
A great American leader, and a great African-American history-maker. A genial fellow, he spent almost half an hour after the morning speeches meeting delegates and taking pictures with whomever wanted one.
- In reference to his three losses in three attempts for elected office: "Life is not baseball and should not be played by baseball rules."
- "We as Democrats never give up."
- "We need someone who understands that an exit strategy is just as important as a strategy to enter."
- He stressed his incredible success with the College Debt Reduction Act of 2007, making college more affordable for all by increasing financial aid, Pell Grants, and cutting interest. This plan even results in a deficit reduction of $1 billion.
- Spoke of the success of the 6 in '06 strategy and Speaker Pelosi's 100 hours plan - and the outcomes (a new minimum wage, etc.)
- Committed to seeing stem cell research funded, and will "pass it again and again."
- Of particular interest to Wisconsin, the new Farm Bill increases funding for alternative energy research and decreases subsidies to multimillionaire farmers in favor of supporting those who actually need it.

- Senator Hillary Clinton. Overall, she was not as overtly enthusiastic and get-the-crowd-pumped as Senators Edwards and Obama. Rather, she was calm and collected and even a bit reserved. The theme was "Are you Ready for Change?" in tuition, Darfur, Iraq, etc.
- "If you're ready for change, I'm ready to lead with your help." [echoes of Obama and Edwards]
- An interesting story of how she started out as a Republican. I appreciated her candidness and the format of personal story + identification of problem + what she will do/ possible solution (which got a little predictable by the end of the speech, however).
- References to Bill and her leadership as First Lady. Hey, if you've got the connection, use it.
- "Are we doing something that will help somebody have a shot?" "I want to be a President that sets those goals again." [I love that all the Democratic candidates are stressing social justice and helping others.]
- League of Their Own reference [humanizing] along the lines of "It's supposed to be hard. If it weren't hard, we wouldn't be America."
- Joked about her prior failure with healthcare reform. Pointed out that the uninsured are twice as likely to die of the same condition that an insured person has. Despicable!
- Message to President Bush: "We are tired of you vetoing our children's future; we are tired of you vetoing healthcare." [This got a HUGE ovation.]
- The speech was interrupted by a sole protester, with a sign saying something along the lines of "She doesn't care. She wants power." and something about "cold, calculating, power hungry woman" with a reference to George Stephanopoulus that I didn't quite catch. The protester was booed and drowned by chants of "Hill-a-ry" and removed by CDA staff. There really was no security search prior to entering the room, for any speaker. Senator Clinton brushed it off, saying, "you never know what the day will bring" in politics.
- "... stop yelling at each other." [Ok. Now that everyone has said be nice, play nice!]
- Stressed the importance of early education and fixing No Child Left Behind. Yes!
- For those who say to her that it is unpatriotic to ask about leaving Iraq, she responds, "It is the highest form of patriotism." [It feels as if Senator Clinton is still trying to figure out the best verbal way to reconcile her initial vote with her current position, even though she says on Day 1 she will start planning removal. Senator Edwards, on the other hand, said it matter-of-factly; Senator Obama touts his no-record-on-The-Vote to contrast against Edwards and Hillary.]
- Public Service Academy, expanding Americorps, helping rebuild after Katrina = Senator Clinton touching on Edwards's pet issues. She does this even better than he in some cases and not as great in others.
- Of course, the obligatory mention of the last great hard ceiling.
- "I have the best experience and am qualified to hit the ground running." [I really do hate that phrase, but I guess it fits here.]
- "I don't want to give up on any part of America." [Both a reference to Howard Dean's 50 State strategy and also to reaching out to all Americans]
- Ended with a story about WWII flags flying in Europe, when America was beloved by Europeans. Senator Clinton said she will"restore that feeling... and renew the promise of America."

- Jamie Harrison, Chief of Staff to Rep. Clyburn. Spoke of passions and working hard (almost a commencement address rather than a political speech). Quoted Anne Frank: "How wonderful it is that no one needs to wait a single moment to start improving the world."

- State Representative Bakari Sellers of South Carolina. A 22-yr-old that, when you close your eyes and just listen, speaks so eloquently and powerfully, you think you're listening to an elder statesman. He spoke of words that reverberate in our psyche as America - MLK, JFK, FDR.

- Awards.
CDA Chapter of the Year: Columbia University
CDA State Federation of the Year: Ohio
[UW-Madison and Wisconsin should actually apply for these next year...]

- CDA National Executive Board elections.
Lauren Wolfe (MI), President
Awais Khaleel (WI), Vice President -- UW-Madison's very own handily won re-election.
Frank Chi (ME), Communications Director
Kyle Schulberg (MA), Development Director
Corey Shepard (AL), Membership Director
Sam Hodge (MO), Political Affairs Director
Katie Naranjo (TX), Programs Director
Alex Cornell Du Houx (ME), National Council Chair
[I didn't catch the name...], National Council Vice Chair
Jamarr Brown (SC), National Council Secretary

There was some good-natured jesting between Wisconsin and Texas (two large delegations) and of course Wisconsin and Minnesota... along the lines of "The great State of Wisconsin, not to be confused with Texas, where the homes are mobile but the cars are not, casts all of its 39 votes for Sam Hodge."

Overall, convention was an exciting experience and definitely worthwhile. Its going to be an exciting year for CDA and Democrats in general. We have a long way to go.

Forward.