Bio: I am an 18-year-old Democrat from Bath County, Virginia. I have been involved in politics for about 4 years now. In addition to writing and podcasting here at Think Youth, I operate my own blog and sit on numerous Democratic Party committees and boards. In 2007, I was a candidate for the Bath County Board of Supervisors. I was unsuccessful electorally, but I did get the chance to talk about important local issues, and I believe I made a powerful statement about proactive citizen involvement in government. I hope you enjoy my contributions to the Think Youth community.
I’m currently sitting in the blogger seating area of the Pepsi Center. Majority Whip Jim Clyburn is now speaking. It’s 5:42 and I’m getting more and more excited for the prime time speeches.
Update 6:15: Harry Reid Is talking. The Convention has officially transitioned into the “Securing America’s Future” theme.
Update 6:48: One of my favorite Senators, Jack Reed, is delivering a speech right now. The crowd isn’t paying attention. At all. I’m trying to hear over their talking.
Update 7:08: Former President Bill Clinton just took the stage and the audience went absolutely wild. He got an equally grand reaction when he, in no uncertain terms, endorsed Barack Obama. President Clinton’s speech is absolutely amazing so far. One of his recent lines: “Barack Obama is ready to be President of the United States.”
“People have always been more impressed by the power of our example than by the example of our power.”
This is the speech that every Democrat should be giving!!! It’s tough, hopeful, and extremely well-delivered simultaneously.
More Flickr photos and a write-up of Biden’s speech will follow.
I’ve been in the Big Tent since the early morning hours and the time has just flown by due to the madness that has been happening around me. Markos Moulitsas, founder of the super-influential Dailykos.com, spontaneously started signing free copies of his book - Taking On the System: Rules for Radical Change in a Digital Era - for his many admirers in the Big Tent. I was lucky enough to come into acquisition of one of these books and thoroughly enjoyed the brief conversation that I had with him.
Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer then made a surprise appearance and was immediately surrounded by bloggers and photographers who were, like myself, quite impressed with his convention speech last night.
Lastly, I would like thank Internationally-famous swiftboater, T. Boone Pickens, for sponsoring today’s lunch in the Big Tent from “Wahoo’s Fish Tacos!”
Gov. Warner’s speech has begun. He says that the most important contest of our time is the race for the future. He’s now using his personal success story to illustrate the American Dream.
Gov. Warner is being more fierce than I expected him to be. I’m impressed so far! Warner’s playing to the Virginia crowd big time, while simultaneously making points on a national scale. Very effective stuff. He’s reminding me why he left office with a 70% approval rating.
He just wrapped up. A wonderful speech! Go, Governor Warner!
Tonight, Gov. Mark Warner will deliver his keynote address to the Democratic National Convention. I will be watching anxiously, but it’s already being reported that his speech contains many elements that probably won’t go over very well with the very Liberal Democratic base (A.K.A 99% of the delegates in attendance). Even Warner himself thinks so:
Former Gov. Mark Warner plans to offer a lesson in Virginia-style bipartisanship to thousands of hardcore Democrats in his convention keynote speech Tuesday night.
“There may be parts of the speech that aren’t going to get a lot of applause,” Warner said Monday, “but I’ve got to say what I believe will get our country back on the right path.”
Someone suggested to me that he might be tamping down expectations. After all, the 2004 Democratic National Convention keynote speech is bound to be a pretty tough act to follow. I, however, am willing to take Gov. Warner’s statement at face value, having seen him speak at the Shad Planking, the Virginia State Democratic Convention, as well as at his first debate with Jim Gilmore. He’s not someone who makes any attempt to elate the Liberal wing of the Democratic Party. He may use the term “radical centrists” tonight to describe the coalition that we should attempt to build in Washington in order to break the partisan gridlock and “get things done.”
To an activist in the Democratic base, that sounds an awful lot like: “We need to water down our Party’s progressive ideals and principles to make them more palatable to our friends across the aisle. And by
‘friends across the aisle,’ of course, I mean the same people who have enabled and contributed to the erosion of America for the past 8 years. That’s the only way to pass legislation.”
If Governor Warner insists on pushing bi-partisanship in his speech, and doesn’t want to crash and burn with the audience, he has to approach it with an attitude similar to Joe Biden’s in his speech at the 2007 Iowa Jefferson-Jackson Day dinner when he said:
Ladies and Gentlemen, you know, it’s very much en vogue for us to all talk to you about the consensus we can generate to lead this country, But, I want to make it clear to you: I’m running for the Democratic nomination as a Democrat, and there are certain things I will - and we should not - compromise on with anyone at all.
I have nothing against people with moderate points of view. In fact, I recognize that any healthy political system requires that there be moderate voices. However, Governor Warner does need to make it absolutely clear to everyone watching the speech that, should the Democratic Party gain the White House and pad its Congressional majorities, its bold agenda for change in America will not be hijacked and stripped down by Republicans in the name of “compromise.” That’s politics as usual and it’s not the message of Barack Obama or the Democratic Party, nor is it what the American people are asking for.
A room full of normally-chatty bloggers is currently in complete silence, watching the live feed of Michelle Obama’s speech on the wall monitors in the Bloggers’ Lounge. She is discussing her family values and sharing some powerful family stories. Hillary Clinton got a shout out, as did Joe Biden.
Update: Wonderful speech by Michelle Obama, but I found a typo in the printed copy of the speech that was passed out beforehand. A period was used instead of a comma. I demand accountability for this.
Update 2: Sen. Obama just spoke live via satellite. His remarks were light-hearted, and very charming. They included feedback from his two daughters and there was a lot of laughter. I suspect that Sen. Obama’s remarks on Thursday evening will strike a more serious chord.
An article penned by David Brooks, called “Hoping It’s Biden,” just went up on the New York Times website. Brooks makes a very strong case for Joe Biden as VP, and the article was so well-written, I just had to post an excerpt here:
Even today, after serving for decades in the world’s most pompous workplace, Senator Biden retains an ostentatiously unpretentious manner. He campaigns with an army of Bidens who seem to emerge by the dozens from the old neighborhood in Scranton. He has disdain for privilege and for limousine liberals — the mark of an honest, working-class Democrat.
Democrats in general, and Obama in particular, have trouble connecting with working-class voters, especially Catholic ones. Biden would be the bridge.
[...]
Biden’s the one. The only question is whether Obama was wise and self-aware enough to know that.
On the Republican side of the Veepstakes, Mark Halperin of Time Magazine reports that he has spoken with two Republican sources close to McCain who say that Sen. McCain has settled on Mitt Romney as his VP. It should come as no surprise to anyone that I’m not really in tune with Republican political buzz, so I’m not sure whether the GOP’s base would consider it a victory or disappointment if McCain chose Romney as his running mate. Maybe some of Think Youth’s occasional Republican readers can provide their insight.
Mark your calendars! Think Youth will be conducting what promises to be an exciting interview with Former United States Senator and Democratic Presidential candidate, Mike Gravel. Also joining us will be renowned investigative journalist, Joe Lauria.
In May, the Think Youth staff received word that the site had been granted credentials to cover the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver. Today, we are pleased to announce another development. It has just come to our attention that Think Youth has also been granted passes to “The Big Tent.” This is very exciting news. For those who have not yet heard of The Big Tent, here is some information about it from the website:
The Big Tent will be the place to be for new media journalists, bloggers, reporters, and non-profit leaders covering the Democratic National Convention in Denver this summer.
We’re creating a 9,000 square foot, two-story structure that will house the work space for journalists, bloggers and new media, a Digg Stage with prominent national leaders, as well as a Google Retreat with a YouTube kiosk where you can make your own YouTube videos. The Big Tent will be open throughout the Democratic National Convention, Aug. 25- 28.
In the New Media Lounge, your pass will be a ticket to to enjoy all the benefits of the blogger / new media lounge, including free WiFi, work space, television-coverage… And you get to hang out with some of the top bloggers, new media journalists, and non-profit leaders in the country.
On a personal note, we couldn’t be more thrilled or grateful that Think Youth has been given this opportunity. There is no doubt in our minds that having access to The Big Tent facilities for the duration of the Democratic National Convention will greatly increase our ability to provide readers of Think Youth with coverage of the highest quality.
I’m going to give you some biographical information about an individual who I think would be a perfect VP choice for Barack Obama. Based on the information, see if you know right away who I’m talking about:
… Graduated from La Salle Academy in Providence and attended the United States Military Academy in West Point, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1971. Following his graduation and receiving an active duty commission, [he] attended the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, where he received a Masters in Public Policy.
[...]
… An Army Ranger and a paratrooper, served in the 82nd Airborne Division as an Infantry Platoon leader in the 325th Infantry Regiment, a Company Commander, and a Battalion Staff Officer. He returned to West Point in 1978 as an Associate Professor in the Department of Social Sciences.
[...]
… Resigned from the army in 1979 as a captain and enrolled in Harvard Law School.
[...]
… Elected as a state senator in 1984 and served three terms. In 1990, was elected to the United States House of Representatives. For the next six years, [he] became well known in his state for his positions on education and health care…
[...]
U.S Senator since 1996… currently a member of the Senate Armed Forces Committee, the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and the Senate Appropriations Committee. Americans for Democratic Action has often listed him as a “hero” as they indicate he has one of the most liberal voting records in the Senate.
[...]
Voted NO on authorizing use of military force against Iraq; voted NO on constitutional ban of same-sex marriage; rated 100% by NARAL, indicating a pro-choice voting record; rated 100% by the NAACP; rated F by the NRA, indicating a pro-gun control voting record; rated 100% by the AFL-CIO, indicating a pro-union voting record; voted YES on adding 2 to 4 million children to SCHIP eligibility; the list goes on and on.
Nationwide backlash against the Republican Party cost them control of the Congress in 2006. This year, the same backlash could cost them 20-30 seats in the House, and as many as 6 or 7 in the Senate. Among the handful of Republican Senators worried about their jobs is none other than Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). From Rasmussen:
United States Senator Mitch McConnell has a seven-point advantage over Democratic challenger Bruce Lunsford in the latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Kentucky voters. It’s McConnell 48%, Lunsford 41%.
[...]
Still, any incumbent who polls below the 50% level of support is considered potentially vulnerable and McConnell remains in that category.
Under Senator McConnell’s leadership, the Republican Party has engaged in almost-unprecedented obstructionism, using parliamentary tactics to consistently block promising pieces of legislation put forth by the Democratic majority. The only factor in play making McConnell a tough challenge is the generally-Conservative nature of his home state. However, while Kentucky may be Conservative, I can’t conceive of the people of Kentucky appreciating counterproductive politics and politicians any more than the people of any other state in the nation. That could make all the difference.
Since we learned that Senator Barack Obama was the presumptive Democratic nominee for President of the United States, I’ve been racking my brain trying to settle on the perfect running mate for him this fall. The fact is that I nearly drove myself absolutely mad trying to do this, undoubtedly because there exists a seemingly bottomless well of honorable and capable Democrats (and some Republicans/Independents) from which Barack Obama can fill the VP slot on his ticket.
I batted around between 10-15 names, with each successive name sounding every bit as appealing as the previous one (albeit, often for different reasons). However, no potential Obama running mate seemed more perfect for the ticket to me than my favorite Senator and original pick for the Democratic presidential nomination, Joe Biden. His name was the first to be batted around, but I considered advocating his inclusion on the ticket to be pointless since he has already made it clear that he’s not interested. I realized, though, that his apparent disinterest in being on the ticket doesn’t make him any less of a brilliant choice for VP.
If it’s political experience that you think Obama’s running mate should have, take into consideration that Biden has about 35 years worth of experience in the US Senate. If you’d like Obama’s VP to have Foreign Policy expertise, Biden has that, too. He’s the current chairman of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. During the debates, no other candidate displayed a greater wealth of knowledge on every important issue facing America (and the world) today than Joe Biden. He has a career that should be applauded, and has cultivated an image as a straight-talker and, for lack of a better term, a “tough guy.” How many other elected officials could tell a story like this?
Sign up to receive Think Youth news as well as receive other site updates!
Think Youth is an organization of politically progressive teens and young adults. If you write or make videos about politics, please apply to Write for us!
