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        <rss:title>Blog</rss:title>
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        <rss:description>Write for the League blog!  Just hit us up at contribute [att] theleague [daught] com and introduce yourself...</rss:description>
        

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                <rdf:li rdf:resource="http://theleague.com/blog/archive/2008/09/18/how-i-got-involved"/>
                
                
                <rdf:li rdf:resource="http://theleague.com/blog/archive/2008/09/05/standing-up-for-community-organizers"/>
                
                
                <rdf:li rdf:resource="http://theleague.com/blog/archive/2008/09/04/organizers-stand-up"/>
                
                
                <rdf:li rdf:resource="http://theleague.com/blog/archive/2008/08/21/theres-gotta-be-more-to-it"/>
                
                
                <rdf:li rdf:resource="http://theleague.com/blog/archive/2008/08/05/weblogentry.2008-08-05.2446739874"/>
                
                
                <rdf:li rdf:resource="http://theleague.com/blog/archive/2008/07/08/what-happens-after-the-kool-aid-wears-off"/>
                
                
                <rdf:li rdf:resource="http://theleague.com/blog/archive/2008/07/07/so-far-no-eternal-hellfire"/>
                
                
                <rdf:li rdf:resource="http://theleague.com/blog/archive/2008/04/16/compassion-for-whom"/>
                
                
                <rdf:li rdf:resource="http://theleague.com/blog/archive/2008/04/09/how-to-actually-support-our-troops"/>
                
                
                <rdf:li rdf:resource="http://theleague.com/blog/archive/2008/02/15/eac-council-meeting-sets-the-standard"/>
                
                
                <rdf:li rdf:resource="http://theleague.com/blog/archive/2008/02/04/hope-for-a-new-generation"/>
                
                
                <rdf:li rdf:resource="http://theleague.com/blog/archive/2008/02/02/why-i2019m-voting-on-super-tuesday"/>
                
                
                <rdf:li rdf:resource="http://theleague.com/blog/archive/2008/01/14/election-08-whats-great-and-what-were-getting-wrong-time-and-again"/>
                
                
                <rdf:li rdf:resource="http://theleague.com/blog/archive/2008/01/09/the-party-only-just-began"/>
                
                
                <rdf:li rdf:resource="http://theleague.com/blog/archive/2008/01/04/iowa-young-people-just-made-history"/>
                
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    <rss:item rdf:about="http://theleague.com/blog/archive/2008/09/18/how-i-got-involved">

        <rss:title>How I Got Involved</rss:title>

        <rss:link>http://theleague.com/blog/archive/2008/09/18/how-i-got-involved</rss:link>       

        
        <content:encoded>
          <![CDATA[
          &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;(Cross-posted/originally featured on &lt;a class="external-link" href="http://yesmagazine.org/article.asp?ID=2959" target="_blank"&gt;Yes! Magazine&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span"&gt;I have always been involved with politics. I just didn’t know to call it politics.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="bodytext"&gt;As a teenager, I helped run the youth program at the homeless shelter in my town and worked with organizations that served new immigrants. When I turned 18, I wasn’t a voter. I didn’t think voting made any difference, and I didn’t consider myself “political.” It wasn’t until I turned 22 that I realized&amp;nbsp;&lt;span&gt;everything&lt;/span&gt;is connected to politics.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="bodytext"&gt;When I was 20, I moved to southern Spain. There, I experienced the first-hand effects of decisions made by my country’s politicians. One example was my friend who was displaced from his homeland, Nigeria. He immigrated to Spain because Chevron, an American corporation, moved into Nigeria and changed the entire face of his country both politically and economically. He asked me why I, as an American, allowed this.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="bodytext"&gt;In that moment, I realized that I helped cause his dislocation because I had no interest in American policies and took no action. I realized I could work my whole life trying to change the world, but if I didn’t address issues through the&amp;nbsp;&lt;span&gt;political&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;process, I would never win.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="bodytext"&gt;So I tried working on the national political scene. I spent six months in a U.S. senator’s office but ended up leaving frustrated and disillusioned by the political process. Instead of making improvements, we seemed to be stepping backwards; things were changing too slowly. That’s when I got involved with the League of Young Voters.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="bodytext"&gt;The League is a national youth organization that is building a base of young people who are voting and pushing politicians to do the right thing.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="bodytext"&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span"&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="bodytext"&gt;One of our biggest accomplishments is a ballot initiative called “Opportunity Maine."&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="bodytext"&gt;The League chapter in the state of Maine recently led a successful grassroots campaign collecting 73,000 signatures to support a bill that would alleviate student debt and boost local economy. Because of all the support we rallied, by the time we walked into the state capitol, the legislature and governor were already prepared to sign the bill! Today, students can erase up to $32,000 in loans if they work in Maine after college.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="bodytext"&gt;For me, this victory was an amazing moment. People from other states started calling us, saying they were experiencing the same issues and wanting take the same initiatives. This was a huge realization for me: We, as young people, have the power to make the changes we want to see. We don’t need a president to solve our issues. We can accomplish so much just by understanding the process and how things work.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="bodytext"&gt;Young people in America have every reason in the world to take action. Street violence, which disproportionately affects youth and youth of color, isn’t getting the attention needed. If we don’t move boldly to address issues of climate change and green jobs, it is&amp;nbsp;&lt;span&gt;our&lt;/span&gt;generation that will bear the burden. Rising costs of education are making college unaffordable, even for the privileged! We must live in a country where those with the desire to get an education, can.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="bodytext"&gt;I believe educators everywhere hold a significant role in the lives of youth and need to help them realize their power as a young person and as a voter. They can do this by demystifying the political process with a few simple steps:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="bodytext"&gt;1. Educate students about basic voting information and help them realize their rights, values and issues that affect them.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="bodytext"&gt;2. Have registration cards on hand in your classroom for students who are eligible and parents and teachers who need to register to vote!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="bodytext"&gt;3. Set up mock elections in the classrooms. It doesn’t need to be for a person. Students can hold an election to elect classroom mascots or decide on the date of your field trip.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="bodytext"&gt;4. Prepare lessons to educate students about who politicians are and to emphasize that politicians are just like us!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class="bodytext"&gt;My message to young people everywhere is that we must all take a stand, speak out, and help make our world a more fair place! You do&amp;nbsp;&lt;span&gt;not&lt;/span&gt;&amp;nbsp;have to wait until you are 18 to make a difference. Voting is just one part of being involved! Some of the best canvassers in our organization are under 18. They are very effective in increasing voter turnout because they tell people, “I can’t go out and vote for myself, but I have come to you to ask you to vote to help make positive changes in our community.”&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class="bodytext"&gt;You can still lead your friends to make changes within your schools and communities. Together, you can start petitions, talk to elected officials, and attend rallies, hearings, and meetings.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class="bodytext"&gt;We have been ignored, but we have the power to change that. It is now time for us to stand up for our rights and make the world reflect on our values.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span class="bodytext"&gt;We have the power to change this country. All we have to do is speak up, speak out, and vote!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;table width="555"&gt;
&lt;tbody&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;img src="/images/content-images/blog-2008/minrose.jpg" alt="Minrose Straussman" height="113" width="170" /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;img src="http://www.yesmagazine.org/images/1x1trans.gif" alt="spacer" height="1" width="10" /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;
&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;img src="/images/content-images/blog-2008/ana.jpg" alt="Ana Jimenez" height="113" width="170" /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;&lt;img src="http://www.yesmagazine.org/images/1x1trans.gif" alt="spacer" height="1" width="10" /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;
&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;img src="/images/content-images/blog-2008/jayme.jpg" alt="Jayme Montgomery-Baker" height="113" width="170" /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td class="caption" colspan="5"&gt;&lt;img src="http://www.yesmagazine.org/images/1x1trans.gif" alt="spacer" height="10" width="1" /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td align="left"&gt;
&lt;p class="lefttitlesmaller"&gt;Minrose Straussman&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="bodytext"&gt;"What frustrates me the most is an overall sense of mediocrity being OK. Everybody should expect and want more for themselves than 'just enough.' This is my life, and I don't want anybody else to have control over my life and my peers. Somebody has to step up to the plate. If not me, then who?"&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="bodytextsmall"&gt;&lt;span&gt;Minrose is a high school senior and an intern for the League in Pennsylvania. She continues to be active in advocating public school education reform in Pittsburgh.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td align="left"&gt;&lt;img src="http://www.yesmagazine.org/images/1x1trans.gif" alt="spacer" height="1" width="10" /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td align="left"&gt;
&lt;p class="lefttitlesmaller"&gt;Ana Jimenez&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="bodytext"&gt;"If you don't like the way things are, you gotta change it, or else it's just gonna stay the same. And don't think you can't change it ... never deny yourself the power that you have."&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="bodytextsmall"&gt;&lt;span&gt;Ana is the regional director of the League in San Francisco. She hopes to help create affordable housing and a safer environment for youth in the city.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td align="left"&gt;&lt;img src="http://www.yesmagazine.org/images/1x1trans.gif" alt="spacer" height="1" width="10" /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td align="left"&gt;
&lt;p class="lefttitlesmaller"&gt;Jayme Montgomery-Baker&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="bodytext"&gt;"Be in charge of your own destiny. Inaction is action. Decisions and choices are being made on your behalf regardless [of whether] you participate. [From] streetlights to streets to trash to schools ... All of those are political decisions that take place at city hall and downtown. It's your responsibility to be active. Say something!"&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="bodytextsmall"&gt;&lt;span&gt;Jayme is the state director of the League in Wisconsin. She is passionate about fostering a better relationship between older and younger people and is looking forward to the birth of her baby in November. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td class="caption" colspan="5"&gt;&lt;img src="http://www.yesmagazine.org/images/1x1trans.gif" alt="spacer" height="10" width="1" /&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td class="caption" colspan="5"&gt;
&lt;div align="right"&gt;Interviews by Rachel Lau.&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;
          ]]>
        </content:encoded>        

        <dc:date>2008-09-18T00:00:00-05:00</dc:date>

        <dc:modified>2008-09-19T12:14:11-05:00</dc:modified>

        <dc:creator>Heather Box</dc:creator>

        
    </rss:item>

    
    <rss:item rdf:about="http://theleague.com/blog/archive/2008/09/05/standing-up-for-community-organizers">

        <rss:title>Standing up for Community Organizers</rss:title>

        <rss:link>http://theleague.com/blog/archive/2008/09/05/standing-up-for-community-organizers</rss:link>       

        <rss:description>Watching the first woman in American history accept her party’s nomination for Vice President should have been an exciting moment for myself and the women of this country. Though I can’t speak for the women of the country, I can speak for myself. I was not excited, I was not moved, and instead I was shocked and actually deeply offended by the comments made that evening that belittled community organizing....</rss:description>

        <content:encoded>
          <![CDATA[
          
&lt;p&gt;Watching&lt;a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94266065" target="_blank"&gt; the first woman in American history accept her party’s nomination for Vice President&lt;/a&gt; should have been an exciting moment for myself and the women of this country. Though I can’t speak for the women of the country, I can speak for myself. I was not excited, I was not moved, and instead I was shocked and actually deeply offended by the comments made that evening that belittled community organizing.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;When I started out in this line of work in a professional capacity, I worked on the Southwest Side of Chicago. It was 2004 and I was an ORGANIZER on the “New American Vote 04″ campaign. This experience changed my life and I have been an ORGANIZER ever since. Even when I worked for a Congressman, or now as a State Director, I was an ORGANIZER.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://wellstone.org/blog/responsibilities-a-community-organizer" target="_blank"&gt;To “organize” is to be on the ground&lt;/a&gt;, it is seven-days-a-week, it is 10-15 hours a day, talking to people who are rarely or never engaged in our political process. To watch a convention center full of people (everyday people as they stated several times) literally laugh at talk of community organizing, only showed me that the those laughing were clearly out of touch with the needs of our nation.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Organizers are people who get paid very little, they don’t get any sleep and they don’t get any praise.&lt;/strong&gt; That is the point of organizing, we are not the ones on the microphone at rallies, we are the ones who bring community people to the forefront to speak about the issues that are affecting them, to teach them to hold their leaders accountable and to make clear what is happening on the ground.  Why would you get a law degree from Harvard and then spend your time working on the streets of Chicago?  I’ll tell you why, because this work in not just important, it is necessary.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We here at the PA League of Young Voters are on the ground in &lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westmoreland_County,_Pennsylvania" target="_blank"&gt;Westmoreland&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_County,_Pennsylvania" target="_blank"&gt;Washington&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaver_County,_Pennsylvania" target="_blank"&gt;Beaver&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegheny_County,_PA" target="_blank"&gt;Allegheny&lt;/a&gt; counties every single day.  Every day we talk with people that have suffered extreme job loss; people who are qualified to go to college but cannot afford to go; people who are every day Americans who don’t want a hand out, they just want the opportunity for their life to reflect the American dream that their parents and grandparents had.  Some might call it a sacrifice, but we call it our life.  We feel a duty, an obligation, and a drive to make our communities better for everyone.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Vice Presidential Nominee talked about reform, talked about being a maverick, but it is the Community Organizers who spend every day standing up to “leaders” who have no idea or simply just don’t care what’s happening to the communities they represent.  Elected officials are hired by us, the citizens of this country. Elected officials work for us, not the other way around. Organizers bring that to the forefront of the community.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;As a woman executive, a woman who got into the organizing game at a young age and has seen what a bad government, Democrat or Republican, can do, I ask:  please do not pander to me. As I stated before, you have offended me and I think I could safely say, you have offended the good people of this country that have worked to make it a stronger America. Organizers have always put the country first. We just think that this country is made up of people, not political parties.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;

          ]]>
        </content:encoded>        

        <dc:date>2008-09-04T18:50:00-05:00</dc:date>

        <dc:modified>2008-09-05T11:48:59-05:00</dc:modified>

        <dc:creator>Liz Rincon</dc:creator>

        
    </rss:item>

    
    <rss:item rdf:about="http://theleague.com/blog/archive/2008/09/04/organizers-stand-up">

        <rss:title>Organizers Stand Up!</rss:title>

        <rss:link>http://theleague.com/blog/archive/2008/09/04/organizers-stand-up</rss:link>       

        <rss:description>Last night Rudy Giuliani and Sarah Palin mocked Barack Obama's experience as a community organizer...</rss:description>

        <content:encoded>
          <![CDATA[
          
&lt;div&gt;
&lt;div&gt;Last night Rudy Giuliani and Sarah Palin mocked Barack
Obama's experience as a community organizer. After graduating from
Harvard Law School at the top of his class Obama moved into the South
Side of Chicago to work directly with people to help improve their
lives. After College Rudy immediately pursued his political career in
the District Attorney's office while Sarah was a sports anchor in
Alaska. Obama committed his life to the service of others, they looked
out for their own self interests. Who is the Elitist?&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div&gt;Organizers
have led major movements in this nation; Cesar Chavez, Harriet Tubman,
Martin King were all organizers. Organizers Stand Up!&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;

          ]]>
        </content:encoded>        

        <dc:date>2008-09-04T04:55:00-05:00</dc:date>

        <dc:modified>2008-09-04T19:54:31-05:00</dc:modified>

        <dc:creator>Stephen Hightower</dc:creator>

        
    </rss:item>

    
    <rss:item rdf:about="http://theleague.com/blog/archive/2008/08/21/theres-gotta-be-more-to-it">

        <rss:title>There's gotta be more to it </rss:title>

        <rss:link>http://theleague.com/blog/archive/2008/08/21/theres-gotta-be-more-to-it</rss:link>       

        <rss:description>Like a lot of people who work somewhere in the general orbit of politics, I often find myself playing the role of low-budget pundit with friends and acquaintances.</rss:description>

        <content:encoded>
          <![CDATA[
          &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;(Cross-posted/originally featured on &lt;span class="link-external"&gt;&lt;a class="external-link" href="http://www.futuremajority.com/node/2398" target="_blank"&gt;Future Majority&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Like
a lot of people who work somewhere in the general orbit of politics, I
often find myself playing the role of low-budget pundit with friends
and acquaintances.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;"How's the election looking?" they ask. "Who's going to be the
running mate?" "What big October surprises do we have in store?"&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Honestly I kind of suck at punditry. Answering damn near every
question with "who the hell knows" probably won't get you invited back
as a talking head on CNN, and a careful analysis of the possibilities
doesn't really seem to thrill a party crowd gathered around the punch
bowl.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I'm ok with that.  Anyone who claims to have all the answers is probably as full of it as the TV pundits anyway.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But there is one question that I get asked that really ticks me off
-- not because it's a bad question, but because I don't have a good
answer.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;That question:  "What else can I do?"&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I know tons of people, of all ages, who really care about the
outcome of this election, and who want to "help." But they don't really
know how.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;For young people who can afford to do it, there are definitely some
jump-in-with-both-feet options, like volunteering or working full time
for a campaign, or hooking up with &lt;a href="http://theleague.com" target="_blank"&gt;the League of Young Voters&lt;/a&gt; (where I work), or taking a trip with &lt;a href="http://swingsemester.org/" target="_blank"&gt;Swing Semester&lt;/a&gt;, or getting involved with one of the great "young progressive" organizations on the right column of this website.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But when it comes to young people who need to work full time, or
people in my parents and grandparents generation, or even my peers in
their 30's or 40's, the options thin out a little bit.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Everyone knows they can donate money. That's a good thing to do, and
it's important. But it's only sorta satisfying, and reduces a person's
potential talent and energy to all the creativity and skill of having a
credit card.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Sure, I could tell people to volunteer at a local campaign office.
That's definitely important. Sometimes that can even be fun or
satisfying. And sometimes it stinks.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I could tell them to get out there and make phone calls or knock on
doors. That can be enjoyable sometimes, when you're not feeling
apologetic being the guy on the other end of those phone calls and
front porch visits we all "love" so much. After trying it once, plenty
of people have no interest in a return engagement.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Donating, stuffing envelopes, phone banking, or knocking doors.  Are those really the best ways we can offer people to engage?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The truth is, the way most election work is done these days is
shockingly inefficient. The amount of time and money that campaigns end
up spending in ineffective ways is staggering. We have to play the game
because it's the best option we've got right now. But if you step back
and summon a little perspective about the way voters are identified and
turned out, you quickly figure out that we're still just emerging from
the prehistoric age here.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;There has to be a better way. I've been thinking about it and I've
got some ideas about how we might be able to step back a bit, think
outside the box, and figure out how to use the massive well of talent
and energy that's out there from people of all ages.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I hope other people are hard at work at the same task. There's a lot
of powerful passion, energy, and skill out there to be tapped, and
we're only just at the beginning of learning how to do it. Holler if
you're down to help, and let's get to it.&lt;/p&gt;
          ]]>
        </content:encoded>        

        <dc:date>2008-08-21T16:55:00-05:00</dc:date>

        <dc:modified>2008-08-21T17:06:39-05:00</dc:modified>

        <dc:creator>Sam Dorman</dc:creator>

        
    </rss:item>

    
    <rss:item rdf:about="http://theleague.com/blog/archive/2008/08/05/weblogentry.2008-08-05.2446739874">

        <rss:title>The Power Vote 2008</rss:title>

        <rss:link>http://theleague.com/blog/archive/2008/08/05/weblogentry.2008-08-05.2446739874</rss:link>       

        <rss:description>I love it when elected officials stand up in front of their constituents and boast that we can and should hold them accountable to their campaign promises.  Like it's as easy as 1-2-3.  Well, in my short 26 years I just have to say that I have had a hell of a time trying to hold my elected officials accountable to representing me.</rss:description>

        <content:encoded>
          <![CDATA[
          
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;(Cross-posted/originally featured on &lt;a class="external-link" href="http://www.boggscenter.org/ideas/fresh-ideas/fi-08-02-08_power_vote_2008.shtml" target="_blank&amp;quot;"&gt;Living for Change&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;A few weeks ago, at a dinner meeting of &amp;nbsp;League of Young Voters
organizers in Ann Arbor,&amp;nbsp; I talked to  &lt;span id=":24u" dir="ltr"&gt;life long social justice activist Grace Lee Boggs (it was truly an honor to meet her!) about the "Power Vote". &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;What I said reminded her of her &lt;a class="external-link" href="http://www.boggscenter.org/reader/fi-05-24-08_dont_leaveto_obama.shtml" target="_blank&amp;quot;"&gt;"Don't leave it all to Obama"&lt;/a&gt;
column (May 18-24, 2008). &amp;nbsp;So she asked me to write a piece for her. This
is my story:&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; I love it when elected officials stand
up in front of their constituents and boast that we can and should hold
them accountable to their campaign promises.&amp;nbsp; Like it's as easy as
1-2-3.&amp;nbsp; Well, in my short 26 years I just have to say that I have had a
hell of a time trying to hold my elected officials accountable to
representing me.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Take Hillary Clinton for example.&amp;nbsp; In
2003, I called her office repeatedly to challenge her stance on the
war. That didn't work.&amp;nbsp; So I got myself hired in her office as an
intern, had a few face-to-face conversations with her and senior staff
about our foreign policy. &amp;nbsp;Still nothing.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Two years
later, as her former intern, I called a press conference, to demand she
stop funding the war.&amp;nbsp; Long story short, I spent the afternoon in jail
and she voted to authorize funds for the war the next week.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; All this to say, that making our elected officials actually represent us is no easy feat.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; That is why I am coming together with 999,999 young people to
sign onto the Power Vote.&amp;nbsp; Power Vote is a project of the Energy Action
Coalition that is building a base of young people who are committed to
developing a new green economy that will create millions of jobs,
improve our health and avoid future wars.&amp;nbsp; Seriously.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;
We want to make sure that the new President knows that he has the
support to take immediate and decisive action to address climate
change.&amp;nbsp; But we know that just signatures probably won't do it.&amp;nbsp; That
is why we have reserved 15,000 beds in DC during the first 100 days of
the new presidency to lobby the President and Congress to take
immediate action.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Our demands are not just about more recycling centers and bike to work days:&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt;
• &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; We want Green Jobs. We want our President to invest in millions
of new green jobs, strengthen the American middle class and create new
pathways out of poverty for millions more.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; • &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; We want to
Invest in a Clean Economy . &amp;nbsp;We want our President to unleash American
ingenuity and launch a new wave of affordable clean energy technology.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt;
• &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; We want to cut global warming pollution immediately . We want
to ensure our health, prosperity, and security, and scientists tell us
we must rapidly drive U.S. global warming pollution towards zero.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt;
• &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; We want to end our dependence on Dirty Energy . We want to
enact an immediate moratorium on new coal, oil, natural gas, and
nuclear plant construction and infrastructure, while phasing out
existing plants and fossil fuel extraction and ensuring a just
transition for the workforce and communities.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; • &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; We want
to re-engage as a leader in the international community. Global warming
requires a global solution. We must shift the focus of American foreign
policy from military intervention to international cooperation.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt;
&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; * We want to take dirty money out of politics. We think it's time
to make government accountable to "We the People." Put voters first and
refuse campaign contributions from dirty energy interests.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;
&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;"Those are our demands and both candidates have a long way to come
to please us.&amp;nbsp; But we think that if we build this voting block, a
million strong, they will have the undeniable support and mandate to
join us."&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;a href="http://www.theleague.com/sf/PowerVote/08" target="_blank"&gt;www.theleague.com/sf/PowerVote/08&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;a href="http://www.powervote.org/" target="_blank"&gt;www.powervote.org&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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        <dc:date>2008-08-05T13:58:31-05:00</dc:date>

        <dc:modified>2008-08-05T13:59:28-05:00</dc:modified>

        <dc:creator>Heather Box</dc:creator>

        
    </rss:item>

    
    <rss:item rdf:about="http://theleague.com/blog/archive/2008/07/08/what-happens-after-the-kool-aid-wears-off">

        <rss:title> What Happens After the Kool Aid Wears Off</rss:title>

        <rss:link>http://theleague.com/blog/archive/2008/07/08/what-happens-after-the-kool-aid-wears-off</rss:link>       

        <rss:description>In ten years historians will look back on this week and declare that it is was a ground breaking week for Barack Obama. And nope, it won’t be because the junior senator from Illinois picked a running mate or because “Young Berry” delivered another one of his trademark speeches. This week was important because for the first time it became clear to many of his die hard supporters that Barack Obama might not be all that progressive.</rss:description>

        <content:encoded>
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&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;(Cross-posted/originally featured on &lt;a class="external-link" href="http://futuremajority.com/node/1937" target="_blank&amp;quot;"&gt;Future Majority)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In ten years historians will look back on this week and declare that it is was a ground breaking week for Barack Obama. And nope, it won’t be because the junior senator from Illinois picked a running mate or because “Young Berry” delivered another one of his trademark speeches. This week was important because for the first time it became clear to many of his die hard supporters that Barack Obama might not be all that progressive.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;From the FISA Bill to his support of Bush’s faith based initiatives to his willingness to throw Wesley Clark under the bus, this week Obama has proven that he won’t be right (no pun intended) on every issue. In fact after this week it’s becoming clear that he is going to be wrong a lot more than we would like him to be&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Of course, the truth is that we really don’t need Obama to be on the right side of all the issues all of the time. Nor should we really expect him to be. After all skeptics in the blogosphere have been hacking away at him for months, claiming that his voting record has been spotty at best.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;At the end of the day, as young progressives we really just need Obama to be accountable to us most of the time and the rest of time it’s going to be up to us to push back and fight with the him. Let's be honest, it’s going to be our vote that gets him in the office. We shouldn’t be afraid to roll up our sleeves and go 12 rounds with him.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But I have to be honest, I am starting to wonder if our generation has “the sand” to consistently stand up to Obama when he strays from the progressive path. So many of my friends, family and former coworkers have drunk so much of the Obama Kool Aid that I some times wonder if they can still see straight. I mean, it’s all right to love your candidate but as young activists we shouldn’t be naïve. Obama is going to continue to be tempted to move toward the center, especially if he wins on November 4th. We just can’t follow him there.&lt;/p&gt;

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        <dc:date>2008-07-08T15:20:16-05:00</dc:date>

        <dc:modified>2008-07-11T10:20:29-05:00</dc:modified>

        <dc:creator>Biko Baker</dc:creator>

        
    </rss:item>

    
    <rss:item rdf:about="http://theleague.com/blog/archive/2008/07/07/so-far-no-eternal-hellfire">

        <rss:title>So far, no eternal hellfire... </rss:title>

        <rss:link>http://theleague.com/blog/archive/2008/07/07/so-far-no-eternal-hellfire</rss:link>       

        <rss:description>So I'm sure you heard. The good state of California is now performing same-sex marriages, after the state's Supreme Court struck down a state ban in May.

Well, I'm happy to report back to those around the world who might have been concerned about us here in California: So far as i can tell -- contrary to the dire predictions we may have heard -- the earth has not yet opened up and swallowed the whole state into a pit of eternal hellfire. Which is great, because honestly I'm not that into hellfire. Hellfire seems totally uncool.</rss:description>

        <content:encoded>
          <![CDATA[
          &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;(Cross-posted/originally featured on &lt;a class="external-link" href="http://futuremajority.com/node/1928" target="_blank"&gt;Future Majority&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;So I'm sure you heard. The good state of California is now performing same-sex marriages, after the state's Supreme Court struck down a state ban in May.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Well, I'm happy to report back to those around the world who might have been concerned about us here in California: So far as i can tell -- contrary to the dire predictions we may have heard -- the earth has not yet opened up and swallowed the whole state into a pit of eternal hellfire. Which is great, because honestly I'm not that into hellfire. Hellfire seems totally uncool.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In fact, as I look around, what strikes me the most is that the whole thing seems so.... so..... so &lt;em&gt;normal&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Here's what appears to have been happening, and hold onto your hats while I say this.... It appears that couples who love each other -- people who have shared lives, families, and homes for years -- are now officially getting married.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Wild, I know.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I'm not sure exactly what I would have expected. Some sort of crazed marriage bonanza? A massive gay marriage stampede through the streets? Something else with the word bonanza in it?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Nope, not really. Pretty much it's just people who are happy to get the chance to say 'they do' to the one they love, and be recognized just like everyone else for it, with peace and dignity.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It makes me proud to be a Californian.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Maybe what gay marriage opponents have been missing for the last several years was a strong dose of who-the-hell-cares. You know what I mean? Relax, friends. Unclench. Look around. The world is still standing. More people who love each other are married. Sounds pretty good if you ask me.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Sure, it's possible that some coalition of concerned party poopers will stir up enough fear and ugliness to pass this constitutional amendment in November and shut down the festivities. (And certainly, we all need to step up and work against that. Definitely not into party poopers. Party poopers are way uncool.)&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But I'll tell you what gives me a sense of peace about this issue.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It's inevitable. Like it or not, our country's attitudes are changing. It's unstoppable, and it's happening. And everyone, on all sides of the debate, knows it.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Just take a look at this. Right after the Supreme Court decision, &lt;a href="http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/970055.html"&gt;&lt;u&gt;a new Field Poll&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt; showed that for the first time since they started measuring back in the 70's, a majority of Californians now agree that "gay people have the right to marry" (51 to 42 percent.) And for voters under 30, the percent in support jumps to 68%. That's a blowout. Go us.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;So yes, they might pass an amendment in california to outlaw same-sex marriage for a while. Sure, other states might go all reactionary and furrow their brows and bristle out their mustaches (yes, states can have mustaches, why not.) True, we could be in for a battery of reactionary laws and amendments and hyperventilating hand-wringing from the lock-your-doors brigade.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But progress will continue to steadily, inevitably, irreversibly march on. Those amendments will be overturned, laws will be fixed, and bristled mustaches will be soothed. And a few decades from now, we'll look back and wonder... what took us so damn long? And our kids will incredulously ask us how anyone thought such overt discrimination against our friends and neighbors was ever acceptable.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;And one day, we will get to look back and tell our own stories about this time -- this time right now -- when we were truly proud to live in the state of California.&lt;/p&gt;
          ]]>
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        <dc:date>2008-07-07T12:36:36-05:00</dc:date>

        <dc:modified>2008-07-10T12:00:40-05:00</dc:modified>

        <dc:creator>Sam Dorman</dc:creator>

        
    </rss:item>

    
    <rss:item rdf:about="http://theleague.com/blog/archive/2008/04/16/compassion-for-whom">

        <rss:title>Compassion for Whom?</rss:title>

        <rss:link>http://theleague.com/blog/archive/2008/04/16/compassion-for-whom</rss:link>       

        <rss:description>Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama crossed paths recently at Messiah College in Grantham, Pennsylvania, for a "Compassion Forum." They were there to be called to task by people of faith on issues like climate change, human rights and torture, poverty, genocide in Darfur, and the AIDS crisis. Just think about that - it's a brilliant progressive strategy to reclaim the religious narrative about politics that's been obsessed with abortion and homosexuality for far too long.</rss:description>

        <content:encoded>
          <![CDATA[
          
&lt;p&gt;Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama crossed paths recently at Messiah College in Grantham, Pennsylvania, for a "Compassion Forum." They were there to be called to task by people of faith on issues like climate change, human rights and torture, poverty, genocide in Darfur, and the AIDS crisis. Just think about that - it's a brilliant progressive strategy to reclaim the religious narrative about politics that's been obsessed with abortion and homosexuality for far too long.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I grew up in a large, conservative Presbyterian church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Now I work for a nonprofit in San Francisco, but my big sister is still on the youth ministry staff at the church I grew up in. Over the last few years, my sister has told me about a miracle that's unfolding in her church: they're realizing that social, racial, and economic justice aren't "liberal" causes - they're moral problems that should call people of faith into action. And it's not just happening in my sister's church - there's a movement, an awakening, all over the country, that's being pushed and organized by leaders like Jim Wallis, Shane Claborne, and Rob Bell.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So far, so good. But there's one really big problem - this progressive movement of Christians still doesn't support us LGBT folk. They think that we're confused, misguided, and living in sin, and they believe that some people are better than others because of their sexual orientation.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The great irony of the "Compassion Forum" is that it was held at a college with an explicit policy of discrimination against LGBT people. Don't get me wrong - Faith in Public Life, the organization that convened the forum, is on the right track in pushing for these conversations to take place. But neither the church nor the country can really move forward on social justice while they still treat us like second class citizens.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Clinton and Obama have both made lukewarm claims about their centrist policies on LGBT issues. In the last couple of weeks, Obama took some heat from Philadelphia Gay News for refusing to speak to the LGBT press. And now, just three days after he gave a token interview to The Advocate to redeem himself, he appears on an anti-gay college campus to talk about "compassion."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Just who, exactly, are the targets of this alleged compassion? Are we talking about compassion for the straight victims of war and torture, for straight people who are living in poverty, for straight people suffering from genocide in Darfur, and (if you hadn't guessed where I was heading yet) for straight people with AIDS? That sounds silly, doesn't it? But last night's forum was held at a school that I wouldn't even be allowed to attend as a gay Christian man. That's discrimination. And my Mama taught me that discrimination and compassion don't go together.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;em&gt;*Originally Appeared on Huffington Post*&lt;/em&gt;
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        <dc:date>2008-04-16T14:29:03-05:00</dc:date>

        <dc:modified>2008-04-16T14:31:46-05:00</dc:modified>

        <dc:creator>Kip Williams</dc:creator>

        
    </rss:item>

    
    <rss:item rdf:about="http://theleague.com/blog/archive/2008/04/09/how-to-actually-support-our-troops">

        <rss:title>How to actually support our troops</rss:title>

        <rss:link>http://theleague.com/blog/archive/2008/04/09/how-to-actually-support-our-troops</rss:link>       

        <rss:description>So we have passed the five year mark and pushed into the sixth year of our war in Iraq. It is something that many of you will agree is a horribly botched situation, for so many reasons. We have lost almost four and a half thousand US soldiers and needlessly taken the lives of close to one million Iraqis thus far. Despite the administration's relentless attempts to project positive progress along with the media's disgusting complacency in spinning the story, the situation continues to deteriorate.</rss:description>

        <content:encoded>
          <![CDATA[
          
&lt;p&gt;So we have passed the five year mark and pushed into the sixth year of our war in Iraq. It is something that many of you will agree is a horribly botched situation, for so many reasons. We have lost almost four and a half thousand US soldiers and needlessly taken the lives of close to one million Iraqis thus far. Despite the administration's relentless attempts to project positive progress along with the media's disgusting complacency in spinning the story, the situation continues to deteriorate.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I spent the other weekend down in DC assisting the organization &lt;a class="external-link" href="http://www.ivaw.org/" target="_blank"&gt;Iraq Veterans Against the War &lt;/a&gt;(IVAW) in hosting an incredibly significant event on this fifth anniversary. 'Winter Soldier: Iraq &amp;amp; Afghanistan' consisted of three full days of testimony from Iraq war veterans and soldiers about their horrific experiences – not only surrounding the dehumanization and inhumanity of war abroad, but the blatant disregard our government shows for them and their health once they return.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Words cannot nearly describe the experience. It was incredibly moving to say the least and I found myself getting choked up even in the week following. I am still processing much of the experience and it will probably take some time still to let things settle. I was incredibly appreciative to have been present at this event, but it added such intensity to my disgust for this war and the powers that propel it that it causes me great frustration as well. That we have a Democratic party clamoring about change, while neither candidate has taken a progressive or humane stance against this illegal occupation, is also disheartening. What I do draw hope from is IVAW's growing momentum and support. By actively addressing both veterans and active duty soldiers in this war, they have the capacity to effect the most change yet. I would like to say the tides are turning – that this unjust war will be ended soon, but it will not happen by itself.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you are interested in listening to or watching some of the testimonials from the weekend, I certainly urge you to do so. &lt;a class="external-link" href="http://kpfa.org/" target="_blank"&gt;KPFA&lt;/a&gt; has archived audio from pretty much the entire event at &lt;a class="external-link" href="http://warcomeshome.org" target="_blank"&gt;http://warcomeshome.org&lt;/a&gt;, and video clips can be viewed on &lt;a class="external-link" href="http://www.ivaw.org/" target="_blank"&gt;IVAW's site&lt;/a&gt; at &lt;a class="external-link" href="http://www.ivaw.org/wintersoldier/testimony/video" target="_blank"&gt;http://www.ivaw.org/wintersoldier/testimony/video&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If any of this moves you and you feel like doing more, I strongly recommend exploring IVAW's site to learn more and considering making a donation to their efforts. This is one of the best ways by far to actually support our troops.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;peace and solidarity,&lt;br /&gt;ix&lt;/p&gt;

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        <dc:date>2008-04-09T13:56:39-05:00</dc:date>

        <dc:modified>2008-04-11T14:31:34-05:00</dc:modified>

        <dc:creator>Jeff French</dc:creator>

        
    </rss:item>

    
    <rss:item rdf:about="http://theleague.com/blog/archive/2008/02/15/eac-council-meeting-sets-the-standard">

        <rss:title>EAC Council Meeting Sets the Standard</rss:title>

        <rss:link>http://theleague.com/blog/archive/2008/02/15/eac-council-meeting-sets-the-standard</rss:link>       

        <rss:description>I totally over-packed for the Energy Action Coalition (EAC) Council meeting. The extra pair of shoes, the just-in-case dress shirt and slacks, and more than 2 pair of draws for a 4-day stay in The Bay with EAC proved that I had very little idea of what exactly I was getting into.

Energy Action Coalition is best known to the League for hosting Power Shift 2007 -- the youth summit on climate change that brought 6,000 students from 50 states, Canada, and Puerto Rico to the University of Maryland to build, chill, rally, and lobby the Feds on climate change. I was there too, actually, and witnessed one of the most ridiculous things I have ever seen -- a 3 AM spoken work/ballroom dancing battle in the College Park, MD IHOP parking lot. Needless to say, it's never anything short of ground breaking when EAC is involved.</rss:description>

        <content:encoded>
          <![CDATA[
          
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;em&gt;"There's only so much space inthe atmosphere, and if we don't stop filling it up with pollution, the planet is going to pop and burn...or burn and then pop."&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;blockquote dir="ltr"&gt;
&lt;p align="right"&gt;- Crystal Druham, California Student Sustainability Coalition, EAC member&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p align="left" dir="ltr"&gt;I totally over-packed for the Energy Action Coalition (EAC) Council meeting. The extra pair of shoes, the just-in-case dress shirt and slacks, and more than 2 pair of draws for a 4-day stay in The Bay with EAC proved that I had very little idea of what exactly I was getting into.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align="left" dir="ltr"&gt;Energy Action Coalition is best known to the League for hosting Power Shift 2007 -- the youth summit on climate change that brought 6,000 students from 50 states, Canada, and Puerto Rico to the University of Maryland to build, chill, rally, and lobby the Feds on climate change. I was there too, actually, and witnessed one of the most ridiculous things I have ever seen -- a 3 AM spoken work/ballroom dancing battle in the College Park, MD IHOP parking lot. Needless to say, it's never anything short of ground breaking when EAC is involved.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Just to break it down good and proper like, I’m gonna tell you: &lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;about EAC, how they manage be so awesome, the outcome of the Council meeting and the direction EAC is heading, and finally, the distinct role that the League has an opportunity to play as members of the Coalition.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;________________________________________________________&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;EAC first came together as an informal network in 2003, but proved the group’s durability and commitment in 2006 by launching the Campus Climate Challenge (CCC). 16 EAC member organizations agreed upon a joint budget and fundraising plan, and EAC began funding campus work through member organizations participating in the CCC. Absolutely bonkers – only young people could ever believe in each other, a shared purpose, and the future so much as to combine resources on such as scale (sound familiar Leaguers!!).&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Campus Climate Challenge has been an amazing success, spawning over 250 participating campuses in every state, and over 50 in the six League states. Overall, there are 37 member organizations – 46 including supporting members like the League – and 24 members that are funded by CCC. The cow pie hit the fan in November 2007, when EAC hosted Power Shift, and sent thousands of well-trained students storming into the capital rocking green hard hats and a message of more green jobs, no coal, and emissions reductions or else!! After such an awesome demonstration of POWER, EAC knew it was time to push forward like never before. And with 2008 on the horizon, staff and members knew the time.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;For the past 4 months, EAC members have been preparing for this meeting through weekly working group conference calls. Basically, nothing moves until Council approves, which is what makes EAC so awesome. EAC invests in people, programs, platforms and processes. Emphasizing individual roles and accountability of coalition members, constant communication among members, and the importance of how things are accomplished, brings this group to achievable, optimistic goals through consensus-based decision making.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;The Council meeting was at The Women’s Building in the Mission District of San Francisco – a huge community center and office space for women with a colorful mural draping the entire exterior. Picture a large, hard wood floor room with a balcony. It smells like organic coffee grounds and the forest, the professional atmosphere is top-notch and all about business, with bike-riding, hipped-out student organizing champions of climate change sitting in a semi circle, each headed by paper name-plates for their organizations. Not that anyone needs the nameplates – everyone knows each other by first name.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;The first day was filled with introductions and working group presentations on the following potential campaigns: No New Coal, Green Jobs, Power Vote 2008. If adopted by the group, these campaigns would be integrated into the Climate Challenge, thereby defining an expanded role of this program. Yours truly presented for the green jobs working group, highlighting the potential for this campaign to extend campus work into neighborhood communities, and the importance of infusing EAC’s youth energy into the overall green jobs movement. EAC Co-Director Jessy Tolkan presented on Power Vote 2008, which aims to push Climate to the forefront of presidential candidate platforms, and build alliances with youth organizations that do not work directly within the Climate movement, but have a potentially significant role to play with a clear understanding of why Climate Change is important to their work.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;These campaigns were adopted by Council, with green jobs getting a resounding yes, and Power Vote 2008 getting a lot of cheers, but also a lot of question marks. No doubt, the Climate movement is full of organizing ballers, but electoral work is a bit of a mystery if your not, say…the League of Young Voters. Hyyyya chop!!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;EAC is a powerhouse for the breadth of a base it has built, but they will be the first to admit that the depth of their membership needs a lot of work. Membership background is reflective of the environmental movement overall – white, privileged, and sequestered to university campuses. But as young, progressive people, members recognize this weakness to their movement. The group has drafted an Anti-Oppression policy that is a hallmark of their efforts, and has survived continuous scrutiny by some of the more influential members.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;In a very real sense, the newly adopted green jobs arm of the Climate Challenge provides a platform for existing campus partners to build new, nontraditional alliances on campus, for the purpose of extending campus work into neighborhood communities that would most benefit from the growth of a green jobs workforce. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;One thing that the League is well known for, is building relationships among diverse but related peer-groups and organization. The Youth Vote Movement is ideal for organizing across lines of money, colors and issues. We are posed to be the connecter of this campaign. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;And I don’t event have to tell you about Power Vote 2008, because if you don’t know by now, you better either ask somebody or buy a clue from your mom. Generational Alliance (GA) is building a coalition that is like a youth voter version of EAC, all under the umbrella of an 8-issue youth platform that includes: healthcare and reproductive rights, education access, energy and the environment, voting rights and election reform, affordable housing, war and military recruitment, workers rights, and prison and justice system reform. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Imagine leaving 2008 with a progressive president of our choice, and a gigantic youth-voter coalition that’s like EAC, but includes groups working in all the issues GA is pulling together. Think about how important the League has been in building this vision over the past 8 years. And finally, imagine the power we can build with models of cooperation and joint decision making like EAC. Truly, the sky is the limit. Unless it pops and burns… or burns and then pops.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Final shouts go to EAC members and staff, Rainforest Action Network, Center for American Progress, Net Impact, PIRGs everywhere, SSC, Restoring Eden, Black Mesa Water Coalition, Greenpeace and more. Special shouts go to the amazing people who build the BART system that hauled me all over The Bay, and the poor soul who designed the trolley stop bench with a plastic flip-seat feature. I don’t think anyone would ever actually sit on one of those seats. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;PEACE&lt;/p&gt;

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        </content:encoded>        

        <dc:date>2008-02-15T16:08:19-06:00</dc:date>

        <dc:modified>2008-02-18T22:34:58-06:00</dc:modified>

        <dc:creator>Mikhail Pappas</dc:creator>

        
    </rss:item>

    
    <rss:item rdf:about="http://theleague.com/blog/archive/2008/02/04/hope-for-a-new-generation">

        <rss:title>Hope For A New Generation</rss:title>

        <rss:link>http://theleague.com/blog/archive/2008/02/04/hope-for-a-new-generation</rss:link>       

        <rss:description>Can Obama ever connect with voters of color as much as Jesse Jackson did and stay 'electable' at the same time?</rss:description>

        <content:encoded>
          <![CDATA[
          --&amp;gt; cross-posted from &lt;a class="external-link" href="http://wiretapmag.org/elections2008/43407/" target="_blank"&gt;WireTap Magazine&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"People can say what they want about Obama, but when I was in South Carolina, young people in the hood were feeling him." -- Davey D&lt;/em&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Barack Obama is heading into &lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Tuesday" target="_blank"&gt;Super Tuesday&lt;/a&gt; with wind in his sails. But will his victory in South Carolina help him win over influential hip-hop activists?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In 1988, Jesse Jackson's &lt;a href="http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&amp;amp;id=zSis8eWVwvYC&amp;amp;dq=1988+jesse+jackson's+presidential+campaign&amp;amp;printsec=frontcover&amp;amp;source=web&amp;amp;ots=hH1sUdkbKU&amp;amp;sig=J1MLYUfM3sIvJQPcthNxLoAHZKI" target="_blank"&gt;Presidential campaign&lt;/a&gt; lit the world on fire. Okay, maybe not the whole world, but 20 years ago black neighborhoods from Compton to Columbus were buzzing because of Jackson's historic run for the White House.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;At the height of his '88 campaign, Jackson made a stop at the Westlawn Projects, a low-income housing development just blocks from my parents home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. My father, an elevator mechanic and proud union member, took my seven-year-old younger brother and me to see the civil rights activist. At nine years old, I wasn't able to fully understand what all the hoopla was about. I mean, I watched the news with my parents every night and I knew that Jackson was running for President, but I didn't understand why everyone was so excited.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;As we waited for the presidential candidate to show up, you could feel the electricity. All around me, black people -- both young and old -- anxiously waited for an opportunity to get a glimpse of the man who could potentially become the first black president. Not to sound corny, but it was like the scent of hope lingered in the air. For the first time ever many of the folks in the crowd believed that change could come through the electoral process.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Fast forward two decades later and Barack Obama has remixed Jackson's message of "&lt;a href="http://www.keephopealiveradio.com/" target="_blank"&gt;keeping hope alive&lt;/a&gt;" for 21st Century audiences. And it's working. All across the country hundreds of young people have dropped out of school, quit their jobs and have joined up with Obama's Hope Express. But while Obama is a more viable candidate then Jackson ever was, many African Americans have been slow to warm up to the freshman Senator from Illinois.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;By now we've all seen the attacks by noted black leaders like &lt;a href="http://www.ontheissues.org/GA/John_Lewis.htm" target="_blank"&gt;Congressman John Lewis&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="http://www.who2.com/robertljohnson.html" target="_blank"&gt;BET's Robert Johnson&lt;/a&gt;. Of course, some media pundits have ascribed this to &lt;em&gt;hater-ation&lt;/em&gt;, but I wouldn't go that far. Actually, it's no secret that many of the nation's most recognizable black leaders have a 20-year relationship with former President Bill Clinton. Who can blame people like Congressman Charles Rangel for not wanting to &lt;a href="http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny—presidentialendor0201feb01,0,1423568.story" target="_blank"&gt;turn their back&lt;/a&gt; on their friend?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="http://wiretapmag.org/images/managed/Story+Image_rosa_clemente.jpg" alt="" align="right" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But it's not just Clintonites who have been critical of Obama. In a recent radio interview on KPFK, &lt;a href="http://eyesinfinite.com/EyesInfiniteFilms/nfblog/?p=41" target="_blank"&gt;Rosa Clemente&lt;/a&gt; a veteran activist and public intellectual criticized his campaign, "Young people are coming out and they're white, I think to sugar-coat it at this point is detrimental to young people of color." (&lt;em&gt;Writer's note: the interview took place before the South Carolina primary in which black youth turned out in force for Obama.&lt;/em&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Clemente isn't alone. Since Obama threw his hat into the race, critics of all backgrounds have questioned whether he would be able to connect with voters of color while also staying "electable." Others, like famed academic Cornell West, have even publicly questioned whether Obama's campaign staff was too white for him to stay relevant amongst black folks.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;That's why it is no surprise that many of the Hip-Hop Movement's most influential individuals, including author and activist &lt;a href="http://www.bakarikitwana.com/" target="_blank"&gt;Bakari Kitwana&lt;/a&gt;, believe that Obama's run for the White House has been bittersweet.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;"It is the biggest breathe of fresh air that we've seen in a presidential race since Jesse Jackson's campaign in '84 and '88," said Kitwana. "But I'd like to see him do more to reach out to a hip-hop voting block, and develop a more progressive platform across all background, but he's not running as an Independent, he's running as a Democrat."&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But it's not just political boundaries that have prevented Obama from getting Jackson-like love in black communities. It's also his timing. By the time Jesse Jackson ran for President he had nearly 20 years of relationships in diverse communities all across the country. As a civil rights and labor activist, Jackson walked with the likes of Martin Luther King Jr. and Cesar Chavez, and was a familiar face to African American voters. Obama, on the other hand, has only been in the national spotlight for four years, hardly enough time to develop organic relationship all across the country.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="http://wiretapmag.org/images/managed/Story+Image_daveyd_2.jpg" alt="" align="right" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But according to veteran radio personality and multimedia guru &lt;a href="http://www.daveyd.com/" target="_blank"&gt;Davey D&lt;/a&gt;, young urban activists shouldn't have a closed mind about Obama's campaign. "People can say what they want about Obama, but when I was in South Carolina, young people in the hood were feeling him," says Davey D who spent time in the southern state leading up to Obama's historic victory. "You can't be so cynical that you aren't listening to what the people have to say. Yeah, I have issues with some of the things that Obama's campaign is doing and I want him to be more progressive, but I can't act like I am smarter than the people that vote for him."&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Perhaps Davey D is right. Maybe it's all right if Obama doesn't resonate the same way with the Black community that Jackson did. For the first time in history a person of color is poised to become the leader of the free world. And while he may not be running a perfect campaign, Obama is inspiring folks of all backgrounds to believe that real change is possible. Plus, it's hard to believe that little black kids won't have more self-confidence knowing that a person of color is in the White House.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But at the end of the day, it really isn't about any of the candidates. If there's one thing that has become clear to me since Jesse Jackson came to my neighborhood 20 years ago, it's that change doesn't come from elected officials. Time and time again politicians of all backgrounds and identities have proven to be both unaccountable and uninspiring after they've been elected. If change is going to truly happen we have to make sure we turn out to vote while also fighting for the issues that we are most passionate about after the election is over. Because no matter who gets elected, it's up to all of us to "keep hope alive" everyday of our lives.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="writerBio"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class="writerBio"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Rob 'Biko' Baker is a nationally recognized hip hop organizer, journalist and scholar. Biko served as the Deputy Publicity Coordinator and Young Voter Organizer for the Brown and Black Presidential Forum (a nationally televised presidential debate which aired on msnbc). Biko is currently the &lt;a href="http://www.theleague.com"&gt;League of Young Voters&lt;/a&gt; Institute Director and he also works with the Campaign Against Violence. Biko is a frequent contributor to &lt;em&gt;The Source&lt;/em&gt; and serves on Wiretap's Editorial Board.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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        <dc:date>2008-02-03T22:55:00-06:00</dc:date>

        <dc:modified>2008-02-04T22:52:14-06:00</dc:modified>

        <dc:creator>Biko Baker</dc:creator>

        
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    <rss:item rdf:about="http://theleague.com/blog/archive/2008/02/02/why-i2019m-voting-on-super-tuesday">

        <rss:title>Why I’m voting on Super Tuesday</rss:title>

        <rss:link>http://theleague.com/blog/archive/2008/02/02/why-i2019m-voting-on-super-tuesday</rss:link>       

        <rss:description>My son was born in November of 2007, and that was certainly the most monumental event to ever happen in any November for me. And as my son approaches his first birthday this year, our Nation’s count down to a new commander-in-chief will be drawing to a close. This got me thinking…</rss:description>

        <content:encoded>
          <![CDATA[
          
&lt;p&gt;My son was born in November of 2007, and that was certainly the most monumental event to ever happen in any November for me. And as my son approaches his first birthday this year, our Nation’s count down to a new commander-in-chief will be drawing to a close. This got me thinking…&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I think "lift off" is an appropriate metaphor for what many have come to agree has been the basement of American-style democracy over the past seven years. Or maybe I should say 15, or should I say since Reagan? Even though my man, Bill Clinton's years made us feel better (as over printing currency will often do!), our political machine was still chiseling away at our diminishing foreign policy morals, we had a terrible record on solving domestic ills, and his wife was working on getting us Universal Healthcare then too, wasn't she?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The oval office is more than just a man or a woman...it's also really good furniture, and a place for our most popular (or unpopular) elected official to go feel important while the country is being run “according to plan.” Plans, decided by people who are NOT democratically elected to make decisions, with interests that respect only the power of the market. Futures, standards, stocks and industrial averages become the engine to our political machine. While corporate responsibility, workers rights, and human rights are talked about on the campaign trail, most end up living and dying there. Never making the move to Capitol Hill. Only resurrected during debates every four years.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Am I disenchanted with the American electoral process? Yes, but made more nauseous by the American electorate, who find dynasties more appealing than dynamic rulers. &lt;br /&gt;I think we as Americans are more concerned with our standard of living—our lifestyle not life itself. Because if it were the other way around, then we'd have to make decisions in the best interest of the world, rather than what makes our country most coveted, most comfortable and most consuming.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We like the idea of a choice, but that is often less important than actually having one. Real choices DO require a differentiation in the outcomes dependent upon which path is taken...and THAT my friends, opens up the possibility for change.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;My experience is that people, routine loving creatures that we are, have an aversion to change. So we accept our dynasty. No, not the phenomenon that becomes a reality with a Clinton win in the presidential election (which would give Americans 20 years of monarchal rule by two families).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I am speaking of our very personal dynasty that Americans enjoy, by being at the “top of the food chain,” with our ability to harbor nuclear weapons while telling everyone else not to, and our ability to use up more of the world's resources and destroy more of mother earth's defenses than anyone else. That has become our dynasty, our legacy, regardless of who addresses us through a TV screen a few times each year.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;So when asked, “who would I support,” I would say that I’m behind the candidate that is most talking about us, as a country, attacking our biggest fear head on: Change. The candidate that seems to tell it as straight as any elected official could, until they get in office and take the private money out of federal elections altogether. And though, right now, only Biden is really talking about that, I think Obama could be persuaded.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;And while I’m not too thrilled with some of Hillary's policy moves, I do like the idea of a female president. Let's face it, whether you are a creationist, an evolutionist or an intelligent designer the woman always came second in the chronology, which makes her a more evolved life form. The second generation is always gonna be better… (Haven’t we learned anything from the iPhone?) That being said, we need a woman of Shirley Chisolm character on the ballot. But if it comes down to it, and Hillary does beat out Barack for the Democratic Nomination, I would vote for her just for the novelty, just to say "I was alive when...", just to make history (...quite possibly at the risk of repeating it).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But seriously, whoever gets the nod, we aught to be really concerned who the vice president will be as well.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;As I stated earlier, I am a father, and I want my son to know that his vote and his voice matters. Even when my generation “gets old and grouchy,” and if we ever call his generation, "disengaged" he'll laugh. He'll laugh because his generation will have more courage than ours to remove criminals from office and replace them with people of integrity. So in my very tepid revolution, I am casting my ballot for the person that I have faith will move us in that direction (even if it is only by baby steps), because we've been backsliding long enough.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;If I've learned anything as a father, other than how to moderate my newfound concern for universal healthcare, the living wage and tax breaks, is that I have to be the example, because he'll learn more from what I do than he'll ever learn from what I say. In the same regard, the mother or father of a nation must act accordingly.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I think that I, like many other Generation Y’ers are excited about this election. And I have a feeling that we will turn out to prove that our apathy was not due to laziness, but due to the lack of differentiation between the two major parties. Unity over opposition, right? That is what the "U" is for in USA, right?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;To me, Obama's the best example...he just happens to be able to talk well too...and as a performance poet...I guess I can appreciate that.&lt;/p&gt;

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        <dc:date>2008-02-02T00:05:00-06:00</dc:date>

        <dc:modified>2008-02-05T08:28:19-06:00</dc:modified>

        <dc:creator>Hakim Bellamy</dc:creator>

        
    </rss:item>

    
    <rss:item rdf:about="http://theleague.com/blog/archive/2008/01/14/election-08-whats-great-and-what-were-getting-wrong-time-and-again">

        <rss:title>Election 08: What's Great and What We're Getting Wrong, Time and Again...</rss:title>

        <rss:link>http://theleague.com/blog/archive/2008/01/14/election-08-whats-great-and-what-were-getting-wrong-time-and-again</rss:link>       

        <rss:description>Election time always makes me feel like it's Christmas:  I can hardly wait to find out who's going to take over the White House on Election Day.  There's so much preparation that must be done ahead of time:  you have to research the candidate platforms, banter with your friend about their candidate of choice while you watch debates, and get real excited (or horrified) at media coverage of candidate responses. </rss:description>

        <content:encoded>
          <![CDATA[
          
&lt;p&gt;Election time always makes me feel like it's Christmas:&amp;nbsp; I can hardly wait to find out who's going to take over the White House on Election Day.&amp;nbsp; There's so much preparation that must be done ahead of time:&amp;nbsp; you have to research the candidate platforms, banter with your friend about their candidate of choice while you watch debates, and get real excited (or horrified) at media coverage of candidate responses.&amp;nbsp; And this year, the fact that there's a diversity of candidates from different genders, races, and socioeconomic backgrounds vying for the Democratic presidential nomination is the most exciting part of this year's primary.&amp;nbsp; This is the first time we're seeing a White woman and a Black man compete as front-runner candidates in a major party primary.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In previous elections the media talks about how demographics by gender, race, and age will vote for the amazing selection of (White heterosexual male) candidates, but never how the gender or race of the candidate impacts how these demographics will vote.&amp;nbsp; Now that the media is talking about these issues it's slowly becoming the most disappointing part of the election.&amp;nbsp; It's not the fact that we're having this discussion about race and gender in our society that frustrates me, but &lt;em&gt;how&lt;/em&gt; this discussion is played out.&amp;nbsp; For those who aren't sure what I'm referring to yet, it's a new buzz topic in the blogosphere known as the "Oppression Olympics":&amp;nbsp; which is the more subjugated identity, race or gender?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Last week Gloria Steinem, a leader in the second-wave of feminism in the '60s, wrote an Op-Ed piece in the New York Times called &lt;a class="external-link" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/08/opinion/08steinem.html?ex=1200459600&amp;amp;en=b89398531bea1916&amp;amp;ei=5070&amp;amp;emc=eta1" target="_blank"&gt;"Women Are Never Front-Runners" &lt;/a&gt;about the issue of race and gender in presidential primary.&amp;nbsp; Just given the title, you can see the position she's taken on the issue.&amp;nbsp; (Funny how she doesn't consider that, if women are &lt;em&gt;never&lt;/em&gt; front-runners, how did Hillary win New Hampshire or maintain a front-runner status?)&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Steinem argues that &lt;em&gt;gender is probably the most restricting force in American life,&lt;/em&gt; and her argument is compelling.&amp;nbsp; Compared to other democratic nations, we have a pretty low rate of electing women into office.&amp;nbsp; Female voters in Iowa were seen as needing to support Clinton, but male voters are supposedly gender-free in how they vote.&amp;nbsp; Women have tough barriers to face to enter into political office.&amp;nbsp; And she also states that she's "not advocating a competition for who has it toughest".&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But Gloria.&amp;nbsp; Yes you are.&amp;nbsp; And what's most disturbing is how your analysis of race and gender perpetuates such divisions in the social movement.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In the opening of her article, Steinem claims that a fictional female official with all of Obama's traits (from political qualifications, marital status, and even racial background) would not be considered a front-runner candidate for political office solely on the basis because she is a woman.&amp;nbsp; She may be right that if Obama was a woman, then her political career and even opportunities may be more limited as a woman.&amp;nbsp; But so would Hillary's, if she was Black.&amp;nbsp; Her oversimplified analysis ignores those who are disadvantaged by both race and gender, wondering which "box" do they fit in.&amp;nbsp; Personally as a woman of color, am I suppose to be a woman or a racial minority first?&amp;nbsp; And how do I know I'm not discriminated against because of one and not the other?&amp;nbsp; Or both at the same time?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;What makes her analysis of oppression and marginalization so dangerous is because it asks us to compare oppressions of racism and sexism when it is manifested in very different ways that have various historical, political, and social contexts.&amp;nbsp; How I'm oppressed as a second-generation Asian American woman is different from how a Black man experiences oppression, which is different from how a working-class White woman experiences oppression.&amp;nbsp; Oppression is wrong, but playing the game of "who's been bleeding or suffering harder and longer" is far more wrong and does nothing to change any situation.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Don't get me wrong; Steinem is correct that sexism is a real part of society, one that plays a very big role in how we perceive Clinton's candidacy and electability.&amp;nbsp; But her broad sweeping justification that because Blacks got to vote before women did, and how Blacks in general "have ascended to positions of power, from the military to the boardroom, before any women" paints an unfair picture that racism is an issue long-resolved.&amp;nbsp; Regardless of where you grow up and where you live, racism is prevalent:&amp;nbsp; in the choices that Black men face to either become an athlete or in jail; how Native Americans are denied adequate health care or educational opportunities at disproportional rates; or racial profiling towards Asian and Latino immigrants who are constantly seen as "foreign" or "illegal"?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The race versus gender debate presupposes an already existing alliance between those who members of that identity group based on race and gender.&amp;nbsp; It also insists that one oppression is more important than another.&amp;nbsp; A major limitation of this kind of identity politics enables a divisive pull between marginalized groups causes us to fight over scraps instead of demanding equal seats at the table.&amp;nbsp; The tendency for second-wave feminists from Gloria Steinem's generation to universalize the experience of gender without understanding how power and privilege operate around to race, gender, age, class, sexuality, history, or even location is becoming a topic of major criticism for many subsequent feminists such as bell hooks, Gloria Anzaldua, or Audre Lorde.*&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Steinem's analysis is disingenuous to what real social change is about.&amp;nbsp; Through&amp;nbsp;her article, she seems to support the idea we should vote based on our identities, or for those who aren't Black or a woman, vote based on who you think is 'most oppressed'.&amp;nbsp; She doesn't give any consideration to the issues and causes Clinton supports, doesn't support, and what she refuses to take position on.&amp;nbsp; According to Steinem, the women in their 50s or 60s who came out overwhelmingly in support of Clinton and her centrist political positions surely prove that women get more "radical" with age.&amp;nbsp; Her definition of 'radical' scares me as someone who identifies with that term as part of my social practice and political belief.&amp;nbsp; As an activist, what I have grown to know as radical politics doesn't just mean a fundamental political and cultural change, it means being smart and strategic to how that change can be brought about... To know that your struggle for either racial or gender justice is tied into the struggles against all injustice.&amp;nbsp; Steinem's call for support for Clinton to fight the sex barrier, places a hierarchy of one issue over another.&amp;nbsp; It may break a glass ceiling for women in the U.S., lacks any kind of strategy to developing comprehensive social change for all women or marginalized groups.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This is an exciting time where the Left has a chance to reframe the debate around fundamental quality of life issues, yet we're constantly facing messaging left and right about how we should vote between race or gender.&amp;nbsp; Steinem's Op-Ed certainly isn't representative of the views of many feminists I know, but it's reflective of how gender and race issues are viewed in our society.&amp;nbsp; She reaffirms many of the issues people involved in social movements have struggled to change in how we organize:&amp;nbsp; the universalizing of oppression, the invisibility of women of color, and the race discussion as being only about Black and White.&amp;nbsp; But come the next crucial months, we need to keep our momentum to have our voices heard loud and clear to shift the political discussion towards creation of equitable policies supporting universal health care, funding for higher education, worker's rights, the Iraq war, the environment.&amp;nbsp; The next president is only going to be as good as the policies they put forward, and the leadership to unify.&amp;nbsp; Real change doesn't come from breaking glass ceilings, but through the steps we take so everyone has the opportunity to break them, no matter what gender, race, class, or background they have.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;*&amp;nbsp; Some suggested reading about third-wave feminism that I like:&amp;nbsp; "This Bridge Called My Back:&amp;nbsp; Writings of Radical Women of Color" ed. Gloria Anzaldua and Cherrie Moraga,&amp;nbsp; "Feminism:&amp;nbsp; From Margin to Center" by bell hooks, "Sister Outsider" by Audre Lorde, "All the Women Are White, All the Blacks are Men, But Some of Us Brave" by Barbara Smith.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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        <dc:date>2008-01-14T19:50:40-06:00</dc:date>

        <dc:modified>2008-01-14T20:28:35-06:00</dc:modified>

        <dc:creator>Jenna Vendil</dc:creator>

        
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    <rss:item rdf:about="http://theleague.com/blog/archive/2008/01/09/the-party-only-just-began">

        <rss:title>The party only just began...</rss:title>

        <rss:link>http://theleague.com/blog/archive/2008/01/09/the-party-only-just-began</rss:link>       

        <rss:description>I was on a radio show the other day talking about the youth voter turnout in the  primaries, and the question came up of whether young voters have now "arrived".  There was something that felt odd about it.  Of course I'm glad that young people are finally getting the positive news coverage they deserve about increasing participation in elections.  But why did it feel like it didn't barely begin to describe what we're doing at the League?</rss:description>

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&lt;p&gt;I was on a radio show the other day talking about the youth voter turnout in the presidential primaries, and the question came up of whether young voters have now "arrived".&amp;nbsp; There was something that felt odd about it.&amp;nbsp; Of course I'm glad that young people are finally getting the positive news coverage they deserve about increasing participation in elections.&amp;nbsp; But why did it feel like it didn't barely begin to describe what we're doing at the League?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I think it's because, despite the name, the League's work is much deeper than voting.&amp;nbsp; It's about fundamental community change.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;That's what I love about the League.&amp;nbsp; Look, if your goal is just to turn out votes, you focus on the most "likely" voters out there.&amp;nbsp; That's why most youth voter groups aren't based in "non-traditional" young voter constituencies like we are: non-college youth, youth of color, working class youth, immigrant youth, etc.&amp;nbsp; Those constituencies are often considered to be the most skeptical about voting, and with some justification -- often having seen "parachute" organizers drop in every four years, promise change, and then disappear.&amp;nbsp; So what's different about the League?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Young people are smart enough to know that by voting for a presidential candidates, their lives are not going to completely change.&amp;nbsp; But they understand first-hand that there are major problems all around them: schools, public transit, violence, recreational opportunities, etc.&amp;nbsp; So when they realize they can actually get someone elected to the school board or city council, and then hold those elected officials accountable to a real agenda, it's a pretty empowering experience.&amp;nbsp; The word "empowering" gets tossed around a lot, but I'm pretty sure this what it's really about.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And it's been amazing what Leaguers have accomplished -- even in an "off-year" like 2007.&amp;nbsp; In Milwaukee this year Leaguers helped prevent the school board from approving the use of handcuffs on misbehaving schoolchildren, and lobbied for the passage of a responsible gun ownership law to reduce the number of illegal handguns on the streets.&amp;nbsp; In Pittsburgh they greatly reduced proposed public transit cuts, restored voting rights for ex-felons who had served their time, and elected progressives to city council (including the first openly-gay city council member in the history of the city).&amp;nbsp; In Maine they elected a whole slate of progressives to several city offices, and even wrote a ballot measure to have the state help pay student loans for students who stay in college after they graduate, making college more affordable and reducing "brain drain" of the college-educated workforce from the state.&amp;nbsp; Then they gathered 73,000 signatures to put the measure on the ballot, and lobbied so hard to get it passed that the legislature passed it outright and the governor signed it into law.&amp;nbsp; Amazing.&amp;nbsp; &lt;a title="What We've Accomplished" class="internal-link" href="/accomplishments"&gt;And the stories go on like this...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It's really incredible what young informed passionate people can accomplish.&amp;nbsp; I honestly believe, if we could afford to put the League in every city, it would fundamentally change the country.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;That's what we're working towards.&amp;nbsp; This is a long-term party.&amp;nbsp; And we only just got to the dance floor.&lt;/p&gt;

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        <dc:date>2008-01-09T23:19:49-06:00</dc:date>

        <dc:modified>2008-01-14T20:04:43-06:00</dc:modified>

        <dc:creator>Sam Dorman</dc:creator>

        
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    <rss:item rdf:about="http://theleague.com/blog/archive/2008/01/04/iowa-young-people-just-made-history">

        <rss:title>Iowa: Young People Just Made History</rss:title>

        <rss:link>http://theleague.com/blog/archive/2008/01/04/iowa-young-people-just-made-history</rss:link>       

        <rss:description>The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) just compiled the youth turnout numbers in Iowa from three sources -- CNN.com, Washington Post and The New York Times -- and they are astounding.</rss:description>

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          &lt;em&gt;(cross-posted at &lt;span class="link-external"&gt;&lt;a title="external-link" href="http://www.wiretapmag.org/blogs/wiretap/43364/" target="_blank"&gt;WireTap&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/em&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img class="image-right" src="/images/rizgakristina_wiretap_obamawithyouth.jpg/image_preview" alt="" /&gt;The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) &lt;a href="http://www.civicyouth.org/PopUps/PR_08_Iowa_turnout_Jan4.pdf" target="_blank"&gt;just compiled&lt;/a&gt;
the youth turnout numbers in Iowa from three sources -- CNN.com,
Washington Post and The New York Times -- and they are astounding.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Iowa youth turnout rate has almost quadrupled since 2000.
Participation of youth under 30 rose from 3 percent in 2000 to 13
percent in 2008. The turnout rate for those 30 and above was 15
percent. Among 17- to 29-year-old Democrats, 57 percent supported the
winner, Barack Obama, and among 17- to 29-year-old Republicans, 40
percent supported the winner, Mike Huckabee, according to &lt;a href="http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/primaries/results/state/#IA" target="_blank"&gt;CNN's entrance poll&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Young Iowans and young activists working in Iowa made history today. National commentators have consistently ignored &lt;a href="http://www.civicyouth.org/?page_id=241" target="_blank"&gt;increases in youth voting since 2000&lt;/a&gt;. Like a broken record, the &lt;a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/10/opinion/10friedman.html" target="_blank"&gt;often repeated&lt;/a&gt;
sentiments about youth apathy are both tiresome and woefully
inaccurate. Today's vote will have profound implications on public
perceptions about youth engagement.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;While Iowa is just the
beginning of a long race in which youth turnout will continue to be
interrogated more skeptically than that of other demographics, the
monumental change is that youth participation will be &lt;em&gt;on the national agenda&lt;/em&gt;. The youth vote will no longer be dismissed and ignored -- and that's a historic victory for all youth organizers.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;"Tonight
showed that candidates who court young voters will win elections," said
Heather Smith, executive director of Rock the Vote in a press release.
"This is the first year the leading Democratic candidates all have a
Youth Director and young voter outreach programs," noted Jane Fleming
Kleeb, Executive Director of the Young Voter PAC. "The turnout numbers
of young people prove if you target young people they vote."&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Wiretap
congratulates thousands of youth organizers who worked patiently for
years to achieve this milestone. From youth organizers at &lt;a href="http://www.rockthevote.com/" target="_blank"&gt;Rock the Vote&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="http://www.youngvoterpac.org/" target="_blank"&gt;Young Voter PAC&lt;/a&gt;, the &lt;a href="http://www.theleague.com/" target="_blank"&gt;League of Young Voters&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="http://www.uspirg.org/" target="_blank"&gt;PIRG's&lt;/a&gt; to young bloggers of &lt;a href="http://www.futuremajority.com/" target="_blank"&gt;Future Majority&lt;/a&gt; to youth researchers and pollsters like &lt;a href="http://www.civicyouth.org/" target="_blank"&gt;CIRCLE&lt;/a&gt;
and youth coordinators and volunteers of presidential campaigns,
thousands of youth organizers pulled their limited resources together
and it paid off.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;What a great way to start a new year!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;(And speaking of limited resources, please consider donating to these groups today to sustain their work through the November.)&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Kristina Rizga is an editor and publisher of WiretapMag.org.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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        <dc:date>2008-01-04T16:44:48-06:00</dc:date>

        <dc:modified>2008-01-04T16:55:56-06:00</dc:modified>

        <dc:creator>Kristina Rizga</dc:creator>

        
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