My DNC experience
I just returned Friday evening from a week in Boston for the Democratic National Convention-my first ever. It was truly an amazing experience, but it was very stressful and draining, as there was simply too much to do and too little time!
The speakers I saw included Sen. John Kerry, Gov. Howard Dean, Reverend Al Sharpton, President Clinton, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Rep. Dennis Kucinich, Joe Trippi, Reverend Jesse Jackson, Arianna Huffington, DNC Chairman Terry McAuliffe, Rep. John Lewis, Rep. Ed Markey, Former DNC Chairman/President of Dean For America Steve Grossman, and many others I cannot think of at the moment. I simply do not have the time here to go into what all of them said, but I will say that Bill Clinton, Sharpton, Jackson, Trippi, and Kucinich were the most impressive.
Other than attending various trainings, rallies, and talks, I enjoyed walking around town and making lots of new contacts. There were over 1,000 young people from across the country gathered for the College Democrats of America(CDA) convention. Being a politically active young person often feels lonely, so it was quite inspiring to know there are many other people who are just as passionate as I am.
One of the recurring themes of the CDA convention was how to get more people, especially young people, involved in the political process. There are certainly no easy answers to this question, but I have some theories.
First of all, the current political climate does not get young people very excited about politics. The majority of politicians are simply dull and uninspiring, as they seem more concerned about their images than truly working for change. Washington is so obsessed with focus groups and polls that our lawmakers often do what they think will get them elected rather than what is in the best interest of their constituents. Campaign ads are overwhelmingly negative and offer more distortions and criticisms than facts. As many young people are not actively involved in our democracy, and they do not have a great deal of money, it is easy for politicians to ignore this demographic group.
Campaign finance reform certainly would not hurt voter turnout among young people. If politicians were more accountable to the people rather than corporations, youth would feel more empowered. The sad truth is that politicians often ignore America's youth and fail to address issues that matter to them. Reducing Capitol Hill's dependence on corporate dollars would give the average citizen a greater say in government.
Another obvious reason for apathy is a lack of reliable information. Campaigns flood our mailboxes and airwaves with appeals for our votes, yet they often fail to clearly state candidates' positions and records. It is surprisingly difficult for the average voter, especially the uneducated or cynical one, to obtain a factual, unbiased view of a candidate. Groups such as Project Vote Smart are trying to change this by providing voters with nonpartisan information to aid their decisions. There is certainly a long way to go in this fight, but some progress is being made.
Mandatory civics courses in high school would also go a long way toward combating apathy. Every high school graduate should have a basic knowledge of our nation's political system and should learn what local issues have a direct impact on their life. We must also work to distribute voter registration cards to every high school senior. Better yet, there should be an option to register to vote when you apply for a driver's license or conduct other business with the DMV. Making Election Day a national holiday would inevitably bump turnout up as well. If people do not have to worry about missing work, they will have fewer excuses for forgetting to hit the polls. Such a holiday would also give elections more media attention and facilitate casual political conversations among neighbors.
One of the simplest and most effective ways to improve youth involvement is to simply be active and encourage your friends to do so. If every young person registered 10 of their friends or peers, it would not be long before nearly everyone was registered. Organizations such as Rock The Vote are doing a good job making voting seem "cool" by promoting it using high-profile musicians.
The events in Boston certainly made me even more motivated to take our democracy back. While the conventions always do a good job in rallying the faithful, it is crucial that we get the passive observers involved in politics again. A country where less than 50 percent of the electorate turns out every year is hardly a true democracy. We must work to increase civic involvement so that politics is no longer a spectator sport for the average American. Then, and only then, will we be able to honestly say that we are the greatest democratic nation in the world. Our constitution is a brilliant document that gives us great potential, but we will never fulfil this potential unless we exercise our sacred rights.
The speakers I saw included Sen. John Kerry, Gov. Howard Dean, Reverend Al Sharpton, President Clinton, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Rep. Dennis Kucinich, Joe Trippi, Reverend Jesse Jackson, Arianna Huffington, DNC Chairman Terry McAuliffe, Rep. John Lewis, Rep. Ed Markey, Former DNC Chairman/President of Dean For America Steve Grossman, and many others I cannot think of at the moment. I simply do not have the time here to go into what all of them said, but I will say that Bill Clinton, Sharpton, Jackson, Trippi, and Kucinich were the most impressive.
Other than attending various trainings, rallies, and talks, I enjoyed walking around town and making lots of new contacts. There were over 1,000 young people from across the country gathered for the College Democrats of America(CDA) convention. Being a politically active young person often feels lonely, so it was quite inspiring to know there are many other people who are just as passionate as I am.
One of the recurring themes of the CDA convention was how to get more people, especially young people, involved in the political process. There are certainly no easy answers to this question, but I have some theories.
First of all, the current political climate does not get young people very excited about politics. The majority of politicians are simply dull and uninspiring, as they seem more concerned about their images than truly working for change. Washington is so obsessed with focus groups and polls that our lawmakers often do what they think will get them elected rather than what is in the best interest of their constituents. Campaign ads are overwhelmingly negative and offer more distortions and criticisms than facts. As many young people are not actively involved in our democracy, and they do not have a great deal of money, it is easy for politicians to ignore this demographic group.
Campaign finance reform certainly would not hurt voter turnout among young people. If politicians were more accountable to the people rather than corporations, youth would feel more empowered. The sad truth is that politicians often ignore America's youth and fail to address issues that matter to them. Reducing Capitol Hill's dependence on corporate dollars would give the average citizen a greater say in government.
Another obvious reason for apathy is a lack of reliable information. Campaigns flood our mailboxes and airwaves with appeals for our votes, yet they often fail to clearly state candidates' positions and records. It is surprisingly difficult for the average voter, especially the uneducated or cynical one, to obtain a factual, unbiased view of a candidate. Groups such as Project Vote Smart are trying to change this by providing voters with nonpartisan information to aid their decisions. There is certainly a long way to go in this fight, but some progress is being made.
Mandatory civics courses in high school would also go a long way toward combating apathy. Every high school graduate should have a basic knowledge of our nation's political system and should learn what local issues have a direct impact on their life. We must also work to distribute voter registration cards to every high school senior. Better yet, there should be an option to register to vote when you apply for a driver's license or conduct other business with the DMV. Making Election Day a national holiday would inevitably bump turnout up as well. If people do not have to worry about missing work, they will have fewer excuses for forgetting to hit the polls. Such a holiday would also give elections more media attention and facilitate casual political conversations among neighbors.
One of the simplest and most effective ways to improve youth involvement is to simply be active and encourage your friends to do so. If every young person registered 10 of their friends or peers, it would not be long before nearly everyone was registered. Organizations such as Rock The Vote are doing a good job making voting seem "cool" by promoting it using high-profile musicians.
The events in Boston certainly made me even more motivated to take our democracy back. While the conventions always do a good job in rallying the faithful, it is crucial that we get the passive observers involved in politics again. A country where less than 50 percent of the electorate turns out every year is hardly a true democracy. We must work to increase civic involvement so that politics is no longer a spectator sport for the average American. Then, and only then, will we be able to honestly say that we are the greatest democratic nation in the world. Our constitution is a brilliant document that gives us great potential, but we will never fulfil this potential unless we exercise our sacred rights.
posted by Ben at 12:30 AM
4 Comments:
Ben- Most of your comments are right on, but I disagree about making election day a holiday. It's not hard to vote...either before or after normal work hours...with polls open at least 8 am to 8 pm!
Do you have any idea what an added holiday [read: play day] would cost the US workplace?
Well Spoken, Ben;how refreshing to hear from a thoughtful and passionate young person. Have you had success with registering other young voters?
Of course I have an idea how much an extra holiday would cost businesses, but personally I think a small sacrifice in profit would be well worth restoring our democracy. We have holidays such as Labor Day, President's Day, and Columbus Day that few people take seriously. Why not add a holiday to honor one of our most cherished rights?
While the voting hours of 8 to 8 may seem sufficient for you, not every working person can fit something else into their schedule. When you already work 8, 9 hours, or more, and you have kids, food, health care, etc. to worry about, voting is an act that seems rather secondary.
In response to the second post, YES! I am one of the leaders of the College Democrats at Bowdoin College in Maine, and we have registered over 100 new voters to date. A great event we put on was when we were working for Howard Dean-we put on a concert called Deanapalooza where we did lots of registration work.
People claim today's young people are apathetic, but I think the situation is getting better day by day. I have personally registered lots of people and can attest to the fact that lots of new young people are getting involved in politics and are getting very energized.
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