Jerry Maynard is asking for a few YD Volunteers!

The folks over at the Jerry Maynard for Metro Council campaign are asking for a few more volunteers from the Young Democrats. If you have some time and want to help out, please contact Brandee Davis, the Volunteer Coordinator of the campaign, to find out how you can get involved. Some of the opportunities include:

Phonebanking

Visibility Morning Events

Visibility Evening Events

Canvassing

Poll Workers

So be sure to head over the http://www.maynardforcouncil.com/ to find out more about Jerry and how you can get involved in his campaign.




(All candidates for Mayor, Vice-Mayor, and Metro Council are encouraged to submit their requests for volunteers to the Davidson County Young Democrats at president@dcyd.org. Request postings are placed online at the time they are presented or at a requested time designated by the campaign. The order they are placed on the blog is first come, first serve.)

PBS Presidential Forum Tonight

CNN and MSNBC did fine jobs promoting their presidential debates, but a presidential forum you may not have heard about is happening tonight on PBS. The "All-American Presidential Forum" moderated by Tavis Smiley will air tonight, live, on Nashville Public Television at 8 p.m. and feature all the Democratic contenders (Republicans meet September 27th).

What we're hearing is that this forum will require every candidate to answer the same questions, something similar to the mayoral forums you see going on around Nashville. For some that could be quite boring, but for others wanting to hear more from Governor Bill Richardson (Jackson Day's guest speaker), Senator Joe Biden, or the other "second tier" candidates, this forum should allow for more equal time.

To learn more about this forum, visit PBS.org.

Enthusiasm Is On Our Side

CBS News today released a poll which shows some remarkable figures.


35% of voters 18-29 are enthusiastic about a Democratic candidate, compared to just 8 percent enthusiastic about a Republican. Even among Republicans, Barack Obama scores higher at 8%, than does Washington Lobbyist Fred Thompson or Sen. John McCain.

I think that the challenge for the '08 election will not so much be about getting young people to vote in November, but getting them to vote in February for the primary. If people vote in a primary, they are almost guaranteed to vote in the general election. If they don't vote in the primary, they are more likely to feel that the nominee of the party was "thrust" upon them, and aren't going to get enthusiastic come the general election.

A tremendous opportunity is staring young voters in the face this election cycle. While the Republican side is filled with candidates who want to take President Bush's foreign policy even further to the right, in a way that would make Attila the Hun blush; the Democrats are offering genuine change over the 8 years of the Bush administration.

What I would like to see, is an enormous push by young voters to have an influence over who the nominee of our party is. A general election style turnout among voters would mean that we would have a much larger influence over who the next President is going to be; than would any large-scale turnout in the General.

So come Primary day (or primary weeks in the case of Tennessee); call, text, email, harass, beg, or simply club your friends over the head and drag them to the voting booth. Because this election is too important to be left up to the old guard (no offense) of the Democratic party. The new blood, the young voters, are the ones who are going to be most effected by the decisions of our next President, and we have only ourselves to blame if the right nominee is not chosen.

Update: Even More Good News! Read the New York Times Article on the same poll:

"Young Americans are more likely than the general public to favor a government-run universal health care insurance system, an open-door policy on immigration and the legalization of gay marriage, according to a New York Times/CBS News/MTV poll."

Number 2 More Important Than Number 1

If you've been following the "Dick: The Fourth Branch of Government" saga unfolding in Washington, D.C., then already know about Vice-President Cheney's claim of being seperate from the Executive Branch of our federal government. This is making every political science and constitutional law professor in the country uneasy and excited all at the same time, what with giving them something original and brand new to deal with in the classroom while at the same time nearly shreading what last bits of the Constitution we have remaining.

But on Hardball yesterday during a debate about whether or not Cheney is running a shadow government, Melanie Sloaner from Citizens for Responsibility & Ethics in Washington made an interesting statement involving Google Earth.

"We saw this example on Google Earth. He had his house, the Vice-President's Mansion, taken off Google Earth even though the White House and the Captiol are on there." - Melanie Sloaner

Really? Cheney got Google to block out the satelite to his house? Well that's at least one fact that can be checked out. Here are the results:

The White House

Number One Observatory Circle (Vice-President)

The Pentagon

Sure enough, Google Earth does not allow for detailed images of the Vice-President's residence. But the White House, the Capitol, even the Pentagon are all in crisp detail. So while we political junkies get out our copies of the US Constitution and reread the section on vice-presidents, evidence of Cheney's shadowy powers can already be seen thanks to the help of Google.

Did You Watch the Mayoral Debate?

What were some of your thoughts about these last two Nashville mayoral debates? Share your thoughts with other Young Dems in our "Comments" section. If you missed these last two televised debates, you can check them out online at WSMV.com and WNPT.com.

Watch the DCYD Blog for more information about the Young Voters Mayoral Debate coming in August between the two runoff candidates of the August 2nd general election. And remember that you have until Tuesday, July 3rd, to register to vote. Your vote DOES make a difference, so be sure to sign up!

Just Do It

Just wanted to encourage everyone who is even slightly available to volunteer or participate in the DCYD/DCYR Softball Game on July 14th and the Annual Gore Family Dinner on July 28th to do so! They are some of the best annual events in which the DCYDs participate and I, sadly enough, will be in Europe for both :(

Please sign up and hit a home run/say hi to Al with Matia for the softball game (mpowell@vision3.com) and Seanna for the Gore Dinner (executivedir@davidsondemocrats.com).

I promise, you will not be disappointed!

-Rachel

Why Do You Vote For A Candidate?

2007-2008 DCYD Executive Board

A big thank you to everyone who came out, both in membership and from the campaigns, for last night's elections. The DCYDs also want to thank Z's Deli for providing great food and an awesome space to meet.

Here is the 2007-2008 DCYD Executive Board:

President Addison Pate
Vice-President Matia Powell
Secretary Danielle Norton
Treasurer Priscilla Norman
At-Large Member Anthony Davis
At-Large Member Claudia Weaver
Immediate Past President Seannalyn Brandmeir

(L to R) Danielle Norton, Matia Powell, Addison Pate, Claudia Weaver, Seannalyn Brandmeir, Priscilla Norman, and Anthony Davis

Membership Meeting & Executive Board Elections TONIGHT!

In case you haven't already heard, the Davidson County Young Democrats will be holding their membership meeting tonight, June 19th, at Z's Deli in East Nashville. We will be electing all positions for the 2007-2008 Executive Board, as well as voting on changes to our By-Laws and Constitution. Food will be provided by the wonderful people at Z's Deli, while drinks are compliments of the DCYD. The meeting starts at 6PM, and elections start at 7PM, so you'll have time to meet and greet, as well as pay your dues if necessary.

Not a member? Become one! Membership is just $25 a year for regular members and only $15 a year for students. With that membership you'll get exclusive invites to some of the most exciting political events in the city. You'll also be helping to strengthen the Young Democratic movement in Nashville, which helps to get great young leaders (and young at heart) elected to local office.

Candidates in the current Metro Elections are invited to attend. Some of the best Democratic volunteers for your campaigns are Young Democrats!

For more information please contact us at president@dcyd.org or call us at (615) 554-4349.

Maurice "Moe" Walker Needs Some Young Dem Volunteers

Maurice "Moe" Walker for Council At-Large, is requesting ambitious volunteers to assist our campaign for Community Awareness by electing Maurice "Moe" Walker for Metro Council At-Large.

We currently have these available opportunities to make the most of your campaign talent. Phone banking, event visibility, meet and greet, and signage.

Please contact Danielle Ross at 615-977-8068 for further details on how you can make a difference!

(All candidates for Mayor, Vice-Mayor, and Metro Council are encouraged to submit their requests for volunteers to the Davidson County Young Democrats at president@dcyd.org. Request postings are placed online at the time they are presented or at a requested time designated by the campaign. The order they are placed on the blog is first come, first serve.)

Wide Open Spaces

The first non-campaign affiliated mayoral poll came out yesterday thanks to Channel 4 News. Here are the numbers:

Mayoral Poll* (Margin of Error = +/- 5 percent)

Bob Clement - 13 percent
Howard Gentry - 11 percent
Buck Dozier - 11 percent
David Briley - 8 percent
Karl Dean - 6 percent
Cheryl Lynn Tisdale - 0 percent
Kenneth Eaton - 0 percent
Don’t Know Yet - 52 percent

*The data regarding the mayoral poll is based on a sample of 403 respondents living in the Nashville, Davidson County area.

52 percent don't know yet who they will be voting for in August! Now Sean Braisted breaks down some of the breakdowns from this poll over at Nashville21.com, but the big news here is that the race is wide open. All of the major five players in this race have a shot at the prize, meaning they will need EVERY young vote possible to put them over the top.

Now is the time to get involved! Now is the time to let them hear your voice! We can help influence the future of Nashville. Stop, Look, Listen, and VOTE!

UPDATE:

"Of those who supported a specific candidate, 50 percent stated there was a chance that they might change their minds over the next couple of months."