links for 2008-03-31

• The Associated Press: Edwards Praises Both Clinton, Obama
• LimaOhio.com – Young Dems begin a new chapter in Putnam County
• Edwards address Young Democrats | newsobserver.com projects
• Edwards: Either Democratic Candidate Would Be Fine By Me – America’s Election HQ
• CityMama – I’m at the California Democratic Convention this weekend
• Edwards, Chelsea Clinton Talk to Young Democrats :: WRAL.com
• digtriad.com | Chelsea Clinton Speaks At The Young Democrats Convention
• Va. young Democrats split as well – politics – inRich.com
• Young Democrats a primary interest: Clinton, Obama stand-ins keep the fight going; Edwards still on the fence
• News 14 | 24 Hour Local News | HEADLINES | Young Democrats draw big names
• Albany Times Union, N.Y. Kristi Gustafson column: Obama stirs young voices and voters
• Young people turning out in primaries and caucuses – San Jose Mercury News
• Kumar Goes to IU
• Growth of the Party: For Many California Young Democrats This Will Be First Convention – California Progress Report
• Catherine Rampell – Why Obama Rocks the Vote – washingtonpost.com
• Morning News » 2008 Blue Pixel States ||
• Terre Haute News, Terre Haute, Indiana- TribStar.com – Vigo sees significant increase in number of registered voters
• Political Punch – Death of a Gay Soldier
• West Virginia Blue:: West Virginia Young Democrats convention reminder and schedule
• Change Congress @ Harvard (Lessig Blog)
• The Emerging Progressive Leadership Pipeline | Future Majority
• McCain’s Internet Buy | Future Majority
• Chelsea Clinton to kick off W.Va. Young Democrats convention – Huntington, WV — The Herald-Dispatch
• newsobserver.com | Visiting mayor touts power of N.C.
• Young Democrats convene – State & National
• Winston-Salem Journal | Chelsea Clinton returns to NC to campaign for mother in RTP

Barack Obama’s Open Letter to the LGBT Community

An Open Letter to the LGBT Community:

I’m running for President to build an America that lives up to our founding promise of equality for all – a promise that extends to our gay brothers and sisters. It’s wrong to have millions of Americans living as second-class citizens in this nation. And I ask for your support in this election so that together we can bring about real change for all LGBT Americans.

Equality is a moral imperative. That’s why throughout my career, I have fought to eliminate discrimination against LGBT Americans. In Illinois, I co-sponsored a fully inclusive bill that prohibited discrimination on the basis of both sexual orientation and gender identity, extending protection to the workplace, housing, and places of public accommodation. In the U.S. Senate, I have co-sponsored bills that would equalize tax treatment for same-sex couples and provide benefits to domestic partners of federal employees. And as president, I will place the weight of my administration behind the enactment of the Matthew Shepard Act to outlaw hate crimes and a fully inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act to outlaw workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

As your President, I will use the bully pulpit to urge states to treat same-sex couples with full equality in their family and adoption laws. I personally believe that civil unions represent the best way to secure that equal treatment. But I also believe that the federal government should not stand in the way of states that want to decide on their own how best to pursue equality for gay and lesbian couples — whether that means a domestic partnership, a civil union, or a civil marriage. Unlike Senator Clinton, I support the complete repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) – a position I have held since before arriving in the U.S. Senate. While some say we should repeal only part of the law, I believe we should get rid of that statute altogether. Federal law should not discriminate in any way against gay and lesbian couples, which is precisely what DOMA does. I have also called for us to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and I have worked to improve the Uniting American Families Act so we can afford same-sex couples the same rights and obligations as married couples in our immigration system.

The next president must also address the HIV/AIDS epidemic. When it comes to prevention, we do not have to choose between values and science. While abstinence education should be part of any strategy, we also need to use common sense. We should have age-appropriate sex education that includes information about contraception. We should pass the JUSTICE Act to combat infection within our prison population. And we should lift the federal ban on needle exchange, which could dramatically reduce rates of infection among drug users. In addition, local governments can protect public health by distributing contraceptives. We also need a president who’s willing to confront the stigma – too often tied to homophobia– that continues to surround HIV/AIDS. I confronted this stigma directly in a speech to evangelicals at Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church, and will continue to speak out as president.

That is where I stand on the major issues of the day. But having the right positions on the issues is only half the battle. The other half is to win broad support for those positions. And winning broad support will require stepping outside our comfort zone. If we want to repeal DOMA, repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and implement fully inclusive laws outlawing hate crimes and discrimination in the workplace, we need to bring the message of LGBT equality to skeptical audiences as well as friendly ones – and that’s what I’ve done throughout my career. I brought this message of inclusiveness to all of America in my keynote address at the 2004 Democratic convention. I talked about the need to fight homophobia when I announced my candidacy for President, and I have been talking about LGBT equality to a number of groups during this campaign – from local LGBT activists to rural farmers to parishioners at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where Dr. Martin Luther King once preached.

Just as important, I have been listening to what all Americans have to say. I will never compromise on my commitment to equal rights for all LGBT Americans. But neither will I close my ears to the voices of those who still need to be convinced. That is the work we must do to move forward together. It is difficult. It is challenging. And it is necessary.

Americans are yearning for leadership that can empower us to reach for what we know is possible. I believe that we can achieve the goal of full equality for the millions of LGBT people in this country. To do that, we need leadership that can appeal to the best parts of the human spirit. Join with me, and I will provide that leadership. Together, we will achieve real equality for all Americans, gay and straight alike.

Barack Obama

Jobs for Young Democrats Lists

Rob Dolin has updated the Young Democrats job lists compilation complete with RSS updates and descriptions of the lists. Visit http://www.wuxx.com/yda/resources/jobs.aspx to check them out.

links for 2008-03-30

• Barack Obama : : Change We Can Believe In | State Updates: IU Students for Barack Obama help organize Bloomington
• Barack Obama : : Change We Can Believe In | Marc Peters’s Blog: Talk to your parents
• Live from the VAYD Convention | Virginia Young Democrats
• YDA | James Carville: Hilarious
• YDA | Turning 80: The North Carolina Young Democrats
• YDA | News for the CYD Convention in San Jose
• YDA | OPEN THREAD: Young Democrats Conventions This Week
• Barack Obama : : Change We Can Believe In | Amanda Scott’s Blog: Actress Kate Walsh visits Bryn Mawr College
• Resolutions Passed by the 2008 Virginia Young Democrats Convention | Virginia Young Democrats
• Barack Obama : : Change We Can Believe In | Marc Peters’s Blog: Pennsylvania Campuses Mobilize
• Barack Obama : : Change We Can Believe In | Kate Albright-Hanna’s Blog: Video: Bronx students say “Yes we can”
• techPresident – Is It Hip? Of Presidential Candidates and Rock’n’Roll

SFBO: Obama Fellowships

Dear Students for Barack Obama Members,

In the coming week, the Obama for America Campaign is launching a program called Obama Organizing Fellows.

This summer we are looking for students or recent graduates who want to be a part of a new generation of leadership that believes, like Senator Obama, that real change comes from the ground up.Fellows will be trained on the basics of organizing & campaign fundamentals and then placed in a community to carryout grassroots activities. Program participation will start on June 5 through the end of the summer. Fellows will be asked to commit to a minimum of 30 hours per week.

We are going to be releasing the formal application in a matter of days, but I wanted to let you know about it early so that you can start spreading word to your friends

In the meantime, you can sign up and encourage others to sign up at my.barackobama.com/obamafellows to make sure you are among first to receive applications.

Thanks again for all you are doing to elect Barack Obama.

Tobin Van Ostern
National Deputy Director
Students for Barack Obama

YDA’s Spring Conference in Music City, U.S.A.

YDA Spring National Conference in Nashville, TN
SAVE THE DATE: Friday, May 31st – Sunday, June 2nd

YDA is excited to officially announce that our Spring National Conference, held in partnership with the Tennessee Young Democrats, will be in Nashville, TN at the Hilton Downtown Nashville. Join us as we kickoff YDA’s first-ever truly National Youth Coordinated Campaign to turnout young voters, take back the White House, and swing elections up and down the ballot.

At the Sping Conference you will plot strategy, take home vital campaign resources, and learn how all your hard work is the key to achieving our national goals. Come see how you, your state chapter, local chapter, and caucus can join this historic coordinated effort to officially make this the year of the young voter.

Also, we like to have a good time in YDA, and after all, we are in Music City, U.S.A! Once all that hard work planning and preparing is done, reward yourself with some good ol’ fashioned fun in Nashville’s world famous bar and club district, Music Row, with enough live music to suite the even most eclectic tastes.

Schedule and Conference Registration

Registration information and a detailed schedule will be sent out the first week of April, but trainings and meetings will begin at 3pm on Friday and General Session will conclude by 2pm on Sunday.

Hotel Information

The conference hotel is the Hilton Downtown Nashville, located next door to the County Music Hall of Fame and just steps from Nashville’s famous entertainment district, where many of today’s country music stars got their starts.

Hotel Online:
http://www.nashvillehilton.com/

Address:
121 Fourth Avenue, South
Nashville, TN 37201

Reservations:
Phone Reservations Only: (615) 620-1000

Young Democrats of America Room Block:
Rate of $129/night. The Hilton Downtown Nashville is an all-suite hotel. Single rooms will have a King bedroom and an adjoining room with a pullout couch, double rooms will have the same setup only with Queen beds.

Enjoy your weekend and I will see you in Music City!

Democratically yours,

David Hardt, YDA President

Even Worse Photo Placement

Sodomy: So That’s Why Cheney Won’t Return To America …

Thanks to my boy Tim for the heads up on this.

Emily’s List Campaign Corps

CAMPAIGN CORPS, A Project of EMILY’s List

APPLY TODAY! DEADLINE APPROACHING: April 14th, 2008
Apply online at www.campaigncorps.org.

Campaign Corps, a project of EMILY’s List, is a national grassroots program dedicated to politically empowering young people. Each year we train talented recent college graduates (both from undergraduate and graduate) and place them on targeted, progressive Democratic campaigns. Formerly known as Participation 2000, Campaign Corps has been bringing young people into the political process since 1988. We’ve placed hundreds of staffers on some of the most important political campaigns in the country—providing young people with the first step in a career dedicated to progressive politics.

We are recruiting for the Campaign Corps Class of 2008. Applications are available online at http://www.campaigncorps.org and are due April 14th, 2008. Once selected, a diverse group of staffers will come to Washington for a week-long Campaign School, where they will learn the basics of political campaigning – voter targeting, field organizing, fundraising, and press strategy – from the country’s leading Democratic operatives. Staffers are paid to work side by side with candidates and other political professionals for the last three months of the campaign. After Election Day, Campaign Corps brings staffers back to DC for a post-election retreat and debriefing. Campaign Corps will help you launch your career in progressive politics!

All staffers receive a stipend of $1000 a month, free housing during the campaign, health care, and all travel expenses paid. (Previous campaign experience not a requirement)

Check out www.campaigncorps.org for the application and more information

Questions: Contact Kellie Dupree at kdupree@emilyslist.org.

Problems with Link Posts

For some reason my del.icio.us account hasn’t been updating this blog with the links I tag, so there hasn’t been any link posts. I’m working on fixing the problem and hopefully will get them posting again as soon as possible.

DNC Youth Council Delegate Selection Trainings

One of the goals of the DNC’s Youth Council is to increase the number of young delegates (those under 36) to the Democratic National Convention. Last week, we held our first conference call training on the process to be a delegate from New Mexico. The training was extremely successful and we are eager to get underway with our next round of calls.

Below one will find a listing of some of our upcoming calls. Please spread the word to as many people as possible about these. On each call we will be joined by a member of that respective state’s party to go over the process to be a Congressional District, PLEO, or At-Large delegate to the Democratic National Convention. In addition to the specific training, we will be sure to provide information on how to get more involved with the State Party and other youth organizations. (If you or your organization have specific information you would like to have mentioned, please email me and let me know as soon as possible.)

The upcoming calls are:

Georgia – March 31st at 5pm EST

Phone: 866-810-8093
Code: 678-893-3989

Utah – April 1st at 6pm EST

Phone: 866-810-8093
Code: 822-976-6817

Wisconsin – April 2nd at 7pm EST

Phone: 866-810-8093
Code: 822-976-6817