What I Did for My Summer Vacation: Democracy in Action

Some kids went to the beach this summer, waited up all night for the release of Harry Potter or sat on the couch channel surfing. I worked. Lucky me, and I mean that with all sincerity.

While other college students read political philosophy books, I got to see democracy in action. For six weeks, I interned at Congressman Mike Doyle’s office in downtown Pittsburgh. Many of my friends who had already interned at other offices said it was boring and tedious work like envelope stuffing. This wasn’t so at for me. Some of my work was answering phones and directing constituents, but I also was directly involved in over 100 passport cases.

As you may well know, this summer was a disaster for the State Department and passports. But I got some unique insight into what a Congressman really does. Members of Congress actually do help their constituents! Lots of apathetic teens and young adults may find this as a greater shock than the latest Britney Spears scandal, but it’s true. Congressmen have staff that does all sorts of things like help you expedite your passport, help find government housing if you qualify, or even understand how to apply for student loans. However, the most important thing I noticed in Congressman Doyle’s office was that constituents could leave their opinion and be heard, not just call if they had a problem with a Federal agency.

Let me go into some of the details on Congressional passport processes. Most of what happens is pretty simple. A constituent calls in to track a passport they applied for over 16 weeks ago. I take down some information and contact details. After the phone call I contact the National Passport Agency to locate their passport. If it isn’t done, I can request an “expedite” or even a Congressional Upgrade or a same-day-issue if the travel date is within 48 hours. Afterwards, I contact the constituent on how the case is being handled and possible outcomes. Most congressional work is like that. There are processes and appeals that the congressman’s office staff goes through to ensure that it is either the right outcome or, if something’s wrong, correct and appeal any errors and decisions from Federal agencies.

Another very important role of the congressman is to listen to constituent opinion on legislation. I received many calls and messages about immigration and Medicare reform. However, I was a little disappointed in the lack of youth participation on important national issues. Again, I think young adults are seriously disenfranchised with government for many reasons and become apathetic because they feel insignificant. That couldn’t be more inaccurate. It is our silence that makes us insignificant.

An old saying is “the squeaky wheel gets the oil” and it holds true for government. You need to be involved, yes you’re young and maybe not as experienced, but it’s all good. You still have energy (after a trip to Starbuck’s) and you can make a difference if you put forth the effort. After working in Congressman Doyle’s office, I knew that being involved in my government was a right, a duty, and a joy. Congressman Doyle and his awesome staff showed me what a Congressman did and that my voice did matter.

In his office, every constituent counted, no matter who he/she was. Action wasn’t reserved only for the powerful; help was given where it could to all who asked. Working in Congressman Doyle’s office affirmed my faith in government and assured me that there is a place for young Americans to be involved.

-Rita Turpin

(Rita is a member of the PAYD Communications Committee and attends American University in Washington, DC. Congressman Mike Doyle, pictured, represents Pennsylvania's 14th Congressional District and is a tremendous supporter of PAYD.)

Another Perspective on Dallas

If anyone wasn't in Dallas (and why weren't you?) for the 2007 YDA National Convention, I believe Paul McKrell's recap of it should give you a pretty good idea of what went on. But I think it only covers part of why these conventions are so important. Paul nodded in the direction of the social networking aspect, and I feel that's a very important aspect of what went on in Dallas. I was one of the people who didn't serve on a single committee, didn't run for any office, wasn't involved in any caucuses or elections and I even missed quite a few speakers (though, thankfully, not the amazing John Edwards). But I still feel that Dallas was not just an enjoyable time but an extremely productive one and very beneficial for me to attend. Why?

Quite simply, if you put this many bright, dedicated Democrats in one place you're bound to have some amazing discussions and meet some fascinating people. Within hours of showing up in Dallas I found myself talking to the Secretary of the Democratic National Committee. The ability to have private, informal conversations with someone like that or with Chuck Rocha of the USW is not just a privilege, but its a learning experience. On my last night in Dallas, our National Committeeman Tim Brennan and I sat and had drinks with a former Executive Director & Treasurer of the Texas YDs. This is truly my favorite part of these conventions: the access to people who have gone through so many years of advancing the Democratic cause and are willing to share their accumulated wisdom with the next generation of leaders.

But that isn't the only important benefit. The peer-to-peer contact is outstanding. For starters, there's a morale boost from talking to so many people who are fighting the same fight, frequently under worse conditions. Where I'm from, in Chester County, it's tough to be a Democrat. We win, but we have to fight like Ulysses to do it. But when you talk to our proud, fighting Democrats in a place like Alabama, where their uphill climb is something on par with K2, it really makes you appreciate how important our work is here and how lucky we are to be in the Great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Another great aspect of peer-to-peer contact is the intermixing of ideas. I came back bursting with ideas, both in how to make the YDs stronger and how to better run campaigns. There's a lot more to swapping war stories than just fun. Not only are you learning new tricks but you're teaching them to others.

This doesn't just apply to our contact with people from other states. The sheer amount of camaraderie that is built amongst a delegation is truly impressive. Our Commonwealth is blessed with a plethora of bright and dedicated people, and most of them I had only met in passing at state committee meetings. I had the privilege of traveling with Dan Lodise of Philadelphia and Danny Bauder of Luzerne County. Being able to spend time with people like this and discuss the challenges facing our commonwealth, our party, our organization... there's just no price that can be put on that. In fact, I'd wager that I learned more about politics from going to this convention than I did from being a Political Science major (and I can definitely put a price on that!). And the working relationships that grow out of it are an important part of making our very, very, very large commonwealth a much smaller place.

Overall, I think that these conventions are a terrific way of growing the future of the Democratic Party, and I think that everyone should try their utmost to be at the next one.

- Dan Tyman,
PAYD Corresponding Secretary

PAYD in Dallas!

The Pennsylvania Young Democrats sent a 28 member delegation to the 2007 Young Democrats of America Convention in Dallas, Texas. PAYD’s Executive Board, including State Representatives Tony Payton Jr and Chelsa Wagner, were joined by a diverse group of young Pennsylvanians from all walks of life and every corner of the commonwealth.

The four day convention that began on July 18^th included invaluable seminars by political professionals from organizations like Emily’s List, the NAACP, Young Voter Strategies and the DNC. Topics included not only traditional workshops like fundraising, media and field, but issue discussions from experts on the Iraq War, climate change and college affordability. The Pennsylvania delegation especially enjoyed presentations by YDA Political Director Tony Cani and YDA Finance Director Andrea Pagano. In addition, YDA’s five state executive directors, including Pennsylvania’s, presented seminars on emerging aspects of youth organizing, such as using social networking websites as political tools and peer-to-peer organizing.

A highlight of the Dallas experience was the speeches of Democratic stalwarts like radio host Jim Hightower, Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope and General Wesley Clark. A particularly powerful moment came when former Senator John Edwards took to the stage to detail his advocacy for America’s poorest citizens. His clarion call that "It's time for the president to ask America to be patriotic about something other than war," brought the Pennsylvania delegation to their feet in approval.

The Keystone State was doubly proud to witness two of their favorite sons take the main stage before the audience of 750 delegates and guests. Jon Soltz of VoteVets.org gave an impassioned history of his involvement in ending Bush’s unjust war and bringing our troops back to America’s shores. Soltz, a Pittsburgh native, is a nationally recognized authority who has appeared on numerous cable news programs giving voice to the veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. Chuck Rocha of the United Steelworkers (USW) told the assembly about his unique experience being the youngest Political Director of a major labor union in the country while detailing the miserable record of the Bush White House on issues that affect working Americans. Thanks to Rocha’s strong support of PAYD and its mission to build a reliable voting bloc of young voters in Pennsylvania, PAYD and the USW have begun a partnership to work for common goals in 2008 and beyond.

True, when many think of young people and conventions, they think of networking, social events and partying. Not to disappoint, a few very memorable evenings were enjoyed by Pennsylvania’s delegation, including a reception hosted by the five state executive directors. Nevertheless, this convention was about work – and our delegation rose to their duties each morning.

Special thanks goes to Tara Reynolds, our National Committeewoman, who represented PAYD during the 14 hours that the YDA Platform Committee met to discuss issues of national import affecting young America. Josh Pasek, our former National Committeeman, sat on the Rules and Bylaws Committee, while Tim Brennan, our current National Committeeman, joined the Credentials Committee. In addition to these YDA standing committees, all of our delegates attended the meetings of the various caucuses that carry out much of the work that Young Democrats do.

Josh Pasek at Rules and Bylaws Committee Meeting

PAYD members participated in the GLBT, Women’s and Rural caucuses, but other caucuses saw Pennsylvanians assume leadership roles. Winning elections were Stephanie Strasizar and Rocco Giammaria in the Labor Caucus, Nyota Robinson in the Disability Issues Caucus and Alexandra Wood in the College Caucus. Josh Pasek regained his position as chair of the Jewish Caucus while Alicia Froio, the youngest member of our delegation, won her election to become the new chair of the High School Caucus. PAYD believes that a targeted effort to organize among high school students is a critical goal in 2008. We can’t wait to begin working with Alicia and all of the other caucus officers over the next two years.

Those elections were the prelude to the main event: the election of new officers to replace the administration of Chris Gallaway, who held the presidency for four years. Under Gallaway’s leadership, YDA increased its staff from 1 part-time employee to 10 full-time professionals while membership increased to 150,000. The most impressive statistic is the growth of YDA’s annual budget from $70,000 to well over $1,000,000 this year! Pennsylvania received its fair share from that budget in matching money paying for our two very successful peer-to-peer voter contact campaigns in 2004 and 2006. PAYD extends its thanks to Gallaway and our best wishes for the future.

In his stead, the Young Democrats of America elected a bold new leader from the conventions host state, David Hardt of Texas. Receiving over 90% of the delegates’ votes, Hardt, YDA’s first openly gay president, spoke from his heart during his acceptance speech by promising to reinvigorate YDA from top to bottom. Hardt’s new executive committee includes some of PAYD’s best friends, such as Vice Presidents Chris Anderson of Tennessee, A’shanti Gholar of Nevada and Josh Blevins, former president of Pennsylvania’s sister organization in the great state of Arkansas. PAYD is thrilled to see Amy Lewis of Virginia elected to the office of Treasurer and Stephanie Hausner assuming the role of Secretary. In our hopes that young people are fully represented at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, PAYD can think of no stronger advocate than our friend Crystal Strait of California, newly elected YDA National Committeewoman. Together, these officers make an impressive team that we expect will make an indelible mark on YDA for years to come.

PAYD Members with YDA President Hardt

In the opinion of this humble scribe, the 2007 YDA National Convention was a tremendous success. We would like to thank President Payton, who acted as our chief ambassador throughout the convention, and Abe Haupt, who enthusiastically served as our Delegation Chair. We would be remiss not to thank Alexandra Acker, YDA’s phenomenal new Executive Director, YDA’s Convention Director Amber Goodwin, and YDA Intern Tiana Epps-Johnson for making our Dallas experience so memorable.

PAYD’s large, vocal and active delegation made our presence felt in Dallas. As we chart a new course through 2008, we will look back at the time we shared at convention as the beginning of a new chapter in our continual growth.

-Paul McKrell
PAYD E. D.

The Importance of Local Races

For those of us involved in the YDs, we've all heard it: 2007 is an off year. Okay, maybe not those of you in Philadelphia. But for the rest of us, it's generally considered an off year. We don't have Congressional elections, and we certainly don't have a Presidential election (although with the way things are going, the Iowa Caucuses may be sometime in mid-September). But this is far from an off year.

Local elections matter. It is extremely difficult to overstate this point. The conservatives took over this country by starting on local elections, school boards and township supervisors. These are the people who are going to make decisions that most closely impact peoples lives. These are the people who are going to someday be Representatives, Senators and Governors. These are races we can win too. And they're particularly important for us Young Democrats. Why?

For starters, let's talk about why these offices can be so important. Here in Chester County, we have a three member Board of Commissioners: two majority and one minority. There has never been two Democrats on this Board. We have a chance to change that this year (full disclosure: I am currently employed by one of the Democratic Commissioner campaigns). This is vital to us here. By changing this, by taking over our county government, we will be putting an exclamation point on the Democratic resurgence (and Republican collapse) in this county that only began a few years ago. But also, it would give us a chance to govern. It would let us protect open space and manage development in a smart manner. We could revitalize urban areas (always a source of Democratic strength). We can end their despicable practice of pay to play. And most importantly, we can govern responsibly. Some of you followed our recount here in the 156^th State House District, where Barbara McIlvaine Smith prevailed and gave us control of the State House. It was the Board of Commissioners who decided what ballots to count and which to throw away. And as you can imagine, the Republicans tried to disenfranchise as many voters as possible, including military voters, just to try and win. Even our brave men and women fighting for this country weren't worthy of being allowed to vote in Republican eyes, simply for supporting a Democrat. We can govern responsibly, and we need to make sure we win so we can do it. That's why these offices are so important.

But they're also very important for the YDs. In many cases, especially in places where our party is still growing, there are openings for Young Democrats to run for Supervisor or School Board or county offices. We need to elect as many Young Democrats as possible and, frankly, none of us are going to be running for President or Senate soon. Most of us aren't even Constitutionally eligible. But we can run – and win – at the local level. In 2005, Josh Young, one of our Chester County YDs, was elected Commissioner of Caln Township. This year, another of your CCYDs, Kevin Fitzpatrick, is running for Recorder of Deeds. Not only are they getting campaigning experience (and in the case of Josh, governing experience) but they'll be ready to run for higher office someday soon.

These are also the races that YDs can make the biggest impact in. In 2006, we decided to focus on Representative McIlvaine Smith's race over any other race, in part because we knew we could make a difference. We did, she won by 23 votes. Now, most State House races aren't going to be that close. But a lot of local races will be. It only takes a few Young Dems to make some phone calls, go door-to-door, do a lit drop or work the polls for us to win these races.

Unfortunately, I don't think there is any possible way to end this post without sounding like a dorky public service announcement. But I'm willing to take that bullet. Remember, 2007 shouldn't be an off year for us, it should be our chance to make a difference.

-Dan Tyman
PAYD Corresponding Secretary