We’re ready for some new leadership in the White House and need your help to get there! Join us for a night of House Parties on March 27th at 8:00pm ET as we learn about the role of LGBT Democrats in the process.

Keynote Speakers joining for the call include:
- Rep. Tammy Baldwin
- Corporations Commissioner Jim Roth
- National Stonewall Democrats Executive Director Jon Hoadley
- More guests to come!

To find a house party near you, please visit:

http://www.party2win.com/stonewall/

What: Senators Clinton and Obama talking to Young Veterans about the War in Iraq

When: 6:00pm (ET/PT) Tonight, March 20

Where: MTV’s Choose or Loose

Prospective Commanders-in-Chief Engage with Soldiers Fighting War on Terror March 20th at 6 pm (ET/PT)

New York, NY, March 17, 2008 — As part of its ongoing Choose or Lose effort to once again mobilize more than 20 million 18-30 year-olds to vote, MTV, in conjunction with The Associated Press, today announced a hour-long special event that will bring together Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton (http://think.mtv.com/profile/HillaryClinton08) and Barack Obama (http://think.mtv.com/profile/BarackObama), as well as eight young veterans just back from at least one tour of duty in Iraq, for an intimate discussion on the 5th anniversary of the Iraq war. Taped in Pennsylvania, home of the next critical Democratic primary contest, each candidate will hear directly from those who have served on the frontlines of the war, as the soldiers engage the Senators, sequentially, in a dialogue on how they will lead America’s armed forces and a variety of other national security issues.

Millions of young adults have cast their ballots in the early contests of the 2008 Presidential election, doubling, tripling, and even quadrupling their turnout in nearly every primary or caucus thus far. The war in Iraq, and the overall war on terror, continue to dominate the concerns of young adult voters and have helped drive this unprecedented youth turnout. Recent MTV research shows that nearly six in ten (58%) 18-24 year-olds personally know someone who has served in Iraq, and this special aims to ensure America’s youth get real answers from those vying to be the next Commander-in-Chief.

The eight veterans featured in “Choose or Lose Presents Clinton & Obama Answer Young Veterans” include:

Chris Weimer, San Diego, CA

Ernest Johnson, Bridgeport, CT

Ryan Groves, Washington, DC

Max Nitze, Cambridge, MA

Wendell Guillermo, Santa Monica, CA

Jessica McDermott, Durham, NC

Christina Correa, Los Angeles, CA

Herold Noel, New York, NY

On Saturday, March 1 YDA showed its overwhelming support for Disney hotel workers and UNITE HERE Local 681 at an energetic picket march with over 260 members.

Throughout the Anaheim conference Young Democrats made their support known by wearing stickers in support (as seen on the left) and by having conversations with the workers.

There was an overwhelming consensus that the labor march was one of the most successful events/actions ever undertaken by the organization.

Saturday’s march allowed Young Democrats to show exactly why they are Democrats and what they believe in: fair wages, health care, and justice for working Americans in Anaheim and throughout the United States.

YDA President David Hardt, DNC Committeewoman Crystal Strait and DNC Committeeman Francisco Domenech hand-delivered a signed letter from the Young Democrats supporting the workers to hotel management after waiting them out as the hotel executives pretended to be unavailable.

The most inspiring aspect of the march was the reaction from the hotel workers themselves. They came up to a number of Young Democrats thanking them for their support, letting them know how important it is that the hotel executives realize that the workers do not stand alone and that people around the country are united in support.

Special recognition goes out to the YDA Labor Caucus and CYD Labor Caucus for making this event possible and a success beyond the wildest expectations.

YDA will be monitoring the labor dispute between the hotel workers and hotel management in the future, and I will cover the situation on this blog as developments occur.

Thank you to all the Young Democrats who came out and marched in support of the Disney hotel workers. Feel free to comment on this post about your experience at the march.

Building off the momentum of YDA’s huge rally in support of the Disney Hotel workers fighting for fair wages, health care and dignity,please help us grow the YDA Labor Caucus.

1) please join our YDA Labor Caucus email list

http://groups.google.com/group/yda-labor-caucus

2) Invite all of your friends to join the YDA Labor Caucus facebook group! Arrive with five!

See rally pics and YDA Labor Caucus leader Mike Corbett interviewed prior to rally at our facebook group.

Thank you for standing up for workers and building a stronger YDA.

Isaac Robinson
Chair
YDA Labor Caucus

After a unanimous vote of the Young Democrats of America National Committee this past Sunday in Anaheim, the Veterans and Military Affairs Caucus has become an official YDA caucus.

Young Democrats of Arizona President and Iraq War veteran Cole Hickman led the effort this weekend and is serving as interim chair until official caucus elections can be held.

One of the changes made by the National Committee was changing the name from the Veterans Caucus to the Veterans and Military Affairs Caucus in order to make it clear that the caucus is for veterans, family and friends, and anyone interested in the issues that are important to our brothers and sisters that have served, are actively serving, or have made the ultimate sacrifice for the United States of America.

Due to the name change there is a new Facebook group for the caucus, so please join the Veterans and Military Affairs Caucus Facebook group.

Thank you to everyone that supported the creation of the caucus and those who tried to establish the caucus last year. If you are a state president with a veterans caucus in your state please connect your members to the new group, and if your state does not yet have a caucus see how the national caucus can help you create one.

Click here to join the YDA Minority Caucus Facebook group

For Young Democrats who are or were members of a union or those with immediate family in a union or simply are just friends of labor.

YDA Labor Caucus Facebook Group

Join the YDA Women’s Caucus Facebook Group. 

The YDA GLBT Caucus now has a Facebook group.

Click here to join.

The Young Democrats of America College and Rural Caucuses have created Facebook groups in the wake of the 2007 YDA National Convention. If you are a member of one or both of these caucuses please join their groups.

YDA Rural Caucus Facebook Group

YDA College Caucus Facebook Group