Chicago has won the site selection vote with 80 votes to Kansas City’s 36. I would like to congratulate both host committees for doing a great job.

• 0 Comments

The host committee for Kansas City just blasted another email making its case. No fluffy song lyrics here, just 10 things we should apparently know about the city. Here is my own interpretation of the email.

Yo. Check it. I know when we say Kansas you’re all thinking about the Wizard of Oz, a big-ass tornado, and Dorothy in her sweet ruby kicks with her number one pooch Toto. That’s cool and all, but we’re more than just some 1939 Technicolor magic. We hit up Wikipedia and actually found 10 other things about the city. Get ready for some education:

1. Do you like fountains? Hell yeah you do. Well we have more fountains than anybody. Except Rome, that is, but Rome is in Italy and can’t bid for convention, so we are totally your fountain hookup. And we imported a fountain from Rome anyway, and it was totally their best fountain. Just think about all these friggen’ fountains! We got big ones, we got ones that spray crap all over the place, man we even got fountains without water in ‘em. That’s right, so many fountains we can’t even fill them all. How many times have you been at a YDA meeting and thought “I wish there was a fountain right here?” All the time, right? Well get ready to live the dream.

2. Don’t tell PETA, but if you want a big ol’ slab of dead pig, we got you covered like AIG Geico up in here. You thought Nashville had good BBQ? Don’t make me laugh. Dallas? YD please. Kansas City makes those places’ BBQ seem like it came from Wasilla. Don’t believe me? Then prepare to get p0wned in a rib eating contest. I’ve got my own bib, better recognize.

3. Go get a map. What’s right in the middle of it? That’s right, Kansas fricken’ City. You can fly here, drive here, and if you start now you could walk here. Did you know that Chicago is 2 degrees latitude farther north than Kansas City? Well it is. Do you want to spend another 2 degrees of latitude with these gas prices?

4. The economy is about to “crater,” so you know what that means: SHOPPING! We have a ton of stores for you to buy shit you don’t need, even an Urban Outfitters! You know you’ve been wanting that over-priced $30 “vintage” t-shirt with some stupid saying on it.

5. We totally have an art museum. And not only that, there are giant shuttlecock sculptures there. Who doesn’t love badminton? Who doesn’t love the word “shuttlecock?”

6. We don’t just have art museums, we have African-American history museums too. It’s like living in the Discovery Channel.

7. So this one time, like, a hundred and fifty years ago, this steamboat went out for a three hour tour. Well, the weather started getting rough, and the tiny ship was tossed. If not for the courage of the fearless crew…uh, nevermind. This boat sank like Palin’s poll numbers. Well, we found that elusive little schooner 20 years ago and we made a museum out of that too.

8. We have gay people.

9. Everyone gets all excited about World War II and built monuments and crap for it all over the place, but what about its less popular and more socially awkward older brother, World War I? Well, there might be WWI memorials around the country, but are they large? Hell no. Except for our behemoth, that is! Take that Ottomans!

10. So Kansas City is technically in two states. It was in one state, and then some history happened, and then some legislation, and now it’s two. But don’t worry, you’re pretty much going to be in Missouri the whole time.

Seriously, we have a shit ton of fountains.

• 0 Comments

Three locations have bid to host the 2009 Young Democrats of America National Convention: Chicago, IL, Kansas City, KS/MO, and Charlotte, NC. The location will be decided by an electronic vote of the YDA National Committee.

The host committees of Chicago and Kansas City have been lobbying hard for their cities, and I found this little tête à tête amusing.

Chicago sent out a reminder to vote with the lyrics to a Sinatra song about the city:

Now this could only happen to a guy like me
And only happen in a town like this
And so I say to each of you most gratefully
As I throw each one of you a kiss

This is my kind of town, Chicago is
My kind of town, Chicago is
My kind of people too
People who, smile at you

And each time I roam, Chicago is
Calling me home, Chicago is
One town that won’t let you down
It’s my kind of town

My kind of town, Chicago is
My kind of town, Chicago is
My kind of razzmatazz
And it has, all that jazz

And each time I leave, Chicago is
Tuggin’ my sleeve, Chicago is
The Wrigley Building, Chicago is
The Chicago Cubbies, Chicago is
One town that won’t let you down
It’s my kind of town

The next day, Kansas City strikes back (emphasis my own):

Upon selection, we will host our Convention in the historic Downtown Marriott, which includes Harry Truman’s “White House of the West.” The hotel is situated in the middle of Kansas City’s revitalized downtown, steps away from the Kansas City Convention Center. The hotel is within walking distance of several dozen restaurants and nightclubs, as well as the historic 18th and Vine Museum district. No shuttle necessary to see some of the sites!

Over the next few days, you can look for several more emails from our host committee outlining why Kansas City is the best choice for our upcoming convention. We could try to dazzle you with fluff, such as the lyrics to the song “Kansas City,” but in the end it should be the merits of the bid that impact your decision.

I’m oddly amused by this whole thing. As soon as I read the second email I kept thinking of political attack ads running between the two cities.

The cities will continue to try to “dazzle” the members of the National Committee before the voting deadline at the end of the month.

• 6 Comments

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZjVCMHjet4]

• 0 Comments

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVDEMuTcomo]

• 0 Comments

 Part 1

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2bj-mZmt6k]

Part 2

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzWqiwNMgQk]

• 0 Comments

The California Young Democrats have returned from the 2007 Biennial National Convention of the Young Democrats of America (YDA) Convention in Dallas, TX ready to wrangle up the young voters of California!

Crystal Strait of California was elected Democratic National Committeewoman for YDA.  Strait, CYD’s immediate past president, will be one of seven DNC members under 35 (there are 447 total DNC members) and will specifically represent young people to the DNC.  Strait has worked tirelessly to ensure that young Californians are heard at the California Democratic Party and will bring the same energy to the DNC.

Californians exhibited their considerable leadership in several of the major YDA caucuses: Rachel Kau-Taylor was elected Chair of the GLBT Caucus, Ben Spangenberg was elected Chair of the Disability Caucus, and Justin Meyers was elected Vice-Chair of the Labor Caucus.

 Newly elected YDA President, David Hardt heartfeltedly expressed that the Democratic Party was the only political group where an openly gay man could chair the national organization.

 Senator John Edwards was the only Presidential candidate to address the YDA Convention in person and stressed that young people have been the leaders of the greatest social causes of history and that young people are the present and future backbone of the Democratic Party.

 Former California State Controller Steve Westly, co-chair of Senator Barack Obama’s California campaign met with the California delegation before his keynote speech.  Westly encouraged young Californians running for office to contact him and his political action committee, the California Leadership Committee, “the only PAC in California dedicated exclusively to helping young Democrats advance into leadership positions in our state.”

General Wesley Clark was a motivational voice during our Democrats Work project.  Clark thanked the Young Democrats of America for recognizing the families of the American soldiers as true heroes for their sacrifice for our Country.

Even President George W. Bush’s home state of Texas is visibly counting down until “His last day 1/20/09” as is written on bumper stickers here, even in the red counties.  The opening Convention speaker, the Honorable Jim Hightower, rallied the crowd especially when he stated, “George W. Bush is corporate America’s wet dream.”

The California Young Democrats are positioned to engage thousands of young people to vote in California’s upcoming elections.  Young workers, young families, college and high school students will be the margin of victory in turning red California blue in 2008.

Congratulations to our 2007-2009 YDA Executive Board

President: David Hardt of Texas

Executive Vice-President: Chris Anderson of Tennessee

Democratic National Committeewoman: Crystal Strait of California

Democratic National Committeeman: Francisco Domenech of Puerto Rico

Vice President: A’Shanti Fayshel Gholar of Nevada

Vice President: Omar Khan of Florida

Vice President: Josh Blevins of Arkansas

Secretary: Stephanie Hausner of New York

Treasurer: Amy Lewis of Virginia

• 0 Comments

[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=i6GTtqfdTZE]

• 0 Comments

[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=oTcgsH0XgsY]

• 0 Comments