The bad news: it had to come from Barack Obama supporters.

Detroit Octane, who made the the viral Obama-sistable video, has decided to share the love with Hillary too with Dude Supports a Lady. The unfortunate thing for Hillary is that her video ends with “Detroit Octane Officially Endorses Barack Obama For President.”

Check the video out at Video Gum.

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Over the last few days I have been asked why I am fighting to reinstate the purged young Obama delegate candidates when a good percentage of the allowed candidates are youth. If the only issue at hand were Arizona’s youth representation goal (though it does not look like it will be reached), such an effort might not be necessary, but the youth representation goal is not the only issue.

Youth leaders were assured by the Obama campaign that young delegate candidates would not be purged barring specific concerns about an individual candidate. With that assurance, youth leaders, myself included, encouraged many of the young activists that had been crucial to Obama garnering 59% of the 18-29 vote to run for delegate. We passed on that assurance to these potential candidates, they filed their candidacy papers, and they looked toward the delegate election with excitement and anticipation. Candidate trainings were held, candidacy groups were formed on social networks, and state committee voters were contacted.

Then two weeks before the election they had been preparing for, a majority of them were told, in a vague and cryptic email, that they in fact would not be allowed the opportunity to run. No specific reasons were conveyed to them about why they could not run, and confusion set in, wondering why those assurances that emboldened them to run had dissipated.

When a campaign makes assurances that are then reneged, they run the risk of causing young activists to be wary of any future pledges or promises that are made. It is important that the very few commitments made to youth are actually kept.

These young candidates put themselves out there to run only to be rejected, not knowing why they were struck while others are allowed to run. If they knew how the campaign made their selections, they could possibly learn what to do differently to improve their chances. Even then, however, young activists may feel unappreciated, or guilty because the campaign does not think they put in enough effort to just have the opportunity to run for delegate. But this is not the most harmful consequence. These activists are smart, and they have started to think about the situation. They realize that with the large number of candidates for delegate the campaign did not look at their name and say “these are the reasons this person should be purged.” They were not choosing who to purge, but who they were going to allow to run. If they were specifically choosing who can run, the people that are allowed to run must be individually known to them. Then it hits them: the people that are accepted are most likely to be personal friends of the decision-makers or political favors. No matter how much effort they put into the campaign, they are not insiders, the establishment, or members of the exclusive club. They never had a chance, especially if they were working in rural areas that prevent them from getting buddy-buddy with those insiders. Next time, they won’t even bother trying.

How can we convince young activists to run for delegate in four years when this happens? Can we assure them that this year they will be allowed to run? Of course not. They know better than to trust that assurance. They have already felt the rejection that comes after getting their hopes up of running for delegate. It won’t be easy to get them take that risk again.

Disclaimer: Although I was one of the candidates that was purged, I am not asking for my personal reinstatement nor will I run if reinstated in order to prevent this effort from being dismissed as being a personal fight for my candidacy.

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The following letter is a response to the Obama campaign banning many young supporters from running for Obama delegate to the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

The Democratic Presidential candidates and the Democratic Party itself should be rejoicing at the unprecedented numbers of young activists wanting to be involved in the party apparatus. CIRCLE research shows that since 2002 young voters have been increasingly identifying with the Democratic Party, from when identification had been split between Independent, Democrat, and Republican.

David Frum wrote an editorial on how the GOP lost the youth vote. For many young voters, their only experience of the Republican Party is that of George W. Bush and the failures of his administration. To them the Republican brand evokes Katrina, the Iraq War, a devastated economy with increased education costs, corruption and scandal, as well as a theocratic doctrine. Studies show that “a young person who votes for the same party for three consecutive elections is likely to do so for life.” For the Democratic Party, this election is a pivotal moment of opportunity.

The Democratic Primary elections this year had many of us holding out hope that the self-fulfilling prophecy of low youth turnout had been shattered: campaigns did not use its resources to contact young voters because they did not vote, yet they did not vote because they were never contacted. Youth-focused organizations had to step in and do what the parties and campaigns would not: engage young voters. The efforts of the Young and College Democrats of America, Young Voter PAC, Rock the Vote, and many others resulted in a steady increase in electoral participation over the previous campaign cycles, seemingly reaching critical mass in 2008.

It seemed like the Democratic Party and its Presidential candidates were finally taking notice of our untapped potential. The campaigns hired youth outreach staff, launched youth constituent and issue groups, and delved deep into the world of new media. Even the mainstream news organizations seemed to have finally caught on to the importance of the youth vote, acknowledging, however hesitantly, that young voters could be the margin of victory. Could it finally be that the days of young voters being slanderously and profoundly stigmatized as apathetic were over?

Sadly it is beginning to appear that young Democrats are only being granted conditional participation in the democratic process, the desire to be fully engaged only partially fulfilled. The party and its campaigns have adapted to our increased participation, but have not yet removed the barriers to involvement that are a fundamental part of the system.

Young Democrats fought hard for the inclusion of youth goals in state delegate selection plans, and in many states those efforts were successful. Yet we are now learning that those advances are revocable, their effect limited.

Many young activists were energized by Senator Obama’s campaign, myself included. The message of seeking genuine social change motivated us. The idea that movements need to function from the bottom-up engaged us. The goal of putting an end to the old divisions inspired us. Though now many of us have fallen victim to the old divisions within the party establishment.

Running for delegate and losing is disappointing. Being told that you are not even allowed the chance to run is shattering.

In a campaign that claims to be a movement built from the bottom-up, it is paradoxical that the act of banning some of those movement-builders from candidacy for delegate came from the top-down.

The Obama campaign must ask itself: “What do we really represent?” Will it be committed to doing the right thing, or stick to doing what is expedient?

The young builders of your movement await your answer.

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This email just landed in my inbox from the Barack Obama campaign:

Dear Kevin Bondelli:

Thank you very much for applying to be an Obama At Large Delegate to the Democratic National Convention. When we started this campaign, we knew that our only path to victory was to inspire grassroots activism across our state, and we know you have made that possible. We are thrilled to have so much interest among Arizonans to represent the Obama campaign in Denver.

In compliance with the rules of the DNC, the campaign has opted to limit the list of candidates that have filed to run as an at-large delegate. The campaign understands the desire of all of our supporters to participate in this process, but to fully achieve the DNC’s goals of a diverse pool of delegates, and to accommodate the time this selection process will take, we have trimmed the list. Please know that we value every single Obama supporter and all of the hard work and energy that you have shown in working to make Senator Obama the Democratic nominee.

Our campaign understands and appreciates all of your tireless enthusiasm and commitment to Senator Obama. We thank you for your time and efforts on behalf of our campaign and we look forward to working with you in the upcoming months to elect Senator Barack Obama as President of the United States.

Sincerely,
(Staffer Name)

Alright, you’ve trimmed the list. I get it. What I don’t get is whether or not you trimmed me from the list, which is in my opinion a pretty important piece of information. Nor do you give me any information as to where I can find out if I have been trimmed or who the accepted candidates are. I mean, the election is in two weeks, it would be nice to know. It is important because I need to know how many Young Democrats have been approved to run. I don’t care if I can’t run, but if a lot of other young delegate hopefuls were cut from the list, I need to start raising hell.

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On behalf of the Young Voter PAC, we applaud the California Democratic Party, young leaders and the Obama campaign for standing up for the youth vote.

While we understand the political reality that the Obama campaign made earlier this week to cut some potential delegates off of the list in California, we along with the California Party and young leaders voiced our concerns to the campaign in hopes they would change their mind and allow all potential delegates to run as delegates to the National Convention at elections taking place this Sunday in California.

Young people, in particular, are energized this election cycle doubling and tripling their turnout numbers in the primary elections and caucuses.

“Any action to try and squelch young peoples’ enthusiasm and most importantly the drive to not just be voters and volunteers but leaders within the Party is a critical next step for young people.  For too long young people have not felt welcome or seen the Party structure as a place for change,” said Jane Fleming Kleeb, Young Voter PAC Director.

In the Obama campaign’s official statement on the delegate issue in California, they reminded potential delegates of both their desire for a unified National Convention and for patience this Sunday at the caucus locations, “we are confident that delegates elected from this pool will reflect the Senator’s commitment to a diverse and unified delegation at the National Convention. An overwhelming number of supporters have signed up to run for delegate, so there will likely be lines and tight space at the caucus locations. We ask for everyone’s patience and cooperation.”

“Young people continue to show they are not apathetic, that they are engaged at all levels of our Party,” said Jason Rae, a young Superdelegate from Wisconsin.  “We are looking forward to the continued trend of young people helping Democrats win up and down the ticket this November.”

The Young Voter PAC hopes the Obama campaign’s encouraging decision will translate to all other states and that the Clinton campaign will follow this decision as well so that all potential delegates will have the opportunity to run as Delegates to the National Convention in Denver, Colorado this summer.

Amber Goodwin, a Young Voter PAC volunteer, potential delegate and Texas Young Democrats activist stated, “This incident reminds us of the power of the youth vote and the power of having young committed staff inside the Party and leading youth groups that understand the value of the youth vote and that won’t stop until their power is recognized and appreciated.”

The Young Voter PAC is based on a simple idea; politics is better off with more young people involved.  We are dedicated to helping Democrats win with the youth vote through candidate endorsements, on-the-ground support, training, strategy, media, and money.  The youth vote (18-35 year olds) has emerged as a critical base of support for electoral success.  We work on a national and local level to help guide candidates, State Parties and allied organizations in their youth voting plans so they can secure this bloc of voters and build long-term infrastructures in their communities and states. www.youngvoterpac.org.

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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

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