December, 2009
IN THIS ISSUE:
9th ANNUAL DM SUMMIT…CAMPUS HIGHLIGHT…MONEY ON MY MIND…ADONAL’S HOLIDAY ACTIONS…PARTICIPATORY DEMOCRACY’S FUTURE…FACTS YOU CAN USE
The 9th ANNUAL DEMOCRACY MATTERS SUMMIT
It’s time to sign up for this year’s FABULOUS Summit! DM campus coordinators, chapter members and activists will converge on Albany, NY from Friday, January 29 to Sunday, January 31st, 2010. The summit will offer workshop trainings on topics like spreading the word through media, lobbying elected officials, giving great speeches, creating S.M.A.R.T. campus organizing campaigns, recruiting members, building coalitions and leading a successful chapter. Dynamic guest speakers and experts will share their insights. And students have plenty of time to network, share their own ideas and experiences, and plan for effective activism in the Spring.
Here’s what students said about last year’s summit:
“I got terrific ideas on how to get people active at my school.”
“Meeting so many awesome people was great!”
“The Summit got me pumped up for involvement past college.”
“It’s inspiring to be part of this great energy to make political change.”
“It’s wonderful to know that you are not alone.”
Accommodations will be at the Best Western Sovereign Hotel in Albany. All sessions and meals will be held at the hotel. But space is limited so register today.
Click on the 2010 Summit button to register.
CAMPUS HIGHLIGHT – UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT BERKELEY
In November, DM campus coordinator, Jonathan Stein, and members of UC Berkeley Democracy Matters put on a fantastic event focused on California’s push for a state constitutional convention. The 100+ attendees were treated to a lively discussion on the pros and cons of a constitutional convention. California has been dealing with a severe budget crisis and among the worst campaign finance laws in the country.
Earlier, the DM chapter sponsored Common Cause President Bob Edgar on campus, where he spoke to over 700 students. Jonathan used Bob’s visit to recruit students and create a vibrant leadership team. DM is forging alliances with other organizations on campus, recruiting new students, and planning for an exciting spring. Congratulations to this great new chapter!
Read our Campus Activism Blog.
MONEY ON MY MIND
Jay Mandle’s monthly column explores the recent decline in funding for progressive student activism. He urges investing in today’s students, for without such support “the future potential for a resurgent politics of justice and equality will be irrevocably lost.”
Read the full article and explore other issues of MOMM.
ADONAL’S HOLIDAY THOUGHTS AND “MERRY” ACTIONS
In an NBA.com interview last week about what I give thanks for, I talked about Democracy Matters as well as my Kerosene Lamp Foundation (where I work with children in the Caribbean). Here’s some of what I said about DM:
“It’s not apathy that we have to work against. Students hear that their elected representative comes into town for a $5,000-a-plate dinner here or does a fundraiser there. How are college kids, with all of their loans and debts, supposed to get into that system? Democracy Matters’ works toward campaign finance reform, where the money isn’t the only thing that matters. We saw with the election of Barack Obama that young people can be a powerful block and influence this country. DM helps them harness their collective power, find ways to make their voices heard, and become advocates for themselves and for other people.”
I’ve been thinking about how we can increase the pressure on both Congress and President Obama to support the issues we care about – more available student loans and increased funding for higher education, as well as health care, bank regulation, and climate control. And of course “Fair Elections Now” – the reform that would unblock the big money obstacles to all other reforms.
So here are my 4 top “Merry Holiday Actions Ideas”:
High School Revisited: Go back to your high school and ask to talk to classes in history, civics, government, etc. Tell them about your own political activism and about the importance of voting, of speaking out, and of getting big money out of politics in our democracy. You can even encourage them to start a high school DM chapter!
Holiday Cards With A Message: Get your friends and family members to join you in sending holiday cards with a message to their elected representatives in Washington and state legislatures. Make your own or add a note to a card, asking for support for Fair Elections Now and the other issues you care about. (Calls and emails work well too!)
Holiday Dinner Sign-Up: Start a dinner conversation with your family that gently raises the importance of being politically engaged. Tell them what you’re passionate about and why. They might be willing to speak out themselves by signing a letter you email to them that they then can send on to their representatives, or by writing their own “letter to the editor” of the local paper. Every voice counts; it never hurts to ask!
“Power to the People” Party: Invite your friends over for a holiday party and have “Fair Elections” petitions available to sign or to take home with them to get others to sign. Tell them about why and how you are making a difference, and put out cool factoids, other action ideas they can do at home or on their campus, and information on DM.
I wish you and yours a happy, peaceful, and joyful holiday.
Adonal
THE FUTURE OF PARTICIPATORY DEMOCRACY
Over 200 people representing a wide variety of organizations met yesterday in Washington, DC to discuss the future of participatory democracy in the United States. Organized by the Center for American Progress and Campus Progress, the forum featured Congressman John Larson and Senator Dick Durbin, sponsors of the Congressional Fair Elections Now Act.
The speakers emphasized the contradiction we face today: on the one hand the disturbing likelihood that the Supreme Court soon may reverse the 100 year-old ban on corporate political contributions (Citizens United v. FEC); and on the other hand the exciting prospect of passing a law that brings a voluntary public financing option to the Congress (Fair Elections Now).
They agreed that a truly participatory democracy requires public campaign funding. Only then will citizens come to trust their government, will elections no longer be auctions, and will voters have a real voice.
Democracy Matters was well represented at the forum by students from Towson, the University of Virginia, Bowie State University and other campuses, as well as by DM alums living in the DC area.
Click here to watch this event.
FACTS YOU CAN USE
There have been countless articles lately about how campaign contributions have stifled reform on health care, bank regulation, climate change, student loans, and more. Here are headlines from just one edition of the NY Times. (November 15th, 2009):
Drug Makers Raise Prices in Face of Health Care Reform (“As drug makers promise to support Washington’s health care reform…the industry has been raising its prices at the fastest rate in years.”)
In House, Many Spoke With One Voice: Lobbyists (“More than a dozen lawmakers were ghostwritten, in whole or in part, by Washington lobbyists working for Genentech, one of the world’s largest biotechnology companies.”)
Obama Hobbled in Fight Against Global Warming (“Mr. Obama has found himself limited in his ambitions by a Congress that is unwilling to move as far or as fast as he would like.”)
And Thomas Friedman’s recent column sums it up.
“Money in politics has become so pervasive that lawmakers have to spend most of their time raising it, selling their souls to those who have it, or defending themselves from the smallest interest groups with deep pockets that can trump the national interest.” (NY Times, November 21st, 2009)
To honor our 2010 DMers we list 10 DM chapters in each E-News.
Union College…University of California Berkeley…University of California Davis…University of California Los Angeles…University of North Carolina Wilmington…University of San Diego…University of San Francisco…University of Virginia…Vassar College…Wake Forest University…(to be continued)
More Campus Chapters.