Columbia University Democrats

Party Leader to Outline Vision for Student Activism

Governor Howard Dean, the Chairman of the Democratic National Committee will speak at Columbia University on February 25, 2008 at 5:00 P.M. in Low Memorial Library. In honor of the Columbia University College Democrats being recognized as the College Democrats of America Chapter of the year for 2007-2008, Dean will speak students about the importance of student activism.

As the head of the Democratic Party, Governor Dean has laid the framework for a 50-state strategy. Under his leadership, the Democratic National Committee has stationed organizers in every state, built strong ties with state Democratic parties, and has become more involved in local politics in an attempt to build new party infrastructure and to uncover the leaders of the future in states in which Democrats have traditionally struggled to compete.

Like Howard Dean, the Columbia University College Democrats believe that the party must make a concerted effort to compete nationwide in local, state, and national elections. Over the past four years, the Columbia University College Democrats have campaigned for candidates in Kentucky, Virginia, and Ohio – states where Democrats have enjoyed newfound electoral success due to a Democratic Party with broader horizons. We believe that the values and ideas of the Democratic Party have great appeal to all Americans, regardless of geographic location. At a time when years of Republican leadership has eroded America’s reputation across the globe, created staggering deficits, and failed to tackle the grave domestic concerns of the day, the Democratic Party can and must assert an alternative policy vision around the country.

Multiple chapters of College Democrats of America exist in each of the 50 states. These clubs contain bright, passionate, and committed leaders who want to change the way politics works in this country. Governor Dean will articulate a vision for how students can lead the way in implementing the 50-state strategy. Students can register to hear Governor Dean speak by sending an email to dean@cudemocrats.com with their full name, school, and year. Press or ticket inquiries should be directed towards Jonathan Backer, who ca be reached at jback87@gmail.com or by phone at 414-840-9199.

This from the forgone conclusions file: Fred Thompson has dropped out of contention for the Republican nomination for POTUS.

As an homage to this political titan and Hollywood phenom, I decided to do a little experiment for you CC buffs. Google the words Fred Thompson and Epicurean, and you get 28,000 hits. No joke!

Living abroad sucks when it means having to watch Fox News at 4am to get the results from Iowa or New Hampshire, however, this was all before I realized that the DNC has been organizing a global primary….

In the grand old scheme of nomination getting, you need a bit over 2000 delegates to be the nominee (2025 to be exact). States like Iowa have, from what I can see 46, delegates at stake which get divided between the candidates (Obama got 16, Hillary and Edwards each received 15 from that state). New Hampshire has 22, Nevada has 25, Delaware has 15, South Carolina has 45, California has 370, Arkansas has 35… (You can Google the rest…) To add to the confusion of the system there are 842 “super-delegates” thrown into the mix which are the members of congress, and DNC folks who are “un-pledged and free to support the candidate of their choice”.

This year, however, the DNC decided to add a “state” into the primary and on February 5th, there will be a 23rd state voting: Democrats Abroad. In 40 cities over the world there will be “voting centers” set up to allow US citizens to come cast their ballot into the international system and register to vote to get ready for the 2008 election. This “Global Primary” will take a week with mail in ballots, online voting, and faxed ballots being accepted until Feb. 12th when the 22 delegates which the international-ites have been given will be divided up by candidate.

What’s even stranger as I move into working with an incredible group of people as they coordinate this monumental effort is how the candidates start to break down when there is no campaigning which is going on globally. Without the influence of constant TV ads, or the candidates flying in, voters are left to look at candidate websites, read their platforms and plans, and the news (the British news specifically is obsessed with our race…. granted, they think that Mike Gravel is the most human candidate and there was actually a sidebar in an article wondering why fewer people are voting for such a personable fellow.)

Finally, not that I need to point out the disdain the Republican party has for the rest of the world, but the RNC made a conscious choice NOT to set up a global primary and allow voters who are abroad to vote as a block but threw them into the system of securing a primary ballot abroad (trust me, something that you will never receive no matter how early you register or how many times you call your election board.)

The tens of thousands of votes which come from abroad DO count, as we learned in 2000 (as long as they actually are counted) however, this represents more than just the pure number of votes, this represents a difference between party priorities and an incredible difference in the level of engagement with the world. International voters are naturally focussed on different issues but have a unique perspective on how the US is perceived outside of our rather un-secured borders. The Global Primary won’t be responsible for pushing one candidate or another over the edge, but it will certainly have made a difference to the citizens who live abroad and their friends who have no formal voice in the election for the position which shapes world policies.

A glance at two Columbia Dems umbrella groups making news before primary day:

http://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/42405/