From the Road: YDA Convention Recap
Jul 24, 12:27 PM CST
Nebraska Young Democrats had a lot of fun and a lot of success at the YDA National Convention in Dallas, TX this past weekend. Unfortunately, our efforts to blog live from the Convention ran into some technical difficulties that made it impossible for us to involve “Blog for Nebraska” readers in the excitement as we’d intended. But, Eric has kindly given me this opportunity to offer a recap of our adventures and accomplishments.
Arriving just before noon on Wednesday, most of our twelve Young Democrats jumped right into the thick of things. In fact, YDA staff pulled our Nebraska delegation aside immediately because an important vote that would redirect billions of dollars of student aid from private lenders directly to college students was scheduled for the next morning and needed the support of our U.S. Senators. We immediately got into contact with Sen. Ben Nelson’s staff to get a better sense of his position, and the entire Convention celebrated the next day when the Higher Education Access Act of 2007 passed with overwhelming bipartisan support.
Much of my days were spent serving as Nebraska’s delegate on the Platform Committee. It was a fascinating experience crafting the Young Democrats 2007 Platform with such a diverse body, full of so many committed young people from across the country. Admittedly, each of us brought our own concerns to the table, but the debate was always respectful and everyone remained united working for a cohesive document best stating the principles that truly define Young Democrats of America.
I am very proud of the Platform that finally resulted, particularly in the areas of Education and Labor where we not only tackled head-on the failures of Bush Administration policy but also called for reasonable and clearly-articulated reforms. It was also great to see Young Democrats stand together in defense of DNC Chair Howard Dean’s “50-State Strategy” to ensure that Democrats remain the party of the people in every state and region – competing for the faith and the vote of every American, refusing to concede states like Nebraska where we have so much work to do.
On Friday afternoon, we were joined by Gen. Wesley Clark participating in a public service project putting together backpacks full of school supplies for the children of U.S. servicemen deployed in Iraq. There was also an enlightening discussion of the 2008 Presidential Primary calendar, during which a staff member from the DNC expressed his sincere belief that our Democratic nominee won’t be decided on the new February 5th “Super-Duper Tuesday” and that states like Nebraska closely following that next weekend might truly be the deciding force in this election.
That evening, Presidential candidate John Edwards spoke to the entire Convention, delivering a wonderful speech that proved why he can’t be discounted in this race. Although they did not personally appear, both Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton sent representatives to speak on their behalf – whipping the crowd into quite the frenzy. A couple of lucky Nebraska Young Democrats were even able to make it out of the Convention with hard-to-get signs, stickers, and buttons from the Edwards and Clinton campaigns that might have made the whole trip worthwhile.
Of course, the entire convention wasn’t just speakers, trainings, committee hearings, and panel discussions. There was also ample time to meet new people and to experience Dallas. A Latin Jazz band played traditional southwestern music for us late into the night at the Welcome Reception. Later, our National Committeewoman, Elizabeth Weaver of Kearney, even found time to sneak away for a midnight purchase of the new Harry Potter book with a group of new friends. Others were able to tour the notorious book depository from which President John F. Kennedy was assassinated that is now a museum dedicated in his honor (which I regretfully missed, probably requiring another personal trip to Dallas in the near future).
The last day was a more traditional political Convention as we elected new officers for YDA. This was definitely an interesting experience for the majority of our delegates who had only ever seen such spectacles on television. Before casting Nebraska’s votes, I made a short speech that was probably the highlight of my entire week, getting at least a few laughs when I apologized for Lincoln being the birthplace of Vice President Dick Cheney.
All in all, our Nebraska delegation had a great time and represented our state and our party very well. Looking to the kick-off of a new school year with so many important elections just around the corner, we are excited and ready for action. And, I know many of us walked away inspired by the running theme throughout the Convention that the youth are not just the future of the Democratic Party but are already one of its greatest sources of strength and moral authority.
Nebraska Young Democrats accept that challenge. We embrace it. And, we will not fail our fellow Democrats, our state, or ourselves.
Kyle Michaelis
President
Nebraska Young Democrats
kyle@nebraskayoungdemocrats.org
– by eric | Send this to a friend
