September 2006
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SFYD Important Dates
California Democratic Party Executive Board
Location: Meeting in at the Crowne Royale Hotel in Burlingame, near SFO
When: August 4-5
CYD Executive Meetings and Trainings also Available.
Note: Angiledes speaks at 9am, Saturday
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September Endorsement Meeting
Location: 455 Golden Gate Ave, San Francisco
State Building (Basement) This location is wheelchair accessible.
When: Wednesday, September 13, 7:00pm to 9:00pm
Join us as we hear from all the major candidates for local office and a number of local and state propositions. Eligible SFYD members will be be able to cast their votes at the end of the meeting for our endorsements!
Contact SFYD President Luke Klipp at sfydprez@gmail.com for more information.
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Oust Pombo: Day of Action
Location: Meet at the corner of Polk and Grove Street at 8:30am; buses will be provided to the Pombo Zone
Saturday, September 16th
Join folks from all over San Francisco as we take the streets of middle California to take back the House!
For more information, contact SFYD Treasurer Brian Gardner
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Charlie Brown Reception Featuring Valerie Plame and Ambassador Joe Wilson
Date: Friday, September 15 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Join other local Dems at a fundraiser for Charlie Brown as he fights to win his House district right here in California. Special SFYD rate of $35 – contact SFYD President Luke Klipp to go.
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DCCC Monthly Meeting
Date: Wednesday, September 27, 7:00pm
Location: 455 Golden Gate Ave, San Francisco
State Building (Basement) This location is wheelchair accessible.
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President's Column
by SFYD President Luke Klipp
Let’s Get It Started
Okay, I’ll come out and say publicly what I’ve been hearing privately from a number of folks and thinking a lot about myself lately. As much as we are pumped up about the Democratic Party’s chances in 2006 nationally, there seems to be a distinct lack of enthusiasm on the State level. Our guy at the top of the ticket, Phil Angelides, while being “right” on all the issues as a Democrat, seems to be coming up just short of what we need to sweep the State offices this fall.
I will hit the pavement for Mr. Angelides, and I will rally our club and others to do the same. But it shouldn’t require rallying; we should be inspired. And when you consider that the guy currently in office is a bad actor who forced a ridiculous, and expensive, special election on all of us last year just so he could try and score some political points, then it’s a no-brainer. He’s shown himself to be an opponent to women’s choice, a panderer to the religious “right,” and an opponent to sensible governing (i.e. these gigantic bonds he’s socking us with), and, up until a few months ago, he was one of the most vulnerable governors in the country and a very possible Democratic pickup. Against this backdrop, we have one of the most feeble efforts I’ve seen in some time for our Party’s chances for victory.
Perhaps it’s the money. Perhaps it’s that people are just tired of elections. Perhaps the primary was too brutal for either Democratic candidate to escape with momentum. Still, I can’t help but feel disappointed that for months Mr. Angelides let the Republicans define him with an incredibly effective television ad campaign which saw his few-point lead turn into an eight-point deficit. And his response was to say that they were right, except he wants to take us “back to the future.” And now that he comes out with his own ad, it’s a lame response which lists policy priorities and does little to make the Democratic Party’s case.
I believe that most people judge a candidate’s ability to lead as much by the substance of the message as by the method. While Mr. Angelides is right on the substance, so far his method lacks the creativity and energy that would signal that he and the State Democratic Party have learned from the devastating 2003 Recall loss and are ready to win and govern again from the top of the ticket. So, while I could make a few recommendations to improve the Angelides effort, I’m going to stick instead to what we SFYD’ers can do.
Poor top-down messaging and packaging be damned, we young Democrats are going to do it our way, because we know how to talk to our peers, and we know how to get our message heard. That’s why we’re going to talk to folks at the bars, at events in the City and over the phone – however and whenever we can convince just one more voter here and there to commit to supporting the Democratic Party this fall. It’s why we’re stepping up and committing to a slate mailer that’s going to reach 40,000 young Democrats. And it’s why we’re going to continue to be vocal beyond this election, so that the Democratic Party will truly understand that we’re not just a bunch of folks to exploit for time and votes, come election season, but a committed and passionate group who will fight for an effective and successful Democratic Party, and be the margin of victory.
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David's Telescope
by SFYD Newsletter Editor David Weinreich
The Lay of the Land
This past week was the last of the California legislative session, and Sacramento was buzzing with high-power deal making and an eagerness to accomplish the impossible to a degree far beyond what I’ve ever seen in my several years around the Capitol.
The accomplishments are tremendously good for our state, but they also mean Angelides has his work cut out for him in November. The Governor has his conservative base under control to the point where he was able to agree to bills that burnish his moderate credentials just before the crucial November election—bills reprehensible to staunch Republicans, but appealing to the middle. You can bet your lucky stars that Democratic legislators weren’t about to pass up the opportunity to pass far-reaching legislation during the rare moment where they had a Governor willing to agree to their terms, because that’s rarer than a blue moon in the Capitol, for sure.
The list of accomplishments this year is astounding: A cap on CO2 emissions. Requirements that long-term contracts for out-of-state power guarantee California greenhouse gas standards. A bill to base our electoral votes on the nationwide popular vote (should enough states join us). A minimum wage hike. Hands-free cell phones while driving. State permission for telecom companies to offer cable. Mayoral takeover of the failing LA Unified School District. $2.9 billion repaid to our schools. And the list goes on…
This year’s legislative session was certainly a great victory for the people of California. The question now is whether they could count on it to be repeated in future years under a Schwarzenegger governorship, as the Governor wants us to believe. This seems doubtful, since Arnold will no longer be under the pressure to get re-elected in a Democratic state. We saw what he did last year when he tried to lower worker’s comp benefits, cut money for schools and redistrict our state mid-census. He says he has learned his lesson and been tamed by the Teacher’s Association, but I find this hard to believe. Which Arnold are we electing? Arnold 2005 or Arnold 2006? What are his true beliefs and motivations?
These concerns don’t seem prevalent among most voters, however, including many Democrats. Last week the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) issued its latest poll, showing the Governor over 12 points ahead of Angelides, and having the support of 82% of Republicans, versus Angelides, with a mere 58% of Democrats on his side. Angelides was only ahead of Arnold in the Bay Area.
This tells us why Arnold is working so hard to please Democrats and independents (who supported Arnold 42%-23% in the poll). I won’t mince words. This is pretty disturbing, and Angelides needs to get his act together ASAP if he is to win. Angelides needs to convince his own party how Arnold is leading us astray, explain the incomplete nature of Arnold’s solutions and contrast those with his own proposals, which should be better for the declining middle class.
On the other hand, Angelides will not win if he continues to rely on ads comparing Arnold to Bush. This flawed strategy only appeals to Democrats in true blue areas he is already winning (like San Francisco). It doesn’t say why Angelides is better, and it doesn’t resonate with most voters who see Arnold busy distancing himself from Bush, going to high-profile bill signing ceremonies for his greenhouse emissions legislation. It’s time for a more meat and potatoes strategy that highlights the decline of the middle class under Arnold’s watch. But enough about failed strategy.
Against this backdrop, SFYD members need to keep to keep the entire ballot in mind. The Governor’s race is just one pixel of a much bigger picture that includes a fight to take back Congress, several as-yet unnoticed statewide races for Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of State (both of which are in contention, and have incredible Democratic candidates fighting Republicans whom we simply can’t allow to win). This is in addition to battles to defeat Propositions 83 and 90, which would both be disastrous for the state (more on these next month). There is a lot to gain this November, and even more to lose, and we cannot allow a single frustrating Governor’s race to catch us asleep at the wheel.
David Weinreich
SFYD Newsletter Editor
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SF Democrats: Too Fractious to Fight by SFYD Media Chair Alexis Ward
I recently moved back to San Francisco after a couple of years in the Midwest and it finally hit me why people outside the Bay Area think it’s such a funny place. On the November ballot, we will consider whether or not to impeach the President and Vice President. We’ll see supervisorial races where progressives battle progressivers and everyone is so darn progressive that we have the luxury of casting our vote based on a candidate’s commitment to bike lanes or neighborhood theatres. As San Franciscans, we are spoiled by progressive policies that our compatriots in other cities and states could only dream about. We live in a city surrounded by people who think like we do— like Democrats. It’s nice, isn’t it?
As comforting as it is to live in this bubble, I have to wonder if by being without a viable challenge to our liberal ideology, we San Francisco Democrats allow ourselves to fragment too much. Rather than being on the same team, in San Francisco, we are defining ourselves as smaller and smaller subsets of the Party. We are Democrats against leash laws or Democrats for sustainable transit.
San Francisco Democrats are powerful and organized and exist in large numbers. We have the ability to impact state and federal elections in a big way. Unfortunately, we sometimes get too caught up in local battles to serve as foot soldiers for our values outside of our city’s protective shell.
While I think it’s terrific that in November we can vote to impeach Bush and Cheney, we will also be voting on things like Prop 85 (parental notification) and…. Oh yeah, Governor. As Democrats we have big battles to fight outside of our city limits and I hope that in addition to getting involved in local campaigns for Supervisor, we will commit ourselves to affecting this upcoming election in a broader way. Those great progressive causes we are furthering within our city don’t matter a whole lot if they are superceded by regressive state and federal policies.
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SFYD’er Column of the Month
by SFYD Member Susan Harrison
The 2006 election season is in full swing. From Senatorial and Congressional offices, down to seats on the San Francisco School Board, there are many campaigns that would love help from the San Francisco Young Democrats. There are many inspiring, progressive candidates running for all levels of office who would do a fantastic job representing young people and our values. The only hurdle is actually getting them elected. It’s expensive and it requires hard work throughout the entire race. As young voters we probably don’t have huge piles of money to spend on lavish $500-a-head fundraisers. Instead, we can provide something that can effect turn-out in a way money can’t. It’s been proven that by actually walking precincts, phone banking and making person-to-person contacts we can get people to the polls and win races.
Yes, these activities can be tedious; there might be days when nobody wants to talk to you and your efforts seem futile. Keep in mind, though, that over the course of a campaign it makes a tremendous difference. This has even been scientifically proven: In 1999 the Institute for Social Policy and Studies at Yale University did an experiment where researchers canvassed a random sample of registered voters in New Haven over the course of four weeks before an election and compared that group’s turn-out to a non-canvassed control sample. Voter turn-out in the canvassed group was 6% higher than the sample group. The above example is just an illustration of the effect canvassing can have on elections. When you combine these types of grassroots efforts with tools like voter files and other targeted research, the potential to influence a race increases. Cocktail party fundraisers are fun and are certainly important tools, but it can feel a lot more satisfying to raise a glass to your favorite candidates after you’ve hit the asphalt for them.
For More Information:
Does canvassing increase voter turnout? A field experiment
Alan S. Gerber and Donald P. Green
Institution for Social and Policy Studies, Yale University, 77 Prospect Street, P.O. Box 208209, New Haven, CT 06520-8209
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SFYD Needs You: Recruitment for Committee Assistance
Volunteers Needed for
Important Year Ahead
2006 is an important year for California and an important year for SFYD.
Help us prepare for the year ahead by volunteering for SFYD's fundraising
committee. Stellar events and initiatives are planned - your talents are
needed. Contact Julia Thornton at sfydviceprez@gmail.com
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Political Classifieds
Editor's Note: The SFYD Newsletter runs a regular Classified Section
in the newsletter for political, campaign, or other related
jobs/advertisements. If you'd like to advertise in the SFYD newsletter,
email the editor,
for inclusion possibilities. If you would like to contact the
advertisers, do so directly as per the advertisement, not through SFYD.
Manager for San Francisco School Board Race
Contact Johanna Silva for further information at (415) 882-4673.
Democratic Party Volunteer Positions for SFYD Members
We’re told these aren’t typical “bitchwork” jobs...
Contact: Joe Moyzis at (415) 424-3546
fieldops04@aol.com
Democratic National Committee Finance Staff Assistant
Work on database, event planning, solicitation, and extensive logistical support.
Email resumes to:
Julie Tagen, Deputy Director, Finance TagenJ@dnc.org.
NO PHONE CALLS
Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund: Field Coordinator:
$3,000 a month, in Pleasanton
Main focus is implementing day-to-day field operation to defeat Republican Dick Pombo.
Email resume & three references to:
Ed Toon
Campaign Manager
Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund
555 Peters Ave., Suite 105
Pleasanton, CA 94566
DefeatPombo@gmail.com
Greenline Institute (advocates for low income communities of color)
Contact Chris Vaeth
The Greenline Institute
1918 University Ave, 2nd Floor
Berkeley, CA 94704
Oakland Unified School District Financial Analyst
18-month position will assist with budget training and development for Expect Success project.
Send resume and cover letter to Julia Chih at jchih@bayces.org with Financial Analyst Position (Last Name, First Name) in the subject title.
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