Author: Emmett O'Connell (Page 165 of 177)

Boy, its Young Democrat press release day, by gum. Or, its Hillary Hunt press release day, by giminy.

CONTACTS:
Hillary Hunt: (360) 609-2393
Danielle Westbrook: (360) 280-2533

Young Democrats To Hold Candidate Forum

The Thurston County Young Democrats will hold a forum focused on the issues of young voters featuring candidates for local office across Thurston County. The forum will be held on September 21, at 7:00 p.m. at the Capital Playhouse Theater in Olympia. The forum will be moderated by State Representative Brendan Williams.

“It’s not often that candidates at any level really address young people,” said Hillary Hunt, president of the Thurston County Young Democrats. “This will be an opportunity to speak to young people, but for them to also hear our concerns.”

Following a social half hour starting at 6:30 p.m., candidates will take prepared questions and questions from attendees. Forum attendees can vote for their favorite candidates by putting money into jars marked with each candidate’s name. Donations will go to the Thurston County Young Democrats.

WHAT
Young Democrats Candidate Forum

WHERE
Capital Playhouse
612 East Fourth Avenue
Olympia WA

WHEN
Wednesday, September 21
6:30 Social half hour
7:00 Forum

For more information on the Thurston County Young Democrats, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/thurstonyoungdems/

As much as I don’t like the term “blogosphere,” because it implies a seperation from the real world, this is an amazingly good thing for Young Dems.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 5, 2005

For more information, contact:
Hillary Hunt, YDWA VP for Communications
(360) 609-2393
or
Jacob Metcalf, Technology Director
360-782-6836

Young Democrats of Washington Launch New Website

Redesign Creates a Place for Young Party Activists in Blogosphere

The Young Democrats of Washington are proud to announce a major redesign of their website YDWA.org (http://www.ydwa.org/).

This new website is powered by the Movable Type publishing engine and features a fast, modern design, as well as easily accessible content and the latest web syndication features.

The new YDWA.org focuses on grassroots organizing, by helping to connect young Democratic activists across the state and by providing a realm where interested young voters can learn more about the party. The site will help build a greater sense of community among young Democratic political activists across the state. YDWA members will use this inclusive atmosphere to encourage more young voters to become active within Democratic Party.

Visitors to YDWA.org will be able to participate in an ongoing dialog about political issues on the new blog. The site will also publicize major political events across the state, as well as specific events organized by Young Democrats chapters in Washington.

Further additions to the site include an online Photo Gallery (http://www.ydwa.org/gallery/) filled with pictures of the Young Democrats political activities.

“This really is exciting. The Young Democrats of Washington just entered the blogosphere and I hope that this site becomes a premier political website for young progressive voters all over the state and beyond,” said YDWA Technology Director Jacob Metcalf.

Not at all the same as what’s happening now, but in 1948 the second largest city in Oregon was destroyed during a Columbia River flood. It can happen here.

Portland Tribune: Vanport events bring flood of memories
The History of Vanport
Wikipedia: Vanport, Oregon

Well, I knew I never was, but Mike just stopped by to point out that I wasn’t in the first place. He also pointed out that he has an email address for his campaign now, which is encouraging: normoyleforolympia@hotmail.com. So I would encourage anyone insterested to hit him up with questions.

Also, another candidate, Jim Wiest, running against Jeff Kingsbury and Phyllis Booth, is an honest to God Republican! And, I’m not even kidding. He actually won the Republican primary for Lt. Governor last year:

Jim Wiest, an Olympia limousine driver who has been traveling the state in his 1994 Lincoln Town Car in his bid for the job, said he decided to run mainly to help Republican gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi get elected. But once he learned that Owen serves on a House-Senate economic development committee, he staked out reducing the state’s high unemployment rate as his campaign’s defining issue.

I would assume though that most Republicans thought they were voting for Jim West, Mayor of Spokane.

Wiest also has an email address (Wiest_4_a_safe_olympia@yahoo.com), and from his primary election statement, doesn’t like Oly Cops all that much. That won’t win him the Police Guild endorsement. Strange for a Republican to not like Cops.

On September 6 the Senate will be back in session and should start their discussions on the nomination of Justice Roberts. So, the importance of the Supreme Court on our lives and how we can make our voices heard during the nomination process will be our topic.

Tuesday, September 6 from 7 to 9 p.m.
Olympia Center
222 Columbia St NW
Olympia, WA
Room 101 (first floor)

And, if you want, you can download these super posters about our local meetup.
Poster 1 (pdf file)
Poster 2 (pdf file)

I just finished an email to a city council candidate, one that I hope wins, advising in part that she start writing a blog on her website. Blogs are a great way to engage voters, organize supporters and let people know what’s going on with your campaign without having to depend on the paper:

In this post about Larry Skutnick, the first regular guy example used in a State of the Union addresss, Kari Chisolm writes that blogs can serve the same purpose Larry did for Reagan:

…a blog can humanize a politician.

I’ve seen it happen right here in Portland, Oregon. City Commissioner Randy Leonard – a notoriously hard-to-like fella – has made friends and defused his enemies with his direct and approachable style on BlueOregon.com. He’s written obituaries for great but unknown citizens, drawn parallels between his patriotic forebears and the Patriot Act, lamented the loss of a favorite NBA coach, acknowledged an obsession with the Jeopardy! quiz show, and even demanded (with grace and wit) a retraction from a columnist who called him “short”.

Lenny Skutnick. His name has become shorthand in White House speechwriter lingo for making sure to always include a humanizing and inspirational story about a real person in major speeches. Sure, it can easily become cliche and schlocky, but there’s a kernel of brilliance there.

You may never get to give a State of the Union address. But stop cutting and pasting press releases, white papers, and fact sheets into your blog. Instead, find ways to include your own Skutnicks.

Get human. The voters will reward you.

The mayor of Montclair in Jersey gets into it with his fellow Montclairions on local blogs, and it works to his benefit:

What’s amazing is that he doesn’t even see it as extraordinary that he cares about his reputation on Baristanet. “On the street, it’s just like ‘Oh, I saw you on the cable station.’ Now I get ‘Oh, I saw you on the blog.’” Ed points out that an appearance on a blog’s comment threads can humanize an elected offical, and that a note directly from the mayor can temper the conversation, too. “If I go on directly and respond, if I personify the discussion” he says, “people are more careful about what they say.”

To that end, city council candidates, you don’t even have to launch your own blog, just get onto existing online communities, such as olyblog.

Now, what kind of meetings were these again?

Nice catch by KD Chapman.

Got this email this morning in an old email account:

Dear Meetup Member,

At some point in the past you joined Meetup.com and expressed an interest in meeting other Supporters of Democracy near Olympia.

*There are now 330 other Supporters of Democracy near Olympia* who are ready to get together, however the group needs an Organizer to schedule the Meetups! No Organizer has stepped forward to lead the group and help make this Meetup happen.

Click here to learn more:
http://dfa.meetup.com/228/handover/?op=c

…

You’ll notice there’s a group fee of $19 for every active group. If you’re concerned about this fee but are still interested in giving it a try as Organizer, go ahead. We’ll give you 30 days to try it out. If it’s not right for you, we’ll give you a *FULL REFUND*, no questions asked.

…

Finally, if you’re ready to give it a try, please do so before September 8th. On that date, any group that hasn’t had an Organizer for at least 30 days will be disbanded and you’ll be added to an “Alerts List” to be notified when a new Democracy for America group starts nearby.

We hope your Meetups are successful, and thanks for being a part of Meetup.com!

Matt Meeker
Co-Founder, Meetup.com

Now, if I remember, DFA has been working to migrate away from meetup.com, following the example of Townhall.com. So, why would meetup.com make a point of promoting DFA meetups that aren’t active or at least aren’t using their website to organize.

I would assume because they know DFA is leaving. Or, has already left. DFA has launched a beta of DFA-Link. Not quite meetup, but still a local organizing tool.

In addition to the booing, what riled me up about last night’s CAO public hearing was that “God-given” quote:

“When I bought my property, there was a 50-foot wetland buffer. Now the whole street is a wetland buffer. Thurston County has made my land useless,” said Rainier resident Alana Love. “I am fighting to restore my God-given right to do what I want with my property.”

Ms. Love and I probably don’t go to the same church, but here is what mine has to say on that particular topic: You have a God-given right to hold property, but not to do whatever you want with it.

Christian tradition has never upheld [property rights] as absolute and untouchable. On the contrary, it has always understood this right within the broader context of the right common to all to use the goods of the whole of creation: the right to private property is subordinated to the right to common use, to the fact that goods are meant for everyone.

Michael Normyle, from what I now know, is not a Republican or a Democrat and even did not vote in last September’s partisan primary because he is “adamantly opposed to the new system.” Partisan? Not he.

That whole thing with Michael and the comments (trust me, it is good reading) got me thinking this morning, I should link to all the candidate websites that I know about. Simple thing, I should have done it awhile ago:

Position 4:
Michael Normoyle I know it says that there ins’t anything there, but do you have a better link?
Karen Messmer

Position 5
Todd E. Adams
Ira Knight
Jeff Kingsbury
Robin L “Buck” Torske

Position 6
Phyllis Booth
Doug Mah
Jim Wiest

Position 7
Joe Hyer
John Griogair Bell

Not a complete list, but I’m hoping that folks that do know of other websites will chime in (hint hint).

Also, to directly address Mike’s last post about me being a Karen Messmer shill, I do probably know some people working on her campaign, but I have never knowlingly met Karen and I don’t plan on giving to her campaign. As for whether I’m going to vote for her, I don’t know yet. But I’m not voting for Mike.