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August
2006 DNC report: Primaries and Youth Council
Greetings
Wisconsin Democrats!
I hope that this email finds you well. It is hard to believe
that the summer is coming to a close. Of course, though, that
means we are inching closer and closer to the November elections.
As of today, there are exactly 80 days until we re-elect Governor
Doyle, Senator Kohl, and all of our other great Democratic leaders.
We have just completed our summer DNC meeting in Chicago and
I wanted to take just a moment of your time to update you on
DNC business. I am going to warn you in advance that the first
few items here may get a little technical. I greatly apologize
for that. If you have any questions on any of this, or need
me to clarify anything, please do not hesitate to let me know.
I just want to make sure that you are all aware of some of the
major decisions made by the DNC.
One of the most important items on today’s agenda was
the passage of the DNC’s Delegate Selection Rules. The
major portion of the Selection Rules was the revision to the
Presidential Nominating Calendar. After almost two years of
hearings, reports, and debates, the Democratic National Committee
voted today to add another caucus and primary to the pre-window
period. What this effectively means is that Iowa will be the
first-in-the-nation caucus with their event on January 14, 2008.
Next is where the big change falls. Instead of being immediately
followed by New Hampshire, Iowa will be followed by Nevada.
Nevada will hold their caucus on January 19, 2008 with New Hampshire
holding the first-in-the-nation primary on January 22. South
Carolina will follow with a primary on January 29. The "window"
for other states to hold their nominating events will begin
on February 5, 2008.
So why did we bother to add Nevada and South Carolina early?
The reason is quite simple, I believe. We needed to make the
nominating process more reflective of the population of the
United States. While I greatly respect the voters of Iowa and
New Hampshire, I do not believe that those two states are representative
of the demographics of the rest of the country. By having two
very diverse states, one in the west and one in the south, we
will be able to select a nominee that will appeal to a true
cross-section of America. I was proud to vote for this change
to the nominating calendar. Despite the objection of several
elected officials and DNC members, the change passed overwhelmingly.
In addition to the Delegate Selection Rules, we are also supposed
to issue the official Call to the 2008 Convention. However,
there was a problem that prevented this from happening. As many
of you are aware and have brought to my attention, the nominating
calendar does keeps moving earlier and earlier. Front-loading
is a problem within the party that does need to be corrected.
To correct this problem, the Rules & Bylaws Committee suggested
awarding bonus delegates to states that would hold their caucus
or primary later in the year. (For example if Wisconsin had
our primary in April instead of February, we would be able to
get additional delegates to the convention.) In order to cover
the bonus delegates, however, the Call to the Convention would
eliminate a majority of the alternates to the National Convention.
There was a heavy amount of concern from members about this
issue. As such, the official Call to the 2008 Democratic National
Convention was referred back to the Rules Committee for further
review and discussion.
I will wrap up my discussion of 2008 with a quick preview of
the potential host cities for the National Convention. The list
of applicants has narrowed to three cities: New York, Minneapolis/St.
Paul, and Denver. A small committee appointed by Chairman Dean
is reviewing the applications and visiting the cities, with
a host to be announced sometime in late November. If you want
more information regarding the selection process, I highly recommend
reading: http://demconwatch.blogspot.com/.
Moving away from talking of 2008, let me fill you in on the
DNC’s Youth Council. One of the primary reasons I ran
for the DNC two years ago (has it already been two years?!?)
was to make sure that the youngest generation of voters had
a voice at the table. Because of that, I have been working hard
with other DNC members in developing the Youth Coordinating
Council. We are currently in the process of deciding on the
actual structure of the council. We had a great meeting this
afternoon where we asked ourselves a lot of questions relating
to what the council should look like. Those questions included
how many members should be appointed from each state and who
should appoint the members?
We also asked ourselves what the immediate short terms goals
of the Youth Coordinating Council should be. The members present
today agreed to start with five goals for the Youth Council.
Those goals, in no specific order, are to:
Decide on a structure for the council and write by-laws
Build the membership of the council to involve more young Democrats
in the party
Develop a system of communication to reach out to voters aged
18 to 36
Educate younger Democrats on the national convention delegate
selection process
Cultivate a new set of party donors from within the younger
generation of voters
Over the next few months, I will be working with the DNC staff
and other DNC members to write by-laws for the Council that
will allow us to involve as many young Democrats as possible
and help build the future of our party.
The meeting this weekend gave me great inspiration for a Democratic
tidal wave in November. If the poll numbers I’ve seen
and the general attitudes I have been hearing are any indication,
November will be a good month to be a Democrat. I really think
in Wisconsin and in the nation we have the opportunity for huge
Democratic gains. And the more we share our message over the
next 80 days, the more we will gain support to help stir up
an even larger tidal wave.
It was also announced today that our next DNC meeting will be
in Washington, D.C. the first weekend of February. I believe
that about covers everything that took place this weekend in
Chicago. My apologies if I seemed to ramble on and on. I just
feel that it is my duty as a DNC member to make sure that all
Wisconsin Democrats know what is happening on the national level.
Feel free to forward this along to any other interested individuals
or groups.
Now, if you will indulge me for just one moment, I will give
you an update on what I am up to personally. I spent my summer
months out in Washington, D.C. working for a Democratic consulting
firm. It was a great learning experience and provided me with
important campaign skills. I am now back in Milwaukee, getting
ready to start my second year at Marquette University. While
I’m excited to get back to studying, I’m even more
excited to be out on the campaign trail working to make sure
we re-elect Governor Doyle, Lieutenant Governor Lawton, Senator
Kohl, and the rest of the great Democratic ticket.
So, I’ve gone on long enough now. As always, if there
is anything that I can do for you, your county party, a candidate
in your area, or anything at all, please do not hesitate to
let me know. I am here to serve you. I send you all my best.
Forward to a Democratic victory this November!
Democratically yours,
Jason R. Rae
DNC Member – WI
P&R Committee, Chair
raejason@yahoo.com
715.790.4334
April
2006 DNC Report: Looking ahead to 2008
by
Jason Rae
Greetings
Wisconsin Democrats!
The grass is getting greener, the temperature is getting warmer,
and Democrats are getting closer to winning back our country.
I want to take just a moment of your time today and provide
a brief overview of the recent happenings of the Democratic
National Committee.
We have just concluded our spring meeting in the wonderful city
of New Orleans. If I didn’t love Wisconsin so much, I
would certainly have to consider relocating down here. It is
a gorgeous city, with a vibrant personality.
One of the best parts of this meeting was that we had an opportunity
to participate in a variety of service projects. Yesterday afternoon
I helped to clean out a house for a very sweet woman who had
lost everything. Our group of 20 was responsible for knocking
down all the sheetrock, removing the flooring, and much more.
The house was totally destroyed, but this wasn’t even
the worst hit area. The media does not do justice to the total
devastation that occurred in the Gulf Region. I want to publicly
applaud Governor Dean for giving us this great opportunity to
serve our fellow man.
Besides the time in New Orleans working in the community, we
also did get down to business.
While in New Orleans, I attended the first meeting of the DNC’s
Youth Coordinating Council. The council is composed of all DNC
members under 36 years of age with the mission of assisting
the DNC in developing youth-focused strategies. At this meeting
of the council, Governor Dean appointed a Chair and Co-Chair,
and I am disappointed to let you know that I was not selected
for one of those two positions. I will keep fighting hard to
make sure that the newest generation is heard and perhaps will
be considered for an appointment in the future.
We also had the opportunity to sit and meet with the DNC pollster.
Polling shows that faith-focused voters are breaking away from
the Republicans and starting to move our way. When we ask people
why they don’t approve of Bush anymore, we get answers
such as they don’t trust him and they don’t find
him honest. (Which of course, he isn’t honest and we can’t
trust him, but that’s another story!) Congressional numbers
show us getting to an exciting level, with 52% of voters supporting
Democrats and only 38% supporting Republicans. I have a phenomenal
feeling that November is going to be a good, good month to be
a Democrat.
The DNC is organizing focus groups and beginning to wordsmith
our message and talking points for the fall. A sample statement
that they gave us is: "We need to make sure our streets
here at home are safe – not just those in Baghdad. Homeland
security begins with hometown security." We were told that
one of the big ways to reach out to independents this time around
is to focus on family and security. This goes hand-in-hand with
the wonderful message that the Democratic Party of Wisconsin
created with "Freedom, Family, Fairness."
We had several discussions over the week in regards to the 2008
Presidential Nominating Calendar. Nothing official was passed
at this meeting, but we did get a good idea of what would be
happening from Jim Roosevelt. The DNC is likely going to allow
one or two caucuses to follow Iowa, but before New Hampshire.
After that, there will also be one or two primaries following
New Hampshire, before the "window" is opened to other
states. The DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee listened
to the twelve states that applied to move to an earlier date
because they felt they were diverse and would make a clear alternative
to Iowa and New Hampshire. The states that applied include West
Virginia, Michigan, Arkansas, Nevada, and Hawaii, among others.
I would be more than happy to discuss this with you further.
I find it difficult to summarize a complete DNC rule change
into a few sentences.
Thinking ahead to 2008, we also had the opportunity to meet
with several of the potential hosts for the 2008 Democratic
National Convention. The City of Denver threw a large celebration
on Friday evening. I had the chance to meet with members of
their delegation and discuss what Denver can do for Democrats.
We also had a breakfast with the City of Minneapolis. They too
had wonderful information to share and were trying hard to win
our support. These are just two of the cities interested in
hosting the convention. I am very anxious to see which city
the Governor chooses. If you want more information regarding
the selection process, I highly recommend reading: http://demconwatch.blogspot.com/.
I find it to be extremely informational. And as well, if you
have questions, do not hesitate to ask! I’m here to assist
you.
The members of the Wisconsin delegation also submitted a resolution
to the DNC honoring the life and career of former Senator William
Proxmire. The resolution passed the full DNC unanimously. If
you would like to have a copy of the resolution, I would be
happy to send that to you.
That about covers the political aspect of our meeting here in
New Orleans. It was a wonderful time.
On a much more personal note, I want to pause briefly and give
you an update on where I am in my life. I am wrapping up my
first year at Marquette University. It has been a great year
thus far and I am looking forward to more. I have also just
been offered an internship in Washington, D.C. for the summer
so I will be heading out there for June and July to work with
a Democratic consulting and campaign group. I am anxious to
spend some time in D.C., but don’t worry, I’ll be
back in Wisconsin plenty.
With all of that said, I should probably let you get back to
your busy lives. If you have any questions or if there is anything
I can do for you, please do not hesitate to let me know. I am
here to serve as your voice to the national level and will do
whatever I can for you.
I hope that you have a phenomenal day and a wonderful week!
I look forward to seeing many of you at this year’s State
Convention in La Crosse.
Democratically yours,
Jason R. Rae
DNC Member – WI
raejason@yahoo.com
715.790.4334
January 2006 DNC Report:
Rae Seeks Chairmanship of New Youth Coordinating Council
by Jason Rae
Shalom Wisconsin Democrats!
I hope that your new year is off to a tremendous start. 2006
is going to be a great year to be a Democrat in the state of
Wisconsin and in the nation!
I just wanted to take a moment of your time today to give you
a very brief DNC update, as well as give a short synopsis of
my recent adventure to Israel.
First, as I stated last month, the DNC recently passed a resolution
calling for the creation of a DNC Youth Coordinating Council.
The purpose of the council is to work with the College Democrats
of America, the Young Democrats of America, and all DNC members
under a certain age to develop a coordinated message and GOTV
plan for the “youth” vote. I have been participating
in conference calls with officials from across the country as
we work to set-up this council. Our first official meeting of
this council will be in New Orleans in April.
I have also informed the other members of the council that I
will be seeking the position of Chair. This cause is one in
which I feel very strongly about. I ran for my position to the
DNC to work to represent America’s next generation of
voters, and I feel that this is one of the ways to do that.
I will keep you informed as I learn more about the future of
the Coordinating Council.
Now I want to indulge you for just a moment and discuss an exciting
opportunity that I recently was able to experience. I was chosen
by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) to participate in a study
mission to Israel for one week at the beginning of this month.
The goal of the mission was to bring together politically active
college students to meet with Israeli government officials to
learn first hand about the present situation. It was truly an
honor to be one of the 16 students that was chosen for this
all-expenses paid trip. I came away with a wealth of knowledge,
as well as new perspectives on the conflict.
One of our first speakers on Thursday, January 5th, was Mark
Regev. He is currently serving as the spokesman for the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs. The majority of his presentation focused
on the role of Iran and the Iranian president. After that, he
discussed the prospect of peace between the Israelis and Palestinians.
He insisted that before a peace could ever be reached, the Palestinians
must have a change of leadership and fix its own internal problems.
The change of leadership in the Palestinian Authority was a
frequent theme brought up. Maysa Baransa, a Palestinian who
works for All for Peace radio, talked to our group about Hamas’
presence in the upcoming elections. It was interesting to hear
how Hamas was working to change their image from a terrorist
organization to a group that can be involved in the peace process.
A speaker later that day, a Palestinian journalist, proudly
told our group that he intended to vote for Hamas, as do many
of his friends and family. In his opinion, the present administration
has been ineffective and they are willing to give someone else
an opportunity to try to find peace. I am anxious to see how
the elections turn out in a week. I have a strong belief that
Hamas will do surprisingly well. (How the Bush administration
will respond to that is a topic for another day!)
We also had an up-close look at the settlement situation in
Israel. First, we sat down with a settler from the West Bank
(who is actually originally from Wisconsin). His perspective
was one of the most interesting. While he would like to live
in peace, he said that giving up his home will not the solution.
From polling we saw, Israelis overwhelmingly support withdrawing
from the West Bank if that will end the violence. After he was
finished, we did have the opportunity to tour the security wall
being built and learn about its impact in preventing violence.
One of the most fascinating speakers to our group was the Israeli
Defense Force soldiers. In Israel, all citizens are required
to serve a set number of years in the armed forces. These soldiers
were not much older than myself. They were all a part of the
Gaza disengagement and explained to us the reaction from those
citizens living there. It was a very memorable experience.
Perhaps one speaker you would find interesting to know about
is Gil Gefen. He works in the Knesset, which is the Israeli
Senate. He spoke about the system of government and political
parties. However, it was an answer to a question asked that
scared me the most. He explained how delighted he and the rest
of the Israeli population was with President Bush’s decision
to invade Iraq. More than that, he continued by saying he could
not wait for the President to go into Iran and remove the Iranian
president. It was not something I was expecting to hear!
I’m finding this hard to summarize a whole trip in just
a few words. I was truly overwhelmed with the amount of information
I gained during the week I was in Israel. I spoke with the police
commander of a town that has been host to endless suicide bombings.
I sat with a local family for Shabbat dinner and learned about
their impressions of Ariel Sharon and the future of the Kadima
Party. I listened to students talk about the daily fear in which
they live.
However, upon leaving the country, I find myself with a reassured
hope that peace will soon be achieved in this tumultuous region.
Every speaker, Israelis and Palestinians, talked about the necessity
to end the violence and move on with a normal, peaceful life.
It was a phenomenal trip!
That's probably enough information to share right now. If you
should have any other questions about my voyages to Israel,
my impressions of the situation, or to learn more about the
speakers, please do not hesitate to ask. I really cannot summarize
the amazing things I did in a few short sentences.
As always, if I can be of any assistance to you or your county
party or candidates, please don't hesitate to let me know. I
hope that you have a wonderful day and a great week! All my
best to you!
Democratically yours,
Jason Rae
DNC Member – WI
raejason@yahoo.com
715.790.4334
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Jason Rae
is one of Wisconsin's four DNC members, and a former Vice Chair
of the Barron County Democratic Party |
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