Wednesday, June 27, 2007
CYD Tells the Governor to Stop Pretending to be the President
Governor forgoes budget haggling
By Kevin Yamamura - Bee Capitol Bureau
Published 12:00 am PDT Wednesday, June 27, 2007Story appeared in MAIN NEWS section, Page A3
By Kevin Yamamura - Bee Capitol Bureau
Published 12:00 am PDT Wednesday, June 27, 2007Story appeared in MAIN NEWS section, Page A3
Stacy Berger, right, and Chris Chafee of California Young Democrats deliver postcards to the governor's office criticizing him for traveling to Europe during budget talks and the Tahoe wildfire. Sacramento Bee/Lezlie Sterling
After visiting the British prime minister, French president and friends in Austria, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger returns today to Sacramento with no spending plan in place four days before the start of the fiscal year.
Besides traveling to Europe, the governor last week addressed health care executives, mayors and political junkies at three conferences in Las Vegas and Los Angeles.
But the Republican governor still has not convened a "Big Five" meeting with legislative leaders in his Capitol office to hash out the budget. Instead, he has asked them to resolve their differences on their own, a contrast from previous governors who would preside over budget meetings with leaders on a daily basis.
Schwarzenegger has used a hands-off strategy ever since Republican and Democratic leaders last year struck deals on the budget and public works bonds without involving him until the end. The governor also allowed lawmakers to negotiate a $7.9 billion prison package on their own in April before he signed the legislation and praised the deal.
Some Democratic activists criticized the governor this week for being absent earlier this week, but Schwarzenegger officials say the governor has found it more effective to have legislative leaders meet before engaging him.
"This is the same sort of leadership that led to the infrastructure bonds and the prison reform package," said Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear. "He thinks it's better to have respect for all four caucuses and allow them to do their jobs."
The governor's top aides contact lawmakers in between leadership meetings to remain involved. But they do not sit in on meetings among Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, Senate Republican leader Dick Ackerman, Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez and Assembly Republican leader Mike Villines. Without the governor, the once-dubbed "Big Five" has become the "Big Four."
Both Perata, D-Oakland, and Ackerman, R-Irvine, said they prefer to negotiate without Schwarzenegger until late in the process, and have not asked for his help. Before the governor left for Europe late Saturday, Perata told Schwarzenegger that his presence at budget meetings was unnecessary, though the Senate leader now believes lawmakers are at an impasse and need the governor.
"It's worked in the past," Perata said of the governor's strategy. "I think this year he's going to have to come in and lift a little more because we are quite a bit apart. The only way we're going to close that gap is by having the governor force that gap to be closed."
Former Gov. George Deukmejian began "Big Five" budget sessions in 1983 when he grappled with a then-sizable $2 billion budget hole, said Steve Merksamer, Deukmejian's chief of staff.
"We felt like we couldn't work with leaders of the Assembly," Merksamer said. "There were too many issues and too many personalities, so the governor convened a 'Big Five.'"
The meetings carried on for days, lasting from morning until night with a dinner break, he said. Gov. Pete Wilson took up the "Big Five" tradition in the 1990s, and Gov. Gray Davis convened similar meetings with leaders, although not as frequently as Wilson.
Merksamer suggested that term limits have reduced the collective budget experience of legislative leaders and aides, making sessions with the governor far less productive than they once were. The need for such meetings may be greater in years with more significant budget problems, said Dan Schnur, former communications director for Wilson.
"The biggest difference between Wilson and Schwarzenegger isn't their negotiating style; it's the economic environment," Schnur said. "Particularly in Wilson's first term, it took a lot of pressure and arm-twisting from the governor to get legislators to make some very difficult decisions."
Despite daily "Big Five" meetings in 1992, Wilson and lawmakers set a record with a 64-day budget standoff.
"I remember one that was two months late, and the governor was here every day," said former Senate President Pro Tem John Burton.
Schwarzenegger used to conduct traditional meetings with lawmakers as a budget rookie in 2004, when Burton was in his final term. Burton, a colorful Democratic leader, was known at the time for making espresso for the governor during the "Big Five" meetings, as well as for shutting off his coffee machine when the governor called lawmakers "girlie men."
"He probably wasn't as engaged as Pete, but you know, Pete had a lot more experience," Burton said. "Arnold was engaged. He'd listen, ask questions, talk to his people."
But Schnur suggested Schwarzenegger changed tactics completely after suffering across-the-board political defeats in 2005's special election.
"Schwarzenegger learned that drawing a line in the sand at the beginning of the process isn't nearly as effective as stepping in to reconcile the two sides at the end," Schnur said.
When Schwarzenegger is out of state, state law dictates that he relinquishes his powers as governor. The California Young Democrats attacked Schwarzenegger on Monday for being in Europe during this week's Angora fire and budget talks. Assemblyman Hector De La Torre, D-South Gate, a budget subcommittee chairman, said Schwarzenegger's overseas trip simply came at the wrong time.
"I think going off on a little road trip to Europe doesn't send the best message in regard to engagement on the budget," said De La Torre. "Even if you were to believe the 'Big Four' could bring things to a close in short order, he'd need to be there to close the deal."
California Young Democrats Work Toward More Red to Blue in 2008
The California Young Democrats are delighted by a new poll released yesterday by The New York Times, CBS, and MTV which reveals that young voters favor Democrats over Republicans. The poll conducted from June 15 - 23rd shows that young Americans dramatically favor the Democratic candidates over the Republicans in the 2008 presidential election by a spread of 54 to 32. Furthermore, the poll also shows that young Americans are far more likely to agree with Democratic positions on issues. Also evident from the polling is the fact that young people are engaged early on in the 2008 election and are closely following the important issues facing our country. [ New York Times, 6/27/07]
New data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that, for the second major election in a row, young voter turnout rose in 2006. An analysis of the data from the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at the University of Maryland confirms early estimates of increased young voter turnout and finds that 10.8 million 18-29 year olds voted in 2006, a nearly two million vote increase from 2002 levels (8.9 million). This is following young voters' large turnout increase in 2004, when 4.3 million more 18-29 year olds voted than had in 2000 and increased their turnout rate by nine percentage points, more than twice the overall electorate's 4-point increase. CIRCLE's analysis also shows that while turnout was up among voters of all ages in 2006 (by 1.7 percentage points), 18-29 year olds yet again increased their turnout by more, jumping by 3 percentage points from 2002 to 2006 - nearly twice the increase of the overall electorate. [Young Voter Strategies, 6/15/07 ]
"The young voters polling data and U.S. Census Bureau data is promising evidence that young voters in California and across the country are engaged in politics, vote when they are asked by one of their peers, and will be the margin of victory that elects a Democrat to the White House in 2008," said California Young Democrats President Tim Steed. "CYD is using a peer-to-peer outreach program to target young voters specifically, which is a proven mobilization tactic for this demographic. In last year's elections, we ran this program in Senate District 34 and were able to turn out 1500 voters that were not being targeted by the campaign. In a race that was won by less than 1400 votes, we know our efforts made the difference."
"This latest poll gives further proof that our efforts of targeting young voters directly, is exactly where our priority should be. Young voters see Democrats as working hard on the issues that really matter to their lives - college affordability, ending the Iraq War, affordable healthcare for all, and environmental sustainability," says Nick Warshaw, President of the California College Democrats. "We must now step up to the challenge and see that these newly engaged young voters, who prefer the Democratic Party, voice their opinions in the upcoming elections."
Young Americans Are Leaning Left, New Poll Finds, The New York Times, June 27, 2007
Young Americans are more likely than the general public to favor a government-run universal health care insurance system, an open-door policy on immigration and the legalization of gay marriage, according to a New York Times/CBS News/MTV poll… The poll offers a snapshot of a group whose energy and idealism have always been as alluring to politicians as its scattered focus and shifting interests have been frustrating. It found that substantially more Americans ages 17 to 29 than four years ago are paying attention to the presidential race. But they appeared to be really familiar with only two of the candidates, Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton, both Democrats.
Poll: Young Voters Favor Obama, Clinton, CBS News, June 26, 2007
(CBS) NEW YORK Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are the favored presidential candidates of younger Americans, according to a poll conducted by CBS News, The New York Times and MTV.Eighteen percent say they're enthusiastic about Obama and 17 percent are enthusiastic about Clinton – far more than say the same about Republicans Rudy Giuliani (4 percent), Mitt Romney (2 percent) and potential candidate Fred Thompson (2 percent).
Young People Ready to Vote, Sacramento Bee, June 12, 2007"Matt Carson, just shy of 18, has thoughts on the war in Iraq, the way we secure our borders and how his paycheck is taxed. He made sure Monday that he is a man to be reckoned with -- at least in the voting booth. The Elk Grove teen joined 9,372 others his age who have registered to vote in Sacramento County...Sacramento County Voter Registration and Elections gathered a handful of teens Monday in an effort to promote voting. The office is boosting registration among young voters in collaboration with schools."
The Future of Political Communications: Connecting With Young Voters, The New York Times, June 10, 2007The New York Times' political blog covers last week's conference at The George Washington University in D.C., a daylong event which brought together online strategists from an array of 2008 presidential campaigns, as well as new media guru Joe Trippi, YVS Executive Director Heather Smith, executives from Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, and Comcast, and David Burstein, creator of the new film "I'm 18 in '08."
"Young America for Edwards" Launches, Future Majority, June 16, 2007From the new website: "This site is for young people, and inspired by young people. All across the country, young people are leading the charge on the major issues facing America today-from ending the genocide in Darfur to stopping global warming to ending the war in Iraq...Young people like you from all across America are joining our community of progressive, socially conscious activists-so sign up today, and together, we can change America!"
Clinton's "Club 44" Courts Young Women Voters, The National Journal, June 7, 2007"Set in the pavilion on the corner of 11th and H Streets in downtown Washington, a handful of celebrities and female public figures were on hand to help Clinton kick off "Club 44" -- so-named because if elected, she would become the nation's 44th president. The hip and catchy-titled coalition calls on women between the ages of 18 and 29 to support her historic campaign to become the first woman to hold the presidency."
New data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that, for the second major election in a row, young voter turnout rose in 2006. An analysis of the data from the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at the University of Maryland confirms early estimates of increased young voter turnout and finds that 10.8 million 18-29 year olds voted in 2006, a nearly two million vote increase from 2002 levels (8.9 million). This is following young voters' large turnout increase in 2004, when 4.3 million more 18-29 year olds voted than had in 2000 and increased their turnout rate by nine percentage points, more than twice the overall electorate's 4-point increase. CIRCLE's analysis also shows that while turnout was up among voters of all ages in 2006 (by 1.7 percentage points), 18-29 year olds yet again increased their turnout by more, jumping by 3 percentage points from 2002 to 2006 - nearly twice the increase of the overall electorate. [Young Voter Strategies, 6/15/07 ]
"The young voters polling data and U.S. Census Bureau data is promising evidence that young voters in California and across the country are engaged in politics, vote when they are asked by one of their peers, and will be the margin of victory that elects a Democrat to the White House in 2008," said California Young Democrats President Tim Steed. "CYD is using a peer-to-peer outreach program to target young voters specifically, which is a proven mobilization tactic for this demographic. In last year's elections, we ran this program in Senate District 34 and were able to turn out 1500 voters that were not being targeted by the campaign. In a race that was won by less than 1400 votes, we know our efforts made the difference."
"This latest poll gives further proof that our efforts of targeting young voters directly, is exactly where our priority should be. Young voters see Democrats as working hard on the issues that really matter to their lives - college affordability, ending the Iraq War, affordable healthcare for all, and environmental sustainability," says Nick Warshaw, President of the California College Democrats. "We must now step up to the challenge and see that these newly engaged young voters, who prefer the Democratic Party, voice their opinions in the upcoming elections."
Young Americans Are Leaning Left, New Poll Finds, The New York Times, June 27, 2007
Young Americans are more likely than the general public to favor a government-run universal health care insurance system, an open-door policy on immigration and the legalization of gay marriage, according to a New York Times/CBS News/MTV poll… The poll offers a snapshot of a group whose energy and idealism have always been as alluring to politicians as its scattered focus and shifting interests have been frustrating. It found that substantially more Americans ages 17 to 29 than four years ago are paying attention to the presidential race. But they appeared to be really familiar with only two of the candidates, Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton, both Democrats.
Poll: Young Voters Favor Obama, Clinton, CBS News, June 26, 2007
(CBS) NEW YORK Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are the favored presidential candidates of younger Americans, according to a poll conducted by CBS News, The New York Times and MTV.Eighteen percent say they're enthusiastic about Obama and 17 percent are enthusiastic about Clinton – far more than say the same about Republicans Rudy Giuliani (4 percent), Mitt Romney (2 percent) and potential candidate Fred Thompson (2 percent).
Young People Ready to Vote, Sacramento Bee, June 12, 2007"Matt Carson, just shy of 18, has thoughts on the war in Iraq, the way we secure our borders and how his paycheck is taxed. He made sure Monday that he is a man to be reckoned with -- at least in the voting booth. The Elk Grove teen joined 9,372 others his age who have registered to vote in Sacramento County...Sacramento County Voter Registration and Elections gathered a handful of teens Monday in an effort to promote voting. The office is boosting registration among young voters in collaboration with schools."
The Future of Political Communications: Connecting With Young Voters, The New York Times, June 10, 2007The New York Times' political blog covers last week's conference at The George Washington University in D.C., a daylong event which brought together online strategists from an array of 2008 presidential campaigns, as well as new media guru Joe Trippi, YVS Executive Director Heather Smith, executives from Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, and Comcast, and David Burstein, creator of the new film "I'm 18 in '08."
"Young America for Edwards" Launches, Future Majority, June 16, 2007From the new website: "This site is for young people, and inspired by young people. All across the country, young people are leading the charge on the major issues facing America today-from ending the genocide in Darfur to stopping global warming to ending the war in Iraq...Young people like you from all across America are joining our community of progressive, socially conscious activists-so sign up today, and together, we can change America!"
Clinton's "Club 44" Courts Young Women Voters, The National Journal, June 7, 2007"Set in the pavilion on the corner of 11th and H Streets in downtown Washington, a handful of celebrities and female public figures were on hand to help Clinton kick off "Club 44" -- so-named because if elected, she would become the nation's 44th president. The hip and catchy-titled coalition calls on women between the ages of 18 and 29 to support her historic campaign to become the first woman to hold the presidency."
Monday, June 25, 2007
The Holy Grail of Young Voter Stats
Young Democrats-
We are going to be posting alot more on this blog in the coming weeks, months, and year. Just want to get folks excited about checking this blog!
Here is a great website for Young Voter Stats:
www.youngvoterstrategies.org
Enjoy!
We are going to be posting alot more on this blog in the coming weeks, months, and year. Just want to get folks excited about checking this blog!
Here is a great website for Young Voter Stats:
www.youngvoterstrategies.org
Enjoy!
