Cabinet Picks!

According to the site of The Office of the President-Elect, Barack Obama has picked his nominees for the National Security Team.

For Secretary of State he has Hillary Clinton. Just a few days ago at our meeting we debated the issues surrounding Hillary as Secretary of State. The group was divided, with many members saying she is perfect as she has foreign policy experience, is well respected, intelligent, and much more. Those on the other side of the argument said that the best secretaries of state have been viewed as an extension of the President himself, and Clinton and Obama's fierce fight for the Democratic nomination had divided the two too much to be viewed as almost the same person.
As we all know those who argued for Hillary as SoS obviously won out over in Washington, but we will see in the coming years if she was truly a good fit for this position.

Other announced nominees are:
Eric Holder as Attorney General
Governor Janet Napolitano as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security
Susan Rice as Ambassador to the United Nations - (no she is not related to Condi Rice, I already checked.)
General Jim Jones, USMC (Ret) as National Security Adviser
President-elect Obama also announced that he has asked Robert Gates to stay on as Secretary of Defense.

Source: http://change.gov/newsroom/entry/the_national_security_team/

OBAMA Wins!!!

Last night Barack Obama became the 44th President of the United States!!!

After all the sweat, and flyering, and phone banking, and talking to friends and neighbors, and classmates and relatives, we did it.
He won.

Yes. We. Can. ?

We did.

Around the world people cried and hugged loved ones, and called friends to share in a moment that I believe every person alive will remember vividly.
I know I will.


I eagerly await the next four years.

So thank you to everyone who ever volunteered, or explained to a friend or family member why they were voting for Barack Obama. This election was huge. America reminded the world of what makes us great, and the world joined us in our celebration.



I feel blessed to have been just a tiny part of this, and everything about this election is amazing, something I will never forget.

So thank you to the youth that finally showed that we can turn out and vote, and thank you America, for electing a President who will be amazing.

Vegas Stories/American Stories

Last weekend was probably the most important weekend of my life.
Not everyone will be able to say they took a trip, hundreds of miles, to help take part in the more important election we'll probably ever seen in our lifetime.
Regardless of the out come of this election, we can say we were part of history. We can say that we proudly gave one weekend to make sure that this country was put on the right track and the voices of millions upon millions of people will actually be heard.
13 people went to Las Vegas on October 24th, 2008. 2 days later one group returned, exhausted, drained, exhilarated, delirious and absolutely invigorated about what they witnessed.

Thousands of people, reflecting the thoughts and hopes of a nation, all energized, entranced, excited and for the first time in a lot of people's lives, hopeful about what was about to come next.

Thanks to everyone who came and everyone who supported. It was unforgettable and fantastic and I hope the experiences we bring back will make everyone realize the impact and importance of this election.



To end it, here is Barack Obama's address to the nation that aired last night

5 Days Until Election Day!

This is the first ever Young Democrats @ UCI Blog! We're 5 weeks into the school year and we've already taken part in 3 debates on campus, hosted a Sushi making party, a watch party of Michael Moore's "Slacker Uprising", and taken a trip to Las Vegas to campaign for Obama! Needless to say, it's been a busy 5 weeks.

Now election day is only 5 days away, so here is a little bit of information we wanted to share with you...

Still Undecided in this Presidential Election? David Sedaris has something to say on the matter in this The New Yorker article.

And if you've missed any of the public service announcements put out by the No on 8 team, here's one for your viewing pleasure... For more information on defeating prop 8, visit the "Vote No on Prop 8" website


In other news, a few days ago The New York Times released an Op-Ed Article, "The Endorsement From Hell" claiming that Al Qaeda is endorsing McCain in the US Election. And I quote...

'Al Qaeda will have to support McCain in the coming election,' read a commentary on a password-protected Islamist Web site that is closely linked to Al Qaeda and often disseminates the group’s propaganda. ...
Yet the endorsement of Mr. McCain by a Qaeda-affiliated Web site isn’t a surprise to security specialists. 'From their perspective, a continuation of Bush policies is best for recruiting,' said Professor Nye, adding that Mr. McCain is far more likely to continue those policies.
An American president who keeps troops in Iraq indefinitely, fulminates about Islamic terrorism, inclines toward military solutions and antagonizes other nations is an excellent recruiting tool. In contrast, an African-American president with a Muslim grandfather and a penchant for building bridges rather than blowing them up would give Al Qaeda recruiters fits.

Now that's an endorsement that probably won't be listed on his website.


If you came to meeting last night you should be pretty well informed on all the Propositions by now, but just in case you missed it, here is an LA Times article that goes into great detail about each of the props.

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In Young Democrats @ UCI news a group of about 10 club members took a roadtrip to Las Vegas last weekend to help canvas in a battleground state. The trip entailed
4 1/2 hours of driving each way
3 Panhandlers
2 days of canvassing
1 night out on the Strip
and an unquantifiable good time!

At the Obama Rally!

Night out on the Strip




















Pre-Canvasing






That's about it for this first blog. Don't forget to get out and vote! Election Day is November 4th, but if you're sending in an absentee ballot you need to send it by Thursday October 30, or drop it off at the polls on Election Day to make sure it is counted!
(On a side note: if you mail your ballot in, take it in to the post office to ENSURE you have the right amount of postage. Don't take anyone's word for it but the USPS, you want your vote COUNTED!)

That's all for this time, if you have any questions or concerns feel free to contact Young Democrats @ UCI by emailing us at youngdems@zotters.org

Peace. Love. Young Dems.