A Dream Confirmed

A man once had a dream
A poet once lamented a lost dream
A child once cried out for his lynched mother

We’ve lived and died an American dream
An American nightmare across the seas in burning deserts
Shot and bleeding in the streets of Kabul

But limping, wounded, strong, powerful and resolute

That dream continues to thrive and grow
Rallying around signs of hope, progress, change,
Around a half African, half Kansan, swirls the first seeds of courage

Around the youth of this nation, around the angry old generations, the past old guard, wanting something more, something greater, something momentous and beautiful.

This isn’t just about change. This is about re-birth. This is about genesis, a new beginning.

This is not just symbolic, this is real, pervasive, true and alive.
Langson Hughes once asked what happens to a dream deferred. Does it explode? Does it fester and rot until it destroys itself?

Thankfully we wont have to ask anymore, as the dream is now, undeniably, incredibly, wonderfully and finally confirmed.

Change is here. And my is it sweet.


- by: Emilio Arias, written for Inauguration Celebration - January 20th, 2009

Inauguation & President Obama!

Obama has officially been inaugurated!

At what is being reported as the most attended Presidential Inauguration ever, (he beat out LBJ who previously held the title, and beat out Clinton by 1 million), D.C. Mayor is saying that 1.8 million people were on the Mall attending the event, "The National Parks Service estimates Tuesday’s crowd to be the largest ever at the Mall", according to Politico.

There was of course the now famous slip up by Roberts about the placement of the word "faithfully" within the oath. In case you somehow missed it, here's a video:


Later that night Politico is reporting that President Obama retook the oath in the Map Room of the White House. This has spurned what I believe is a spurious debate over the authenticity of the orders Obama signed before retaking the oath. If you want to to read the article go here, but I think they're just looking for hairs to split and SOMETHING to talk about.

One of his first executive orders as President was to put a pay freeze on all White House staff who make more than $100,000/yr, which is roughly 100 people. He is quoted by MSNBC as saying "Families are tightening their belts, and so should Washington...". And in an effort to create transparency within the government,

Obama said he would change the way the federal government interprets the Freedom of Information Act. He said he was directing agencies that vet requests for information to err on the side of making information public — not to look for reasons to legally withhold it — an alteration to the traditional standard of evaluation. - once again according to MSNBC

Newsweek is also reporting what I find to be fantastic news:

In the first sign of friction within his new administration, President Obama overruled the pleas of senior U.S. intelligence officials and signed a new executive order that bars the CIA from using harsh interrogation methods beyond those permitted by the U.S. military.

Yay!! The US will no longer be breaking international law, at least on the torture front. This same directive also includes an order to close Guantanamo, something many people have been looking forward to. Though it's a bit up in the air over where all these detainees will go until their cases can be sorted out, it has even been suggested Camp Pendleton here in our own Southern California. In other news the Guardian is reporting that a town in Vermont has indicted Bush and Cheney for "crimes against our Constitution", though it is unlikely this will get much done.

Balance of power trying to find balance:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/22/president.tension/index.html
Is a divided majority good or bad? How much should we roll back and change from the previous administration? Would spending time repairing damage be a waste?

George Mitchell named special envoy for the Middle East:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/22/obama.mitchell/index.html
Former Senate Majority Leader, is he qualified? What role does US foreign policy have in the conflict? How involved in peace talks must we get? Authored Peace Accords in northern Ireland and served in similar capacity with Bush Administration, calling for "a halt to Israeli settlements and greater Palestinian efforts to crack down on terror."

Henry: Obama's first full day takes turn for the weird

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/22/obama.henry/index.html?iref=mpstoryview
Does this violate Obama's promise of openness?

Obama pushes for Gaza truce to hold

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2009/01/200912222168481201.html

"I think this is an unfortunate start for President Obama in the region and the Middle East issue. And it looks like the next four years, if it continues with the same tone, will be a total failure."- Osama Hamdan, Hamas Leader

Obama orders Guantanamo closure

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2009/01/2009122163150709233.html

Obama orders closure of controversial prison within a year. review of the military tribunals set up by the Bush administration to try them. Torture to be defined by the army regulations handbook. A "Step in the right direction".

What do we expect, and want, out of the first 100 days?
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/13/zelizer.hundred/index.html

COUNTDOWN TO INAUGURATION!!!

Obama Countdown
created by James Miller

President-elect Barack Obama is being sworn into office in just a few days!
Everyones hard work and voting really paid off this time. Thanks to everyone for all your hard work and the commitment everyone put in, it's going to be worth it.

Here's to the next four years!

CHANGE.gov

Change.gov, the official website of "The Office of the President Elect" is up and running. Here you can view Obama's weekly address to the nation (much like FDR's much loved Fireside Chats), learn more Obama and Biden, and catch up on the official Obama blog.

One of my favorite aspects about the website is the "Citizens Briefing Book" where anyone can upload an idea they have for the government or President Obama, and other people can vote on these ideas. The most popular idea on the website right now suggests ending prohibitions on marijuana. Other top ideas include making America the "greenest" nation, getting rid of abstinence only sex-education, and creating more light rail and bullet trains.

I'm sure these topics and more are important to you, so get on the site and vote, or present your own idea, you never know, it may end up on the Presidential docket!

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.

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.