It might be a Faux Pas to write about yourself, but Marc Fisher of the Washington Post just wrote a great article, Grass Roots in a Virginia Basement about an organization that I am Executive Director of, Next Generation Democrats, and a candidate, Morris Meyer, that we are working with and I wanted to share it with my fellow Kossacks.
Next Generation Democrats was created after the 2006 elections to help cement the gains made in the midterms. We plan on doing this by preparing the next generation of Democratic leadership today, so that they are ready to step up when needed (and maybe even a little sooner than that).
From the article,
This underground war room in suburban Clifton is home to the Next Generation Democrats PAC, a start-up that aims to dish out enough money to make a difference -- both in the outcome of elections and in the role that young people play in politics. The guys plan to funnel donations to young candidates, but older office-seekers are eligible for gifts, too, if they use the cash to pay stipends to campaign staffers in their 20s. This PAC has ambition, swagger and about $2,500 in the bank, raised from family and friends.
We do this in two ways, first we help recruit young progressive candidates under the age of 40, and then we assist them financially, by consulting them and with volunteers. We recognize that young candidates don't always have the rolodex that someone who spent 20 years as a partner in a law firm might have.
We also recognize that young progressive staffers do not get paid enough, working for as little as $500-$1500 a month for a first time staffer. This is a great way to lose talent and prevent talented people from stepping up to the plate. So we are helping "subsidize" the cost of hiring young staffers by giving earmarked donations (must go to supplement pay to staffers under the age of 28) to progressive campaigns to help retain talent and get young organizers to the point in their career where they can make a living helping elect Democrats.
In the article, WaPo focuses on one of the young candidates that we are working with, Morris Meyer. A trained presenter of the Al Gore's Climate Change Presentation that is running for the Virginia House of Delegates on a true progressive and environmentally focused campaign.
The guys aren't into quixotic endeavors. They think Meyer can unseat Hugo because the delegate hasn't had to face any real competition before, because Virginia's transportation mess has discredited the Republicans who control Richmond, and because Meyer understands how the Internet and concerns about the fate of the Earth are changing politics.
If encouraging young progressive campaign organizers and candidates seems like something you can get behind, I encourage you to visit our website www.ngdpac.org and to sign up for E-mail Updates from NGD about candidates that we're working with and other opportunities to help.