Fellow Kossacks,
I'm excited to announce that after more than a year's work, my book, Youth to Power: How Today's Young Voters Are Building Tomorrow's Progressive Majority, is finally published.
A huge thank you to my publishers, Ig Publishing (a wonderful independent outfit that also published fellow-Kossack and blogger Jeffrey Feldman's books), and all the youth vote activists and researchers who agreed to be interviewed and helped me along the way. After the jump I'll let you know why I wrote this book, and what it's all about.
And if you are in New York City, come by the launch party tonight at the Tank (279 Church St.). Open bar from 8 - 10.
I've been working in or writing about progressive youth politics since 2004, when I helped to found Music for America, a now-closed partisan GOTV organization that began in the Dean Campaign grassroots and ended up registering and delivering partisan, progressive messaging to young voters at over 2,400 live music events in 2004. That year also saw the birth of great organizations like the Oregon Bus Project, The League of Young Voters, Drinking Liberally and many more. Literally dozens of organizations were started to reach out to young voters and counteract 30 years of conservative investment in courting its own young voters.
The results were amazing; they were also ignored. Youth turnout in 2004 increased by over 4 million votes - from 40% in 2000 to 49%. Young voters were the only age group to choose John Kerry over George W. Bush (54 - 45%). The media and many even in the Democratic Party ignored those results. The ensuing narrative was that - once again - the kids didn't show up.
Since then, many more progressive youth organization have sprung up, turnout continues to rise, and we are slowly building a new progressive majority. It's strange writing about it now, since Sen. Obama has spent the last 2 months riding a wave of youth support and rewriting the youth vote narrative. But this movement is bigger than Obama. It was here before his campaign launched, and while he is amplifying it and channeling its energy at the moment, this movement will still be here when Sen. Obama is no longer on the ballot - be that a month from now or eight years from now.
Thats why I wrote this book, and it's why I think this is so important. One of the biggest weaknesses of all youth organizing is the lack of institutional memory. Everyone is always a novice, relearning the same lessons over and over again. I wanted to tell the story of the boom in progressive youth organizing that we've witnessed these last five years - culminating in the Obama campaign - and provide that institutional memory we so often lack. In that, I think I succeeded, and I hope everyone involved in progressive youth organizing finds it to be a good introduction to the movement they are joining. For those older folks in the movement, I hope I've put together a compelling narrative that educates about the importance and engagement of young voters today. With that, here's a quick look at what's in the book:
Youth to Power: How Today's Young Voters Are Building Tomorrow's Progressive Majority
Rise of the Millennials
A look at the new generation of young voters. Known as Millennials, they are optimistic, diverse, engaged, and outnumber the Baby Boomers.
The Conservative Youth Factory
For three decades the conservative youth movement has outspent their progressive counterparts by 10 - 1. What has the conservative youth movement accomplished, how has it done so, and what can we learn from their successes and failures?
A Brief History of the Youth Vote
A look at the youth vote from 1972 to the present, this tracks youth activism trends during that time, including the rise of conservative youth in the 1980s.
The [dot] Org Boom
A look at how a cadre of high level donors and young political outsiders with fresh ideas remade progressive youth politics.
Rebuilding the Democratic Youth Brand
A look at how the Young Democrats remade themselves between 2002 and 2006, and how the College Democrats failed to capitalize on the youth boom during that time period.
Hip Hop the Vote: Social Justice and Electoral Politics
A look at how social justice and community organizations decided to engage electoral politics in 2004, and the financial and organizational barriers they face in turning out under-served communities.
Rebirth of Cool: Culture and Community in Progressive Politics
Popular culture is a progressive's natural ally. This chapter examines how Democrats alienated these cultural allies in the 80s and 90s, and how new youth organizers embraced culture to engage a new generation of voters.
Web of Change: Millennials and Technology
An examination of how Millennials are using technology to change politics.
If you are interested in reading more about the book, you can visit the website - Youth to Power - or stop by TPM Cafe's Table of One, where I am blogging about the book all week long. If you'd like to read more about young voters, stop by my blog - Future Majority - which is dedicated solely to covering progressive youth activism.