"The Democratic party is one big party!" -Delegate Donald Hughes

We camped out in Leela's MySpace Cafe again yesterday afternoon, and a few awesome delegates stopped by to visit us. We met with North Carolina Democratic delegates Jared Hagemann and Donald Hughes, and you'll never believe this-- they're only eighteen and twenty years old! We talked with them for a bit about their experiences so far at the DNC, why they wanted to be delegates, and what issues they're most passionate about.
Here are a few highlights from what they had to say--

Declare Yourself: What has been the best part of being a delegate here at the DNC?
Jared: Definitely hearing all of these different stories. I'll just be talking to someone in the center and they'll end up being a state senator.
Donald: ...Meeting so many of our nation's leaders... It's an amazing experience.

DY: As you probably know, most delegates are much older. What's it like being so young in the midst of a higher age group, and what were your personal reasons for running to be a North Carolina delegate?
Jared: I wanted to be a delegate because I wanted to open the door to politics for my generation. This is going to be a historical election and it's a great one to be a part of. Also, our generation will pay for the mistakes of our administrations and legislations-- it's our job to do what we can to fix that.
Donald: [As for] the older delegates, they give us so much advice, they're so willing to help us out and teach what they have learned from experience. We've learned so much from them.


DY: What's your top issue in politics? What are you most passionate or concerned about?
Donald: Education by far.. I believe there is an incredible lack of resources and support for higher education from the federal government. Obama has plans to change that by offering credit for students who complete community service.


Well thanks guys, for taking the time to talk to Declare Yourself and sharing with us and our fans! Enjoy the convention!

Sincerely,
Jacquie & Hope
DY Interns

So much going on, so little time...

So it seems that celebs are pouring into town today either for Obama's speech tomorrow or just to experience the immense energy of the DNC! And, lucky for me, they seem to be heading straight to our MySpace Cafes! From Eva Longoria hanging out at the Corner Office to a Kirsten Dunst sighting at the one and only Leelas, I feel like I'm walking down Sunset Boulevard!  This morning I even got the chance to hang out at the Starz Lounge to hear Will.i.am and our own executive director, Marc Morgenstern, discuss the influence of viral videos (video clips that gain widespread popularity through internet sharing). Will.i.am, who created the viral video, Yes We Can, focused on how he wants to change the world of politics today through his own video and celebrity influence. "I'm inspired to make change," he said, "not jingly change, the other kind." Marc spoke of Declare Yourself's numerous viral videos and talked about the PSA Zac Efron exclusively filmed with Declare Yourself. (Check it out just a few posts below...) Zac's influence on the 18-24 year old demographic is huge and is certainly helping us register more young voters.

Well that's all for now! And don't forget, we're still here at Leela's (15th and Stout) so come stop by! FREE DY BUTTONS/PINS/WATER BOTTLES!!

Sincerely, 

Hope

DY Intern

Eva Longoria

stopped by one of our MySpace/Declare Yourself/Voto Latino internet cafes!

On the Floor of the DNC

Last night was so surreal for the DY team! We had passes to be on the floor of the DNC where we mingled with delegates, celebrities, governors, senators, and reporters...like Anderson Cooper!

Virginia Senator Mark Warner was the Keynote speaker last night, preceding Hillary's speech, but I think Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer completely stole the show in terms of opening acts. He was engaging and charismatic and spoke and looked so natural on stage...so keep your eyes open for him in the future. Check out his speech below:

Here are some more pictures from the floor....full Hillary analysis to come soon....

Declaration of Independence at 15th & Stout!

This morning, an original copy of the Declaration of Independence, dated 1776, was up for view in MySpace's Cafe on 15th and Stout (Leela's European Cafe). There are only 25 existing original copies, and we have one of them!

We had a bunch of visitors come by and check it out, taking advantage of this awesome opportunity to see an actual copy of the DECLARATION!. One man noted, "It's one thing to read Jefferson's words from a book and be inspired, but to actually see an original copy right before your eyes is a completely unique experience."

The declaration has been traveling around the Convention, making appearances in various locations- if you're around, try to sneak a peek!












See you around!,
Jacquie & Hope
DY Interns

Declare Yourself Street Party

If we were playing that word association game, and you said DNC, I would respond with CREDENTIALS! To get in anywhere here you need credentials of some sort. Our response to that is..... a street party!

Declare Yourself and sponsor Cricket Wireless have a party on the go! We have a van, projection screen and travelin DJ...and you dont need a credential! We plan on being stationed outside the Jet Hotel and lounge on Wazee and 16th in downtown Denver....until The Man makes us move ;)

Already got a party to go to? During the day we will be at the MySpace Internet cafe at Leela's on 15th and Stout. Free internet and a place to charge your phone, plus amazing food, great people watching, and a wonderful manager, Sadie!

These stats aren't boring...

Hey, just thought you guys might be interested in this! Check out a few stats on youth voting in America:

-The 2004 elections marked the largest increase in young voter turnout since 1972.
-In 2004, 81.6% of young registered voters turned out to vote.
-14% of DNC delegates are under age 36. The youngest, (from Minnesota,) is only 17 years old.
-Voters ages 18-29 made up 21% of the electorate in 2006.
-6.5 million voters under the age of 30 participated in the 2008 presidential primaries and caucuses.
-Only about 25% of the younger population eligible to vote actually votes.
-Declare Yourself has registered almost 500,000 voters.

Just thought you guys might be interested, comment if you have any questions!

Sincerely,
Jacquie


(Statistics found on www.civicyouth.org and www.statemaster.com.)

Day two in Denver!

Well, it's our second day in Denver and we're a little tired from yesterday's many events! After finishing up at Leela's on 15th and Stout, we rushed to the nearest TV to catch Michelle Obama's speech at the Pepsi Center. Michelle pointed out the similarities between she and Barack's upbringings. She focused on the importance of unity in our country, using her own familial life as a prime example. She mentioned the guiding influence of her older brother, Craig Robinson, who introduced her at the convention. She concluded her remarks with the statement, "All of us are driven by a simple belief that the world as it is just won't do - that we have an obligation to fight for the world as it should be." (To Check out more on the speech head to CNN.com!)

After Michelle's powerful speech,  we totally felt an energetic vibe floating around Denver. The street was FILLED with crowds and crowds of people ready to have a good time (us among them). Attempting to fit as much as we could into one night, we taxied over to the Ogden theater and jammed to the sounds of Robert Randolph and the Family Band. After hearing a few songs, we headed to the powerhouse of NERD and Fall Out Boy (Pretty sick...). But after a long day of registering, two concerts in one night was enough for us and we headed off to bed... only to hear that tonight we have passes to listen to Hillary speak at the Pepsi Center! 

We'll blog more on that later....time to register more voters! Oh, but before we forget, check out Zac Efron's new PSA he made just for us! (It's a couple posts below!)

Sincerely,

Hope & Jacquie

DY Interns

DNC update

Well its the end of the day and we are exhausted! Our own Diana Nguyen spoke on the Lifetime Future Frontrunners panel earlier today alongside Faye Wattleton, president of the Center for the Advancementy for Women, Marie Wilson, president of the White House project. This blogger was hanging out at the MySpace internet cafes registering voters and making Zac Efron viral (see below).

Ted Kennedy and Michelle Obama spoke on the convention floor this evening and I am seriously depressed I didn't have convention floor passes for today! You can catch their speeches here: http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/08/25/dnc.video.roundup/index.html But I will definitely be at Hillary's tomorrow!

Besides all the events to go to here, there is plenty of swag to look at! There are Obama tee shirts and pins galore! There are even flip flop sandals and crazy stuffed dolls like the ones below. I cant decide what to buy....

While there were no tornados today there was a "mysterious" package found by the convention center. The bomb squad blew it up and fortunately it was a false alarm. The security here is incredibly tight...so I feel pretty safe...fingers crossed for the rest of the week!

Diana Nguyen

Me at the MySpace cafe

Obama Swag

Zac Efron VOTES!

High School Musical 3 star Zac Efron spent some time with us talking about why its important to vote. Here is a clip!

Zac Efron Declares Himself!