Meetings
Fall 2008 Meetings
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September 16
We watched a video: “Hilary Clinton and Sarah Palin address the nation.” It can be found here.
Ariel Dansky led a discussion about Barack Obama’s plan for healthcare. 46 Million Americans lack health insurance, costs are skyrocketing, and too little is spent on prevention and public health. Obama plans to have a public healthcare plan available to everyone as well as a private insurance industry. His plan is to have quality, affordable, and portable coverage for all, lower costs, and will fight for new initiatives. More information can be found here.
Ben King led our weekly discussion about how to be an excellent campaigner.
- Tell a story: stories are effective, they connect you to your audience, and turn boring people into winners
- Keep it short: keep your ideas and points under 10 seconds
- Be emotional and open: spouting facts and statistics doesn’t win votes, talk about something you’re passionate about, and be frank and honest
- Don’t EVER Quit: if you never try, you’ll never win
- Work your ass off: hard work always pays off
Ariel Dansky talked about the Suzanne Kosmas campaign. Kosmas is running for Congress in District 24. We will be canvassing for her every Thursday from 3-6, talk to Ariel if you are interested.
Sarah Martin talked about our philanthropy events. There is a film festival (www.peacefilmfest.org) going on 9/17-9/21 where the tickets will benefit a very good cause. Also, there is a new section on our website that details more causes we are supporting.
Julia Senecal announced that the College Democrats have adopted a road (Gemini South). We will be having a clean-up event every other Saturday. The first event will be this Saturday at 11am. We will be meeting near the Harris Engineering Building. Also we will be having dinner at Chili’s on September 29th to benefit St. Judes. Finally, VOX will be having a phonebanking event on October 19 to inform voters about McCain’s horrible stance on women’s rights. Talk to Julia for information about any of these events.
Greg Goddard announced that we will have Knights 4 Obama t-shirts for sale (costing between $15-20) over the next few weeks.
Elections were held for Director of Political Affairs and President. John Martino will be our new president and Jay Shannon is our new Director of Political Affairs.
We are having a party this Friday (Sept 19) at 9PM at the Martino’s house. Talk to John or Joe Martino for more info.
HOW TO HELP THE CAMPAIGN:
- Phone-banking: Thursdays 6-8 in COMM 113 (starting 9/25)
- Canvassing: every Saturday/Sunday at 11 and 2 at Natura Café
- Voter Registration: every day at our table in front of the student union
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September 9
Jess Osborn spoke about GLBSU It is primarily a social club, but they are also involved in social politics. They are also hosting an electoral action training 9/13 and 9/14 in the communications building.
We watched a video: “Barack Obama: He completes us.”
Ben King resigned as president. We will be having an election for president and director of political affairs. Any dues-paying members are invited to run. Those interested must attend our officer meeting, this Sunday. Also if you are interested in running for SGA talk to Ben King.
Our weekly discussion was about what it means to be a democrat.
Jay Shannon talked about Obama’s education plan. He wants to simplify the financial aid program (such as FAFSA). Also, he wants to create a $4000 tax credit in exchange for a year of public service. He wants to fund a program that helps students prepare for college. He has been pushing for a PELL grant extension. More information can be found on the website.
Chris Harris from the Kosmas campaign spoke. The campaign is looking for volunteers for canvassing, phone-banking, etc. There will be a meet-and-greet with Suzanne Kosmas this Saturday at the Oveido field office at 10am.
Knights’ Call for Change is this Thursday 5-9:30pm in HPA 125. It will be a fun phone banking event. Phonebanking is easy and effective. There will also be free food.
We will also be canvassing this weekend! Saturday we will be canvassing for Suzanne Kosmas from 10-2. Sunday we will be canvassing student housing for Obama, starting at 11.
For 9/11 we will be doing something simple, such as having a candle or flowers in memoriam.
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September 2
We introduced the officers.
We talked about what the club is. The first part of the club is to create a youth political presence at UCF. The second part is giving back to the community and the third part is to provide a social outlet for the club members.
Past College Democrat events were discussed, such as camping, debates, and the end of year banquet.
We discussed what are plans are now, which include registering voters, working with local campaigns, working with other clubs, and more. Our main goal is to eradicate student apathy on campus.
Our campaign this year is Knights 4 Change.
John Martino led the weekly discussion which was about the presidential election and the recent VP picks.
Ariel Dansky talked about the College Democrats Women’s Caucus, which is starting up this semester. More information can be found on the facebook group.
Greg Goddard talked about dues. Dues are $20 for semester or $30 for the year.
Brendon Rivard talked about NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws). NORML meets Wednesdays at 8:30. Sept 24 is “Dreads vs. Feds,” a debate about drug policy.
Arielle Williams talked about the Suzanne Kosmas campaign. Kosmas is running for Congress in District 24. Anyone who wants to get involved with the campaign should talk to her.
Chris Dunwody, UCF’s campaign field organizer from the Obama campaign, spoke about Knights 4 Change. The goal of K4C is to mobilize UCF in order to get Obama elected. K4C will persuade voters through canvassing, phone banking, voter registration, and volunteer recruitment. There will be a phone banking event on Friday September 5, more information will be available on the K4C facebook group.
Our website is http://ucfdems.com, make sure to visit!
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