national service

Thursday night the presidential candidates talked about their views on service.

Obama: "America is the greatest country on earth, but it didn't just happen on its own. It is not a gift only.... it is a responsibility."

This has been a key component of the Obama campaign from the very beginning. If you remember his acceptance speech during the Democratic Convention his line "We are the ones we've been waiting for" is key in his belief that Americans can solve the difficult challenges we face with millions of hands working together.

"The choices we provide young people are too constrained. " Obama went on to say "The fact is that we have to have government. When a hurricane strikes, as it did with Katrina, we have to have a FEMA that works, which by the way, means that we should be encouraging young people, the best and the brightest, to get involved as civil servants, to pursue careers of public service so we've got people who are trained in federal emergency management who are able to take on the job. Now, that does not crowd out the Red Cross. That doesn't crowd out the thousands of church groups that went down there. What it means is that each area has a role to play"

Sen. Obama goes on to say that the 3 years he spent as a community organizer working with churches and setting up after school programs for youth were the greatest years of education he ever had because it enabled him to see the ways in which people were empowered when they were given a chance to take charge of their own lives.

"Ordinary people can do extraordinary things when they come together. That is what I want to inspire people to do."

When it was Sen. McCain's turn he used similar opportunities to talk about the importance of service but failed to talk about young people being encouraged by increases in federal or presidential enthusiasm. Instead he used the forum as an opportunity to talk about our impending war against Russia

"They understand the challenges that we have in this world. They see the Russian invasion of the little country called Georgia. They see the problems in Afghanistan growing larger. They see a whole lot of things happening in the world that's going to require us to serve, and that opportunity has to be provided to them."

McCain instead said that the government should limit its involvement in service encouragement.

"I'd be glad to reward [volunteers] them as much as possible. But you want to be careful that the reason is not the reward of financial or other reasons, but the reward is the satisfaction of serving a cause greater than yourself. ... Finding new ways to serve. That's what this next few years should be all about."

This is a stark contrast to Obama's plan to encourage people who can't always afford to serve after graduating from college $20,000 in debt. Obama said his education plan outlines a $4,000 credit to students each year that is dependent on the dedication of those same students giving back to their communities.

The highlight of the forum was the question about previous statements by Gov. Sarah Palin that she made accepting the VP nomination last week where she said:

"I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a ‘community organizer,’ except that you have actual responsibilities,"

McCain's response to the question

"Look, Gov. Palin was responding to the criticism of her inexperience and her job as a mayor in a small town. That's what she was responding to. Of course I respect community organizers. Of course I respect people who serve their community. And Sen. Obama's record there is outstanding."

The spin on CNN afterward had a commentator who feared he would use naughty words in response to that statement saying that it was a boldface lie and that the McCain campaign knew exactly what it was doing when attacking Obama's work as a community organizer. The same commentator then said that Obama's response was weak and he was probably more angry about the comment by Palin.

When asked about McCain's comment, Gov. Sarah Palin said that it was sexist. (kidding)

One thing left out of the forum was the important statistic that your nation's youth are some of the most active community organizers and service volunteers in the country.

In John McCain's speech the other night, he tried to pull what he thought was a Barack Obama.

You well know I've been called a maverick, someone who...

... someone who marches to the beat of his own drum. Sometimes it's meant as a compliment; sometimes it's not. What it really means is I understand who I work for. I don't work for a party. I don't work for a special interest. I don't work for myself. I work for you.

Let's first agree that, aside from the lies peppered throughout the statement, it's a good one. McCain is saying that he's embracing a servant leadership model when it comes to leading Americans. Parties, special interests, and anything else that gets in the way of people -- phooey on them. I work for you, and as a result, you'll be the direct beneficiary when I get things done in office. McCain sees Obama's message of bottom-up change working and so he wants to own a piece of it as well.

But once again, John McCain just doesn't get it. The McCain leadership model, outlined in the paragraph above, misses what is so inspirational about Barack Obama's candidacy. It's not that Obama has pledged to fight for us. It's not just that he dedicates his life to opposing special interests and fighting for a post-partisan politics. The crux and appeal of Obama's campaign is his insistence that we can do things on our own, and that he challenges us to do it. Look at his acceptance speech and note the difference:

But I stand before you tonight because all across America something is stirring. What the naysayers don't understand is that this election has never been about me. It's about you. It's about you.

For 18 long months, you have stood up, one by one, and said enough to the politics of the past. You understand that in this election, the greatest risk we can take is to try the same old politics with the same old players and expect a different result. You have shown what history teaches us -- that at defining moments like this one, the change we need doesn't come from Washington. Change comes to Washington. Change happens because the American people demand it -- because they rise up and insist on new ideas and new leadership, a new politics for a new time.

And there you have it: "I work for you" versus "It's all about you." John McCain's statement is self-less. But Barack Obama's is self-less and empowering. John McCain wants to strengthen the country through his own leadership that is in tune with the concerns of every American. Barack Obama wants to strengthen the country by challenging the country to tackle problems on their own, to make change on their own.

You'll be able to see these approaches when both candidates meet for the "A Nation of Service" event to be held on September 11th in New York City. Both candidates will appear separately and discuss national service and volunteerism and their plans for both should they be elected. Obama has a myriad of plans on this topic. McCain has, as far as I can tell, not released any national service plan.

In what has become one of the most recognized and admired passages in American history, John F. Kennedy didn't tell people he worked for them. He didn't discuss his penchant for fighting special interests or even his own political party. He spoke directly to voters: "Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country." McCain would do well to note that the two big words in that statement are "you" and "do."

In a country that has the largest and most service-oriented generation becoming politically active, and in a nation that seemingly has problems escalating every day, Barack Obama is demonstrating that he understands what's at stake. Obama understands that in order to build for the future, you don't pursue gimmicks, political Band-Aids that get you by the next problem. We have too many problems for this. Instead, you train and inspire a whole generation of Americans to sacrifice, to fight on their own against the problems they face. You invest in them and provide them with a plan to get there -- one that acknowledges that one can serve his or her country without having to join the military. John McCain has not put forth an official plan on national service. Instead he wants us to trust him, because he works for us. If he works for us, and if we don't like our current administration (Bush's approval rating hovers around 30%), why did he vote for President Bush's policies 90% of the time? And then why should we trust him to work for us?

As Barack Obama says, "I'm asking you to believe. Not just about my ability to bring about real change in Washington... I'm asking you to believe in yours."

Some reading material for your Saturday evening:

• brownsox from Daily Kos interviewed Ashwin Madia, the Democratic House candidate in Minnesota's Third District, this past Wednesday and has video of it. Madia is a 30 year old Iraqi vet and a lawyer -- another young candidate.
• A story in an Appleton, WI newspaper focusing on local youth involvement this election cycle
• The Nation compares both candidates' policies on national service.
• DNC '08: Pundit playtime?
• Young voters energized the Iowa delegation/were energized themselves at the convention this week.
• What are Boomers reading online?
• A profile of Headcount.
• An explanation of both candidates' views with regard to students and college financial aid.
• Finally, a columnist at the Pensacola News Journal observes the Millennials/Gen Xers are ready to "throw the bums out" -- of both parties.

Update: Here is the documentary shown prior to Obama's acceptance speech. Some powerful stuff -- check it out:

As I noted in last Friday's Around the Tubes, Senetor Chris Dodd (D-CT), who is running for President, announced his National Service Agenda this weekend, and I am impressed.

Here are some of the plan's highlights:

• Promote the Corporation for National Service (CNS) to Cabinet Status. Through Executive Order, in a Dodd Administration, the Executive Director of the Corporation for National Service will be part of the Cabinet.

• Mandate School-Based Service as a Requirement for High School Graduation. Under the Dodd plan, every student in America will be required to perform 100 hours of community-based service prior to high school graduation.
• Double the Size of the Peace Corps by 2011 and Again by 2050. As President, Chris Dodd will double the number of Peace Corps volunteers, expand the number of countries in which volunteers are stationed and provide opportunities for Peace Corps volunteers to serve in their local communities when they return home.
• Dramatically increase the number of AmeriCorps Members to 1,000,000 and immediately raise the amount of the education award.. The Dodd plan will significantly increase the number of AmeriCorps volunteers and will annually increase the education award to reflect the skyrocketing cost of tuition.
• Create a Rapid Response Reserve Corps. Dodd's Rapid Response Reserve Corps will mobilize national service program alumni, as well as retired military and National Guard personnel, to respond to national disasters.

This plan is (imo) great for many reasons. First of all, as we like to point out on this site on a regular basis: young people are not apathetic, disengaged, slackers who are unwilling to do selfless work Instead, young people are volunteering in record numbers, but they do sometimes lack access to meaningful programs. We also have a great amount of need in our communities for the energy and excitement young people bring to civic project, and so this seems like a perfect way to engage young people and help our communities at the same time.

Second, I obviously think that it is extremely important for politicians to enact legislation that makes a positive impact on young people's lives and if Democrats want to ride the wave of youth interest in, and engagement of, the political process they're going to have to take the lead. Senator Dodd seems genuinely concerned about the problems facing young people and I really hope that youth focused groups bring attention to the legislation that Dodd is pushing for, which can give younger voters a reason to vote.

I really think that the focus on patriotism and working to improve our communities and our nation, rather than an overtly partisan appeal, is both effective and needed. Most young people who are volunteering do so to help out others and/or feel like a part of something bigger, and this type of appeal should resonate broadly and cut through the cynicism that I assume some feel when they hear political appeals like this. I personally always dreamed of joining the Peace Corps or doing some form of national service, but the opportunities never seemed real enough. I also feel a great pride in my community and my nation, and I would have (and still would) love to show that love by giving back in some non-military fashion. While I usually flinch at attempts to move past partisanship, when it comes to doing something that helps the greater good I believe that most people can agree to come together and work to make things better. (Please don't queue kumbaya )

What separates this plan, imo, from John Edward's OneCorps is that Edward's site focuses a little too much on the candidate and not enough on the overall mission,. This is one reason why I'd guess there aren't many young people pictured on the OneCorps site, and it's definitely the reason that I never really considered working through OneCorps.

There's a lot more to discuss about Dodd's plan, and about the virtues of national service in general, but I'll have to leave it for now. What do you think about this plan?

Below is the video of Dodd's announcement, the text can be found here.

First of all, Mike and I have decided that our "quick hit" or "daily digest" pieces are now going to be called "Around the Tubes". I'll try and tag the older digest pieces when I find them, but for now, here's what I've been looking at in the series of tubes this morning:

• Kid Oakland has a really nice post up at both MyDD and Daily Kos that uses a conversation with a young elected official and a young activist that helped get him elected to talk about the Millennial Generation. There's also a few really good conversations in the DKos comments. Though Kid Oakland isn't really much of a kid, he consistently writes great pieces on both Millennials and politics in general, so I've placed his blog on the blogroll.
• Forex News takes a look at the practice of Redlining student loans that I pointed to the other day. The article gets someone from the loan industry to say in plain language what they are doing, and why:
  

  He said default rates are used along with other data about a school, including anticipated income after graduation and dropout rates, to help set rates that protect the interests of the lender.

  Dean used the example of a student attending an Ivy League college as opposed to another at a small trade school.

  The industry would view the Ivy League student as clearly "on the path to success," while the other student presents greater risk, he said.

  "Should both of those students get the same rate?" Dean asked.

  No, you're right, we subsidize student loans in this nation to benefit mainly the upper class and the upwardly mobile, which is how it should be. Those plebes should stick to playing video games, or whatever it is those poor fools do, and leave the learning to those who can really use it!

• For some strange reason that Chris Dodd guy (you know, the one whose running for President) wants to do something about the cost and efficiency of student loans. This is from a press release he put out last week:
  

  "As the average student leaves a four-year institution with $20,000 in debt, it is essential that we do all we can to ensure that students are securing their loans on the best terms possible," said Dodd Campaign Spokesperson Christy Setzer. "By requiring banks to compete for the right to make or own government-guaranteed student loans, students can be assured they are get the best rates on loans while the program provides significant savings to taxpayers as government subsidies are driven down by market competition."

  Dodd, who will be unveiling details of his plan in the coming weeks, announced that under his plan the government would force student lenders who participate in the Federal Family Education Loan program to compete for the right to make or own federal student loans through a government-run auction. As a result, an additional $20 billion will be available to be directed back to student aid and other federal education programs.

  Last week Dodd announced he would introduce legislation that would require private lenders to provide more accurate and timely information to customers about interest rates, terms and conditions of their loans in order to ensure students better understand their debts and obligations.

  Dodd has also put forward a National Service Plan, which includes a video from a live video chat he did. I guess Senator Dodd hasn't gotten the memo that young people don't vote, and they really should be ignored.

  Senator Dodd will officially announce his National Service Plan via a live video feed on Saturday at 5pm.

• Meanwhile, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions approved a package of legislation to renew the Higher Education Act that would basically transfer about $18-billion dollars of profit from the college loan industry to students. At least that's theoretically what it would do, though I still think direct loans from the government would be a much better use of our resources.
• TechPresident sends a memo to the non-Obama campaigns: There's This Thing Called "Facebook". Apparently that little John Edwards FaceBook app that Mike higlighted the other day was actually created by techPresident's Fred Stutzman, who is going to open source the app for any campaign to use and abuse.
• Apparently Michael Moore's new movie Sicko paints a pretty unflattering picture of Democratic front runner Hillary Clinton, who apparently gets the most money from the health care industry of any Senator, now that Rick Santorum has been sent packing. I know those 30 second ads are expensive, but are you fucking kidding me? Can we get a real leader for President, please?
• Barack Obama still doesn't get "blogging" or the "netroots". Uh, Barack, you have a blog. Does that make you a blogger? Next.
• But, some people still would love to see a Gore-Obama ticket (From Young Turks via Tennessee Guerrilla Women.
  
  I personally would prefer a Gore-Dodd ticket, but it would be nice to get all the cultists Obamiacs on Gore's side, so there's that.

And for those of you who don't remember the brilliant, rambling, incoherent rant in a bottle that is Senetor Ted "grumpy grandpa" Stevens (R-Alaska and R for Retarded) here's grumpy grandpa's explanation for why we should charge companies a fee to use the interwebs.

He's right, the internet is not a truck you can dump your stuff into. The quote about his staff sending him internets that take all night to arrive is so funny, I would swear it was a Jon Stewart skit. It's sad when our elected officials provide more hilarious caricatures of stupid and inept politicians than our best comedians can ever hope to.