Mobilize
Unity
We will be working with our allies in the youth and student movement in a unified effort to show how this election is key to all the struggles young people are facing from peace to education to police accountability to gay rights. Key to this is convincing people that the defeat of Bush would put the entire youth movement on a decisively better footing to start winning.
Voter Registration and Mobilization
Youth voter registration and mobilization are essential to defeating Bush. Voters 18-29 were less likely to vote for Bush than any other age group. Registering youth voters then, is objectively an anti-Bush activity, especially youth of color. Young people must not only be registered to vote but must be mobilized to get out and vote on November 2. YCL clubs all over the country will be working alongside allies and coalition partners on voter registration and mobilization in their areas.
Issues not Candidates
We emphasize issues instead of presidential candidates. The YCL is not in the business of endorsing candidates from the Democratic Party. But we do recognize that in November there is quite a bit at stake for our generation. We know that there are some serious differences between Bush and Kerry and we plan to highlight them and show how the defeat of Bush will be a defeat of the ultra-right!
Working in Swing States
This summer almost 50 YCLers traveled to the battleground states of Missouri and Ohio. These states went to Bush in 2000, but could easily go to the Democrats in 2004. Beating Bush won’t be an easy task; that’s why we’ll continue traveling to the swing states and mobilizing YCLers to work hard, straight through the November 2nd elections!
Local Elections
While the centerpiece of the November elections is the presidential elections, we cannot forget the local elections that fit into the campaign to defeat Bush. There are a number of key statewide, local and congressional races that are important to kicking Republicans out of state and national offices. YCLers were an important part of securing the victory of 3 progressive candidates in St. Louis and throughout the fall our clubs will be identifying ballot initiatives, referenda and candidates that help mobilize the anti-Bush movement and constituencies.
In The Next Four Years
Will we have to struggle to save public education, services for the poor and disabled and health care for working families?
Will we continue to be without amnesty for undocumented workers and civil rights for detained immigrants?
Will we have to face a long protracted battle to block an amendment outlawing gay marriage?
Will the so-called War on Terrorism deepen the crisis in the Middle East and lead to more American and foreign casualties?
Will we be in a constant battle to defend a woman’s right to choose?
Will we see the erosion of Affirmative Action policies in university admissions?
Will we lose more of our youth to prisons and wars?
Will we fight for what we have? Or, Will we fight for what we want?
For anyone who fights for social justice with the goal of making revolutionary change, defeating President Bush in November is the first step! Revolutionary change will not happen unless we build our movement’s capacity to reach millions of people, to push elected officials to respond to people’s needs and to build stronger progressive and revolutionary organizations to sustain such a movement.
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Top level
Issues & Ideas
