The Brown Democrats are reforming their organization's structure this year in an effort to reach out to more students and increase their effectiveness in electing Democratic candidates in Rhode Island.
At the group's first general body meeting of the academic year, leaders announced plans for supporting Democratic candidates in Rhode Island's upcoming mid-term elections.
"By electing a good Democrat ... we can positively shape the future of the Democratic Party as well as the trajectory of politics in the U.S.," President Tor Tarantola '08 told assembled members. About 40 students attended the meeting.
In an effort to become more inclusive, the Dems are making their executive board meetings open to the public for the first time. They also eliminated committees previously led by members of the 12-person board and will conduct more business at the general body meetings in order to involve a larger group of students.
In an interview with The Herald, Kristin Jordan '09, communications chair, said the Dems are trying to eliminate any perception that they are an exclusive or "self-involved" group.
"That's something we are really working to change this year," she said.
Jordan continued: "(We want to) reach out to other progressive groups that I think have felt a little bit alienated in the past."
Students attending the meeting were briefed on the importance of supporting Democratic candidates in Rhode Island this year. "If everyone in this room got together and did some kick-ass work, we could realistically ... return control of Congress to the Democrats," Tarantola said.
The Dems will be focusing heavily on the Senate race between Sen. Lincoln Chafee '75, R-R.I., and Democratic candidate Sheldon Whitehouse, which is considered one of the Democrats' best chances to pick up a seat in Congress this year. The incumbent Chafee won a contentious Republican primary contest Tuesday and will face Whitehouse in the Nov. 7 general election.
"Democrats are going to take back the Senate this year and Rhode Island is going to be one of the places they do it," said Carly Rush '08, national politics chair for the Dems.
Rush introduced Whitehouse's platform, commending everything from his stance on the Iraq war to health care.
"I thought you should know who you're signing up to support here. ... It's going to be incredibly fun to work for his campaign," Rush said.
The group will be canvassing and phone-banking for Democratic candidates every weekend starting Sept. 23. Rush called helping out "the most important thing you can do in Rhode Island this semester."
Next Thursday, the Dems will host a campaign kickoff on campus. The event will feature Whitehouse, Lt. Gov. Charles Fogarty, Mayor David Cicilline '83 and Bill Lynch, chair of the Rhode Island Democratic Party.
Beyond supporting Democratic candidates, the Dems plan to advocate for progressive issues. Tarantola said it is important that "we continue to interact with people after we elect them (and) make sure they hear us."
"We're not only the foot soldiers for the Democratic Party, we're also the four-star generals - we don't just do stuff, we think stuff, and that's our new focus," he said.
The group will be working to inform registered voters at Brown about elections, candidates and progressive issues, including affordable housing and voting rights for ex-felons. The group's leaders have plans for increasing collaboration with other progressive student groups as well as local advocacy groups. They will host a Progressive Leadership Forum to bring various groups together on campus Oct. 11.
The Dems will continue their voter registration efforts, which yielded over 200 new Rhode Island voters last spring, by setting up tables on the Main Green and working with Residential Counselors to register first-years.
Though the group's level of other community involvement will be lower than usual while campaigns are in full swing, the group plans to hold a Parents Weekend bake sale to fund stem cell research and will be doing more with the community in the spring.
Ultimately, Tarantola hopes the group will be a force for change in government both by electing Democratic leaders and by pushing a progressive agenda. "All of us in this room are socially conscious - we're passionate, we're compassionate and we're dissatisfied with the Republican regime as it is now," he said.
"We're such a tiny state, and every vote here counts more than it would in California," he added.
