we taking over

I'm fortunate that my work allows me to travel and become more knowledgeable about the political process on multiple fronts. So far I've traveled as far as Memphis and as close as a seventy five minute trip to Augusta. Yet it's never how far you go, it's always the people you meet that make the difference. I've caucused for the second time in my life and this past weekend I attended my first Democratic state convention.

Thousands of Mainers flocked to the Maine State Democratic Convention last weekend. You can probably read some of the more snarky coverage about the tedious process from several online news sources. And for those who remembered how long the Portland caucus was last February, safe to say the caucus was the initial test of patience. I attended not only doing some "delegatin'", I went knowing that this year's Democratic presidential nominees would attract an increasing amount of passionate young people looking forward to cutting their teeth in the political process for the first time of their lives.

On Friday evening, I sat on a panel with ten other young people to talk about the importance of young people being civically engaged in this upcoming election. The experience in politics ranged from organizing phone banks and voter reg drives in high schools to young people who decided to run for office in the state legislature. The questions that the audience and moderators asked drew to the importance of voting as part of a greater cultural movement towards activism and awareness about how issues are affecting our lives.

Saturday brought great speeches from both Clinton and Obama camps. It was a personal pleasure to see House Majority Speaker Glenn Cummings give a passionate speech about Barack Obama (not just because Barack's my man either). You can watch it here:



But beyond the candidate speeches, beyond the partisan language, what resonated the most was the fact that people felt compelled that they were a part of something bigger--a movement to drive for the change that is so desperately needed locally and nationally. Despite all the headlines, the rising gas prices, rising costs of living, declining jobs and economy, we're finally turning our rage into hope and change. We're taking the political process into our own hands.

And at the end of the day, that's what any activist wants to see happening in our state and our communities.