 | Welcome to today's T2A Chat with Democratic Party Activist Jennifer Trotter. She is here to answer your questions about what it means to be a delegate to the Democration National Convention.
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France: What does it mean to be a delegate?
Jennifer: Being a delegate, gives me an opportunity to impart what I'm are experiencing back to my community. In fact, I am blogging about my experience here at the convention to share this historic moment with everyone back at home.
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Marcien FOSSUO: Senate majority leader Harry Reid said the Obama-Biden ticket will bring the change the country needs. But at the same time, we know the engagement Joe Biden has taken over the crisis between Russia and Georgia. Isn't there a difficult task awaiting them if ever elected and can somehow compromise the change?
Jennifer: I believe Senator Biden's extensive foreign policy experience only strengthens the Obama-Biden ticket. And that it dovetails very nicely with Senator Obama's quest to improve the United States postion. It seems from the fact that Senator Biden was in the region during the conflict, it's clear that he has strong relationships with those involved. Those relationships would actually help and make any kind of negotiations easier.
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Frances: What is it about Obama that draws you and those in your age bracket?
Jennifer: Senator Obama has called my entire generation to action and this 'call to action', by working hard at our level, rather than complain, if we work together, unite with others who are already involved, we are stronger. It's also about empowering and reaching out to those who have not been involved before.
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Frances: What are you looking forward, to at this convention?
Jennifer : I'm looking forward to soaking up the moment and most of all Senator Obama's historic acceptance speech on Thursday. I am also looking forward to participating in the various Hispanic Caucus events and understanding the steps that we will need to take in order to deliver the White House to Senator Obama in November.
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Frances: Is there anything that worries you about participating in the convention?
Jennifer : Absolutely not. We've been briefed on the level of security and security measures that are being taken and I am completely comfortable that the DNC will be keeping us safe.
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Frances: I'd like to welcome now Adrian Talbott of GenerationEngage.org
Adrian : Thank you.
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Frances: With so many internet options available to America's youth, why did you start GenerationEngage...what sets it apart from the other sites?
Adrian : GenerationEngage is using mega-meeting video conference technology to connect young adults in social venues across the country to civic leaders for interactive national conversations on critical social issues. Our organization is different from others in that we are a grass-roots organization primarily that uses technology to amplify the collective political voice of a traditionally maringalized demographic.
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Marcien FOSSUO: I noticed some ambiguities about what Obama mentioned on CBS television's the Early Show days ago. On the one hand he wants a Vice-President ready to be President, ready to govern and on the other wants him to be independent. Is Obama under pressure of assassination? What is the real role of a Vice-President?
Adrian: Senator Obama has made his choice of vice presidential running mate, of course, and we'll be hearing on the McCain choice soon enough, but regardless of who is elected president and vice-president, both candidates are committed to supporting a more open and inclusive democratic process that supports organizations like generationengage.org and promote a culture of engaged citzenship.
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Hio Tiao Lim: Is the issue on Global Terrorism included in the discussions at the convention?
Adrian: I hope it will be. More broadly I hope that both conventions address the issue of global citizenship that is what type of America we want to be in the decades ahead. This perhaps more than any other question is at the front of our member's minds and will be as relevant the day after the election as it is today.
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Frances: Young people don't have a lot of money to contribute to campaigns. How can the youth capture the attention of politicians and their campaigns?
Adrian: It's a great question. Young people can join organizations like generationengage.org that are built to be as active two months after the election as two months before. We should all feel encouraged by the willingness of philanthropic institutions like the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and technology companies like Google and Apple who are investing in making sure young people and all voters can continue to have open conversations about local, national, and global citizenship independently of election cycles.
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Frances: That's it for today's T2A webchat. Thanks for joining us. Our thanks to our guests, Jennifer Trotter and Adrian Talbott. You can learn more about our guests from the link on our webpage and you can find the transcript of today's chat. Just go to voanews.com and click on the T2A link. Stay with us for our week long discussion on the 2008 Presidential Elections. We invite you to join us live at 1500 UTC to ask your questions or share your opinions on the 2008 Presidential Elections. Remember, you can also send your questions or comments in advance to chat@voanews.com.
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