You hear right, this weekend (April 9-10), you, the Young Democrats, can get tickets to the New York State Young Democrats fundraiser “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn; Planting the Seeds of Tomorrow, Today” (which is happening in our backyard at Brooklyn Brewery) for only FIVE DOLLARS!

If you want to jump on this offer, please register at https://secure.actblue.com/page/nysyd-tree

But just remember, this price is available for this weekend only, so act now. For more information, please go to http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=183607668349945

ActBlue, Brooklyn Brewery, Jay Jacobs, NYSYD, Young Democrats

Our friends at the Young Democrats of Richmond County (Staten Island) have been receiving unearned bad press as of late.

This past Tuesday, I read a tweet by the New York State Young Republicans saying “BREAKING: Young Democrats blame Tea Party involvement in S.I. St. Patrick’s Day parade on the Koch Brothers…http://bit.ly/g8bphA.” According to the story, YDRC asked the Staten Island St. Patrick’s Parade organizing committee to prevent a tea party group from marching. The committee responded that groups are allowed to march provided that they follow the rules, one of which is “No active politicking for individual candidates, including carrying signs or distributing campaign literature.”

However, the story I linked to is neglecting one important detail: the YDRC never tried to stop the tea party group from marching. YDRC President Amy Lavelle said in a letter to the editor “The Young Democrats of Richmond County wrote a letter to the St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee merely to inquire whether political groups were allowed to march in the parade. The primary concern was that a non-profit organization that accepts public funds to operate a parade was favoring one political group over another. . . . The Young Democrats did not attempt to keep any party or group from marching. We sought only to ensure fairness and transparency. In the end, both groups are allowed to, and will, march in the parade.” Simply put, the YDRC wanted to keep to make sure there is no bias in the selections of marchers for the parade.

As for the tweet I mentioned, the only mention of the Koch Brothers I saw on the page the tweet linked to was a comment saying “I wonder how much money the Koch brothers will spend on arranging the teabagger contingent.”

Amy Lavelle, New York State Young Republicans, St. Patrick's Day, Staten Island, YDRC, Young Democrats, Young Democrats of Richmond County, Young Republicans