Float Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Bee

In the South, it's not uncommon to hear, "Democrats are trying to get guns-nobody's going take my rifle from me." Without a pause, we at Duke respond, "It's not Democrats who will ruin your hunting-its 15 more years of Republican environmental policies."

As young Democrats, we have inherited a legacy of good ideas but terrible sound-bytes; as a generation, we seek to regain our bearings and to frame issues in a way that resonates with a broader audience. To do this, we're turning to activities such as book circles, grassroots projects, speakers, debates and film screenings to help us get a sense of how to represent our vision of a great nation.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a member of the club who believes in every plank of the Democratic platform. In fact, if you come to a meeting or check out our blog, you'll find concern about the Democratic Party we stand to inherit. As Republicans knock themselves out with Rove, Delay and Brown, Democrats stand idly by, unwilling to deliver the K.O.-punch. On campus, we're learning to "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee," so that our generation will be able to squarely deliver the punch.

Duke Democrats, in order to shape a stronger party that is more in line with our generation's vision for the nation, has begun a return to passionate causes. We're sending students to rural Beaufort County to work on an environmental health project, we have students helping to organize voter precincts in Durham, and we're teaming up with Jerry Meek, Trinity '92, Law '97, to involve students in statewide politics.

These small projects give us a chance to better understand our communities and for our communities to better understand us. In this way, each person is able to find something that truly suits his or her own passion and allows the party to grow around them. These projects also help keep Democrats engaged, an election is occurring or not. The party, whether it realizes it or not, needs to listen to the interests of our generation. We're organizing to mobilize that voice.