SNAP Notes

Dear Friends and Supporters,

The presidential election has begun far earlier than anyone anticipated. Enormous efforts are already being poured into that race, and many of you have probably already been bombarded with fundraising calls and letters from many of the candidates. This letter, we promise you, will not be about that.

Here at Students for a New American Politics PAC we have decided to forgo presidential politics in 2008. We believe that whoever the next president is, he or she will not be able to enact dramatic and meaningful progressive change without a stronger progressive majority in Congress.

Already this year, we’ve seen how important it has been to have a progressive presence in Congress, but we’ve also seen how our narrow majorities have prevented progressives from enacting drastic change—like bringing a swift end to the war in Iraq. While others place their hope in one woman or man, progressives must invest both financial and human resources in key House and Senate races around the country.

Students for a New American Politics PAC is committed to following our success in the 2006 election to a stronger Congressional majority. Last year we funded twenty student organizers on eleven campaigns nationwide, providing critical staff in some of the year’s most important races We continued our efforts in the fall, putting hundreds of students on the streets and helping eke out victories in extremely tight races, like that of Connecticut’s Joe Courtney, who won by a mere 83 votes.

But as many of you know, our work is about more than elections. By opening doors for students for whom volunteering for a campaign was not financially possible, we’ve helped broaden the base of the progressive movement, giving more students the tools and experience they need to work for change in years to come. Beyond contributing to winning campaigns, we are building a generation of progressive leaders that is, in the words of Representative Carolyn Maloney, “as diverse and dynamic as this country.”

We believe we can double or even triple the size of our program this cycle, providing more opportunities for students and support for progressive candidates around the country. But we can only do so with your generous support. Please give whatever you are able – $25, $50, $150 or more – and help us make the SNAP PAC program in 2008 bigger and better than ever.

The longer we hold out for the miracle president and the longer we delay the work of rebuilding America’s progressive movement, the longer we will be waiting for this country to really change. And quite frankly, time has already run out.

Your support in the past two years has made SNAP PAC the recognized force in grassroots student politics that it is today, and only with your support can our student-run program continue. Please contribute today to bring change in 2008 and beyond.

Thank you so much for everything you’ve done and continue to do – and as always, please don’t hesitate to contact us with questions, comments or suggestions.

Sincerely,

Margaret Sharp & Hugh Baran

Executive Directors, Students for a New American Politics PAC