SNAP Notes

This week we’d like to highlight legislation that passed in Congress last weekend: the “reform” of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act known as the Protect America Act of 2007. This move is deeply disturbing, and to us reflects yet again the need to strengthen a progressive majority in Congress.

The bill legalizes the warantless wiretapping programs of the Bush National Security Agency, programs which were roundly criticized as illegal violations of Americans’ basic civil liberties – and which have, to do this day, escaped serious public scrutiny, as the administration has steadfastly refused to open its practices to public review, in the name of “national security.”

At SNAP, we believe (as you’ll read in our statement of principles) “that government should be open and accountable, reflecting fundamental democratic principles,” and “that law and order begin with a bond of trust between the people and their government.”

Last weekend’s legislation was, in our eyes, an effort to take our country in exactly the opposite direction, toward an America where government need not be honest with its citizenry faces no limits on its conduct of a never-ending war on terror. This isn’t just the America of warrantless wiretaps – it’s also the America of Abu Ghraib, of the CIA secret prisons and of Guantanamo Bay.

Yet perhaps what the last-minute passage of the law more clearly reflects is the continuing way in which conservatives close conversations about civil liberties in the war on terrorism by claiming that to obstruct passage of legislation like this – which was rammed through by the President right before Congress began its recess – is to make America unsafe (the President essentially threatened a month of public proclamations that opponents were threatening our security if his bill wasn’t passed). These arguments continue to be waged successfully to bully those who would be thoughtful into supporting disgraceful and unconstitutional policy – such that our majority was again too weak to stand up and block this law.

The only way we’re going to stamp out this politics of fear is to expand and strengthen a progressive majority in Congress that believes in a different kind of politics, in which the need for open government and trust between government and the people is fundamental. That way reckless lawbreaking and overreaching will be seen for what it is – regardless of the party of the president – and laws like this won’t even stand a chance of passage.

Help us build that new majority – contribute today to support student organizers in summer ‘08, and help elect a majority that will create a new bond of trust in our democracy.

Thank you so much for all of your support.

Yours in solidarity,
Hugh Baran & Margaret Sharp
Executive Directors, Students for a New American Politics PAC

Dear Friends and Supporters,

As we’ve said before, the work of Students for a New American Politics goes beyond supporting progressive candidates.  By providing stipends for students to work as organizers for progressive campaigns, we aim to not only expand our progressive majority in Congress, but to expand the opportunities for students as well, giving them the experience and training to continue their organizing and political work in the future.  Today and in the coming weeks, we’ll be highlighting a few of the students who received SNAP fellowships in 2006 to work as organizers in races across the country.

We begin with Monica Carmean, a California native and Northwestern University graduate who spent last summer working to elect Diane Farrell in Connecticut’s fourth Congressional district.  Of her internship last year, Monica writes,

 It was an amazing experience taking part on the grassroots end of progressive politics.  [Diane Farrell] lost in November, and I was bummed, but after spending all summer with Connecticut campaigns I couldn’t help but be happy for our other new representatives and Democratic majority!

Like many former SNAP students, Monica has stayed involved in progressive politics.  Since her graduation from Northwestern this spring, she has been interning for Representative Anna Eshoo, “an amazing Democrat from California,” learning the ins and outs of a different side of political work.  Still, Monica’s experience as a SNAP organizer remains a memorable and relevant part of her life in Washington.  She writes that,

 It seems like I run into people from my SNAP experience every corner I turn in the House Office Buildings—upstairs in Cannon, in committee in Rayburn, and even at the grocery store…DC is an exciting place to be for someone interested in politics, and is getting friendlier to progressive values with the Democratic Congress and [hopefully!] impending Democratic presidency.  While working with SNAP, I learned how to stay optimistic under even the most stressful of circumstances, encourage constituents into positive political action, and how important phone calls can be to progressive politics. I’m figuring out how to remain idealistic while getting an office job, but I have faith that the foundation provided organizations like SNAP PAC will get me there!  

We’d like to congratulate Monica for her work—and thank you for making her experience with SNAP possible.  It is your continued support that will allow us to fund the work of even more students in 2008, giving them knowledge and skills that will carry them far beyond next summer and next year’s elections.  Please contribute now to support the work of our first student fellows in 2008.

As always, thank you for your incredible support.

Margaret Sharp & Hugh Baran
Executive Directors, Students for a New American Politics PAC