Tuesday, July 17th, 2007...8:50 am
I Endorse Thee
I relent.
My friend Sisto Abeyta is running for President of the Young Democrats of America. He’s been unsubtly asking me “where is the love?” since, unlike many of his supporters, I haven’t put him in my MySpace “Top Friends.” Who is he suggesting I bump off for him? Lalo Guerrero? The Furious Truckstop Waitresses? Amy Muñoz? Tasha Kai?
Well, the reason is simple. I aged out of the YDA two years ago, and it would seem sort of silly to still try to engage in their elections (who am I? Bill DeMora?). Although, no less a figure than Bill Richardson has Sisto listed as one of his “Top Friends.”
The guy made a good point in his last plea with me. He is, at least partly, my fault.
Okay, let me explain. Way back in the last century, 1999 to be exact, some of the muckety mucks in the YDA told me that they were really worried about the leadership within the minority caucus. I had concerns too, since it was entirely dominated by folks from the Northeast and lacked Hispanic representation. At the previous convention, I had worked the some Southwestern delegations to look for a decent candidate. They decided that the best one would be, well…me. Didn’t go well.
Being that running a pocho with a Polish last name was probably not the best strategy, I found Sisto. Specifically, I found him in the bar at the infamous Excelsior Hotel in Little Rock. I think he had just gotten off his plane, still tired. I talked to him about the problems in the caucus, and convinced him to run. We didn’t manage to win it, but the guy became hooked. The rest is YDA history.
Irony here: at the next convention, we had a tumultuous minority caucus session here in Tucson. We elected Jennifer García Kozlowski caucus chair. Not sure if she’s pocha, but definitely Polish-surnamed.
Since I’ve been out of the group for a while, it is hard for me to address the issues within the YDA. I have seen some major changes in the direction of the organization, and what I’ve seen of Sisto makes me confident that he can take the group even further. Also, the guy is a great fighter and speaker. I’ve been proud when I’ve seen current president Chris Gallaway take on young Republican leaders on talk shows, but Sisto…man. I feel sorry for the pinheads they’ll put up against him.
Anyway, compadre, you have the endorsement of this humble blogger.
NB - Sisto’s my space page features a song about him written by Albuquerque band John Thayer and Hungry Mungry. Yeah, they are alright. Of course, any Southwestern band in my mind gets compared to our local greats…they sound a bit like Calexico, and lead singer Thayer even sounds a bit like a cross between Joey Burns and Howe Gelb. But, Thayer’s Spanish isn’t as awkward as Burns’s.
8 Comments
July 17th, 2007 at 10:12 pm
WOW NOW I REALLY FEEL LOVED!
July 17th, 2007 at 11:25 pm
ME TOO!
July 18th, 2007 at 7:49 am
I don’t … *sniff*.
July 18th, 2007 at 5:16 pm
OK, maybe you can answer this one for me:
I have an eleven year old who likes going to political meetings with me and has done yeoman’s work manning booths and going door to door with me.
How long before she is eligible to join YDA?
July 20th, 2007 at 5:21 am
Three Years.
July 20th, 2007 at 9:43 pm
Thank you.
July 26th, 2007 at 10:22 am
WOW! I cant believe my name made it in lights! Heard “Bill” met with Tom. Hope that went well.
July 26th, 2007 at 11:45 am
I dunno Jen, your name is in light’s, but so is DeMora’s…
Yes, Bill met with Tom…went well, apparently.
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