Democratic law students meet at Harvard with Dean to organize.

[madfloridian]

Howard Dean spoke there at Harvard Law School on Saturday. I remember because a rather strange article has been all over the web called Press Barred at Howard Dean Talk at Harvard

They never bothered to make it clear that is was an organizational group for Democratic law students...no need for it to be open to press.

Though Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Howard Dean is not known for being publicity-shy, a speech by the former Vermont governor at Harvard Law School Saturday was closed to the press. Dean laid out a strategy for Democratic victories in 2006 and 2008 elections, according to students in attendance. Although Dean addressed the media’s perception that Democrats have no plan or message, students in attendance said, the media itself was barred from the speech.

“Governor Dean’s presentation...was not intended to be a open press event, but rather an opportunity to discuss with conference participants their role in the party and some of the items addressed in their program,” wrote DNC spokesman Damien LaVera in an e-mail yesterday.

..."Dean told a packed audience in Austin Hall at HLS, “Don’t let anybody tell you Democrats don’t have a message” to audience applause, according to Kolic.

“He was very decisive,” said Indira Phukan ’09. “He didn’t hesitate to criticize the Republicans, but he didn’t hesitate to criticize the Democrats either.”

Here is what the meeting was about. I think this is a wonderful way to organize. It appears to be part of the Democratic Lawyers' Council formed by Dean.


Democratic Law Students Get Their Act Together>

The following is a post submitted by Eric Haren, VP of the Harvard Law School Dems, about the launch of the National Democratic Law Students Council -- Tim

This past weekend, from March 17-19, 2006, Democratic law students from across the country convened at Harvard Law School to kickoff a new association of Democratic law students, the National Democratic Law Students Council (NDLSC). Headlined by the DNC Chairman, Gov. Howard Dean, the convention brought together 140 students from 33 schools with a common purpose: to forge a new organization devoted to promoting the work that law school Democrats and Democratic groups do on campus while connecting them with the voter protection and other efforts of Democratic lawyers.

Delegates of varied backgrounds from as far away as Kentucky, Oklahoma, Texas, and California came together at this inaugural event, attending a series of panels, talks, and trainings relating to the intersection between law and politics, and electing national officers to move the new organization into the next year. David Burd and Russell Anello, third-year and second-year students at Harvard Law School, respectively, led the organizational effort.

The founding of the NDLSC can trace its origins to two trends. First, law students have historically fallen within the College Democrats of America, but though the College Democrats have thrived in recent years, its focus on college students has often left Democratic law student groups somewhat on their own from year to year, ebbing and flowing in strength based on the election cycle. Also, the need for an organization like this became increasingly clear in the wake of the 2000 and 2004 elections, as voter protection work has taken on a new importance.

After the 2004 election, a group of Democratic lawyers created the National Lawyers Council (NLC), which was brought in house at the DNC in the spring of 2005. Starting late that summer and into the fall, after meeting with Anna Martinez, the Executive Director of the NLC, who was looking to engage law students more systematically in the NLC, David Burd began what became a seven month journey culminating at the Convention this weekend to create the NDLSC. As of now, the group encompasses Democratic law students and law student clubs at over 65 law schools nationwide.

[madfloridian]

1. It DOES seem to be part of the Dems National Lawyers' Council.

"After the 2004 election, a group of Democratic lawyers created the National Lawyers Council (NLC), which was brought in house at the DNC in the spring of 2005. Starting late that summer and into the fall, after meeting with Anna Martinez, the Executive Director of the NLC, who was looking to engage law students more systematically in the NLC, David Burd began what became a seven month journey culminating at the Convention this weekend to create the NDLSC. As of now, the group encompasses Democratic law students and law student clubs at over 65 law schools nationwide."

This should start paying off in elections soon, just a beginning, but a good one.

[RazzleDazzle]

2. This is great -- watch out, Federalist Soc. Dems can organize too!

[madfloridian]

3. Watch this drop and someone will say...where's Dean? What is he doing?

Or they will say the Democrats have no plans. But post something like organizing law school students and it drops like a rock.

Guess it wasn't combatative enough for today.

[RazzleDazzle]

4. Hmm, you're downright psychic

or perhaps you just know the drill, eh? See, for example the post I rsponded to with the link to this thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x735620

[blm]

6. heheh...probably true....it's a familiar them here

any word on targeting voting machines?

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[madfloridian]

7. A little more on this Harvard conference. I was prescient, it dropped.

I said this thread would drop quickly, and there would be a lot of posts saying our Democrats are not doing anything. I was right.

Not a lot of detail, but I think there is a lot going on in rather covert organizing.

This letter to the editor reflects some things I have been hearing..
http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=512363

"To the editors:

Your article on Howard Dean’s speech at Harvard Law School this weekend (“Press Barred at Howard Dean Talk,” news, Mar. 20) missed the fact that Dean’s speech was only a small part of a much more significant event that occurred at HLS this weekend: the founding of a new national organization of Democratic law students. Dean spoke during a three-day conference featuring more than twenty presenters and attended by over 100 law students from more than thirty law schools. The conference kicked off the National Democratic Law Students Council, a student group dedicated to increasing Democratic presence at law schools and getting law students involved in voter protection and campaign work. Students left the conference with the knowledge, network, and inspiration needed to fight for social change. So the real story here is that Democratic law students are getting organized—and Howard Dean wanted to motivate and congratulate those students, not deliver a public speech.

RUSSELL M. ANELLO ‘04

Cambridge, Mass.

March 20, 2006