Open Letter to Two Undeclared College Superdelegates

The following was sent as an open letter to two undeclared superdelegates (Lauren Wolfe and Awais Khaleel, who are the President and Vice President of College Democrats).

Awais & Lauren :

Four years ago, a friend of mine in Texas was working a minimum wage job so that he could one day go to college. His phone rang one evening, and the voice on the other line offered him a $90,000 job driving a truck for a defense contractor in Iraq. He called me and asked what I thought he should do. No matter what he decided, I remember thinking, "What a sad day when the world's richest, most powerful country can only offer 2 choices to someone who wants to go to college: minimum wage, or $90,000 in a war zone."

After reading Jason Rae's note earlier this week, I feel obligated to share with you my experiences as a surrogate at colleges and community centers from Virginia to Indiana, Ohio to Pennsylvania, Wisconsin to North Carolina.

State after state, I have been meeting young people who, for the first time in their lives, are not simply voting, but volunteering for a campaign. After being told for years that their voices don't count for much, they have risen up and joined us in securing a better world for all Americans. Many of these folks cannot afford a college education. Many lack health care. Some are caring for ailing parents. Others are first-generation Americans. Overwhelmingly, they've answered the challenge that Senator Obama has given them: to take responsibility and become involved. I ask you not to ignore them any longer.

Young voters are mobilized for Barack in some of the most unlikely places. I'm reminded of a very moving event at the largely conservative Miami University of Ohio several weeks back; Ranked as the 4th least diverse school in the nation by the Princeton Review, our surrogate rally drew 500 students -- a large number of whom showed up with handmade "Obama '08" signs. The College Democrats on campus were blown away, having never seen more than small double-digit attendance at any of their general meetings. These several hundred students, a great many of whom were conservative Republicans, came to learn more about Barack Obama and left that night as supporters. I ask you not to deny them the opportunity to support the Democratic Party.

It was indeed important to remain neutral as the candidates themselves reached out to young Americans. As representatives of a college group, I respect your decision to have waited until your constituents made their voices heard in a clear fashion. But that time has come and gone. You are no doubt aware that this election season started with an increase in youth voter turnout of 135% above 2004 levels in Iowa. Senator Obama won the 'youth vote' by a 4-1 margin in that state, followed by 3-1 in New Hampshire, and 2-1 in Nevada.

He is the only candidate -- Democrat or Republican -- to have an active National Arts Policy Committee to preserve and encourage the ties between the arts and culture, education, civil/national preservation, and national & international security. He is the only candidate -- Democrat or Republican - to have made a commitment to true reform and refused federal lobbyist money in his presidential campaign. He also refused to stand idly by, and spoke out publicly while Senators McCain and Clinton voted to authorize a war that continues to send scores of young Americans overseas.

Perhaps three weeks ago was not the right time to pledge. But neither is three weeks from now. Your failure to pledge now risks returning those passionate, first-time voters to a political landscape of the same old games that caused them to maintain such distance from the Democratic Party before. If you are being pressured by others to wait until later in May or June to pledge, please be aware that you risk hurting the majority of folks who have made their clear choice in Senator Obama. I work with them every day. These young voters were mobilized because of a belief in their ability to change the game-playing Washington establishment politics that has failed them for so long. You may be reluctant to endorse because you are DNC officers, but you have a mandate from scores of young voters to pledge now. As the future of the Democratic Party, they look up to you. Please don't let the system fail them again. This should not be about party politics and should not be about insider loyalties. This is about the constituents you represent, and their inclusion and involvement for years to come.

Your failure to pledge now also risks denying young, first-time voters the very things for which they have supported the Democratic Party now: universal health care, access to education, freedom from war, a sustainable environment, fair, unionized jobs, and serious, long-term economic solutions. Please don't risk pledging too late and hurting their credibility.

You need to pledge your support for Senator Obama today. You need to do this for the scores of young voters who turned out in unprecedented, historic numbers. You need to do this for a college freshman I spoke with in North Carolina last Monday, who tirelessly splits his time between school, volunteer work, and helping care for his ailing father. You need to do this for the brave young men and women who are in the military, and for the young woman in Minnesota who, with tears streaming down her face, explained that she can't pay off her student loans on a teaching salary.

You need to do this for people like my friend who was making minimum wage four years ago. He ultimately turned down that job offer in Iraq. He has still not been able to afford a college education. You need to show him that the richest, most powerful country in the world hasn't forgotten him.

Best,

Kal Penn

Surrogate/National Arts Policy Committee Member
Barack Obama for President

Kal Penn (Kalpen Modi) is an actor based in Los Angeles. He currently appears on the television series, House, is an Adjunct Professor of Cinema, Sociology, and Asian American Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, and is pursuing a Graduate Certificate in International Security at Stanford University. He is a surrogate for the Obama Campaign and a member of the Campaign's National Arts Policy Committee

Comments

[CocteausTwin]

Very well said Kal. I too think that college age voters have clearly spoken for whom they wish to be the Democratic candidate. I hope the two super delegates Lauren Wolfe and Awais Khaleel will feel comfortable to pledge for whomever they choose this week. Either they have reasons not to support whom the voters they represent have chosen or they don't. It is time for them to announce their selection.

[Caringthinkingperson]

Go Kal, Go Kal, Go Kal, just for that I'll go see your movie. Not that you need me, but performing artists must stick together. Thanks for bringing up the " National Arts Policy Committee" to preserve and encourage the ties between the arts and culture, education, civil/national preservation, and national & international security. So very important. And people accuse him of not having policies. What a ridiculous topic about Obama to choose to critize.

[fingolfinjones]

Thank you for this enlightening blog post, Kal. It's refreshing to see young celebrities getting involved in the political process. Keep up the great work. Who knows, someday I may be voting for you!

[lorla]

Two of these college kids got their day in the limelight when they made a YouTube invitation for the public to weigh in to help them make a choice on who they should vote for. It made MSM news.
I thought it was rather silly, because since the beginning of the primary season, it was certain that Obama was the candidate that was activating the youth movement. Their choice should have been clear a long time ago, even if they were waiting for the right time to endorse.
When Obama was struggling the most, during both waves of the Wright controvery, these college kids could have endorsed him then, being as they were the ones with the least to lose, politically speaking, by standing up for him. Maybe it could have influenced a few elected officials to put aside their own aspirations, and help Obama weather the storm.
What if the Wright controversy brought Obama down during the primary? We would have lost the promise of this great candidate, and the whole party, from the DNC to the superdelegates, would have been guilty of letting this happen.
These college kids now have the results of their survey, so there is no reason to not endorse, if they were genuine in their invitation. And the rest of the superdelegates should follow suit.

[justobserve]

You meant they invited people to tell them who to pledge to and they are still waiting, even though after it is clear that Obama has won and Clinton can't never catch up? What are these two people doing? They are not fulfilling their obligation to young voters.

[JudgeCrater]

Agreed. Something's rotten in the state of Denmark. They are angling for unnamed 'benefits' and don't give a rats a** about the will of college-age voters.

[mamak]

Good post Kal...hope more young celebrity surrogates will come out to tell their stories and reasons for supporting Obama.....and help our young SuperDels to go for Obama...

cheers,
Obama'08

[heal57]

What a powerful piece. When it comes to political courage, our youth puts our elders to shame. Endorse now; time is spinning by. Awais and Lauren, let's go already and make Barack Obama the democratic candidate for President of the United States.


Independent for Obama '08

[chappelforpres]

When a decided underdog and virtual unknown unseats a onetime shoe-in and virtually uncontested heir apparent, something is big is ablaze. It would be bordering on criminal to sit in denial of such a monumental reversal of fortune. The time to act is upon you. Choose! Obama '08

[stringer]

Thank you Kal! You've summed up my feelings and reasons for voting for Senator Obama so much better than even I could!

As a young person I'm so inspired and happy to see his candidacy. He has hit on a message of change, hope and inclusion of young people (who DO have something to offer despite what many here and other places would have you think) that is resounding in this country. It is definitely time for these two young Democrats, whom we have heard make comments leaning towards Obama to commit.

With Hillary's supporters we would be unbeatable! Hope we can work over our differences and go forward. God knows we need all of your strength, experience and wisdom as much as we do Senator Clinton's. Let's get a Democrat back in the White House!

[KillTheMessenger]

Reality is way ahead of super-delegates and the Clinton campaign. It is being made by Senator Obama, his amazing staff and his voters. At this point they either jump on the bus or will be left behind by history.

[jukesgrrl]

Great post, Kal. Thanks for using your celebrity to contribute to democracy.

[sf94127]

Kal-

Obama's nomination is hollow w/o FL and MI. Obama is not taking a leadership position on this matter and that is troubling. This process must continue if only for this matter.

[in4success]

he's taking tremendous leadership in following the rules he agreed to before the primaries began.

[fingolfinjones]

Thank you! That's something that Hillary Clinton and her minions conveniently seem to forget, day after day after day...

[GuyRC]

And how hollow would Hillarys victory be after she flip-flopped on her agreement about FL and MI to win an election?

[in4success]

the supers should commit. then, allow hillary to play out the remaining states. she deserves that for divinity. but the party, the people and barack obama deserve closure, a good rest and a conscience-free environment to kick off strategy for the general election --- without question the most important in my lifetime (50 years) . . . and arguably, the history of this nation which has been seized by an enemy from within.

[verlaine]

The undeclared superdelegates are a bunch of super sniveling cowards. Hillary wants to go out in a blaze of glory like James Cagney in White Heat. She's on a kamikaze mission to destroy Obama.

It's time to end Hillary's reign of terror. Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Howard Dean, John Edwards, Joe Biden, Al Gore, Barbara Boxer, Mary Landrieu, Jimmy Carter, James Clyburn, and Mario Cuomo must hold a joint news conference and publicly endorse Obama.

[Didderbops]

"I did it Ma!! Top of the world!!!"

Or instead of Ma, that's Bill she's talking to...

[SethBLiNK]

It's kind of funny that among the superdelegates that are always portrayed as party insiders are two college students.

Kal, chill. It's time for everybody to just take a step back and let all the candidates and superdelegates make their own decisions. They don't need anybody telling them what they need to do.

[stefanielaine]

Sure they do. It's their job to listen to the voices of their constituents. They don't have to listen to us, but we have a responsibility to make sure our voices are heard.

Great letter, Kal.

[stefanielaine]

Sorry, I meant, "They don't have to do what we say, but we have a responsibility to make sure our voices are heard."

[moda31]

these particular super delegates are supposed to represent student democrats, it's understandable that they wanted to wait to see which way the majority of college aged democrats voted, but that became clear ages ago. one candidate has consistently won the youth vote by enormous margins across the country, nothing in the remaining contests is going to change that; at this point their constituency has spoken and so should they.