I demand you come to me!

Eventful.com has come out with a new politics page where you can actually "Demand" that a candidate come to your town. You can check it out here.

So far 5,703 people have 'demanded' that Barack Obama come to their town. Hillary is next at 1,967 and Ron Paul (who?) has 441 demands.... and the list goes on from there.

While these numbers aren't yet staggering, there's a lot of possibility. Just imagine if you and your friends could 'demand' that a politician come to you opposed to wishing that one day they would actually gave a ... what's an PG word? .... hoot..... about young people and show up at your high school or college to convince YOU to vote for THEM. How refreshing would that be? . . . Don't worry folks, soon they'll be pounding on your door to get your attention. . . Just you wait... more too come soon, I promise.

Harvard Pollster on Youth Voting

Harvard's youth vote pollster John Della Volpe: "Anyone who doesn't believe how powerful young voters are should speak to former Senator George Allen."

Hip-Hop is Dead?

According to an article from the Associated Press, "Sales of rap music are declining as more are critical of its message."

Before you tie this too closely to Nas' album "Hip Hop Is Dead," though, consider what he told MTV in an interview,

"I don't wanna lose nobody with this, but what I mean by 'hip-hop is dead' is we're at a vulnerable state," he continued. "If we don't change, we gonna disappear like Rome. Let's break it down to a smaller situation. Hip-hop is Rome for the 'hood. I think hip-hop could help rebuild America, once hip-hoppers own hip-hop. ... We are our own politicians, our own government, we have something to say. We're warriors. Soldiers."

I tend to agree with Kevin Powell, who says, "In the end, if you are not getting cats' heads nodding in their SUVs and their cars, you're not going to reach them."

Rock the Vote Ireland

Here at Rock the Vote, we've been amazed by the global growth of the Rock the Vote style and brand in the aftermath of the 2004 election. With people all over the world following that election so closely--and witnessing the rise of youth political power here in this country--we're not surprised that we've started to get a lot of inquiries from overseas about how to link up with our campaign.

Well, we're pleased to announce our first licensed affiliate... Rock the Vote Ireland.

We've teamed up with them because they're independent and non-partisan, which is a prerequisite for the Rock the Vote brand. They've also got a sound organizational structure and some funding, which doesn't hurt.

They haven't launched yet but they're working very hard on plans and we think they're going to be a big hit. Way to go!

Bring the new Iraq film festival to your campus

Rock the Vote, the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Campus Progress and other groups are working together to sponsor a film series about Iraq.

Working closely with Focus Features, HBO, and independent media, we are working to help students across the country bring films to their campuses--films that bring into sharp focus the harsh realities on the ground in Iraq. We will help you organize panels following your film event, that feature Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans, elected officials, policy experts, and film directors to share their first-hand experiences, and discuss the future of Iraq.

Join us as we work to inform and inspire more young Americans to take a more substantial role in deciding America’s future!

Please email iraq@campusprogress.org to find out how to bring the Iraq film festival and speakers to your campus.

An academy for public service? Today we have a guest blog from Chris Myers Asch.

Why Not Build a National College for Service-Minded Students?
By Chris Myers Asch

Number of federal military service academies: 5

Number of federal civilian service academies: 0

Does anyone else think something’s wrong here? You can help change those numbers by supporting the effort to build the U.S. Public Service Academy.

Recent studies show that more students than ever emerge from high school wanting to serve their country and their community. But they often find themselves freshman year on campuses that are indifferent, if not outright hostile, to such high-minded ideals. The five military academies offer great opportunities for service, but many students would prefer to serve in the civilian world, in fields such as education or health care or the environment. Where can students go to get the kind of intense, service-oriented education that will mold them into citizen leaders the way West Point and the military academies develop military leaders?

The answer is that such a college does not exist – yet.

There is now an exciting initiative to build a completely different kind of college, one that gives students a chance to do something real with their lives and become part of a movement to make this country better: the U.S. Public Service Academy. Modeled on the military service academies, the Public Service Academy would recruit top students from across the country and offer them full scholarships to pursue a rigorous undergraduate education focused on leadership development and public service. In return, Academy graduates would spend five years serving their nation by working as teachers, cops, emergency responders, and other critical public service jobs at the local, state, and national levels.

Learn how you can help build this new college by visiting:

http://www.uspublicserviceacademy.org.