The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

DNC 2016

The Art of Winning Hearts and Minds for Hillary

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Executive Women for Hillary Emphasizes “Curious, Creative and Collaborative” Listening

By Susan Youngwood

About 40 women crammed into the living room of a townhouse in Philadelphia last week, taking up every imaginable seating and floor space. All were eager to learn an effective method for persuading undecided voters to support Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

“Our job is not to turn people who will happily vote for Donald Trump,” said Carol Evans, recent Chappaqua resident and a national co-chair of Executive Women for Hillary, who led this training. “Our job is to talk to independents, unenthusiastic Democrats and disaffected Republicans. Save your energy for the real fence sitters.”

Evans, who was founder and president of Working Mother Media, helped launch Executive Women for Hillary four months before Clinton declared her candidacy. “We started really early,” Evans explained. “We were just guessing and praying that she would run.”

Executive Women for Hillary is a national coalition of executive, entrepreneur and professional women who stand behind, support and advocate for Clinton to become the first woman president of the United States. It has about 1,450 members, all volunteer.

“We think that using our skills, networks and influence on getting Hillary elected is a winning formula,” Evans said. They call their approach Winning Hearts and Minds.

At the DNC: Co-founders of Executive Women for Hillary: Carol Evans (left) and Jennifer Allyn
At the DNC: Co-founders of Executive Women for Hillary: Carol Evans (left) and Jennifer Allyn

“We found our voice very early on” by focusing on training methodology that they rewrote for the Clinton campaign,, said Evans. “Like all executive women, we created a powerpoint.”

The group calls its training sessions salons, and they are usually held in someone’s private home. The one in Philadelphia during the Democratic National Convention was a typical gathering — it started with a social hour, as women chatted over cheese, crackers and cookies. After the group moved from the kitchen to the living room, the training began.

“The best thing is to start with an open-ended question,” Evans began. Ask, ‘How are you feeling about Hillary?’ You’ll get a lot of different responses.”

The most likely response is either ambivalence or negativity. The next step is to ask the person to talk about his or her concerns — and the key is to listen.

“Listening is not active,” instructed co-founder and national co-chair Jennifer Allyn, head of diversity for Price Waterhouse. “It’s curious, creative, collaborative.” Don’t interrupt, don’t disagree, don’t discuss their concerns one-by-one — just listen and be curious.

Then, engage them in a conversation by asking a lot of questions — questions that begin with either who, what, when, where, why or how. If the person is worried that Clinton isn’t trustworthy, ask, ‘Who do you trust? Why do you trust them. What qualities make someone trustworthy? How has trust been a factor in the past in your voting decisions? What is the one thing you do trust about Hillary?’”

“By asking those questions you are building a relationship – even if only for five minutes,” Evans said.

Then, pivot–explain why you are supporting Hillary. And finally, ask them their concerns about Donald Trump.

The goal is not to convince someone to love Hillary, but to get them to support her in November. “It’s a one-on-one game to get people to vote for Clinton,” said Evans.

This method works, said women who used it effectively in the primaries.

“I did this on my mother — who never voted Democrat in her life,” said Allyn. Allyn listened to her mother’s concerns, explained why she liked Hillary and was concerned about Trump, and convinced her mother to commit to vote for Clinton. “She even gave money!” Allyn added.

Mosemarie Boyd, an attorney from Arkansas, attended the Philadelphia session. “I met these women in Iowa in January,” she said, and signed up, becoming the co-chair for Ohio. “It brings in talented women who are top in their careers and teaches them to engage in the political process.”

The training is concise, which is attractive to women busy holding down jobs and raising families. Women busy. It also works to women’s strengths. “The most important part is to listen,” she explained.

Lisa Levey, the New Hampshire co-chair, is an organizational development consultant who has never been politically active before. The historic nature of Clinton’s campaign is a big motivating factor for her. “This is a huge deal; I can’t tell you how much that inspires me.”

She plans to organize movie screenings and debate parties for Executive Women in New Hampshire, and organize phone banks and canvassing. The key to this strategy, she said, “is understanding what the other person cares about.”

Engaging and training new members: Mosemarie Boyd (left), an attorney from Arkansas and Ohio co-chair.
Engaging members: Mosemarie Boyd (left), an attorney from Arkansas and Ohio co-chair

Twenty-eight members traveled to Philadelphia to attend the DNC, coming from around the country — Oklahoma, New Jersey, California, Washington, Virginia, to name a few places. The group plans to hold training salons in all 50 states (“We have a 50-state strategy,” Evans said), offer voter protection advice from its lawyer members, work on voter access and voter registration, and getting out the vote.

For more information on Executive Women for Hillary, go to www.executivewomenforhillary.com and follow them on Facebook, www.facebook.com/ExecutiveWomenforHillary/

 

 

 

“Results Oriented” Chappaqua Friends of Hill and Tim

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Joy-Filled Members Celebrate Hillary Clinton’s Historic Nomination

By Susan Youngwood

It started with a single Facebook post, on April 12, 2015, the day Hillary Clinton announced her candidacy for president of the United States.

Dawn Evans Greenberg invited her friends in Chappaqua to join her for a drink to celebrate. A small group gathered, and decided they wanted to help the campaign. The group mushroomed, and now has 750 members ages 16 to 69. A satellite group in Rivertown has 200 participants.

Fifteen months later, after hours of making phone calls, knocking on doors and registering voters, ten members of Chappaqua Friends of Hill and Tim (the name officially changed last week) attended the Democratic National Convention to watch Clinton accept the nomination.

“Our enthusiasm carries us along,” said Greenberg.

Chappaqua Friend of HIll and Tim in the arena on Wednesday.
Chappaqua Friends of Hill and Tim  arrive for their first night in the arena on Wednesday. (L–R): Beth Sauerhaft (in orange), Julie Gaughran, Jason Lichtenthal, Dawn Evans Greenberg, Iris Weintraub Lachaud and (front, center) Randee Kessler Glazer

At the crack of dawn on Wednesday, the group set off to Philadelphia. Their first stop was a Women for Hillary Meet and Greet in the Philadelphia convention center, where they gathered buttons and encouragement. After getting their credentials (posing for a photo in front of the enormous Hillary button in the lobby) and checking into their accommodations, they headed to the Wells Fargo Center.

Settled into their seats by 3:30, they were in for a long night.

They were all pumped. This was their first political convention. “I’m still pinching myself,” said Kristen Lore, “I can’t believe I’m here.

The members discussed their efforts and motivations while waiting for the program to begin. Iris Lauchaud listed all the states they called during the primaries: Indiana, California, Colorado, Connecticut, New Jersey, West Virginia.

Randee Glazer, who worked on Wall Street but is now retired, found time to do it all — phone banking, canvassing, visibility, voter registration. “I like canvassing — I like speaking to people, telling them what I admire about Hillary. I think it really makes a difference,” she said.

Jolted by 911, Glazer was motivated to volunteer after John Kerry’s loss in 2004. “After ‘04, I realized that I can not only vote — I have to do something.” She worked on the Obama campaign in 2008 and 2012. But this campaign has a more personal touch for her.

“I met Hillary for the first time in 2005, at someone’s home for a fundraiser,” she said. “She was amazing.” Glazer’s daughter was applying to colleges, and Clinton gave her advice from her own experience with Chelsea. It was clear from that conversation, Glazer said, “how Hillary listens and how she cares. … She’s brilliant, capable and qualified.”

Thursday, July 28: Arriving early to the Wells Fargo Arena, CFOH members get ready to witness their neighbor and hometown candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton accept her party's nomination for POTUS.
Thursday, July 28: Arriving early to the Wells Fargo Arena, CFOH members get ready to witness their neighbor and hometown candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton accept her party’s nomination for POTUS. (L-R): Kristin Lore, Randee Kessler Glazer, Jason Lichtenthal, Francesca Hagadus, Holly McCall, Julie Gaughran, Dawn Evans Greenberg (behind Julie). With (far right) Grace Bennett, Inside Chappaqua Magazine

Julie Gaughran fondly remembers her phone calls to southern states. “They had such lovely accents,” she said. Her first volunteer gig for a political campaign was in 1980, for Teddy Kennedy. “I’ve always been politically active,” she said.

“I fell in love with Hillary when she was First Lady,” said Lore, a psychotherapist who specializes in eating disorders. Clinton is both “gutsy” and “really caring” — but most important, Lore said, “she fights for the kinds of values that are important to me.”

One thing that motivated them was the impressive skill set of the participants. They are “results-oriented” said one; this is not a group of ladies who lunch.

Beth Sauerhaft, who works in environmental and social sustainability, said Hillary’s strengths — her “amazing breadth and depth and … experience” inspired similarly situated people to volunteer. “We’re all a group of people with expert credentials,” she said.

“If we go to lunch,” she laughed, “we discuss this.”

“This is the greatest group,” said Gaughran. “They are warm-hearted, extremely smart, unpretentious, and funny as hell. We are doing something great and having fun as well.”

While all the members put in hours of hard work, they acknowledge their founder’s contribution. “Dawn is a force of nature,” said Gaughran.

Eventually the convention began. There was a procession of speakers, both politicians and celebrities, some well known (New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Star Jones), some not as well known. Audience members flicked through their Facebook feeds, took photos, explored the convention center.

The mood shifted at 8 p.m., when gun violence took center stage. The audience quieted down. Phones turned dark. All eyes turned to the stage as Christine Leinonen, the mother of a victim of the June 12 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, took the microphone.

Leinonen said that when she went into labor with her son, she was a Michigan state trooper and the hospital stored her gun in a safe.

“I’m glad common-sense gun policy was in place the day Christopher was born, but where was that common sense the day he died?” Leinonen asked. “I never want you to ask that question about your child. That’s why I support Hillary Clinton.”

Glazer rested her cheek on her hand, transfixed. All around, eyes twinkled with tears.

Next up was Erika Smegielski, whose mother was killed in the Newtown, Conn., shooting. As she proclaimed, “What we need is another mother, who will make this right,” Greenberg whispered, “These women are awesome.” She shook her head. “I can’t even imagine.”

Emotions flitted up and down. Joy when Broadway performers sang “What the World Needs Now.” Enthusiasm as favorite politicians took the microphone (chanting “Jerry, Jerry, Jerry” for California Gov. Jerry Brown; “Joe, Joe, Joe” for Vice President Joe Biden). Laughter when former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg eviscerated Republican nominee Donald Trump (“I’m a New Yorker, I know a con when I see one.”)

The Chappaqua ten waved signs, booed when Trump’s name was mentioned, chanted “Love trumps hate.”

But no words could really capture their feelings when Obama took the stage.

“One of the single greatest moments of my life,” wrote Greenberg on Facebook. “The place seems almost levitating with love and hope for the future.”

Witnessing this live was indescribably different from seeing it on television.

“You just feel the hum in the air,” said Sauerhaft.

“You could feel the hope in the air,” said Greenberg.

“This is an historic event,” said Glazer. “We’re not just living it. We’ve been part of it.”

 

Young Democrats Working to Get Out the Millennial Vote

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“It shows that young people should have a seat at the table.” Stephanie Hausner

By Susan Youngwood

Kristina Contreras Fox and Stephanie Hausner at the Young Democrats of America booth at the Democratic National Convention.
Kristina Contreras Fox and Stephanie Hausner at the Young Democrats of America booth at the Democratic National Convention.

Stephanie Hausner of New City, NY, was inspired to run for office partly thanks to the Young Democrats of America, an organization she joined in college. And the Young Democrats supported her campaign, helping her win a seat on the Clarkstown Town Council.

“When I first ran, friends from the Young Democrats from states including Connecticut, Indiana and New Jersey came and knocked on doors for me,” she said.

This week, Hausner, 32, is one of the delegates at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, representing New York’s 17th congressional district.

Young Democrats of America is the largest youth-led partisan organization in the country, with 46 chapters and hundreds of thousands of members. They are well represented at the convention, staffing a booth in a public space for all four days and signing up new members.

“Our mission is to elect Democrats, advocate for progressive issues and train the next generation of leaders,” said Kristina Contreras Fox, 30, a vice president of the Young Democrats. “And this is the year for it.”

Members nationwide are knocking on doors, making phone calls and discussing issues ranging from student loan debt to reproductive rights. This year, the organization is working hard on its Millennial Vote initiative, to encourage greater voter participation.

“When it comes to policies, we are the generation that is going to be impacted the most,” Fox said. A native of Rhode Island, Fox is president of the Rhode Island chapter of the Young Democrats. “I do everything I can to elevate the voice of young people,” she said.

“I make sure those people know where to go,” said Fox. She uses email, social media and even old-fashioned methods like phone calls to tell young people the issues being discussed by local officials. “I’m an old-form organizer,” she said.

Like many DNC attendees, Fox is elated to see a woman nominated for president. Tears pooled in her eyes when she discussed it.

Kristina Contreras Fox engages new members at the Young Democrats of America booth.
Kristina Contreras Fox engages new members at the
Young Democrats of America booth.

“When I was in kindergarten, we were having this discussion, ’What do you want to be when you grow up?’ I remember I said, ‘I want to be presIdent and they’ll call my husband the first man.’ The entire class laughed at me,” Fox said. “I’ve been thinking about that so much. We’re going to nominate Hillary Clinton. I feel like a 5-year-old in kindergarten again. Now there will be little girls in their kindergarten class saying they want to be president and people won’t laugh at them. … it makes me speechless.”

Hausner is equally as thrilled to see Clinton nominated.

“I was a Hillary supporter in 2008. I ran for office after seeing Hillary in 2008. To be able to be on the floor (this week) will be quite an experience,” said Hausner.

This is Hausner’s fourth convention and the second as a delegate.

“I started as a Young Democrat when I was in college,” Hausner said. She benefited from many of their trainings and advice. She first ran for office when she was 25, and leaned heavily on the Young Democrats.

“My campaign was run by all Young Democrats. Some of those people later ran for office themselves. Others served as campaign managers in larger scale races,” she said. “It shows that young people should have a seat at the table.”

The Young Democrats can use creative strategies to reach out. Hausner said that earlier this month, to register young voters, Young Democrats camped out at a local library which doubled as a Pokemon Go stop. When players walked by to play the game, a volunteer asked them to register to vote.

“Our campaign strategy is peer-to-peer campaigning,” explained Hausner, “young voters talking to young voters.”

Mother of Two Lost to Gun Violence: Hillary “Strong on the Issues”

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“I live with the pain every day.”

By Susan Youngwood

Philadelphia, PA, July 24 — Jackie Rowe Adams lost two sons to gun violence. Her 17-year-old was shot 33 years ago by three men who didn’t like the way he looked at them

Sixteen years later, her 28-year-old was killed in a robbery, by a 13-year-old.“It seems like yesterday,” she said. “I live with the pain every day, every hour.”

Jackie Rowe Adams lost two sons to gun violence.
Jackie Rowe Adams lost two sons to gun violence; she is fighting for Hillary Clinton to make history.

Gun control is one reason she supports Hillary Clinton. “She is a strong strong woman. A strong lady. She’s strong on the issues.”

Rowe-Adams is on the DNC Credentials Committee. From Harlem, she is president of her local chapter of the ASME Union, District Council 37. She founded Harlem Mothers Say Stop Another Violent End, which provides support and grief counseling to survivors of gun violence.

“I’m for Hillary all the way,” she said.  “I was for Hillary from the beginning. Let me tell you. She rose to the occasion in all her positions. She did a great job.”

When Clinton accepts the nomination this week, says Rowe Adams, “I feel I’m a part of history. I’m excited because it’s her time. It’s time for the world to believe in a female. And to open doors for the younger generation.”

The New Girl on the Bus

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Intrepid Reporter for the Inside Press Jazzed to Cover the 2016  DNC

By Susan Youngwood

I came to political consciousness during Watergate. Glued to the television during the hearings, I devoured newspaper coverage. I remember two things about the summer of 1972–watching the Olympics and the Democratic National Convention.SYoungwood

I’ve been watching conventions ever since (I did miss a few because of traveling–I still regret being overseas when Barack Obama introduced himself to the country in 2004.)

I love the roll call, when each state announces trivia about itself when nominating its candidate. I still remember the days when there would be one lone vote for the state’s favorite son–usually its governor or senator. I marvel at the loss of decorum, when distinguished-looking middle-aged folks don crazy red, white and blue garments and dance in the aisles. The funny hats, the turn-of-phrase buttons. I get a thrill watching our peaceful change of power.

Funny enough, though, in the 25+ years I was a journalist, I wasn’t a political journalist. I didn’t cover statehouses and political campaigns, focusing instead on business and education. So I never went to a convention, never became a girl on the bus.

This weekend, that will change, as I head south to Philadelphia to cover my first political convention. It’s a homecoming of sorts, because I lived in Philadelphia for three years in the early 1980s. I’m looking forward to being a tourist in my former hometown, as much as I am excited about attending my first political convention in person.

My internal vision of political conventions is what you see on television. And television covers what happens in the arena–the delegates seated behind their state sign, television reporters roaming around with microphones, a garishly decorated stage where a blue-suited politician gives a somber or rousing speech.

So my first lesson about political conventions is that what you see on television is really not what these conventions are about.

To prepare, I chatted with a journalism school buddy who covered four conventions for national media.

“The delegates are really there to party,” he said. My job is to find the parties.

You know, I had never really thought about what the delegates do before and after the three to four hours they sit in the convention hall. I had also never realized the other people who come to conventions, drawn to the flame like fireflies. There are the uber wealthy donors. The lobbyists. The special interest groups. The media. The politicians and their staffs.

And what I’ve learned is that there are hordes of events happening over a six-day period to keep those hordes busy.

There are big parties–Emily’s List and Planned Parenthood throw two of them (pretty sure they didn’t show up during the GOP event). I’m told all the large media outlets, like CNN and BuzzFeed, throw parties.

Each state delegation is assigned a hotel, and holds events there. I’m supposed to hang out in the lobby of hotel housing the New York delegation and follow the delegates to their social events.

There are concerts and food festivals and movie showings.

There are panel discussions about the economy and infrastructure and energy policy.

There are fundraising events, dinners and lunches where only a check lets you in the door.

Here’s a sampling of what I can chose from:

The Creative Coalition Benefit Gala costs $7,500 for two tickets — celebrities from entertainment, policy and business will get to listen to Fergie. A Yacht Party is raising money for autism and is relatively cheap at $100 a ticket. The American Muslim Democratic caucus is charging $125 to attend its luncheon. The DNC welcome lunch thrown by the American Trade Association for Cannabis and Hemp + Drug Policy Action costs $250. The LGBT GOTV fundraiser event is called Equality in the Sky.

The less well-off can head to the Passyunk Passeggiata Street Festival for street food, outdoor bars, al fresco dining, vendors, and live music.

“Story Slam: Inside the Political Machine” features stories about the inside world of politics.

There are events are sponsored by the marijuana lobby, the LGBT community, veterans, the Muslim community.

Sponsors include the Truman National Security Project, The 21st Century Democrats, Emerge America, RealClear Politics, Save the Children, Atlantic Magazine, the National Marine Manufacturers Association, the Center for American Women and Politics, the American Sustainable Business Council, Nuns on the Bus and the Milkin Institute.

There are caucuses for women, Latinos, youth, African-Americans, Jews, rural America, the disabled, veterans.

Panel discussions on every possible topic–“How Tech and Data are changing politics;” “10 secrets to winning campaigns;” “The future of immigration and how we define American;” “The future of reproductive health: Congress, the courts and your body;” “Business case for a sustainable economic policy;” “What CEO transitions can and cannot teach the next generation.”

And post-gavel parties thrown by People for the American Way, Climate Hawks Vote and Friends of the Earth and the Grammys–featuring performers like Grace Potter, Dawes, Lady Gaga, Lenny Kravitz, Snoop Dogg.

It’s a wonder all those delegates show up on the convention floor.

I thought I was going to Philadelphia to watch the first woman to get nominated to be president of the United States. That will happen. But most of the action of a political convention takes place out of the television limelight.