Tomorrow I’ll be in in Chicago at the Young Democrats of America National Convention and will be (live)blogging about what I’m up to with the contingent from the University of Missouri-Columbia. I’ll also be suppporting the Chris Anderson/Rick Puig ticket as they present themselves for consideration for the presidential and vice-presential positions. I’ll follow later with a post about Anderson; for now I’d like to introduce my friend Rick Puig and his candidacy for vice president.
The story of how I met Rick is kind of boring, so I’ll skip that. What delegates voting at YDA should be familiar with is his academic and work record. Rick is one of 60-65 people who was awarded the Truman Scholarship , a very prestigious scholarship awarded by the Harry S Truman Scholarship Foundation in recognition of his exceptional commitment to public service. Here is the wiki on the Truman; the list of former recipients is fairly impressive.
Part of Rick’s work in the public sector has been for current US Senator Claire McCaskill (@ClaireCMC), current Missouri governor Jay Nixon, and current Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster. Those are fairly impressive credentials and should indicate to you that the people that Missouri has chosen to represent us both in the state government and on the national stage share my view that Rick is not only an exceptionally competent and intelligent person, but is also trustworthy and committed to public service.
Rick’s organizational work for YDA has also been impressive. He was formerly the president ofthe Missouri Young Democrats, and his organizational work in the South Central region was extremely meaningful in the last election cycle. Rick’s statement on his website is here.
I’ll be advocating strongly for Rick’s candidacy at the convention in Chicago. The position is a meaningful one; the Young Democrats of America face new challenges, both fiscal and political, as the next election cycle approaches. The goal here is to preserve the organization as a viable tool for democratic activism and youth mobilization and it’s my argument that Rick’s experience is a valuable thing for the Young Democrats of America to have.
We’ll see you in Chicago tomorrow; tonight I’ll be in my home city of St. Louis to see family and friends before our contingent heads to Chicago.
Ducks and Economics 
Rick is a former President of the Missouri Young Democrats…unfortunately, he is no longer serving in that position. Just thought I’d point that out.
Chris, thanks, the post has been edited to reflect that.
Rick has been a great friend to me since I recruited him to join the Mizzou College Dems in 2006. In 2007, I became the president of the College Democrats of Missouri and Rick was elected to president of the Young Democrats of Missouri. At that time we realized the advantages and the synergy that would be created by combining the two organizations. We worked side by side to bring together high school, college, and young professional chapters from across the state to the 2008 YDMO convention at which time we officially became one organization. Since then Rick has organized thousands of young Democrats all over the state to register to vote and win a highly contested state house seat. As someone who has worked with Rick and seen his intense level of professionalism up close, I can’t wait for Rick to bring his great work ethic to the Young Democrats of America.