Young politicos host StramaRama

State Rep. Mark Strama says he's focused on identifying the young people who will shape the future of Texas politics.

Strama's political education program, Campaign Academy, hosted their annual StramaRama fundraiser Sunday night at Threadgill's World Headquarters.

The academy, a five-week summer program for high school and college students, gives young politicos hands-on campaign training. This year, 35 students from 30 different high schools and colleges around Texas knocked on more than 10,000 doors, made thousands of phone calls and learned grassroots organizing skills, Strama said.

Academy students also heard from more than 30 guest speakers over the course of the program, including Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean and former Secretary of Defense Bobby Inman.

"We've had a unique political experience," said philosophy sophomore Lindsey Lambert, one of six academy students from UT. "It's been a lot of direct involvement in the campaign."

Lambert and her fellow students spent the summer throwing fundraisers, hosting house parties and working on a coordinated campaign effort for Austin-area State Reps. Valinda Bolton, Donna Howard and Strama, as well as Austin Precinct 3 commissioner candidate Karen Huber.

"[After Campaign Academy,] we've had students go back to Corpus Christi to work on State Rep. Juan Garcia's campaign, to Dallas to work with State Rep. Alan Vaught," said Karl-Thomas Musselman, UT alumnus and Strama's campaign manager. "People really take the knowledge they acquire here and go back into their own communities."

The StramaRama fundraiser, a two-hour event entirely organized by academy students, is the culmination of Campaign Academy.

Musselman said the event had raised $2,000 by Sunday morning and they hoped to clear $10,000 by Sunday evening.

Politically active Austin residents also flocked to hear presidential candidate Ralph Nader speak at Trinity Methodist Church Sunday night with his running mate, Matt Gonzalez, a member of San Francisco's City Board of Supervisors.

Nader, who is running as an independent, is mounting a write-in presidential campaign in Texas, which asks supporters to write Nader's name on the November ballot.

During the rally, Nader and Gonzalez called out against a two-party political system, especially in Texas, which they said strips voters of a choice of candidates.

Nader spoke to his hallmark issues, such as decrying corporate greed and corruption, encouraging independent thought and political choice, and advocating for social programs such as universal health care and a higher minimum wage.

The centerpiece of Nader's address focused on the lack of political participation by the American public.

"We need the civic freedom to stand up to Wall Street, to endorse peace movements and to regain control of our political institutions," Nader said. "We have so much personal freedom, but we don't realize that in the future, our personal freedom may be jeopardized by our lack of civic freedom."