By C. G. Lynch

As young Democrats gathered under the dimly lit third floor of Felt – a chic bar and lounge on Washington Street in downtown Boston – a feeling of unity enveloped the air.

Standing on a small stage, Rod O’Connor, CEO of the Democratic National Convention Committee, summed up his fundamental objective.

“Let me tell you why we’re here tonight and why we’re in this town,” he said. “It’s for one very simple reason. We are here to make sure that George W. Bush goes back to Crawford, Texas.”

Looking to promote youthful involvement during the Dem-ocratic National Convention in Boston this July, the Democratic Leadership of the 21st Century (DL21C) invited young Democrats from the Boston area Thursday to convene and discuss the importance of voting and volunteering for the party.

Stressing the importance of communication, David Burd, president of Boston’s DL21C, coordinated the event and introduced O’Connor, the evening’s featured speaker.

“[DL21C] does events like these to try and get people who are already involved in Democratic politics, involved in liberal policies, together,” Burd said.

Throughout his remarks, O’Connor, who began in politics as a staff assistant for Al Gore in the senate and later emerged as a senior advisor after the Tennessee senator took office as Vice President, praised Boston as a city harboring strong Democratic values and an appropriate place for the convention.

“There is no better town in America than Boston to host a national party convention for the Democratic Party,” O’Connor said. “This state, this town, has been there for the Democratic Party year-after-year, and the convention should have come here a long time ago.”

Projecting over light banter emanating from the bar on the second floor below, O’Connor urged those in attendance to raise awareness of important issues, including inadequate health care and high levels of unemployment under the current administration.

“The real truth is, fewer people have a job now than when this president took office, and you can’t run away from that. More people don’t have health insurance now than when this president took office, and you can’t run away from that,” he said.

Since losing the White House in 2000, compounded by detrimental mid-term elections in 2002 that left the party as a minority in both the House and Senate, Democrats have sought to reach complacent voters before the general election in November.

“We have a cycle in this country, that is known well to all of you, that campaigns and candidates don’t necessarily pay attention to young people because young people don’t vote,” O’Connor said. “We are going to change that in this election. Young Americans can make a difference in this election.”

In efforts to boost youth inclusiveness, he said the party is committed to allowing a young citizen, between the ages of 18 and 24, to speak in prime time during the convention.

After O’Connor’s comments and brief announcements by DL21C officials, people on hand nursed drinks and fell into various political discussions, scattering throughout the lounge, a backdrop of swanky art on the walls and draping red velvet curtains.

“Ultimately, our goal is that we’ll all come together and make a huge impact. It’s about building something that is sustainable,” said Rebekah Gewirtz, the president of the Progress Democrats of Somerville.

During the past year, the number of Democratic candidates once ballooned to nine. Consequently, Republicans and other opposition highlighted a state of disarray in the party.

In an interview with The News, O’Connor downplayed questions of discord among Democrats, citing General Wesley Clark’s recent withdrawal and endorsement for John Kerry, the Massachusetts junior senator and front-runner in the race. Soon, he expects all the candidates to come together behind the Democratic nominee, whoever it may be, to solidify a message that resonates with voters in the coming year.

“There really is a very civil and unified tone to the party,” he said. “We are going to be down to one candidate, sometime soon, probably by the early part of March. As people come out of the race, you can see that all these folks recognize the need to pull behind one candidate.”