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Of Midterms and Majorities

Posted by caleb on Feb 9, 2010 in Fighting Big Government, Restoring the Conservative Movement

Just so you know, this is one of those blog posts that is going to make some people upset. There, you’ve been warned.

All I ask is that you hear me out. Rip me up in the comments section, flame me on Twitter, but read what I have to say.

I don’t want the Republicans to take back control of the House and the Senate.

Even after two years out of power, they’re still on parole in my book. They’re simply not ready.

Have they had some good moments? Of course. But history is like weather cycles; they’re both doomed to repeat themselves over and over again.

Haven’t we all had enough of this flip-flopping between the parties? They commit atrocities while in office, we vote them out, and then they try to win back our trust by screaming, “But, look! They’re doing it, too!”

We had Republican majorities from 1994 until 2006, and what did we get? Some good legislation at the beginning, at least before the acquiescence  of the Contract with America, but by the end, we were dealing with our beloved GOP milking the cash cow for all it was worth and growing government to sizes never before seen, with Medicare Part D, amnesty proposals, and the largest federal intrusion into education ever.

What makes everyone think this time will be different? Has two years truly been enough for them to learn their lesson? They’re not necessarily quick studies. They lost control in 2006, yet we got progressive John McCain as the nominee in 2008. Huh?

Before this gets bandied about, I am not a proponent of a third party. I never have been.

I am a true-blue (er, red?) registered Republican, and yes, Mr. Steele, I get your letters, too. I still think, as I did in 2008, that the Republican Party is our best hope to act as a catalyst for bringing traditional American values of family, frugality, and faith back to Washington, and for giving our States the standing they deserve.

We’ve seen how the Republican Party acts when its in the minority, and, you know what? I like it better. It’s the free market at work: they’re fighting for a majority and, therefore, they’re performing better. They’re willing to take those risks (see: healthcare, energy) in order to do right by those who elected them.

Let’s not open wide the door to the Capitol to anyone who is not a true defender of liberty.

Truthfully, I hope “we” gain forty-five seats in the House, and four or five in the Senate bringing us to the point where we make the Democrats nervous.

Why not just go for the whole thing? I won’t be upset, obviously, if they win majorities, but if they don’t, I’m fine with that, too. We need at least another two years out in the cold, so to speak, to really find who we are as a party. The whole point of the Tea Party movement has been to take over the Republican Party from the inside out (or, for some of you, vice versa). Have we done that yet? Eh, it’s debatable. We’ve had some good progress, with people like Sen. DeMint actively seeking out real conservative candidates, but, as evidenced by bizarre acts like Meghan McCain speaking at CPAC, we’re definitely not out of the woods yet.

So will I be campaigning for Republican candidates this fall? Of course. Will I continue to protest against all politicians who dare step on MY Constitution. Definitely. And will I rejoice if Congressional Republicans prove me wrong and we enjoy a golden age of conservatism and limited government?  Yea, I guess I could go for that, too.

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The RNC and the Youth Vote

Posted by caleb on Dec 30, 2008 in Restoring the Conservative Movement

It’s no surprise that Obama won the youth vote. In fact, according to FoxNews.com, Obama had a whopping 34% margin. Now, why am I bringing this up now? It’s old news that Obama won the election, and that he’ll be inaugurated in twenty-one days, so why bother discussing it again?

Because Obama won the youth vote, and there’s good reason for it.

Obama listened to young voters, or at least pretended to, and gave them hope for the future. Folks, as a young conservative Republican, there’s no reason why it should have ended up this way, and I blame the GOP itself. You can cry all you want about the MSM slanting the news towards Democrats, but that’s never stopped us before. In order to ever win an election again, we must rise above any and all obstacles, and that path starts with the act of listening.

You see, for years the GOP has pretended to listen to the youth vote. Maybe they’ve made a good faith effort, but I’ve never seen it. What I’ve seen is flashy Demo websites, professional TV advertisements, rock concerts for Demo candidates, and an embracement of new technology. From the GOP? A mismanaged message and a half-hearted attempt at everything.

The RNC started text messaging its supporters a few years ago. Well, that’s a start, except I’ve only ever received four texts from them. Obama announced his VP choice by text message! See the difference? Obama’s website screamed community, while McCain’s struggled to keep its supporters logged in. Obama went after college students and young people by showing them how his policies would affect and better their daily lives. McCain, well, didn’t.

Time and time again, we as “the youth vote” have offered our suggestions, and, yet, the RNC hasn’t listened, at least in a measurable way. We had Meghan McCain as a clandestine, “unofficial” blogger, and a “McCain blog” with no personality. Twitter? Oh, “@JohnMcCain” was there, with more links. “@BarackObama” is still the most popular user on Twitter. Why?  His tweets were personal. Voters believed Barack Obama himself was really talking to them. RNC, where is the drive? Where’s the passion? Do you even care that we lose the youth vote time and time again?

If we’re to reboot the conservative movement, it must be as conservatives,  and if I’m not mistaken, bottom-up leadership is what conservatism is all about. Remember States’ Rights? Freedom from big government? The youth vote is not just going to go away. We’re just going to get older and have children and raise families, and the majority of us will be liberal Democrats, willing to hold out our hands and wait for the government give us everything.

We, as young Republicans, believe in conservatism. Why, RNC, don’t you? Pay attention to us. Your future depends upon it.

 

For some great examples of how young conservative Republicans are leading the way to GOP victories in 2010 and 2012, check out these great sites:

RebuildtheParty.com is dedicated to restoring the GOP to its conservative roots. Its plan has received endorsement from almost all of the current candidates for RNC Chair.

TheNewRepublicans.net is a college-focused news site, bringing in writers from universities across the nation to offer opinions and articles covering the most-pressing political issues of today.

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