The Young Republican Federation of Virginia Convention has finally adjourned. It was much ado about nothing. It is just adorable to see children fight over seats at the kiddie table. But there was one thing that interested me at the convention and that was the issue of the Young Republicans (YRs) and the College Republicans (CRs) joining up for a dual-membership relationship for those who are eligible. Unfortunately the idea was shot down in decisive fashion. This is the wrong call. The YRs and the CRs should be together.
The thing we must keep in mind here is that the second letter in the abbreviated name is the same; R, which stands for Republicans. Both groups are made up of Republicans. There really is no problem preventing the two from having a dual-membership relationship, no real problem at all.
College kids are not always the 18-22 crowd. Lots of people wait to attend college. Lots of people take semesters off. Lots of people go back to college for more degrees. But if you are already a YR then you can’t join your college’s Republican club unless you relinquish your YR membership. Why do that to an honest Republican? A high school kid at 18 can join the YRs, graduate, enroll in college, then he must drop out of the YRs to join the CRs, all in one year. Weird. It is my understanding that Virginia is only one of two states that has this silly rule. Why?
Several arguments were presented at the convention as to why these two groups need to be kept separate. Two of them are very weak, but the third holds a little bit of water.
The first weak argument presented at the convention was that because the CRs outnumber the YRs in membership the CRs will “takeover” the YRs. Of course “takeover” was never defined by the paranoid adherents of this thought. The only power a YR chair has is he gets to pick the location of the monthly meeting and the guest speaker for that meeting. Wow, that is some real power. After the president, the Speaker of the House, the Senate Majority Leader,……., the local dogcatcher,……, the head maid at Molly Maid, that is a powerful position.
So with that awesome power came the fear presented in the second weak argument I heard on Saturday; the CRs will choose to have the YR meetings on college campuses where normal YR folk can’t park. Also, the YRs at Saturday’s convention took the liberty of speaking for the CRs when they attempted to make the point that the under 21 year old CRs don’t want to meet at a bar. C’mon. Anyone who believes that has to think that the YRs and the CRs are adversarial organizations who will deliberately work to destroy one another. Why on Earth would anyone think that? I do believe that those idiot disciples of Ron and Rand Paul are hell-bent on destroying any and every political organization in America, but I don’t understand the ill-conceived perception that the CRs cannot work with the YRs. A new YR chair who is a CR and a part of a “takeover” of the YRs who schedules a meeting at 4pm on a college campus would receive a phone call pointing out the obvious; that working stiffs can’t make that time or location. The chair would then change the time and location to something more suitable and accommodating. Is there data to suggest otherwise? None was presented at the convention. And to the point that CRs would be uncomfortable at a bar I say hogwash. I know at least one YR who never drinks alcohol, yet somehow and someway the hostess at The Green Turtle in the City of Fairfax allows him to enter the establishment. I’m guessing that is because The Green Turtle serves iced tea, soda, fruit juice, water, etc. Sometimes I attend YR meetings and kick back a few beers, other times I don’t have a drop. There is no pressure to drink and no problem when I stick to water or soda. So where is the data that CRs would be uncomfortable at The Green Turtle? None was presented. And why are those paranoid YRs who fear a “takeover” looking out for those who would “takeover” their beloved club? No reason was given.
The third argument is that the YRs and CRs have their own seats on State Central. That is an argument that needs some maneuvering to get around. Earlier I mocked the powerful chairs of YR clubs for having no real power at all, but State Central ain’t the kiddie table. Real work is done on State Central. But can’t a conflict here be easily avoided by simply stating that only YRs can vote for their State Central rep. and only CRs can vote for theirs? No dual-membership CRs would have the chance to “takeover” the YR spot on State Central, so crisis avoided. That wasn’t difficult.
YR clubs are the best places to find door knockers, no question. Their membership is as equaling informed and engaging as they are physically fit enough to knock doors. It is physically demanding to stay out there and finish a walkbook. Campaigns always appreciate the support in canvassing they bring, so who better to show the brand new to this area of campaigns than the YRs? Republicans helping Republicans, it could be like a Disney film.
So this really all boils down to an adorable little power fight over seats at the kiddie table. “Takeover” and “can’t park on a college campus”, are you joking? Let’s argue about something real, such as where and when to meet for door knocking for which campaign. A united front by young volunteers who could fill a neighborhood like an army invading conquered territory could be the end result of college kids having dual membership in the CRs and YRs. Instead we are left with another splinter cell competing for candidates’ time and needlessly duplicating engagement which could turn-off would be voters and at worse, push away people from the political process altogether. Let’s unite, share the message, share our resources and work together to get Republicans elected across the board.
Update by the author, 4/23/13 12:34am
