by Tina Grazier
This limited article can’t begin to ask, much less answer, all the questions it’s title will invoke. I just hope it will spark some thinking and perhaps induce a conversation. It was inspired by a new report issued by The College Republican National Committee that attempts to honestly address problems the GOP has with college aged voters. Their conclusions were based on extensive polling and focus groups:
Titled the “Grand Old Party for a Brand New Generation,” the report is sharply critical of the GOP on several fronts. The study slams some Republicans’ almost singular focus on downsizing Big Government and cutting taxes; candidates’ use of offensive, polarizing rhetoric; and the party’s belly-flop efforts at messaging and outreach, even as the report presents a way forward and, at times, strikes an optimistic tone.
Are these perceptions accurate or have they been, at least to some extent, manufactured? Is it the roll of government to be a massive entitlement riddled entity or are Republicans right to focus on downsizing? Are our politicians any more prone to using offensive or polarizing rhetoric than others? Is our messaging all that bad or do our opponents in the Democrat party have a few advantages and schemes that we have failed to overcome? I mean really, What to make of this? How do we turn this into an opportunity?
We can begin by asking ourselves some questions.
What have Republican party politicians and members done to win the ugly label “racist”? What have young people witnessed personally that make them associate racism and the Republican Party? I submit there is more evidence to suggest the label is a construct of messaging by radical Democrat politicians, organizers, and media to smear the Republican Party than it is any messaging made by Republican activity or speech. The Tea Party, a multiparty grass roots uprising, was labeled racist despite the fact that the major complaint was taxation and regulation and a big bloated government bureaucracy. In other words the label was attached to this disparate group of citizens without evidence or cause. The label attached by association to the Republican Party even though disgruntled Democrats and Independents were also participating in Tea Party protests. some might cite immigration as a reason and yet our ideas focus not on race but on illegal entry and the associated issues and national security. How does this translate to racism except by aggressive accusation without justification, evidence, or cause? We need to engage young people to open their thought processes so they recognize the very real problems associated with illegal entry into our country and ask them to seek solutions to this problem. We should engage them in discussing solutions rather than allowing them to sidestep the issue by jumping on the progressive racism attack. This way they become participants in their future rather than activists for the left. It’s vital to make them part of the solution so we will all be assured that an equitable and dynamic future remains open in this great country.
We have recently learned that our efforts have been severely limited in the past several years by overt efforts to silence and prevent dissemination of Republican ideas. The IRS scandals point to the lengths to which the extremists in the Democrat Party will go to destroy the Republican message and suppress voters. But this terrible state of affairs can be seen and used as an opportunity to engage others in conversation. Although there is no question that Republicans need to find better ways to communicate it is also true that people may now be in a better position to hear the Republican message. This opportunity presents quite a challenge for a party that is constantly defending against an onslaught of negative branding and presumptive questioning but we should hold forth with confidence. Countering labels such as, “closed-minded, racist, rigid, and old-fashioned” will require rhetoric that has the power to break through tainted belief systems and preconceived ideas. The task is mighty but overcome we must if future generations are to have hope for a satisfying future in a free and economically vibrant America.
In the work ahead it would be wise for Republicans to stick to the principles that have long served the American people and the American dream. All attempts to become democrat light must be eschewed. Progressive policy dominance has come about through a Republican posture of accommodation and bi-partisan cooperation that asked too much of the Republican Party and the people. Cooperation with those who work against American principles has not served our country. Instead of the shining city on a hill our nation has become needy, broke and in debt. We face a sketchy future as bereft of opportunity as any of the socialist nations around the globe. This is not America!
Republicans must find a way to show young people the value of the Republican message as we know it! We must assist them in discovering the value these ideas and principles would have for them in their own lives. We must enroll them as torch bearers, filled with energy and creativity, to restore the American strength that made us the envy of the world. To begin, I challenge all young people to ignore the rhetoric of both Republicans and Democrats. Instead I challenge them to investigate and compare their ideas. I challenge them to seek out information that engages their minds and expands awareness and knowledge about our heritage and founding principles. I challenge them to discover freedom’s affect on economies and the affect of social policy on individual success, wealth, and opportunity. I challenge them to look into current demographics that will challenge future generations in various ways. And I challenge them to discover the absolute joy of thinking and acting for oneself and of taking manageable risks.
Republicans must look not only to the present but also to the vital long term goal of being more involved in the education process. College aged students today have come to maturity having been processed through an education system heavily biased toward the progressive point of view. Students come to politics having been branded by the Democrat ranch and with attitudes against freedom and individuality that’s been deeply embedded through years of leftist thinking. There is nothing “old fashioned” about ideals such as freedom and personal responsibility or in policies that actually lead to a vibrant economy and plenty of JOBS. But young people will not hear this messages of freedom and opportunity if they don’t have the grounding and tools to understand and implement the message! They are more likely, as we witnessed last summer, to go take to the streets to place blame on the demon of the moment, “the 1%. This group is currently facing a bleak future and yet they have not been prepared to understand the policies that brought us to this lackluster state or the personal steps they could take to create a great life for themselves as contributing adult citizens. Students need to be armed with complete information that will support them as they move into adulthood. It’s a little late for this group but it is a worthy goal for the future. This will not be easy. Its difficult to change entrenched systems so it may be necessary to compete instead.
Democrats have it pretty easy. Their message for young people is that government will be there for them just like mom and dad. It asks them to be dependent and remain dependent. Even when presented with the unsustainable nature of big government programs and the growing numbers of needy or under achieving citizens, young people fail to connect the dots back to the intrusive size and scope of government and an expensive bureaucracy. The downside of this dependency is concealed under a feel good cover that appeals to compassion or guilt as a motivators for loyalty and support.
Pandering to the young, appealing to emotions rather than common sense or reasoning abilities is part of the Democrat strategy to destroy the win Democrat Party loyalty within the youthful demographic. Youthful exuberance and angst is a handy tool when the ultimate goal goal is the destruction of the opposition to ensure a state of permanent Democrat Party power. But this strategy is established through cowardly and sinister means to avoid competing openly on merit in the realm of ideas. It is the rot that debilitates and stains both individuals and the nation. Republicans must reveal this deception. At the same time we must appeal to the natural desire of the human spirit to be self-governing and free. We must find ways to illustrate that through self-discipline, sacrifice, savings, and risk every person, in his own way, will realize a more satisfying and fruitful life. They will then have the means to personally contribute and make a difference in their own communities. We must find a way to spark in them an experience of adventure and opportunity that will make them the creators of a reinvigorated grass roots America. This would have incredible long term benefits for our nation and future generations. They can become the heroes, not only in their own lives and in the lives of others, but as the re-builders and restorers of America.
The truth sets us free and the truth is that a nation of strong, capable individuals will always be productive, innovative, and abundantly capable to help the very needy…a nation that is prepared to offer a hand up to those that fall on hard times without rendering them permanently disabled….an America that will endure as an example of freedom and opportunity in the world. Republicans have always carried the flag of excellence and opportunity for all. We stand for vibrancy, equality, charity, and good will, honor, and respect. We believe competition strengthens the individual spirit and leads to excellent outcomes…its time to restore Americanism and reclaim the “Grand Old Party” as a clear choice…an exciting vehicle, and a political destination for a “brand new generation” of American voters.
What about the Republican brand? The brand is fine…we just need to remember who we are and what it means to be American…and share it. Young people are the future, they need all the support we can give them.
