The New Republican

[TheNewRepublicans.net]

What can we do to attract the youth to the Republican party? How can students be engaged?

Our forum is an open-minded forum that is aimed at students (http://thenewrepublicans.net). We were recognized on Politico.com. We are building this grassroots movement with students from the ground up. We would like your input, and invite any of you who are interested in joining us on our team.

Thanks!

[David T.]

From a young Republican student:

-No more preemptive or preventitive wars, and have party leaders say as much. Run away from the Bush Doctrine. Most students who vote don't like unjustified wars, and don't want to be dead. They don't want to be drafted for a Republican adventure if the military is stretched too thin.

-Run as fiscal conservatives. Running up the debt now will place a huge burden on the next generation. Imagine the damage to the brand of Republican economics if Obama actually cuts spending, and even turn out a budget surplus towards the end like Clinton!

Much of how we do in the near future will depend on how successful Obama is. If he screws up, the GOP may be back in power soon. But if the party doesn't learn from the mistakes of the last eight years, they won't govern any more effectively.

[David T.]

Actually, I meant that Republicans should ACT like fiscal conservatives. They've always run as them and tried to pretend that they are.

[Jean La Rue]

"When we've taken up arms it has been for the defense of freedom for ourselves and for other peaceful nations who needed our help." "The top priority of the federal government is the safety of this country."

Our late, great President Ronald Reagan, a true conservative, spoke these words, and he was absolutely right. He understood, as most conservatives do, that war is sometimes inevitable and sometimes necessary - no matter how much we wish it wasn't so. Could any of us stand and witness a thug brutally beating to the point of murdering another person and not be moved to come to their aid? Should our govrnment turn a blind eye to the tyrants of the world as they carry out genocide or give aid and comfort to those who murdered thousands of innocents on 9-11? I don't believe that and I don't think any conservative believes it.

If you examine the Preamble to The Constitution, Dave, you'll find that our Founders believed that there were only a few reasons for the existence of a Federal government. Read it, again...

“ We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. ”

When you say "preemptive or peventative wars," surely, you are not referring to Iraq and Afghanistan? Sadam murdered thousands of his own people. He invaded and attacked another country and provided safe haven for terrorists who've attacked and murdered Americans. Ditto for the Taliban in Afghanistan. More Americans died because of Iraqi and Taliban sponsored terrorism prior to these "wars" than have lost their lives since, fighting to "establish Justice, insure domestic Peace, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and sercure the blessings of liberty - for the Afghani, Iraqi and American people. No civilized person wants to wage war, but sometimes civilization, itself, depends upon it.

[David T.]

I've said in other threads that the U.S. was justified in invading Afghanistan in order to go after the people that attacked us, Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda. Since we didn't attempt to do that first and foremost, we shouldn't have gone in. And we had absolutely no business being in Iraq. Saddam didn't pose a threat to us, contrary to the President's claims, and he knew as much.

This thread is about what would win over the youth, not what was the right thing to do. If you don't think the neoconservative philosophy is a problem with the next generation then God bless you, but it is.

[Jason Taylor]

We would like your input, and invite any of you who are interested in joining us on our team.

I will be happy to give you what I hope is most relevant input and advice:

Get off your butt(s) and write about your beliefs. I've looked at your page's "latest activity", and followed it closely. Virtually all of your posts have been nothing long than tag line requests for people to join your forum. You then joined three groups - not to post relevant input, but to send me three beg letters looking for subscribers to your forum. Did you join this forum merely to recruit for your forum? IMHO, folks should have to pay to advertise here.

The way to win support for your group - at least the only kind of support which will be principled enough to actually stay and contribute - is to give them something of substance to support. Start writing about your beliefs, about the conservative ideal. Allow people to understand what it is that you stand for as a person and as a group, so that they can see what it is that they are being asked to support. Most importantly, always stay focused on explaining how the tenets of the conservative ideal will positively impact the lives of ordinary Americans (your audience); they need to believe that the solutions you offer will create the right life and country for them both personally and collectively.

Finally, for the love of everything decent, please stop overtly panhandling for new members on this site!

[LindaLR24]

We must find local leaders who are young and engaging, who will uphold and promote conservative ideas.
The very idea of old white guy stodgieness must be replaced.
Bob Dole is a great American, but the run for pres was owed him, as well as McCain. We have to get away from funneling our assets into leaders who may be honorable, and Great, but we have younger more charismatic ones as well.
These are the people who will help take the GOP to a better light.

[nick]

On the Iraq thing, I was surprised Republicans didn't hammer the Dems on the question of whether Saddam was a terrorist or not. Obviously the war was about oil, but because of the danger of Saddam controlling it. Not because we wanted to take it. I believe taking out a terrorist regime an helping provide safety while they set up a democracy will prove key in future efforts in the middle east. Time will tell. My point is that we don't have to run away from what may turn out to be a key strategic move from the Bush administration. Focusing on the positive ramification that could still develop is by far the more appealing rhetoric.

[BiasedGirl]

As someone who was an active College Republican during the Clinton years, I am thrilled that you are out there making the effort.

I think the message should be, What do you want your life to be like? Students go to college to earn a degree so they can earn more money and have a career in something they enjoy. Basically, Liberal (socialist) policies negate all that effort in order to make everyone "equal".

[TheNewRepublicans.net]

Thanks everyone.

Jason, did you read through my entries? I respectfully believe that facilitating a discussion centered on current events is more constructive than just expressing my opinion. I want people to carefully consider what's happening out there and decide for themselves. I purposefully ask questions in my entries for this. The selection of the topics I've chosen to write is suggestive of the direction we can take the party - individual responsibility in our communities, fiscal conservatism, the frightening urgency for education reform.

I understand some of the skepticism that may be out there, but bear with me. Someone suggested I write here to ask for your support and we could really use it.

Best,
Steven

[Suzanne Perry-Coomes]

Dear Youth:

While watching the endless campaign on TV, I began to notice how absolutely clueless and ignorant young adults seemed to be regarding the basic workings of our government. FOX held a series of 'man on the street' interviews at the Univ. of Tennessee. The absolute idiocy of nearly all of the replies was appalling. And these were people who voted. God help us. My point is, young adults need to be educated in the basics, like reading and understanding the Constitution. Your efforts ought to begin with EDUCATION of those young adults who slept through high school. Perhaps you should go into the high schools. The conservative message will not be understood by the the ignorant. Very good luck to you.

[TheNewRepublicans.net]

Thanks, I appreciate your comment.

Suzanne Perry-Coomes said:

Dear Youth:

While watching the endless campaign on TV, I began to notice how absolutely clueless and ignorant young adults seemed to be regarding the basic workings of our government. FOX held a series of 'man on the street' interviews at the Univ. of Tennessee. The absolute idiocy of nearly all of the replies was appalling. And these were people who voted. God help us. My point is, young adults need to be educated in the basics, like reading and understanding the Constitution. Your efforts ought to begin with EDUCATION of those young adults who slept through high school. Perhaps you should go into the high schools. The conservative message will not be understood by the the ignorant. Very good luck to you.

[Young Jeffersonian Republican]

A Republican politician has already attracted many of today's youth (like myself). That man's name is Dr. Ron Paul. Unfortunately, the Republican Party will not embrace their views which are, ironically enough, more Conservative than the "leadership" of the parties. The current "leadership" pushes for socialistic policies such as the recent bailouts, perpetuates bankrupt entitlement systems, increases the size of the Dept. of Education and other massive and unnecessary governmental departments, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc...

How did Big Government Republicans hijack this party, and attempt to make it seem as those who actually want to limit the size of government are not true Conservatives? Anyone with a shred of integrity would acknowledge that the current "leadership" of this party has not been true to traditional Republican principles...

Thomas Jefferson, the founder of the Republican Party, would have no say in the Republican Party of today if it were up to the Big Government Republicans currently "leading" the party...Is there a problem with that picture?