YoungRepublican
Active Member
Where is our party going?
As a college senior about to enter his final semester certain realities start to sink in. As these problems begin to creep into my mind I have been left with an epiphany about the Republican Party. I am a registered Republican, President of my College Young Republican chapter and believe I have a decent hold on the Republican platform. The question of our parties future came to me while discussing politics with some friends over drinks at our local bar. The girl to the left of me asked Why cant the Republicans seem to get any support from youth? Her question came after our group of mixed political sentiments was able to reach a solid middle ground. Yes, that is correct Democrats and Republicans were able to agree on something as volatile as The Affordable Care Act. Why should that be something to celebrate over? Because it is a rarity in todays political world. But why is it so unheard of? Considering my Republican roots I will address what I believe is our problem.
Our problem is the fringe movement within our party that refers to themselves as the Tea Party. I am hesitant to describe these groups as within our party, mostly due to a mixture within myself of denial and hope. These people are unable to conjure up enough common sense to realize that there is more than one way to accomplish a goal. Perhaps the most complex part about this to me is, the goals that they seem most fervent about are the ones that have little to no implications on their lives. I have come to this realization because, while I worry about finding a job, getting in to Law School or establishing a 401 (K) to supplement the non-existent pension I wont receive, they are busy telling homosexuals they cannot marry. I envy those with the free time to worry about something so petty. We have entered a period in our history that cannot be compromised by concerning ourselves on whether a person arrested with a gram of pot goes away to jail.
The platform I have found that resonates best with potential Republicans is a simple one. We do not care if gays get married; they deserve every right heterosexuals do. We do not care if a person with a few grams of marijuana doesnt go to jail; they are overpopulated anyway and I dont want to pay because a person got high at the wrong place. And as controversial as this sounds, we would rather see a life begin at the right time, than one be brought into this world to a parent that is not ready to care for it. if you call abortion murder, than we will call bringing that child into this world as a slow form of torture. Both analogies are equally ridiculous. Obviously opinions differ and are much more complex than I can write at this time, but the point remains that social issues arent even on the back-burners of our political thoughts.
If citizens in these great states wish to continue to elect politicians that hold hearings on steroids over our ever impending fiscal apocalypse, then we deserve what is coming to us. Blame the media, blame the schools, hell, blame the parents, but at the end of the day it is our current elected officials that will decide my generations future. I can no longer sit back and accept the fact that some will just accept whatever Glen Beck has said on last nights radio show as undeniable truth. They claim that my generation is one that will ruin our country, but I strongly contend that notion with the exact opposite. If you are reading this and are steaming mad at me, yelling epiphytes at your computer screen, it is you that are hurting this country. I am a Republican; I believe is fiscal responsibility over anything else, but the conviction I hold just as close to that is social freedoms. Make no mistake, social freedom is one of the core components in which this party was founded upon and because of that I can say with all honesty those who tell others what they can or cannot do with their lives have no business calling themselves Republicans.
As a college senior about to enter his final semester certain realities start to sink in. As these problems begin to creep into my mind I have been left with an epiphany about the Republican Party. I am a registered Republican, President of my College Young Republican chapter and believe I have a decent hold on the Republican platform. The question of our parties future came to me while discussing politics with some friends over drinks at our local bar. The girl to the left of me asked Why cant the Republicans seem to get any support from youth? Her question came after our group of mixed political sentiments was able to reach a solid middle ground. Yes, that is correct Democrats and Republicans were able to agree on something as volatile as The Affordable Care Act. Why should that be something to celebrate over? Because it is a rarity in todays political world. But why is it so unheard of? Considering my Republican roots I will address what I believe is our problem.
Our problem is the fringe movement within our party that refers to themselves as the Tea Party. I am hesitant to describe these groups as within our party, mostly due to a mixture within myself of denial and hope. These people are unable to conjure up enough common sense to realize that there is more than one way to accomplish a goal. Perhaps the most complex part about this to me is, the goals that they seem most fervent about are the ones that have little to no implications on their lives. I have come to this realization because, while I worry about finding a job, getting in to Law School or establishing a 401 (K) to supplement the non-existent pension I wont receive, they are busy telling homosexuals they cannot marry. I envy those with the free time to worry about something so petty. We have entered a period in our history that cannot be compromised by concerning ourselves on whether a person arrested with a gram of pot goes away to jail.
The platform I have found that resonates best with potential Republicans is a simple one. We do not care if gays get married; they deserve every right heterosexuals do. We do not care if a person with a few grams of marijuana doesnt go to jail; they are overpopulated anyway and I dont want to pay because a person got high at the wrong place. And as controversial as this sounds, we would rather see a life begin at the right time, than one be brought into this world to a parent that is not ready to care for it. if you call abortion murder, than we will call bringing that child into this world as a slow form of torture. Both analogies are equally ridiculous. Obviously opinions differ and are much more complex than I can write at this time, but the point remains that social issues arent even on the back-burners of our political thoughts.
If citizens in these great states wish to continue to elect politicians that hold hearings on steroids over our ever impending fiscal apocalypse, then we deserve what is coming to us. Blame the media, blame the schools, hell, blame the parents, but at the end of the day it is our current elected officials that will decide my generations future. I can no longer sit back and accept the fact that some will just accept whatever Glen Beck has said on last nights radio show as undeniable truth. They claim that my generation is one that will ruin our country, but I strongly contend that notion with the exact opposite. If you are reading this and are steaming mad at me, yelling epiphytes at your computer screen, it is you that are hurting this country. I am a Republican; I believe is fiscal responsibility over anything else, but the conviction I hold just as close to that is social freedoms. Make no mistake, social freedom is one of the core components in which this party was founded upon and because of that I can say with all honesty those who tell others what they can or cannot do with their lives have no business calling themselves Republicans.