Splicetoday

Politics & Media
Jul 30, 2008, 05:49AM

Rethinking College Conservatism

There's no doubt that Barack Obama has capitivated young voters across the country, but there's more than just his charisma at work. For the last few years the Democratic Party has worked hard to actively include young people, even giving them seats as delegates at the national convention. Republicans, however, have been more passive, and this columnist thinks its time to make the conservative message more appealing to young people.

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Photo by Hryckowian

Unlike the Democrats, the Republican Party does not have a system set up to bring representatives from Young Republicans of America and College Republicans to a delegate position at the national convention. There are no delegate positions for the convention reserved for young Republicans. Instead the National Republican Party uses representatives from these organizations as an advisory board to help with getting the word out to young people about Republican candidates. There are also plenty of volunteer and internships available at the National Convention where young people can gain valuable information and experience inside the party.

Unfortunately the Republican Party has more of a "you come to us" approach. Instead of trying to go out and recruit young people to work on campaigns, the party seems to just let young people who want to help come to them.

Although the Republican Party is behind in winning over young Americans, there is hope yet. If the party can begin portraying conservative values in a way young people can relate to, then the party might be able to win over some of these people.

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