GOP Candidates Ditch Debates, Pwn n00bs

You can only be so stupid, but somehow the Democrats’ base has broken such boundaries yet again, and the current crop of Democrat presidential candidates seems all too willing to accommodate them. I refer of course to the much-ignored YouTube debates which allowed those with no business being involved in the American political system an outlet to vent their insanity. The debates were aired by CNN but the format was better suited for Nickelodeon. Serious questions were on the scarce side and, like a Michigan versus Penn State football game, there were no real winners. There were also few viewers, but still more than watched Live Earth.

This isn’t the first time Democrats have succeeded in making 18 to 25 year olds look ignorant, apathetic, and downright dumb. MTV’s Rock the Vote campaign failed spectacularly in its attempt to get their viewers to the polls even after the infamous “boxers or briefs” question asked to Bill Clinton (which somehow was still more articulate than about 90% of this week’s questions). Although candidates tried their best to answer the pressing concerns of the young with a straight face, (condoms in schools, drug legalization, and FCC indecency standards) the young still stayed away in droves.

After the debates, it’s hard to imagine youth showing up again this time around. Questions which survived the rigorous screening process included a song about taxes, more than a few obscenities, a re-launching of the 2000 election conspiracy, and an “are my ‘babies’ safe” question about gun control. One questioner asked each candidate to name something they liked and disliked about the candidate to their left. Not making the cut were questions asking candidates their favorite color and if Hillary would bone Howard Stern. Appropriately enough, the night’s most ridiculous question, posed by a man dressed as a snowman, was answered by the field’s most ridiculous candidate, Dennis Kucinich (this after eventually convincing security he was one of the candidates, not one of the bloggers).

In the wake of this week’s absurdity, it’s not hard to understand why Republican candidates who aren’t desperate for face time (John McCain and Ron Paul) have all declined to show up to the forthcoming YouTube debate in September. Mitt Romney summed up the candidates’ preference for sanity in debates by stating “I think the presidency ought to be held at a higher level than having to answer questions from a snowman.” Eight years of Bill Clinton’s antics combined with this week’s nonsense should erase all question of a higher level held by Democrats.

To be fair, as fundamentally flawed as the YouTube debates were, the basic idea was well-intentioned: regular people asking candidates questions about issues they cared about. A better idea for Republicans would be to make joint appearances on a talk radio program (that is, if Democrats don’t succeed in shutting them down first) and answering questions from listeners. Callers would be screened as to prevent the baffling idiocy of YouTube, their questions would be far less likely to end in “OMFG, PWNED!” and questioners would probably at least hold a high school diploma. What’s more, there would actually be a listening audience this time.

It's All Just a Little Bit of History Repeating

While the Senate proves once again how worthless the new Congress really is, I stand watching and wondering what could happen if Democrats get their way and the US surrenders Iraq. Granted this means Senators now have something else to do late at night besides chasing escort girls, you would think they’d choose something more productive than selling their country down the river. Then again, as history has proven multiple times, that is what Democrats are best at. The left-wing fringe groups which own the Democratic Party are desperate to see America lose this war and to see history repeat itself.

It was a little more than thirty years ago when the lunatics took over the asylum known as the modern Democratic Party and committed themselves to losing America’s wars. In 1975, with the distraction of Watergate still in full public view, they succeeded in forcing America to tuck tail between their legs and retreat full scale from Vietnam. The images are still vivid enough with hundreds of desperate refugees attempting to cling to the departing helicopters. It was at that point when Americans turned off their television sets and forgot about the ugliness of the conflict. They, of course, were the lucky ones: the new communist regimes which popped up in the wake of liberal treason summarily slaughtered millions of people, the lion’s share in Cambodia.

The Americans’ withdrawal meant “Year Zero” for Pol Pot and Cambodia. Their triumphant ride through Phnom Penh was followed by an immediate evacuation to the countryside, the imposing of ancient first century Khmer culture and technology, and the shooting of anyone who resisted on the spot. As if that wasn’t enough, they imprisoned and tortured “microbes” of society until their victims came to believe the accusations against them. In all, two million people- one in four Cambodians- were executed or starved to death by one of the most evil regimes of the twentieth century. Cambodia itself may never recover. Americans tried to share the pain of those poor people some thousands of miles away, especially after Sam Waterston told us about it in 1984’s The Killing Fields. In the meantime, we forgot who was responsible for the Khmer Rouge coming to power. Today, Cambodia’s communist monsters live as free as America’s liberal enablers.

Thirty years later liberals still have not learned the lessons from history. They are as committed to America losing this war as they were to America losing in Vietnam. I’m already confounded as to what the national interest could be in losing a war without considering the consequences of our unconditional surrender. Without American soldiers to prop it up, Iraq’s fragile government would fall in a matter of days with the worst yet to come. Syria, Iran, and- oh yes- al-Qaeda would lock for control of the country in a battle with no winners. Instead of democracy and peace, terrorism and Islamist tyranny would gain a beachhead in the Middle East. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad might make his dream of annihilating Israel and eradicating the Jews a reality without an American presence to stop him. Militant Islamist terrorists would see America for the paper tiger it is and would be undeterred in their quest to impose the 11th century on the world. Iraq poses yet one more danger than Vietnam in that withdrawing American soldiers didn’t bring Vietcong terrorists home with them.

It is well known that those who are ignorant of their history are doomed to repeat it. These Democrats are simply naïve if they believe mass genocide would not take place soon after our hasty surrender and departure. I shouldn’t have to remind you that there are three groups living in Iraq with a history of killing each other. Saddam Hussein initiated Sunni slaughters of Shiites and Kurds within recent memory. But that won’t happen again, will it? After all, if it’s one thing we can count on from militant Islamist terrorists, its restraint. No, if Democrats get their way and America hands over control of Iraq to al-Qaeda and if we see another Year Zero genocide, I hold those treasonous, enabling, left-wing Democrats as responsible for that genocide as the terrorists themselves.

Smith, New CRNC team thank supporters

In a blast e-mail to College Republicans across the nation, newly elected Executive Board members this afternoon sent their thanks to those who supported them:

Now that the convention is over, we wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who attended and those who supported the New CRNC. We were honored to receive such widespread support, a true mandate for positive reform to our organization. Thank you for placing your confidence in us and the ideas that we advanced.

We value your continued input as we transition into this new administration. There are no tickets or candidates any more. Everyone is on the same team, and we are all working towards the same goals. Your ideas and comments will improve and refine our efforts.

We stand on the edge of a bright future; these next two years hold much promise for our organization. We all have been called to serve a great cause and a great country; we are humbled that you have entrusted us to lead this powerful movement. With your help, this New CRNC will represent the best of what College Republicans can be.

The New CRNC Team

Chairman Charlie Smith, Co-Chairman Nick Miccarelli, Northeastern Vice-Chairman Mike Keough, Southern Vice-Chairman Kristy Cottrell, Midwestern Vice-Chairman Justin Smith, Western Vice-Chairman Zach Howell, Secretary Dan Carlson & Treasurer Esther Clark

And now for some entirely partial opinion on the matter:
It is important to note that the new Chairman believes there is a mandate for his ideas on reforming this organization, something that a few more people sticking to their guns last weekend in the nation's capital would have changed. Also, in a message claiming that the time for "tickets" and "candidates" has passed, it is signed as being from "The New CRNC Team". There is indeed much to be done in the next two years; let us only hope that they are better than the past two.

Congratulations to CR McCain backers

We here at Red State Rampage wish to extend our cordial congratulations to each state federation that had many of its members endorse the Presidential candidacy of Arizona Senator John McCain, and the many former state chairmen who worked so hard to grab the attention of the campaign staff. For starters, the people whom you all paid homage to on the campaign staff have all either been fired or quit. Secondly, McCain is fading faster than Barbaro's Triple Crown chances at last year's Preakness. The campaign is now broke and would like back its $1000 checks that it so flippantly passed out last fall to CR chapters like so much Halloween candy. It is also amusing that a campaign that has been as much about pork barrel spending as any other issue so quickly spent itself into debt. Our best guess is that they followed what is popularly known as the Gourley model (spending 19 million to raise 21 million, as was rumored last spring, or paying a company $400,000 to raise you $300 odd thousands).

So here is to you Michael Miltenberger, Dan Carlson, Blake Harris, and Vic Bailey. It looks like selling out to the frontrunner (wow, how fast time does fly!) won you the jackpot! A piece of advice: jump ship before they send you the bill.

Destroyers wreck Force, move on to ArenaBowl XXI

Earlier this afternoon, the hometown Columbus Destroyers of the Arena Football League defeated the 15-2 Georgia Force in their latest upset victory en route to Arena Bowl XXI. Matt Nagy, who was traded away by the Force in the offseason, led the Destroyers to a 66-56 triumph. It is great to see a Columbus professional sports team doing so well, and even greater to see them make such an underdog run in the playoffs. Columbus entered the playoffs with a 7-9 record and went on to best Tampa Bay on a last-second touchdown in the Wild Card Round. Last weekend, the Destroyers knocked off the Dallas Desperadoes, a team with an AFL-record 15 regular season wins, in the Divisional Playoffs by a score of 66-59.

Columbus will await the winner of the San Jose-Chicago matchup, and is the second team in the last two years to enter the playoffs at 7-9 and advance to the Arena Bowl. In 2006, the Chicago Rush, who Columbus could face in Arena Bowl XXI, accomplished the same feat. Other Columbus professional squads have also experienced recent success, with Major League Soccer's Columbus Crew on a month-long hot streak vaulting them into the upper half of the Eastern Conference and the Columbus Comets of the National Women's Football Assocation making a deep run in their own playoffs. The Comets play this evening in Nashville against the Pittsburgh Passion for the 2007 NWFA Championship.

Calling shenanigans

While no one will dispute the legitimacy of Charlie Smith's election as CRNC top dog this morning, several state chairmen, especially including Washington's Dan Brutoca, Iowa's Ben Johnson, and Arkansas' Bryant Davis, will have some serious explaining to do when they return to their federations, not to mention their predecessors. As a false wave of unity swept the convention floor following yesterday's passage of reform-minded amendments, one by one the states still considering abstinence from the election were cherry-picked by current CRNC Executive Board members and members of the NewCRNC (same as the old CRNC) team. Some state chairmen rolled over to have their bellies scratched with Credentials Committee slots, others leapt at the carrot of possibly holding regional training in their states, and still others were tempted by Charlie's good natured words with them. Simply amazing to the keen observer though is the fact that these individuals gave up months of fighting on principle only to abandon it for greener pastures. The rewards do not make any of them CR-rich either, as the Credentials slots are simply a one-year term (the next full-ticket election will be in July 2009) and regional training cannot possibly bring any greater benefit to the host state than dinner with Charlie Smith. Maybe NewCRNC should have just passed out candy to attendees instead, then these kids would have gotten some tangible nourishment from the swindle.

Iowa and Arkansas are especially befuddling cases simply due to the fact that each federation's immediate past Chairman was a candidate for their Regional Vice Chairman slot, running in both cases against NewCRNC foes. In Washington, Brutoca will surely have to answer to both Brent Ludeman, a two-term leader as well as leading national reformer, and Neil Uhrig, who was one of the first to speak out against outgoing Chairman Paul Gourley. Word out of the state is that Washington chapter chairmen were not even in favor of attending the convention, but that Brutoca was allowed to head the delegation to D.C. under the requirement that they abstain. If Taylor Burks can be impeached for merely firing an appointed officer, then such treachery can surely be so punished.

Returning Chairmen such as Wisconsin's Mary Ellen Burke and West Virginia's Brian Dayton deserve to be honored for sticking to their guns and not wavering under pressure to support a candidate of whom they do not approve. It seems that the mantle of the reform movement will pass from Ludeman and Brian Siler to such chairs as these, especially given the hands-off, live and let be approach that new leadership in Ohio is expected to take with regard to the CRNC.

In the final analysis, Siler and Ludeman attending the festivities may very well have produced a more organized opposition to Smith's victory, but their absence has hopefully allowed a new cadre of individuals to take the reigns and run with reform. After all, they are both on their way out, so we must have new leadership. In the end, the two Real Reform principals got both the amendments and the language that they desired, which always seemed to be their ultimate focus anyhow. Both are reportedly planning to move on from the CR arena and on to working in the larger grassroots political apparatus, whether it be on the local or national (think Presidential) scale. Their contributions to our organization should be remembered positively by all, and we wish the best of luck to them both as they get on with their careers.

One important note to make about the addition of electoral votes to Missouri, Alabama, and Colorado is that the case the three states made for extra votes was rooted in Facebook group memberships. Newly elected Midwest Vice Chairman Justin Smith argued that Missouran enrollment in CR Facebook groups was much greater than the number of verified members during the credentialing process. While this argument was successful, a proxy form submitted by the Ohio College Republican Federation for the Natl. Board Meeting yesterday was turned down by Chairman Gourley because there was no "Witness" signature. The kicker for my fellow Buckeyes is that no proxy procedure was outlined to the Board, so Gourley's decision was merely on a whim and without any basis or precedent. Granted, allegedly embezzling a few thousand dollars would also have been on a whim and without precedent, so this decision was merely business as usual.

Other absurdities in this election include CRNC Executive Director Ethan Eilon doing double duty as NewCRNC Campaign Manager and running a campaign based around reforming the very organization he was helping to run at the time. His successor as Manager was Blake Harris, who as a Credential Committee member ruled on the appeals for extra votes by his home state, Alabama, as well as Missouri and Colorado. All three states were supporters of his candidate, and he was Alabama's past chairman. Former Clinton Assistant Attorney General and 9/11 Commissioner Jamie Gorelick thinks that these were conflicts of interest.

The Reign Begins

Earlier this morning at the CRNC Convention, Colorado's Charlie Smith was elected to succeed Paul Gourley as Chairman of the CRNC and will serve a two-year term in the post. Also elected with him were Nick Miccarelli (Co-Chairman), Dan Carlson (Secretary), and Esther Clark (Treasurer).
The entire slate of Regional Vice Chair candidates was also victorious, with Michael Keough (Northeast), Kristy Cottrell (South), Justin Smith (Midwest), and Zach Howell (West) all easily winning election.

RSR to add Podcasting of posts

Given that a good friend of RSR is pursuing a career in broadcasting, we will begin to offer each and every post in audio form for your podcasting pleasure. At some point within the next two weeks we will make the grand rollout of this feature, which will be unique certainly within the CR blogosphere, and rare as well within the greater Ohio community of bloggers. Details are being worked out at the moment, and more will follow as it becomes more concrete. Also on the table are possible audio interviews with CR figures down the road, and maybe even some real politicians and politicos.

Real Reform principals issue statement on amendments

As any College Republican who is active within the national scene now knows, the full slate of amendments were passed today at the CRNC National Board Meeting after weeks of anxious hand-wringing by many who originally saw Charlie Smith's pledge to bring his supporters to the "Yea" column as an unlikely promise to be fulfilled. Real Reform principals Brian Siler and Brent Ludeman, both notably absent from the nation's capital this weekend, have issued a statement of thanks to their fellow CRs for working to pass the important measures.

"The amendments passed today are the result of six plus months of hard work guided by the bold principles and recommendations outlined in Real Reform. We see these amendments as a giant victory for this organization. We are excited that Real Reform was the genesis for the changes that will shape the future of our organization for generations to come. Thank you to all those who helped spearhead this effort and those who voted on the amendments today.

Reform does not end here. Make no mistake about it, the CRNC faces real problems that demand real solutions. The well-being of our organization has been sacrificed for political expediency and self-glorification too often in recent memory. Repeated scandals that never seem to end have undermined the credibility of our organization. We have lost our way.

In order to enact true, lasting reform in the CRNC, the culture of our organization and type of people we put in power must change. The procedural changes and safeguards put in place by the amendments passed today mean very little if the people entrusted to uphold them do not share the values they reflect. While we recognize that change does not occur overnight, we will continue to push for safeguards and individuals that work to eliminate corruption, increase accountability, improve transparency and put the grassroots first. We see today as just the first step.

Thank you again for all of your work in supporting these amendments and the Real Reform movement. Without your continued support, the changes enacted today would not have been possible."

Speculation about potential opposition to Charlie Smith's imminent election continues to foment, but one CR from Ohio noted that he has plans to meet with Siler in Columbus on Saturday, which would seem to put the kibash on such rumors of he and Ludeman riding into D.C. on white horses. Other sources from within the state have also confirmed that with the Midwest Vice-Chairman election all but over for Iowa's Bobby Kaufmann following Minnesota's decision to back Justin Smith, the decision was made to save the funds for an expanded field program come this fall. While some have speculated that Kaufmann could not win without the votes from Ohio, it was indeed the Minnesotan move that sounded the death knell. Sources have also informed RSR over the past few months that the ultimate priority for Siler became the passage of amendments, which seems to be given credence by the absence of any organized opposition ticket at this convention.

Ohio, Washington virtual no-shows at coronation

Two of the state federations viewed nationally as leaders within the CRNC's reform movement are largely absent from the early festivities of the biennial convention taking place this weekend in the nation's capital. With no real possibility at this late hour of a challenge to Charlie Smith's upcoming coronation, it is really no surprise that either of the states, or their sometimes enigmatic former Chairmen, Brian Siler and Brent Ludeman, are absent without leave. While the elections are not the only reason to show up, they certainly are the biggest motivator of attendance. With the election results hardly in doubt, even in each of the "Regional Vice-Chairman" contests, the urgency of appearing drops considerably.

Eagerness for Ohioans to attend the 2007 edition of the CRNC Convention surely did wane after a most disappointing Credentials Report back in the spring that left Ohio with fewer than half of the thirteen delegates that it had expected to receive. On the whole, the number of electoral votes allotted were down from 2005, but members of the Ohio College Republican Federation were caught by surprise at the low number of delegates their state was awarded. After a banner year of recruitment and a hard-fought victory for at least partially electronic credential verification, the expected number was 13 votes. While Ohio could still receive an additional vote if their appeal is successful, it still will fall far short.

Sources out of Ohio have noted that the savings from not sending a full delegation to the convention will allow for at least one extra field representative from the OCRF this fall. In taking a brief look at this fall's electoral slate in the Buckeye state, it is not lost on this College Republican that Columbus and Cincinnati both have major municipal elections come November. Extra feet on the ground organizing and driving out the grassroots volunteers that CRs can ably provide seems certainly to be a welcome asset for party leaders in both Franklin and Hamilton Counties.

Live Earth Celebrities to the Rest of Us: Stop Being You!

Today is another one of those days where the performing elites will assemble on various parts of the planet in support of a cause they know little to nothing about. In so doing they can blame George Bush for whatever it is they’re playing for either not doing enough about it or causing the problem entirely. Take a little from Column “A” and a little from Column “B” for the cause-de-jour, global warming. Yes, just in time for Al Gore’s third unsuccessful presidential run, the superstars of the performing world will bring global warming to our attention by traveling 222,623 miles between them and dumping several tons of fuel (in that it’s been several years since the Battle of Hastings) in the atmosphere and chastising the rest of us for our wasteful ways of life.

Global warming represents one of the most prominent pillars of the faith to the religion of Liberalism and its practice can best be described as “do as I say, not as I do.” The entertainers performing today are hardly environmental stewards, and the concert’s primary organizer is nothing less than a sinner. Gore’s “carbon footprint,” for instance, would require size 23 shoes. His mansion in Tennessee uses more electricity in a month than the average American household does in a year. His natural gas bill wasn’t chump change for the rest of us either: $1,080. What’s more, after making his movie in which he urged Americans to drastically reduce their energy consumption by using less electricity and gas at home (or else!), his personal energy consumption increased! The private jet he’ll be taking to the concert doesn’t exactly run on switch grass either.

It would be interesting if a portion of the proceeds for Live Earth went to cleaning up the environmental damage caused by holding the concerts in the first place. Celebrities are going to be traveling thousands of miles to get to these locations and I guarantee you not one will be taking the city bus. For that matter, they won’t be carpooling or even taking an airliner like the rest of us are told to. The damage to the ozone layer caused by all that fuel from each of their private jets should shame any environmentally and intellectually honest celebrity from coming to this event. This is in addition to other damage inflicted upon the planet such as the Gore-gantuan energy costs and piles of trash left by spectators. Let Melissa Etheridge try and blame that one on FEMA! Of course, this concert isn’t about being honest with the commoners or even being consistent. This is about, like, the environment, man! Oh, and George Bush doesn’t care about black people.

Personally, as I’m not being forced to watch it (yet), I’d rather exercise my right as a consumer while it still exists and watch something else that doesn’t insult me or make me feel guilty about watching it. Like a Lifetime movie. This is yet another excursion in to the world of public policy that celebrities feel entitled to dictate to us about by simply being celebrities. They take up the cause regardless of whether they know anything about it or whether they’re actually part of the problem itself. The likes of John Mayer and Madonna are no more qualified to talk about climate change than George Bush is to talk about music. Wait, who was it that was trying to tell who how to do their job again?

The Old College Try

YAF recently released their list of the Top Ten Campus Conservatives, and a couple good friends of RSR made an appearance on the list. Bowling Green's Dan Lipian, who is currently serving in his second term as BGSU CR Chairman and in his first term as Ohio College Republican Federation Secretary, was picked for his efforts with last year's 9/11: Never Forget Project and his phenomenal work in bringing conservative activist and musical legend Ted Nugent to Bowling Green. In an aside, RSR attended the evening with Nugent back in March, and it was absolutely packed. On one of the most liberal college campuses in Ohio, Dan and his great group of CRs like Co-Chairman Brian Kutzley packed the 1,000 seat auditorium within 50 seats of capacity.

URI College Republican Chairman Ryan Bilodeau, who is also serving currently as Rhode Island CR Chairman, also was named to the prestigious list. Bilodeau raised many eyebrows on campus with his WHAM (White Heterosexual American Male) Scholarship back last fall, and he went toe to toe with his university for the survival of College Republicans on URI's campus. Ryan has also spent much time coordinating independent student support for Mitt Romney, and was featured on a panel at CPAC with other young conservative leaders. Keep up the good work gents!

Knee High by the Fourth of July

With just ten days left in the mockery that is the campaign to be CRNC Chairman, the river of crap is rising with a nasty riptide that threatens to bring the whole organization crashing down upon itself. The organization we know and love, New CRNC, which is merely the name Charlie Smith has bestowed upon his ticket, is merely an accomplice after the fact at best and fully complicit with this current mess at worst.
This past month's events, shocking as they may seem to many, come as no surprise to us here at Red State Rampage. When we last opined, we spoke of a growing buyer's remorse, an outgoing Chairman in Paul Gourley who had lost any semblance of control, and a candidate in Charlie Smith who had yet to define himself once and for all. Now that all of these things have come to pass, many times over in some cases, it is very clear that someone must speak up once again.
As Truth Caucus moves on to more grown up topics, such as Paris Hilton's latest exploits, there emerges an ever growing void of hard news and solid opinion on today's CRNC, an ever dulling light shining into the cracks and crevices of this organization, the College Republicans. One thing is imminently recognizable, though: it is high time to hop back on the horse here at RSR and stir the pot once more. With that, we leave you for the next few hours to await the glorious return, a campaign of shock and awe like none seen before.