CR News and Notes

First up is this YouTube Video put together (and obstensibly paid for) by the Committee to Draft Donnelly for CRNC Chairman 2007:



Secondly, it appears that Michigan State's Steve Japinga will be challenging current Michigan CR Chairman Dan Carlson, previously of Kalamazoo College. This could be interesting to see develop, because there seems to be a lot of turmoil in Michigan since the election (and in the runup to it) over who is supporting who in the Presidential Primary. Mitt Romney is a Michigan native, but many CR leaders, including Carlson and MFCR Executive Director Justin Zatkoff have jumped on board with Straight Talk America PAC, which is John McCain's Leadership PAC. I am not sure if Japinga's candidacy is motivated by this, but there is a similiar effort to unseat Michigan GOP Chairman Saul Anuzis afoot, under the pretense of lost elections, but from all I have seen, it is 2008 motivated. This would actually be the reverse of Anuzis' situation, though, because he has not joined on with any of the primary candidates as of yet. Other possible motivations would be new leadership, as Carlson has been around since deposing former MFCR Chairman Ryan Cassin during the 2005 CRNC Elections, or a desire for change after lost elections.
As far as the Draft Donnelly video, I think it is well done, but I am very much unsold on Donnelly as a candidate. I would need to see a very solid platform on his behalf in order to consider backing him. I also, admittedly, do not know all that much about the current state of College Republicans in Illinois, and have many misgivings about this being a true "draft" effort. All things I have heard point to Donnelly wishing to carry on Michael Davidson's 2005 fight, which is all fine and dandy, but I think it is time to move past '05 and focus on the future. Many tenets of that campaign live on, as evidenced by the proposed amendments for December's CRNC Board Meeting in Denver and the continued fight for transparency, but we need to get over the fact that Davidson lost, as unfortunate as it may be. Focusing on the past is folly, as one cannot go back to change it. Things are starting to heat up, though, no doubt about it!