The Young Hipublicans

The New York Times Magazine ^ | 05/25/03 | JOHN COLAPINTO

[Stone Mountain]

Many members of the Bucknell conservatives club, for instance, endorse same-sex unions. Corey Langer recently wrote a Counterweight article supporting gay marriages. This is a far cry from D'Souza's day, when gay males were termed ''sodomites'' in The Dartmouth Review. In part, the Bucknellians' openness to gays and lesbians can be attributed to the strong streak of libertarianism that runs through the club -- a conviction that the government should stay out of any and all aspects of life, including the bedroom. But you can't hang out long with the Bucknell Conservatives and not form the opinion that their tolerance on issues like homosexuality goes beyond libertarianism.

So will they be accepted by mainstream social conservative Republicans? Or will they be viewed like the Log Cabin gang?

[Richard Kimball]

Bump for later.

[rwfromkansas]

Well done. I am considering starting a conservative club at my college, but am not sure yet.

[rwfromkansas]

There was a large amount of subtle implants of the writer's bias in this article. I tried to ignore them, but they were there.

There are many ways a writer can do so, and he managed to do a good number of them.

[rwfromkansas]

I am bothered by these kids losing the social issue part of conservatism (excepting abortion). But, I am not sure if this is common everywhere, as the conservatives at my school that I know are not for gay marriages.

[rwfromkansas]

One girl I have grown to really think is cool at my school goes so far as to say girls are "stupid." It is hilarious seeing her bash her own gender as being a bunch of idiots. Wow.

[Sonny M]

Thats actually a concern I have to. This new generation of conservatives, are essentially, pro-life libertarians. They are pretty indifferent or liberal on social issues. To me, it seems, all these kids care about, is the GOP party doing well (like team pride) and economic issues, and thats basically it.

[rwfromkansas]

While I disagree with them and am somewhat disturbed by this, I welcome them anyway.

I just hope the majority aren't just going to be a bunch of damn libertarians.

[MattAMiller]

These stories come out every couple of years. Only a New York Times reporter could be shocked that there are Republicans who don't throw rocks at gay people.

[Tex_GOP_Cruz]

Thats actually a concern I have to. This new generation of conservatives, are essentially, pro-life libertarians. They are pretty indifferent or liberal on social issues. To me, it seems, all these kids care about, is the GOP party doing well (like team pride) and economic issues, and thats basically it.

Sonny M, I respect your point of view and also noted the social positions as less than my definition of 100% conservative in several cases in the article, but I see it a little differently, perhaps more glass 3/4-full if you will. These students are self-identified fiscal conservatives; that's at least half the battle in my opinion because it makes a judgment about the ideal role of government. Then, they are pro-life, which puts them, at least in my opinion, squarely within the conservative camp, which I like to think of as allowing for some difference of opinion from some theoretical median "conservative." Most libertarian-conservatives and social-conservatives (and other types), despite frequent disagreements, are conservative enough and have enough overlap with this median conservative to belong in the conservative camp. FR is a pretty argumentative forum, and we come in many different flavors of conservative, but, like these students, we all identify ourselves as conservative. The identification is important; it means we have at least some common ground and are working towards it.

I think the fact that they are probably mostly from the north may make their spectrum of "conservative" a little wider than one from the south or midwest. I don't really know. I do know that with some groups of people, I'm a radical right-wing nut, while on FR or among certain Texas Republicans I occasionally and almost (key words) feel like a RINO. Yet I proudly call myself a conservative, just as these students do.

I expect that while my core political beliefs and attitude about the role and scope of government will probably stay the same throughout my life, I may migrate rightward or leftward (or libertarian-ward or theo-con-ward or neocon-ward or as National Review would have it metrocon-ward or crunchy-con-ward) on an issue or two. Since supposedly people usually move right with age, that might happen to these students on those social issues. For now, they sound like courageous warriors deep in enemy territory in the common struggle you and they and I fight against the left. And they are actively working to spread their conservative message, whether it's 75% or 90% or 100% conservative in your or my opinion. So, if they agree with most conservatives most of the time, and feel more vehemently about issues on which they hold conservative positions than those about which they are indifferent, I say more power to them.

[Sonny M]

I'm happy that they are mostly conservative, but they are advocates pretty much just fiscally, and pro-life, but I don't even see if they have an understanding or even care about the social conservative part of the party.

Ignoring that part of the party or not even learning about it, what it means or why its there, can actually hurt the causes. Many people drifted democrat, because of the social issues, they don't understand the conservative side except thinking that it wants to make them live a certain way, in college, there were college kids who believes the republicans wanted bigger government to control them and there lives (idiot lefty teachers were big on brainwashing). The social issues are going to be inherently linked with the fiscal side, they need to learn to see how they are linked and why.

[Tex_GOP_Cruz]

Ignoring that part of the party or not even learning about it, what it means or why its there, can actually hurt the causes.

I agree with you that it can and it might, but only for some of them. For many of them, I think, becoming a part of the process will expose them to many other conservatives who stress social issues. I've only been interested in politics for a few years, and I feel that talking to other conservatives (and liberals who disagree) has done much to strengthen my beliefs and arguments. Similarly, meeting older conservatives will mold these students in ways neither group can anticipate and they will likely allow the students to bring together social and economic conservatism in a coherent way. Have a little faith in these young conservatives -- they are still in a process of formation.

Fortunately, I think the nature of political discourse is that we all don't have to be big picture people. Some of them might be Stephen Moore types and focus on pro-growth fiscal policy. Others might be pro-life or pro-2nd Amendment activists. Others may advocate a robust defense or for actually enforcing our immigration laws. And others may drift left or drop out of conservative activism altogether. At present I think a net good is being done by this group students at Bucknell and those like them.

[Carthago delenda est]

Good Lord, I like that slogan after your name! Keep speaking the truth!

[GOPJ]

Life is good.

Students are much more willing to write off something as 'liberal talk' -- oh, I don't need to think about that, that's just ideology -- as opposed to thinking, in a complex way, about all of the different ideas and evaluating them.'' Kim Daubman, a social psychology professor, concurs. Recently she taught a class in which she talked about the theory that news coverage of warfare in Iraq could lead to a rise in homicides in the United States. ''I could see the students rolling their eyes,'' she says. ''I could just hear them thinking, 'Oh, there she goes again!'''

[NYC GOP Chick]

I only wish that I didn't have to do so... :(

[Terry Mross]

Hey, summer, did you also notice there was vigil (no quotation marks) against the war while the conservatives held "pro America" and "pro troops" rallies?

[Terry Mross]

Did you notice the writer made it "clear" there are no blacks in this conservative movement? No, wait, it's RIGHT WING movement. But I didn't see one mention of any "left wing" groups, only liberal.

[GOPJ]

bump

[summer]

RE your post #76 - I think I missed it, but - very interesting. Thanks for pointing it out, Terry Mross.

[wardaddy]

i noticed that too....sort of like here.