Posted on 06/15/2013 10:03:57 AM PDT by 1rudeboy
BOZEMAN – As a 19-year-old who thinks capitalism and free markets have a natural appeal to young people, Charlie Kirk has launched his own organizing group to bring them into the conservative fold.
But Kirk says the Republican Party and free-market candidates are blowing it with youthful voters, by failing to reach out to them and ceding the organizational battleground to the forces of Obama and the left.
“We need to do an honest autopsy of what happened to the Republicans in 2012,” he told Montana Republicans on Saturday at the party’s annual state convention in Bozeman. “The other side had behavioral modeling, what I like to call the 22nd Century campaign. It was unbelievable what they were able to do.”
Superior organization
Members of the GOP audience in Bozeman audibly gasped as Kirk told the tale of two acquaintances who he thought were “potential young Republicans,” but were swayed by the other side’s superior organization.
One was a female fan of pop singer Katy Perry. The woman obtained tickets to a Perry concert after agreeing to march in a gay pride parade last year. The marchers-concert goers also had to give their contact information to an Obama campaign group.
“She went from being uninvolved in March and being a Katy Perry fan to being one of the top community organizers in Chicago for Barack Obama,” Kirk said.
The other was a Latino high school classmate from Colombia, who had talked about his support of a less intrusive government and free markets.
But when the classmate returned to school after summer last year, he was wearing a T-shirt from MoveOn.org, a prominent liberal advocacy group.
Kirk said MoveOn.Org had had a booth outside the ceremony where the classmate and his family became American citizens, spoken to them in Spanish, and invited them to community events. The friend had become an organizer for the group.
“Now, why didn’t any of the organizations on the right have a booth at that swearing-in ceremony?” Kirk said. “There was nothing from our side of the aisle. Those were two young people who were potential young Republicans, who were both scooped up by the machine that the left built.”
Turning Point USA
Kirk, who graduated from high school in the Chicago area last year, said these and other such instances helped push him to found Turning Point USA, a nonprofit group trying to educate young people about the benefits of free markets, capitalism and entrepreneurship.
In an interview Saturday, Kirk said he founded Turning Point USA in part after becoming frustrated with the Young Republicans, whom he labeled as “too bureaucratic” and unwilling to try new approaches.
Turning Point USA’s website offers a mix of student columns, videos, events and the “student debt clock,” which shows students’ share of the national debt. While Kirk is the founder of the youth-centered site, the group has several adult advisers.
Kirk also has launched himself into the world of political punditry, appearing as a guest on national news shows, commenting about the youth vote, and speaking to conservative-leaning groups around the country.
Kirk came to Montana at the invitation of several Republicans who’ve been feuding with party hard-liners, arguing the state GOP needs to appeal to more than just doctrinaire conservatives.
Kirk said he talks to groups about how they can “better brand” capitalism and free markets for young people: “Young people want to be free. They want to be able to make their own decisions. They like to enjoy liberty.”
As for local Republican parties and groups, Kirk suggested they not turn their backs on libertarians or other subsets of the right, and that libertarians – social and economic – should be talking to conservatives about where they can seek common ground.
The GOP is the “Seinfeld” Party - A party about nothing.
I sure as heck don’t know what they stand for anymore. At least the Democrats do stand for something, even though I vehemently disagree with them.
That is the problem with the GOP, they think morons like that should be catered to and drive away 10 voters for every young mushhead voter gained.
I agree that if the Republicans were in favor of not putting roadblocks in the way of small business creation and self employment, it would attract a lot of younger (and older) voters. Being a corporate slave without even the benefit of job security or being a globalist/banking/elitist sleazeball just doesn’t have the appeal it used to.
But too many Republicans have no interest in educating. They act like anyone not born understanding free markets is an idiot and a lost cause not worth spending time on.
If you don't like my reaction to your comments, don't try to 'fix' my posts or thoughts.
Apart from the fact that you were not reacting to one of my comments . . . .
Too late . . . this thread is about China, now.
If you’re not a democrat when young you don’t have a heart and if you’re not a Republican when older you don’t have a brain.
There’s no reason for Republicans to go after the ‘youth vote’... It’s as big a waste of our time as democrats trying to get the ‘gun owner’ vote.
When the young get married and have a child they’ll start looking to us... that’s when we care. That’s when we move toward them.
What a yawner. This guy is Karl Rove’s mini-me.
Media sure is giving these losers attention.
Ronald Reagan won 2 landslides by being an outspoken Conservative.
Want to win landslide elections, stop with the squishes as candidates.
As the saying goes:
If you're not a democrat when young you don't have a heart and if you're not a Republican when older you don't have a brain.
There's no reason for Republicans to go after the 'youth vote'... It's as big a waste of our time as democrats trying to get the 'gun owner' vote.
When the young get married and have a child they'll start looking to us... that's when we care. That's when we move toward them.
Hard to say for sure but we DO know who got to them first don't we?
Reagan was also able to articulate Conservative Principles in a manner that connected and registered with the Average Person. Reagan sold the benefits of Conservative Principles and painted a picture of an America that was proud to get up in the morning, go out, and win.
Find a candidate who can do that and you win.
Sorry, doesn't sound like much of a plan.
“And get off my lawn!!!” Thanks for your perspective gramps.
Geez, do you even know anyone under 21? Kids are stupid, and kids do stupid things. But they grow up eventually. And can be influenced.
Illegal Alien Amnesty, Homosexual Special Rights, are not Free Market.
This article has nothing to do with free markets. Once again, another liberal trying to push their agenda under the guise of “free market”
Unfortunately, these days, anyone mentioning “free market” seems to have no clue what one really is.
And to add to my comment #33: we shouldn’t go after young voters, and simply wait for another Reagan to come along? Doesn’t sound like much of a plan, either.
Send a few NRA members to a democrat gathering and prime them to put out a bunch of bullsh*t about how they're 'thinking about becoming democrats' if only _____________ then fill in the blank (with whatever a focus group says might appeal to democrats)... AND GET DEMOCRATS TO WASTE THEIR TIME AND MONEY ...
Democrats are more than willing to hire young people to pull the wool over the eyes of idiot Republicans ... they do it all the time. Fake people, fake letters to the editor, fake letters to our GOP leaders... fake calls to Rush, Hannity, and Levin...
There's a reason Democrats don't waste their time tilting at windmills - or going after the 'gun owner ' vote it's because they're not gullible like our leaders.
You’re the expert: you appear to believe that the “free market” has something to do with amnesty, and homo rights. /s
Why aren't democrats wasting their time and money trying to get the ‘NRA gun owner vote’? I'll tell you why - because they have NO CHANCE of getting much of that vote. It would costs too much per vote.
That's the same as us going after the youth vote. Besides young people grow up and become more responsible. That's when we court them...
Exactly...most who hawk “Free Market” today would scream if you took their Big Government Statism away
Look at all the fools who still push Free Trade. Free Traders have surrendered our national authority to preserve our free markets by joining us with World Trade Organization, UN, and NAFTA...which sets laws and rules that the US has to follow...with no representation from any elected official
Taxation without representation was one of the tenets of our American Revolution. Our Funding Fathers are rolling in their graves over how Free Traders (who are never Free Market) have surrendered our economics to non-representative governmental bodies
This liberal kid in Montana thinks gays and illegals are Free Market. Whats next, Child Molesters are Free Market (Mohammed would like that)
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