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It's in my college newspaper, the University Registar, in the opinion section:
"Never in recent history has there been a more exciting time for College Republicans. Growing exponentially every year, we have ignited the biggest conservative sweep ever to hit the college establishment. Senator Norm Coleman has repeatedly given his gratification to College Republicans for his historic success in 2002, which was a wonderful year for Republicans. Since the beginning of this school year the Minnesota College Republicans have signed up over 2500 new members at over 40 different colleges and universities-and they haven't even hit the stronghold schools yet. Here at Morris, the organization has fully doubled in numbers this year over last year. But why?
Of course, it is indeed an election year, which could explain growing interests and numbers for both the Republicans and the DFL. But I don't believe there are just magically more conservatives this year. The key difference is that finally, conservative students are declaring it publicly. They're tired of the cheap shots they hear in class from liberals safe in numbers. But they're even more agitated with some of their own professors saying similar things, especially when the class is not politically oriented. They are sick of seeing the typical anti-Bush poster as the invitation to the Poster Fair. And once inside, they may have to dig through the nudity and beer posters to look for Ronald Reagan, who is nowhere to be found. In the classroom, conservative students have their fill of economist and sociologist Karl Marx, and look without avail through the pages for viewpoints of someone like economist and sociologist Ludwig von Mises, a brilliant and respected opponent of socialism. Not unlike the explosion of evangelical Christians after recent attempts by the ACLU to remove God from public life, the liberal establishment in many schools has resulted in a strong conservative backlash, evidenced most profoundly by the size and might of the College Republicans organization at the University of California Berkeley.
Numbers show us that the students have had it. But is the conservative movement of today similar to the liberal movement of the 1960s and 1970s? Not at all. Through anarchic, radical and often violent protest, liberals took the country over by force, with records of buildings being blown up or burned down, some even spitting on troops as they returned from Vietnam. Everyone knows the hippie story, but few can see the damage it has done to the country since then: uncontrollable drug use and widespread promiscuity and STDs resulting from the sexual 'revolution.' Contrast that to the respectfully avid conservative movement of today. You will certainly find us protesting, but clad in giant foam flip-flops instead of fire torches.
But what makes this movement even more exciting this time around is that we have a wonderful and beloved leader to rally behind. Again, an unexpected side effect of the heavy and hateful anti-Bush rhetoric of earlier this year has made conservatives very defensive of the President, with polls showing that 89% of Republicans 'approve strongly' of President Bush, who is also enjoying a post-convention, 11-point lead which John Kerry's campaign said couldn't happen in an 'election that's already been decided.' We confidently follow the President's leadership, but not blindly. We admire his courage in the War of Terror and his acting on what is right despite fleeting popular opinion and unceasing criticism. We are grateful for his leadership and are equally taken with George W. Bush the person, a genuine man graceful enough to give an absolutely endearing wink while in the middle of his acceptance speech, security had to escort a crazed protestor out of the convention.
Driven both by adoration and faith in our leader and a frustration with liberal establishment, young conservatives are coming out en masse. And perhaps the greatest irony of it all is that our newfound and vigorous motivation is the direct result of the very people we will battle ideologically for the rest of our college days."
I'm too angry to even think right now. I think I need a drink... Bacardi 151, here I come!
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