CRs Decline Debate with Dems

According to a letter to the editor by Rick Puig in Tuesday's Maneater, the Mizzou College Republicans declined to debate the College Democrats.

I will note here that I sought comment from the President of the Mizzou College Republicans, but did not get a response.

Here's the letter:

The readers might remember the College Republicans versus College Democrats debate that occurred before the 2006 Midterm Elections last fall. Although the outcome of the encounter was mildly contentious, it certainly furnished an incredible opportunity for MU students to observe the political perspectives of the university's student-led political organizations. With a showing of more than 300 attendees, the debate was, by any measure, a sweeping success that garnered media attention on and off campus.

It has come to my attention that the current leadership of the MU College Republicans is unwilling to pursue another campus debate, citing a hectic schedule.

Frankly, I am disappointed and surprised that the leadership of a young political organization doesn't have the time to give voice to its platform in a setting conducive to open public discourse. if the College Republicans don't think it is worth their time to engage young voters in a political conversation, why do they feel the need to exist?

Apparently, the College Republicans feel like they have better things to do than promote dialogue. I can only wonder what is on their agenda.

Coverage of last year's debate can be found here, here, and here. There was also a guest column in the Maneater by a College Republican entitled College Republicans Lacked Organization. That might have something to do with the College Republicans' hectic schedule. But on the other hand, you'd think they'd want to seek redemption.

Nixon on Facebook

Jay Nixon not only has a Facebook account - a lot of candidates do - but he just formed a Facebook group about his petition regarding MOHELA and college affordability and has placed Facebook ads.

The ads read:

Your tuition is skyrocketing. Not only is Gov. Blunt letting it happen, he's making it worse by diverting funds from MOHELA. Sign Jay's petition to make schools like [insert school here] more affordable!

If you click on it, you're taken here where you are encouraged to sign his petition.

It's exciting to see candidates engaging young people so early. Voters under 29 are due to continue the recent trend and explode in turnout next year - especially if a young, energetic candidate like Barack Obama gets the nomination. Candidates are starting to understand that, and by speaking to these voters they will turnout even more than expected.

So, candidates, buy Facebook ads. They're not that expensive, only $10 for 5000 views. I'm not payed to plug Facebook, I'm just doing it because it makes sense.

Kudos to Nixon for getting it.

Ashcroft to speak at MSU

Former Missouri Senator John Ashcroft, the most recent Attorney General to not be forced into a resignation, will speak at the 2200-sear Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts on September 12. His address is entitled "Today and the future of homeland security."

While the event is not sponsored by the College Republicans, they are trying to pump up the publicity for the event, obtaining permissions for flyers and advertising on the campus radio station.

"Students for __________"

There are "Students for" groups popping up on college campuses. Barack Obama leads the polls among young people, and this shows in his efforts to sway college students. There are already five Students for Barack Obama chapters in Missouri. The Maneater takes a look at the fledgling Mizzou for Obama group:

“Our most important goal is to turn out 5,600 pledges on Feb. 5, the date of the primaries,” Mizzou for Obama President Michele Boeche said. “We’ll probably be registering more than that, but we would like to get 20 percent of the undergraduate population of campus to pledge.”

The Missouri Southern College Democrats are undertaking an interesting strategy of forming the "Students for" groups themselves in order to siphon more people into their organization. So far, MSSU for Hillary has the most facebook members of the presidential candidate groups.

Mizzou College Republican Opening Meeting

I've received some emails asking if I had any information about the kick-off meeting of the Mizzou College Republicans. It will be held September 5 in Memorial Unions South 016 at 7pm. I'll try to get the low-down about their meeting once it happens.

Here's a teaser, though. Judging by the looks of their venue (below), it won't be anything like the Mizzou College Dems meeting.

Buhrmester: Kick-Off Meeting a Huge Success

Mizzou College Democrats President Mark Buhrmester wrote a note on Facebook. He tagged me on it, so I'm reposting it here. If any other college chapters would like me to show the world how your back-to-school meetings are going, feel free to let me know.

The Kick-Off Meeting and Pizza Party for the Mizzou College Democrats was this evening, and it was a HUGE success! There were 126 people in attendance. We signed up 50 volunteers for various campaigns. About 40 people became dues-paying members on the spot.

Rep. Jeff Harris rocked the house. We heard from representatives from Rep. Sam Page's campaign for Lt. Governor, and Jay Nixon's campaign for Governor. We had the delight to hear from Rep. Judy Baker and meet Russ Unger who is running for state representative.

Can you ask for anything more? Absolutely not.

Thank you to all of you who took the time to join us this evening. I hope I see you at our next meeting September 6, 7pm in A&S 113.

Thanks again,
Mark

It had been a while....

I've been really busy the last week and a half or so. Sorry it had been so long since I had posted an update. Life should be calming down soon, so be sure to keep checking back for updates on the beginning of the school year.

Puig and Hagen Exchange Letters

Young Democrats of Missouri President Rick Puig and Executive Director of the College Republicans of Missouri had an exchange published in the Springfield News-Leader.

Some excerpts....

Hagen's Letter:

Sen. Reid and Speaker Pelosi, with the support of Sen. McCaskill, removed the provision banning the logrolling of earmarks and significantly weakened the provision prohibiting the giving of earmarks to family, staff, campaign supporters and lobbyists. Why?

Puig's Response:

The portion of Hagen's letter I strongly disagree with was his insinuation that Sen. McCaskill was involved in an effort to remove the heft behind the milestone earmark provisions included in the final bill. Not only was this claim completely inaccurate, but he fails to recognize the fact that McCaskill is one of a handful of senators, both Republican and Democrat, to have the courage not to request a single dollar in earmarks this year.

It was the best of times. It was the worst of time.

John Combest on his time as a College Republican with Rep. Nathan Cooper.

Missouri Young Republicans Convene in St. Louis

The Missouri YRs are having their annual convention in St. Louis this Saturday. Confirmed to speak are Speaker of the House Rod Jetton and Senate President Pro Tem Michael Gibbons. Their "featured speaker" will be someone from the White House, but details could not be released. They are meeting over lunch downtown, and then heading over to the new Busch Stadium to see the Cards take on the LA Dodgers.

An interesting aside.

Sam Hodge Featured on Huffington Post

Sam Hodge was featured on the Huffington Post today. Apparently, earlier this week he had lunch with a Truman State alumnus, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Alphonso Jackson. Hodge was none too impressed with the Secretary, as this post shows.

An excerpt:

I asked the Secretary what was his favorite part of his job. I expected a canned answer about "bettering people's lives," but instead, Secretary Jackson said that his favorite part of the job was "going to Camp David." I laughed awkwardly and asked what else he liked about being Secretary. He then said, "Flying on Air Force One - you can order anything on that plane!" He wasn't kidding. Jackson never spoke about impacting people's lives and making America a better place to live.

Equitas Redux

Equitas was a monthly conservative newspaper on the Mizzou campus from approximately early 2002 until 2005 sometime. The paper was well-made, and it provided an important outreach tool of the College Republicans.

Now, the former President of the Mizzou College Republicans and current state coordinator of a school voucher group, Brian Johnson, is attempting to bring it back. He has created the Equitas Alumni Resource Council to help recreate the paper. The purpose of the Council is to:

• provide financial assistance or otherwise help fundraise
• share lessons learned from our time with the publication
• serve as a professional network for talented and ambitious conservative students
• offer direction as the publication seeks to develop relationships with key national organizations and prominent political, business & media figures

An interesting aside.