When most people think of the conservative movement they think of an older generation. They certainly do not think of what has been deemed by some as “Generation X”. At CPAC the College Republican National Committee(CRNC) has sponsored many events to provide college students with the opportunity to be activists, network, provide insight on jobs in politics, and even have some one-on-one time with some Congressional members. Today at an event titled, Operation Advancing Freedom: A Political Briefing by the Voice of Young Conservatives, students had the opportunity to have a Q & A with Congressman Mike Pence(IN) and Congressman Steve King (IA). The Congressmen answered questions ranging from the constitution to the mid-term elections.
Rep. King discussed the tradition of capitalism that has existed since before the founding of our country. He kept with the themes of his speech earlier in the day: grassroots, the youth movement, and abiding by the Constitution. King made a point to stress the importance of this generation building upon “the Pillars of American Exceptionalism”. He also tackled the issue of Christianity in America. This was something that President Obama had discussed this past summer while abroad. President Obama had stated, “Although…we have a large Christian population, we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation”. This is a topic that has rattled many conservatives across the country. King discussed this issue at length with the students during the event. He said, “This nation is rooted in Christianity…No matter what you are Atheist, Buddhist, Christian,etc….This country is rooted in Christianity”.
I spoke to a few students that attended the event, and they said it was important to them to see that members of Congress cared to hear the voices of young people. And that is something that the staff at the CRNC understand as well. CRNC Chairman Zach Howell, said,” The CRNC has a great relationship with our elected officials…This past summer at the national conference we had 10-15 elected offcials speak, and that was when Congress was out of session”. That is an impressive number to show up considering most of them were back in their respective home states.
Howell gave a presentation today on the CRNC battleplan for the 2010 mid-term elections. He stated, “All the races are equally competitive and we (Republicans) have an excellent chance to regain seats in both the House and the Senate”. The CRNC will continue having events throughout tommorow with an event on starting a career in politics.