Video: Young, Conservative, and Unsure

Left out of the media's recent coverage of the youth vote is a peculiar fact: Not all young people are progressives. Since much of the attention has been focused on Barack Obama and his ability to bring younger Americans into the political process, young conservatives have mostly been forgotten. This isn't because young right-wingers aren't organizing. In fact, a coalition of young conservatives met last weekend to flout their visibility at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C. They may boast smaller overall numbers than their progressive counterparts, but this cohort of young conservatives—much like young progressives—have political vigor, seek to influence policymaking, and fully intend on voting this November. However, while young progressives feel good about the future of their movement, young conservatives, after years of seeing conservative policy realized, are at an impasse.

The conference was a veritable smorgasbord of conservative causes. Every time I passed a booth, someone would hand me a piece of literature—"Straight Talk about the Soul of the Republican Party," brochures about the Reagan Ranch, or anti-abortion cards. When one CPAC table attendant saw that I was taking notes, he handed me The Real MLA Stylebook, which accuses the Modern Language Association of being “the Marxist language association” and strives to rectify this by promoting “accuracy in academia.” The participants’ dedication to conservatism in both ideas and attire was reflected by the prevalence of men in snappy suit jackets, freshly ironed khakis, and swanky pointed shoes, and women adorned in chic pantsuits and pearls—outfits more common on the Mitt Romney campaign bus than in college classrooms.

Devon Dougherty, a senior at the University of Connecticut, said she came to the conference to meet other young conservatives—fellow students who hope to reignite the conservative message on campuses across the nation. “With so much of America not being able to identity with the conservative movement, [young voters] really need to unite and prove that we can have another conservative in office,” she said.

Not everyone at CPAC has such broad goals. Some of the students said they will be heading to the polls this fall to vote on a single issue. Kate Rothschild, a student at Franciscan University of Steubenville, said she will be voting because of her concern over the U.S. social security system (a favorite issue of conservative youth groups). “Social security is a big one since it’s going to be affecting us,” Rothchild said. “I think individual accounts for everyone would be a fabulous idea.”

Will Grapentine, a member of Roger Williams University’s College Republicans—the group that infamously offered a “white only” scholarship in 2004—said his vote will go to the candidate who has clear plan to fight the war on terror. Grapentine said he was also concerned by the number of foreign students on his campus. “Roger Williams takes great pride in accepting students for the Middle East and I think it’s a good intention,” he said, “but there is not enough oversight. If kids are Americanized then it’s great, but if you look at all the threats stopped by the Patriotic Act [sic], they were all committed by people overseas.”

The Iraq war weighed heavily on the minds of some in attendance. Joseph Socolosky, a member of the University of Connecticut’s ROTC program who is waiting to be deployed, said the war is his top priority. “What I don’t want is an uncompromising, steady, quick withdrawal,” he said. “We broke it so we bought it. It’s out duty now to fix it the best that we can. I don’t agree with the invasion, but we’re there now.”

Ann Coulter, who was invited to the conference despite the controversy that erupted after her remarks at last year’s meeting, gave the event's keynote speech. When I asked students why they were waiting in such a long line to hear Coulter speak, most replied with something along the lines of: “It’s Ann Coulter. Why wouldn’t I want to see her?” Tickets went fast and I was denied admission into the event—unsurprisingly, my Campus Progress credentials did not grant me VIP access.

But even as the students at CPAC enjoyed the excitement of coming together for a common cause, some nonetheless confessed to lingering feelings of ambivalence and confusion. At the tail end of an extremely unpopular and extremely conservative presidency, and with young people more receptive than ever to progressive ideas, the future of the united, powerful conservative movement with which CPAC attendees grew up is in question. Dougherty, for one, said that instead of providing her clarity, the conference made her ideas about the conservative movement more confusing. “I’m going to be more confused after this conference than when I came,” she said. “Not on my own beliefs but on the conservative movement’s associations.”

Grapentine said he is disappointed by the fact that the Reagan coalition is crumbling. “I think it is disheartening to see the house the Reagan built be taken a part brick by brick,” he said.

All of the conservative students I spoke with said they will cast their ballots this fall for the candidate who best represents conservative values. They hope they will be able to create a youth movement that will act as a catalyst for a new, more visible conservative presence on college campuses. They may have their work cut out for them, but they certainly aren’t lacking in initiative.

Bobby Allyn is a sophomore at American University an Editorial Intern at Campus Progress. Brendan Polmer is senior at George Washington University and a Video Intern at Campus Progress

Related Articles

• Ayn Rand's new disciples
• Photos: More tea party protesters
• Youth voters (don't) speak up in New Jersey
• Domestic partnerships in Washington state
• Was the National Equality March effective?