| By Chenwei - Aug 5th, 2008 at 4:55 pm EDT |
| Also listed in: Campus Progress Blog |
I could have lied on my registration and gone undercover, but I’m a firm believer in honesty and integrity. I was all truth on my registration form. What have I done to advance the conservative movement on my campus? Nothing, because I’ve always been a progressive activist, but I would like to learn more about the conservative movement. What organization am I interning for? Campus Progress, at the Center for American Progress. Bam. In the final step, I entered the Center’s credit card number on file and started getting pretty stoked about this eye-opening, intellectually-stimulating week ahead.
Well, way for YAF to crush my dreams! I received this email not even 30 minutes after I submitted my registration:
From: Roger Custer [mailto:rcuster@YAF.org]
Sent: Monday, July 28, 2008 12:16 PM
To: Chenwei Zhang
Subject: Conference Attendance
Chenwei,
Thank you for your interest in Young America’s Foundation and our summer conference. However, we are not able to give you a seat at our events because you are affiliated with an organization (Campus Progress) that continuously misrepresents us and slanders our work.
Our programs are designed for conservative students who generally do not have adequate resources on their campuses to learn our ideas sufficiently.
Sincerely,
Roger Custer
Conference Director
Young America's Foundation
I was shocked (back then, I didn't know that this had already occurred in the past). But I am a very persistent gal. I don’t give up easily. Determined to try to change their minds, I carefully crafted a reply that was firm, yet generously-sprinkled with the utmost respect that you would expect from a sweet Southern lady like myself.
From: Chenwei Zhang [mailto:czhang@americanprogress.org]
Sent: Monday, July 28, 2008 3:07 PM
To: Roger Custer
Subject: RE: Conference Attendance
Hi Roger,
Thank you for your prompt reply. I'm disappointed to hear that I am not allowed to attend your summer conference, but if I may, I'd like to kindly argue your decision.
Campus Progress has allowed openly conservative students attend our summer conference, this year and in years past…This year's conference included Amanda Carpenter as one of our panelists. We've also had the president of the College Republicans speak in the past. We believe that hearing about issues from both sides of the political spectrum is the best way to keep an open mind, question conventional viewpoints, and engage in a healthy dialogue that is so essential to our democracy.
Additionally, my goals for attending the conference definitely did not include slandering and misrepresenting your organization. Being a progressive student at a college located in quite a conservative region of the country has allowed me to learn how to engage in respectful, yet dynamic, dialogue with fellow students who do not necessarily share my own beliefs. I have many conservative friends, and although we may disagree on many issues, we are still able to level with each other at the end of the day. I was hoping to do the same at your conference and write about the experience in a courteous way on our blog.
There has been plenty of healthy uh, debate, between conservatives and Campus Progress. And we certainly welcome it. Our two groups in particular have been through plenty of drama. Although I would not want the debates on the issues between us to end, I would like to push all of the name-calling and personal attacks behind us and start fresh.
All in all, I am asking you to reconsider your decision to deny me a seat at your conference. Please let me know if you have any other concerns or questions. Thanks!
Best,
Chenwei Zhang
I thought that I was the shiznit! My ego inflated as I waited for Roger to read it; be swept off his feet; start believing in puppies, flowers, and progress; and say to me, “Yes, Chenwei! I want to put the past behind us and start a beautiful, new, and mutually-enriching relationship with Campus Progress, beginning with allowing you to attend our conference! Hooray for unity!”
...eh, a girl can dream, right? In contrast, Roger’s reply was cold, brief, and to-the-point:
From: Roger Custer [mailto:rcuster@YAF.org]
Sent: Monday, July 28, 2008 3:33 PM
To: Chenwei Zhang
Subject: RE: Conference Attendance
Thanks for your message but we are sticking to our decision.
You are welcome to watch the events live, streaming on http://yaf.org next week.
Sincerely,
Roger
Well, we’re not going to kick and scream about this. David, our Director/Boss-man, decided to get in touch with Amanda Carpenter, the gorgeous and glamorous conservative National Political Reporter for Townhall.com, about this. Amanda sent Roger an email and gave Jason Mattera a call as well, encouraging them to let me into their conference. The next day, I followed up with Amanda to see what the results were.
Hey Chenwei,
I did email with Roger last night and I also spoke on the phone to Jason. I can't say I changed their minds at all! But I did tell them both I had a good experience at your panel [at the Campus Progress National Conference] and have found everyone at CP to be quite friendly. Maybe they'll confer amongst themselves about it...
Amanda Carpenter
National Political Reporter
Townhall.com
Well, with someone like Amanda on my side, I was sure that things would look up! The next day, I emailed Roger again to see if they maybe had a change of heart. Again, his reply was short, cold, and disconnected:
Chenwei,
Our decision remains the same.
Thanks,
Roger Custer
Now, this isn’t the first time that Campus Progress has had trouble getting into the National Conservative Student Conference. A similar fiasco occurred two summers ago, which brewed into drama reminiscent to what happens in a high school girls' locker room: "No! He America loves me, and you're just a jealous little slut activist who no one likes because you're ugly communist/fascist and a loser!!!11one". (Okay, so it wasn't THAT intense, but clicking all of these links will give you a pretty good idea of the past drama.) Jason claimed that they had “too much self-respect” for their organization to give press credentials to “wannabe journalists from socialist smear groups.”
Okay. Honestly, guys… who’s misrepresenting who here? (Personally, I'm not a fan of socialism).
I love the fact that Young America’s Foundation has completely contrasting viewpoints from Campus Progress. It’s great. Holding your own beliefs and arguments against another is the best way to fully evaluate how strong your own beliefs truly are. Our country's politcs is centered on debate and discussion. Campus Progress and Young America’s Foundation do not have to be BFF’s. I just want to engage in a healthy, free exchange of ideas.
What exactly is YAF afraid of? I wouldn’t have caused a disruption or protested with DIY signs with simplistic and misrepresentative clichés about how conservatives suck (because they don't, at all). Or let loose a battalion of pink-o commies armed with flowers and peace signs. I simply wanted to make a peace offering with YAF, in the best way that a progressive young lady from the Bible Belt knows how. Nothing bad would have happened. And they obviously don’t have anything to hide, since it is being broadcasted live on C-SPAN.
Roger and Jason, if you’re reading this, I just want you to know that I am still optimistic that one of these days, you will have a change of heart. I think granting Campus Progress to your conference and other events will only make your organization look better. Because I mean, if we make a fool of ourselves (which I wouldn't expect), wouldn't this only reflect badly on our own part? We’re getting a little too old for this. And life is too short to completely shut out those who may be different from you.
I’m also taking your advice and streaming your conference online and debate with the computer screen. Since… y’know… that is all that I can really do at this point.
And as an aside, here are some of the panels taking place this week that I plan on watching online:
Kimberly Strassel, member of the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board
Topic: How the free market can solve our current economic “crisis.”
Rabbi Daniel Lapin, founder of Toward Tradition and author of Thou Shall Prosper
Topic: There are no poor people in America
Robert Spencer, bestselling author and president of Jihad Watch
Topic: The Truth About Muhammad: Founder of the World’s Most Intolerant Religion
!
Comments are closed for this post.
I'm not bitter, really I'm not. I really enjoyed the journalism conference and I am so grateful for the opportunity. I also blog regularly on the CP website and I love CP and it's mission. But when I talked to people who had been to the national conference, they said there was plenty of room for other people. Overall, I think CP needs to change the way it accepts and declines applications. Right now it is misleading and confusing. Don't tell someone you can't accept them because there isn't enough room and then later that day send out a mass email telling everyone to apply to the conferences because there are still spots available.
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Anderson smith
Link
Anyone who can sprinkle liberally such words as phrases as "the shiznit," "puppies, flowers, and progress" gets a gold star in my book.
But in all seriousness, the old drama blog posts make it pretty obvious that Mattera is not only incredibly rude but also he's just being inflammatory for the sake of being inflammatory. And Custer is basically scared that if you're let in, we'll have the last word.
Oh, and those panel titles: they speak for themselves...jeez.
How about a YAF-CP debate series on college campuses in swing districts? Let's go chat about whether there are poor people in America, or go ask American Natives what religion is most intolerant (and violent), and how 'the invisible hand' will take us out of this mess (and give us lead poisoning on the way)?
First of all, it's not about "looking" better--politics is about creating a core constituency of people of similar beliefs. We shouldn't care how we "look" as people or a party; it is more important to act. Secondly, I don't think that Conservatives necessary care about making Progressives look bad, I imagine that they just disagree with their ideas. The whole idea that the older we get the more tolerant we become is wrong: people become more conservative as we age, generally, and to insinuate that they are immature for not "growing up" is perhaps in itself immature.
Does the Democratic primary let in Republicans, or vice versa? No. Because they are partisan events. Does this mean that there is no discussion between the two forces? No. But it means that political parties and groups realize that it is necessary to inculcate a sense of following among its constituents. To suggest otherwise is generally only because one attempts to convince the other group of efficacy of your own ideas.
And finally, his emails were not cold--perhaps he was busy, or didn't want to discuss the matter further. If you put on a conference it is not your job to hold everyone's hand. A decision is a decision, and it seems like the basis for the decision is rational within its own logic.
At CP we like to think that the best way to know what is right for this country is to have open conversations with people on all sides of the issue. That is why we always invite YAF to participate in our National Conference. Their arrogance and inability to communicate with people that disagree with them will only end up hurting them. For all I care, they can go on leading sheltered lives. After all, that is what conservative ideology is all about.
Fear and hatred are the main drivers of conservative ideology, whereas hope and unity drive progressives. I agree with you that we shouldn't be surprised that they didn't let us attend their conference, but I do still believe it is imperative for us to keep trying and for us to call them out when they, once again, refuse to confront their beliefs. In other words, this post was not 'questionable', but a great insight on the state of the youth conservative movement.
Also, I must disagree with your comment about immaturity. Sure, statistically speaking, people become less open to new ideas as they grow older, but does that really make it ok? Does the statistical data prove the righteousness of the ideological shift? Being closed minded is an immature way to live your life, and unfortunately there are many old immature, sad conservatives out there.
Her main point was that they have NOTHING to lose by allowing us to attend their conference. In the wild chance that we would make fools of ourselves, they would even have an opportunity to grow their 'core constituency' by calling us out and making progressives look childish.
And finally, if you had ever organized a conference you would know that conference organizers usually have standard rejection letters that thanks the applicant for their interest and graciously explains why they can't attend. Roger's replies, despite being personalized, were rude and expressed, once again, the deep immaturity of the conservative movement.
Sorry for attacking you this way, it is in no way my intention to diminish you as a person, but the points you made were pretty nonsensical.