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National College Democrats officer levels wild accusations against CRNC
By cr nation | September 23, 2008
The national council vice-chair of the College Democrats of America, B. Lee Drake, lashed out at the CRNC today in the University of New Mexico campus newspaper. After attacking illegal immigrant events at NYU and Boise State, Mr. Drake wrote:
Unfortunately, it got a lot worse this month when the Center for Responsive Politics leaked the $7 million budget for the College Republican National Committee. Yeah, you heard me. A student organization with $7 million. You, like me, probably are wondering how a group that performed the racist acts mentioned above would manage, let alone raise, such crazy sums of money. The answer is surprising and involves campaign finance reform.
I was confused, because in College Democrats, we have almost no money, and we measure our wealth in volunteers…
The consensus among youth leaders is that the main financial activities of College Republicans have less to do with the college part and everything to do with the Republican. The broad base of significant donors suggests that College Republicans currently act as a giant slush fund for Republican donors after they have spent the maximum on candidates from President Bush to Sen. John McCain. By pooling money in College Republicans, which is listed as a 527 Political Action Committee, and thus isn’t subject to campaign finance reform, they can follow the letter of the law while tossing aside its spirit. That way, they can still spend money on organizations that attacked the military credentials of Vietnam veteran John Kerry or keep up push polls that insinuate that Barack Obama is a Muslim/Christian fundamentalist/communist.
I don’t know about you, but there is a poverty hidden by the seven-figure sums of the CNR budget. Look around you on campus today, and you see students registering each other to vote in record numbers. Of all the groups doing this, the College Republicans of UNM have yet to participate. So long as the organization is treated as a slush fund, they rob themselves of the ability to gather younger recruits and participate in the growth of youth activism. Beyond what speakers or events that student groups host, our most important activity is undoubtedly registering students to vote in the rush to the Oct. 7 deadline. We’ve even established early voting in the SUB that will last from Oct. 18 to Nov. 1. But the College Republicans have long ago stepped out of that volunteerism and instead sold themselves out to campaign contribution leftovers.
What’s sad is that this isn’t how it has to be. Many conservative organizations have risen to the challenge this year without College Republicans. Recently, I had the honor of attending a Sept. 11 memorial organized by Lobo Conservatives, as just one example. But facts are facts, and the track record of College Republicans is not a pretty one. I hope the conservative youth movement can start again without them.
How is the CRNC spending money?
We have field reps and an effective field program, and the College Democrats do not.
We have STORM, and the College Democrats do not.
College Republicans were sent chapter boxes; the College Democrats don’t have the money, apparently, to help their chapters.
College Republicans are recruiting, volunteering and making a difference for the future with our “slush fund.” Tell Lee he’s wrong by commenting or e-mailing about what your chapter has done besides “selling out to campaign contribution leftovers.” How your chapter has been active this semester with events, volunteer activities, etc. Tell your success stories. CR Nation will compile these comments and e-mail them to Lee. Provide us with lots of good examples!
The conservative movement is strong, Lee. The fact the College Democrats can’t raise any money suggests that your side is the weak side.
Topics: CRNC, College Democrats |
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:23 pm
“I was confused, because in College Democrats, we have almost no money, and we measure our wealth in volunteers…”
Always a pleasure when your opponent does your P.R. for you.
September 23rd, 2008 at 3:47 pm
This is really rather irritating because I have seen CRs recruiting every week on campus and trying to organize. And every week that they do this, they face hostility at UNM. They are mocked, cursed at and ridiculed for standing up for what they believe in. And a CR would never do such a thing to the opposing side.
September 23rd, 2008 at 6:25 pm
We cannot get along in this world without debate, it is our nature to have differing opinions. Although I hold different political views than Mr. Drake or Mr. (Anonymous) CR Nation, I would like to say that a debate is a very good thing, even if it does not actually change party politics. I would like to add that the way campaigns are funded are extremely messy, with or without 527’s. The money spent in one Presidential campaign is enough to fund many campaigns in the UK and other countries for years.
I am not at UNM and have no idea if what you say is true, Betty, but that is an ad hominem attack and should be a different debate. That said, the orders by Mr. Nation are quite explicit, but I take my marching orders from neither party.
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:33 pm
Have the chapter boxes already been sent this year? I haven’t gotten one
September 23rd, 2008 at 9:26 pm
For the record:
The CRNC and local chapters are hardly connected. Mr. Drake is wrong when it comes to acting like they’re the same thing.
But, you must admit, given pass events, that he is right about the CRNC being a slush fund. It really is in many regards. Although, credit has to be given to chapter kits, which aren’t exactly slush fund activities. This year’s kit was nice by the way. There have been even reports of congressmen getting involved with national officers.
Bottom line is though, I wanted to make clear that most state chairs don’t even really know the national officers, especially in the last year of their term, so much as relating the CRNC’s actions down to the chapter level.
September 23rd, 2008 at 11:39 pm
My purpose in commenting, something I don’t do very often here, is to address the anonymous comment made at 9:26 p.m., as well as to comment on the underlying post, which asked what good things College Republicans are doing with the purpose of e-mailing them to Mr. Drake. Since the comments have yet to mention anything good that College Republicans have done, it is my hope that maybe my comments about what is going on in Missouri will encourage others to speak up about the good things I expect are going on in other states and other chapters.
To the anonymous comment. To say that the CRNC and local chapters are hardly connected seems to me to be a generality unsupported by evidence and thus a logical fallacy. By saying that I am not suggesting the exact opposite - that the CRNC is highly or heavily connected to local chapters. If I were to say that it would be equally unsupported by evidence. However, what I will argue is that the CRNC is connected to a degree in between very high and very low, somewhere in the middle if you like. The evidence which supports my view includes (1) STORM, (2) field rep program, (3) chapter boxes, and (4) presence at federation conventions.
(1) STORM is something many - certainly the majority - of chapters in Missouri use on a daily basis. STORM was created by the CRNC and when I explain STORM to chapters I find it necessary to tell them who created it. Something that chapters use on a daily basis and which requires discussion of the CRNC, seems to me to connect the CRNC to local chapters
(2) The field rep program sends CRNC paid, trained and equipped field staff into states where they are then disbursed by Federation chairman to local chapters. After the field staff are trained, equipped and disbursed, the CRNC oversees the program and further implements it. A program that sends CRNC paid, trained and equipped field staff to chapters and which is overseen and implemented by the CRNC seems to me to connect the CRNC to local chapters.
(3) The Chapter boxes were sent directly to chapter chairs based on addresses in STORM. The chapter boxes were created, paid for and shipped by the CRNC to chapters. Again, something that the CRNC pays creates, pays for and which chapters actually receive and use, seems to connect the CRNC to local chapters.
(4) The CRNC, from what was reported on this website, seemed to make a concerted effort to attend federation conventions, which are attended by local chapters. Undoubtedly CRNC officers had many upon many of conversations with members of local chapters because members of local chapters are the only people who attend federation conventions. In Missouri, we were graced with the presence of CRNC Treasurer Esther Clark and National Field Rep Director Will Crosswell. I know for a fact they had many conversations with members of local Missouri chapters. Can you get anymore connected with local chapters than actually talking with a member of a local chapter in person?
Now, moving on to the good things that are going on in Missouri. In Missouri, many good things are happening, including (1) recruitment, (2) volunteer efforts, and (3) new chapters.
(1) In Missouri, since the field reps hit campuses in late August our federation has grown by well over 6,000 members. One of our field reps is the leading CRNC recruiter in the nation.
(2) In four weeks, Missouri College Republicans have volunteered 3,736.5 hours making more than 40,000 phone calls. For any of you who take the time to know Missouri’s unique status as a bellweather and battleground state will recognize that the efforts of Missouri College Republicans could be the margin by which Republicans win on a statewide level. Things get so tight - year in and year out - the efforts of College Republicans heavily influence who wins and who loses. An off year for us and Democrats are elected. Can’t say that in states like Oklahoma, where, as I recently found out, things are pretty easy.
(3) In Missouri, since the beginning of the summer we have started 11 chapters. Schools with new chapters include Webster University, Maryville University, Lindenwood University, St. Louis College of Pharmacy, Missouri Valley, Westminster, Ozark Technical College, Drury University, Missouri Southern State University, University of Central Missouri, and Northwest Missouri State University.
I consider all these things to be good and contrary to the argument fronted by Mr. Blake that College Republicans is solely a fundraising institution. We fundraise, that is for sure, but it carries with it a broader purpose, that being recruiting, volunteering and starting new chapters and doing so with an ever focused eye on electing Country First Republicans.
September 24th, 2008 at 10:41 am
Mr. Hagen,
First, I’m proud of your state for their efforts. To put things in perspective though, getting voluteers in a swing state isn’t that hard, compared to say a Delaware or Hawaii. That does not take away the fact you are doing something, and as far as anyone outside your state knows, you are doing it well!
But, to your point of logical fallacy - you have committed the fallacy by saying I didn’t prove a negative. How can someone prove that God isn’t here with me or with you? You can’t. You can make a counter claim that he is here, and offer evidence to that claim, then you can prove the negative is not true. So no, I didn’t not committ a falacy. It appears that you have tried to do what I said, prove the opposite of my claim thereby proving me wrong. I candidly disagree with your facts however, and your conclusion.
I’d like to respond and clarify some things:
1. STORM - it is not working connection to CRNC, and CRNC did not create it. They paid someone to create it. And, btw, they paid hundreds of thousand of dollars for STORM, but a year later it still has several bugs. And furthermore, almost NONE of the suggestions made in the feedback group created by CRNC have been implemented. I’d have to double check to be certain, but I’m not sure even one suggestion has been heeded by the CRNC.
2. Field Rep Program - Over a third of the federations didn’t even get one. And one person, even 4, in a state is hardly a presence. Also, a field rep is a seasonal employee and hardly worthy of being considered a connection to the people running the CRNC.
3. Chapter Boxes - You claim that since CRNC directly mailed chapter boxes that it is a connection? I get mailed directly from the RNC all the time for invitations, solicitation, survey’s, and small gifts. I hardly consider myself connected to the RNC. And, that got all screwed up too. They should have sent them to state chairs so that they could make sure that EVERY chapter received a kit. We know that the CRNC did not get a kit to every chapter.
4. Conventions - While you were ‘graced’ by two CRNC representatives, many states saw no one. As a matter of fact, CRNation reported only a few states that got visited by CRNC.
The only real connection between chapters and CRNC is the affiliation with state feds to the CRNC. I’d agree, the connection is somewhere between very high and none - a lot closer to none. It’s there, but you can not group the two together.
My point was, and is, that the CRNC is a slush fund manipulated by the ‘big’ boys. That’s why they are usually a top 10 527 as far as fundraising. And all some states get is a few chapter kits that probably cost the CRNC at most $1000 out of the millions they have. Luckier states, such as your’s, may get $10,000 investment by the CRNC.
As far as volunteer efforts, CRs are a bottom up organization. As far as fundraising and spending money, it is a top down organization. If the CRNC really wanted to help chapters, they’d send more money their way and/or collaborate with them to do their own fundraising. But big time donors have no interest in funding chapters - CRNC couldn’t raise as much as they did if it wasn’t a central control over the money, where the ‘big boys’ can help elect a small group of national officers that they can influence.
September 25th, 2008 at 11:20 am
Doesn’t us having STORM go in the plus column for the College Dems?