N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 0

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Freshman Sarah Kovar

showing her

support for

veterans at Walter

Reed Army

Medical Center.

December 2010

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In This Issue:

3 CR vs. CD Debate: DADT

4 CR Christmas Party at Tonic

5 CR vs. CD Football Game

6 Congressional Dinner Series

with Rep. Steve King

8 Veterans Rally at

Walter Reed Army Medical Center

9 Will Frey: A Revolution Renewed

9 Katrina Ilich on Julian Assange

11 Tyler McDonald: Time to Step Up

11 Jared Johnson: This Holiday Season, Remember Our Troops

Freshman James Reed talks with Rep. Steve King.

December 2010

CR vs. CD Debate:

“Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell”

On December 6th, CRs Chris Geissler and Ben Sassoon debated College Democrats

on the Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell policy regarding openly homosexual men and

women serving in the armed forces.

A Letter from Our Troops:

On behalf of the LOGCAP Deputy Program Director, COL MarioAguirre, I would like to thank you all for remembering us in the Holiday

Season. It means a lot to a Soldier's morale to be thought of atChristmas time when he's serving far from home. It means even more to be

remembered by Americans whom we have never met. Thank you all for the sacrifice ofyour time and money to make this happen!

V/R ROBERT F. THOMPSON LTC, FAUSD-C Regional OIC

AMC, LOGCAP (FWD)

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December 2010

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December 2010

5

College Republicans vs.

College Democrats Football Game

December 2010

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The Congressional Diner Series Congressman Steve King (R-IA)

December 2010

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The Congressional Diner Series Congressman Steve King (R-IA)

November 2010

Veterans Rally at Walter Reed Army Medical Center

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December 2010

S E Q U O I A C L U B

A Revolution Renewed Will Frey, Vice Chairman

If you give conservatism a voice, chances are it will catch on. It’s a rather simple maxim seen in the two most recent election cycles, one that holds true for this campus and has also come to define the last few years for the GW College Republicans.

The 2009 race for Virginia’s governorship – a contest in which the GW CRs were very active – proved that unabashed conservatism triumphs in our right-of-center country.

In 2010, Republicans won sweeping victories in congressional races across the country. It was a winning strategy to tie local candidates to Nancy Pelosi and President Obama’s agenda.

But has our party realized why we were successful yet? Perhaps not. Pundits on CNN and Fox News continually debate whether or not the election was a referendum on President Obama’s performance. In my mind, that’s not the issue. If you look beyond the everyday politics and spin, you’ll find that – starting with the 2009 off-year election – there has arisen a renewed focus on our foundational ideals of limited government and detachment from faction.

Indeed, national sentiments have shifted to increase the role of “independent” voters who sympathize with a set of fundamentally conservative ideals that will drive the next few election cycles. Unsurprisingly, these voters went to the Republicans by a 2-1 margin in the 2009 VA and NJ governor races and were crucial to conservative

candidates like Marco Rubio winning handily in 2010.

Let’s examine the causal factors contributing to this phenomenon. Over the last few years, there had arisen a false conception of individuals’ relationship with the state that is contrary to the true interests of the people. This was partially fueled by the legions of mindless "hope and change" zombies who thoughtlessly elected Barack Obama. But now there is a newfound sense that deficit spending, bailouts, tax increases and the doctrine of heavy-handed interventionism that have defined governance lately are inconsistent with our founding principles.

Looking at the bigger picture, there is a tax and deficit spending rebellion occurring in America; it’s a dynamic revolution, simultaneously quiet and aggressive. I'm not talking about the tea party. I'm talking about ordinary voters

upset with the way things have gone since Barack Obama was elected President. I've talked to these voters while going door to door in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and even Delaware. The number top issues for Americans now are limiting government and lowering the stakes of Washington's political game.

Let's face it: high-stakes politics are not beneficial to our national interests. When

there is a lot on the line in an election – for instance, if the state controls a large portion of the economy – it means the people are unnecessarily dependent on the government for basic needs.

There is a lesson to be learned here – one that can be applied to our experience at GW. Ideas are the dominant force in politics. A movement basing its policies on an adherence to the tenets of constitutionally limited government and on an ideology of

restraint is making a comeback. It stands in stark contrast to the control-oriented philosophy of expanding government-run programs advocated by Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama.

As College Republicans, we have had the unique opportunity to see the shift from the perspective of voters we talked to on the campaign trail. We need to harness this shift and adapt it into our party’s message. America is entering a period of reaction to an ideology of control; we find ourselves in a situation similar to the extensive Republican victory in the 1994 midterm elections. Those who naively believe that the government is the solution to all of our problems will not prevail. Stand aside, statists: a renewal of our revolutionary ideals approaches.

Will Frey, Vice Chairman of the GW College Republicans, writes for The GW Patriot and Townhall Magazine.

On Assange: Throw out the duct-tape, bring in the ear-plugs.

Katrina Ilich, Class of 2014

Before recently, Julian Assange was nothing more than a nursing dowdy man who could reliably be counted upon to release, every once in a while, and with the help of his two-year-old [website], some delicious snappings of something for the media to chew. The tidbits, though neither astounding nor particularly educating, were tantalizing, especially when they encompassed 9/11 communications messages, strike footage from Baghdad, and the entire contents of Sarah Palin’s e-mail inbox. But at that time, WikiLeaks itself, not Assange, was in the spotlight.

Stories on WikiLeaks were headed by pictures of the WikiLeaks logo or pictures related to the content within, and when pictures of Assange were shown, the only thing that we really

Conservative Perspective

When there is a lot on the line in an

election – for instance, if the state controls a large portion of the economy – it means the people are unnecessarily dependent on the government for

basic needs.

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S E Q U O I A C L U B

recognized him for was the grease in his hair. Now Assange is everywhere. He is no longer just the founder of WikiLeaks, he is WikiLeaks. From forcing Western powers to question their perspectives on security and free-speech, to chopping off his white locks so that we cannot even recognize him anymore, he has, with his latest go, challenged the traditional.

Has it been for the better, or for the worse? For him, it is certainly the former. Although he is on the run and his website has been forced to hop-scotch from host server to host server, the publicity he has garnered more than makes up for his temporary losses. Temporary? That is a most probable “yes.” To our chagrin, attempts at “shutting WikiLeaks down” are, at this moment, fantasy. Recently, WikiLeaks asked, on its website for assistance so that it would become "impossible to ever fully remove WikiLeaks from the Internet." Its plea was heard: Since, mirror websites, in numbers between 200 and 400, have sprung up to ensure that all the WikiLeaks documents remain available for all to see. The information is now impossible to expunge.

But let’s be straight: Most of the information leaked is not exactly, well, new information. As Fareed Zakaria noted, most of the content in the documents reveal what we already knew; that is to say, a culmination of opinions that the world understood as U.S. foreign policy.

One monumental difference is that the documents put this policy in much more personal terms. The diplomatic stage is turned into a children’s playground, where countries like China and Iran can use the WikiLeaks documents as blackmail and a bargaining chip: “Well, you called us this and so we demand that!” the dialogue will go, even though the leaders of these countries know and knew perfectly well what the U.S. thinks of them. Now, they have written proof, and we can bet that they will use it. As a result, further aggravation or concessions by the U.S.—though likely both— loom even closer on the horizon. It will be a tough pill to take, mostly because criticism administered will be done so in hypocrisy. Other nations most surely engage in the same kind of “skullduggery” i.e. “diplomacy” as the U.S. is currently being lampooned for—the world just does not have access to it on-paper yet.

To continue on: despite that most of the information was not revolutionary (though it damages our repertoire, historically low to begin with), some of it was. The list of places cited in Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s diplomatic cable, for example, reveals sites, from weapons-systems manufactures, to suppliers of food and medicine (specifically vaccine and anti-venom related to bio-threats), that are critical to U.S. security. That is not information that we want publicized. Here is another question: though one can certainly appreciate having the opportunity to be “in-the-know,” what exactly is the average citizen supposed to do with that information? Are we now to hitch up a supplies truck, secure the company of either war-doves or war-hawks, pay Lufthansa an exorbitant amount to get us to one of the locations on the list and then…what? The National Enquirer and Baitullah Mehsud (the top Taliban commander in Pakistan who

promises an “amazing” attacking on Washington “soon”) & Friends want to know.

Another thought also surely bounces in the back of our minds: Perhaps if the U.S. did not pay such attention to the leaks, knowledge of them would not have spread as quickly. Mike Huckabee, for example, rather than demanding executions, would do well to keep out of the issue altogether. The best action being taken is what Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and his colleagues are already working on: legislative measures to put a limit on things like this happening in the future.

Because currently, though Assange is not above the law, he has not broken it. Assuming Assange did not himself

extract the information out of a government facility—and all reports say he did not—and did not assist the person who did, then he has broken no U.S. laws. It is not a crime to divulge classified information, unless the person publishing it or leaking it has the security clearance necessary to see the documents containing said information. Everyone should stop berating Assange, because he is still the same dowdy man

who is only reaping our publicity. It hurts all of us and makes us look paranoid when we react to a single man so strongly. As Liz Cheney and Senators Graham and McCaskill have said, Assange’s actions are “deplorable,” but if the U.S. is lucky, the international community will nab him on those rap charges of his, he will fade into obscurity, and the U.S. can concentrate on fixing the damage done.

Conservative Perspective

Everyone should stop

berating Assange,

because he is still the same dowdy man who is only reaping our

publicity.

WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange

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Time to Step Up

Tyler McDonald, Class of 2013

With the success of the 2010 midterms behind us, there lies a critical path before us. These next two years will be crucial for not only the Republican Party, but our nation as a whole. We have a second chance to show this country that we, united as a party, can get our nation back on the right track and back to prosperity. As Republicans at GW, we have the opportunity to begin this movement right here on our campus.

Before making a nation-wide impact, we must first evaluate our own organization then focus on achieving our most important goals. It is time to put an end to the scandals and controversies that have for too long plagued our organization. Last year’s election scandal was complete with registration fraud and misdoing. Are we serious? We are not real politicians, though many of us aspire to be one day. These controversies have only hurt our reputation on campus, but have alienated our peers from joining and participating in our organization.

This is also true with some of our events. Enough of the “anti – this” or “anti-that” events, we need to stop putting negative stigmas on our party and our stances and instead highlight the positives of the Republican Party and our ideology. One that sticks out the most is the “shredding of Obamacare” event. While I do not agree with the health care reform that was passed, this event made me cringe. It is not good enough to demonize the Democrats’ ideology; we must show and offer our alternatives and values in turn. I would much rather see our organization hold events that educate our members and peers with the positive message of conservatism. I

suggest a type of event where members and interested students can come discuss and learn about a certain topic in a social setting. We do not need to lecture people or discredit the CDs; we just need an event that encourages

meaningful discussion. Continuing these polarizing events will only further alienate our peers and more importantly the independents and moderates, who will play an important role in 2012.

Over the years, it appears that is has become less acceptable to join College Republicans. This frustrates me, as it should all of our members. I am a

proud Republican, but our organization has left others feeling embarrassed or unwelcomed to sign onto the conservative movement. This is a problem that must be addressed and fixed. It is time for CR to reassert our beliefs and values and to show our peers the advantages of being a member of College Republicans. The 2012 election is right around the corner, and we have a chance to help shape the election. It can start right here on our campus.

This Holiday Season, Remember our Troops

Jared Johnson, Class of 2013

Most of us are probably worrying about all of our finals. Most are wondering if we got that passing grade. And after finals are over, most are ready to go back home and spend time with family and friends this holiday season. While I am thinking a lot about that myself, there is something else I am also contemplating. I am thinking about the men and women of the Armed Forces of the United States in hostile areas this holiday season.

Many servicemen and women do not have the opportunity to return home to their loved ones this season. Many are on the front lines fighting to protect what we hold dear to us. Many are

hiking over rough mountains in Afghanistan or lying down in the desert terrain of Iraq while we are sitting down enjoying our time with family and friends. They do not have the same luxuries as we do. It is because of them that we are able to fly home safely on airplanes and spend time with family and friends in peace.

As College Republicans, we have a duty to remember the brave men and women who are protecting us from harm. Republicans, as well as Democrats and Independents, have always supported our troops. But it is especially important that we take the time to remember them and thank them for their service. They have made sacrifices beyond belief, including being away from their home and families.

There are many things you can do this holiday season to support our servicemen and women. If you see a service-member on the street, take the time to stop them and say, “Thank You for Your Service. It means a lot.” Or if you have the opportunity to write a thank card or note, do that. You can make a small donation to a veteran’s organization right here in DC that supports local veterans. Probably the most important thing you can do, however, is to keep them in your thoughts and prayers, while here in DC or back at home.

Our servicemen and women go above and beyond the call of duty to protect this nation. They are the reason why we are able to enjoy the many rights and liberties that we as Americans enjoy. It is because of their sacrifice that we are able to exist as a nation. Please take the time to remember the brave men and women overseas as well as at home during this holiday season. I’m sure they will greatly appreciate it.

The views expressed in CR Monthly represent those of our members, and are not necessarily the views or positions of the College Republican National Committee, the DC Federation of College Republicans, or GW College Republicans.

Conservative Perspective

It is not good enough to

demonize the Democrats’

ideology; we must show and

offer our alternatives

and values in turn.

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College Republicans Executive Board with Rep. Steve King

Joanna Rodriguez, Erin Mew, Chris Wassman, Kevin Doré, Kaitlyn Martin, Rep. Steve King, Sinead Casey, Brandon Neuman,

Jake Wolf, Will Frey, Chris Oman

Interested in writing forthe CR Monthly?

Contact Director of Publications Erin Mew

at erin@gwrepublicans.org

Interested in joining College Republicans? Contact Director of

Membership Kaitlyn Martin at kaitlyn@gwrepublicans.org