College Republicans have long been a bit of an oxymoron on campuses across the United States. For every one Alex P. Keaton, there are roughly 40 Mike “meathead” Stivics. According to a piece in the New York Times, this ideological minority status is something that College Republicans have long accepted and even embraced. But with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, things have taken a much more sinister tone.
The newspaper collected feedback from multiple college campuses and what it has discovered is well, hilarious:
“For decades, College Republicans have drawn ridicule from — and defined themselves against — the more liberal masses on college campuses. But this year has been especially nightmarish for C.R.s, as they call themselves.
The nomination of Donald J. Trump, who has attacked their conservative heroes and esteemed alumni, has prompted widespread mockery from their liberal classmates, dissension from within and something of an identity crisis.”
Yes, the conservative intellectualism that once allowed republicans to have a seat at the adult table of rational political and economic discourse, has been replaced by Trump’s brand of anger-babble.
It consists of rambling incoherent diatribes on the one end and on the other, tweeted insults toward women at 3 a.m. EST.
Consider this exchange captured by the Times between College Republicans at George Washington University as they prepped to woo incoming freshman:
“Then came the issue of decorating.
‘We should put the Trump posters out,’ said Demri Scott, the group’s 20-year-old membership director.
Christian Miller, the club’s political affairs director, disagreed.
‘That’s the best way to, A, get us heckled a lot and, B, get no one to sign up,’ he said.
The Trump posters stayed in the box.”
The article goes on to highlight serious rifts that have occurred among College Republicans at Yale, Harvard, and even Trump’s alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania. Incidentally, Trump was not a member.
As for George Washington University, Trump continues to create nightmares:
“The George Washington chapter had its own struggles in absorbing the rise of Mr. Trump. When it released a statement in June congratulating him on winning the nomination, it drew backlash from its anti-Trump members and from the College Democrats with whom they share an office on campus.
‘It was a really bad summer,’ said Ms. Scott, the membership director.
Allison Coukos, the chapter’s communications director, who, like Ms. Scott, is undecided on whether to vote for Mr. Trump, said, ‘They were like, How can you support someone who is a racist, who hates women, who is a bigot.’”
That is a great question indeed. How can you support someone who is a racist, who hates women, who is a bigot?
Below is a video with NSFW language of Trump supporters clashing with Penn State College Republicans:
Featured Image: Screenshot Via YouTube Video.
