We receive a lot of constructive feedback from our readers, some positive and some negative. Regardless, we do our best to respond to and facilitate every suggestion we receive. Today, I received an e-mail from a gentleman who I will leave anonymous out of respect for his privacy. He took issue with our recruiting policy requiring contributors to be age 18 to 25.
While everyone is entitled to their opinion, I felt that his approach epitomized the reasons that our Grand Old Party is rapidly losing young voters. Thus, I wanted to share the e-mail chain and allow our readers to make their own judgments. As always, please share your comments and thoughts.
Subject: rethink your recruiting campaign
Your website states that you must be between the ages of 18 an 25. I understand the need to recruit young members to the party but excluding people over 25 is stupid and insulting to the many hard working ground roots Republicans. I suggest you rethink your recruiting campaign.
Accordingly, I responded as follows:
[Name omitted],
Thanks for your input, despite its blatantly rude and condescending nature. There are many websites, including The Next Right, RedState, and so forth that are out there for all “hard working ground roots Republicans” who want to contribute to a blogging community.
Since NextGenGOP is specifically designed to be a blog from the perspective of young, up-and-coming Republicans — i.e. members of the youth voter generation — it would be completely antithetical to our purpose to have anything but young, up-and-coming Republicans as contributors. Before NextGenGOP, there really were no websites for these sort of young Republicans to voice their opinions, and so our website serves to fill that void.
We look forward to continuing to work with all generations of Republicans to move forward and get back to winning elections.
- Aaron
About four hours later, I received his response:
Aaron,
I don’t know how old you are but the 18 to 25 year olds really do need mentoring. There is no need to re-invent the wheel or suffer from making the same mistakes as the past. The people in your demographics do not have the lessons of the 1930 through 1983 on their minds. Those events are being relived now.
Good luck to you and your endeavors.
[Name omitted]
To which I responded:
[Name omitted],
You’re right — we may not have lived through 1930 through 1983. However, it is incredibly belittling to suggest that simply because we did not live through these times we are unaware of and/or unable to recognize their lessons. We’re simply trying to offer a unique perspective that will hopefully help the Republican Party transform itself into the Party of the future. And quite honestly, your elitist attitude is exactly why the Republican Party is bleeding young voters.
Remember that those of us who “really do need mentoring” are going to be the core voting bloc of the Republican Party in two decades. If we continue to ignore young voters and the issues that matter to them, then we stand to lose a generation of voters forever. And if, in 20 years, the Republican Party has alienated both young and middle-age voters, what demographic(s) do you plan to rely upon to achieve electoral victory?
By no means am I or any of our other contributors advocating that we must ignore the lessons of the past, nor are we suggesting that we should in any way ignore other generations. In fact, the situation is quite the opposite: we believe that if we want to transform the Republican Party, we all need to work together, compromise, and be willing to listen to one another. Thus, we’ve established NextGenGOP as a forum for young voters to participate in this discussion. Clearly, you are not open to that possibility, and that is most unfortunate for everyone’s sake.
Shortly, I will post this conversation on our website to share with all of our readers — the vast majority of which are not “the 18 to 25 year olds” but instead members of older generations — and allow them to make their own judgments on this.
Thanks for writing.
- Aaron
The author ended the chain as follows:
You think you know it all, fine. There is no need for further emails.
[Name omitted]
So I open it to our readers: what do you think?
Last 5 posts by Aaron Marks
- Onward and Upward: Building a Sustainable Majority - January 22nd, 2010
- Dear Young Voters: This Is What You Get When You Don't Vote - December 1st, 2009
- The Youth Vote and the 2009 Elections - November 6th, 2009
- The Best of the Post-2009 Election Spin - November 5th, 2009
- Introducing NextGenGOP Executive Director James Kane - October 20th, 2009
I hate to say it, but his attitude (“my way or the highway”) is exactly why we are in the state we are in now.
What have those lessons from 1930 to 83 taught to the older generation of GOP members? Because as it stands right now, what its bought us is a Republican leadership that has brought the American people an expanded government, less personal freedom & liberty, and no financial restraint. How can this emailer expect to educate younger GOP members when they themselves haven’t seemed to learn them yet?
Too bad this occurred. I had a similar reaction to the request for contributors. I was excited about joining this dialog as a contributor and immediately considered it. Then I was disappointed when participation was limited to 18 to 25 year olds. I’m 67; I was offended – but not much. It was clearly not my place. I still intend to check in and see what is going on. I plan to learn what is on the minds of these young leaders that will shape the future of the GOP. And I plan to help in the future.
Thanks for your comments, William. Please understand that we’re not out to offend or upset people; rather, this website was founded as a forum for young Republicans since very few such forums exist. To remove the age requirement would be to strip the site of its very purpose.
However, we are certainly open to dialogue from everyone — old, young, Republican, Democrat — and we encourage everyone to opine and share their opinions in the comments section. Thanks for contributing to the discussion!
I never considered myself too old for something (I am only 32) until this. Truth is most 18-25 year old think they have all the answers (I know I certainly did) with time one begins to realize that it is the questions that lead to wisdom and true knowledge, as opposed to just random smatterings of information. However, most of us learn that in our own time. This is especially true if you are looking for understanding of the greater world – as I work in the foreign policy arena your age requirements would limit your possible candidates to either interns or recent hires neither of which is likely to give you anything more the recitations from their classwork or pretentious analysis. (Think of the bar scene from Good Will Hunting)
Ironically it is not an “old” way of thinking that has hurt the Republican party it is a mix of the popular perception, reinforced by a hostile media, and a complete lack of adhering to the core principles. After all Reagan was not exactly young when he took office, nor were his ideas new, in fact he had been publicly advocating them for over twenty years, and the conventional wisdom held his ideas were a throwback to a bygone era. However, they were principled, thoughtful, and communicated effectively – something that can not be said for most public image of the party since that era. Perhaps most importantly he actually believed in what he claimed which is something that the party and its leadership has been missing for a very long time.
However it is your site and you can make whatever rules you like so good luck developing solutions with individuals who at the outside have voted in two presidential elections, in which both times their choice was more the lesser of two evils (or evil of two lesser in some peoples mind). In addition, one might take a moment to consider why you would focus so much on an age range that represent one of the smallest demographic blocks of actual voters to the exclusion of the next block up (25-42) that represents the largest block of first and second time voters who are often the famous or infamous “swing voters” and the actual key to victory. However I guess that is one of those things one considers with actual experience. [Yeah that was a cheap shot
- so good luck]
Chris,
Thanks for your comments. All I’ll say is that I certainly don’t believe I “have all the answers” — but I do believe I have something to contribute to the discussion. Is it wrong that we wanted to establish a place specifically for the youngest Republicans to participate in the discussion?
Aaron, I’m 40 and knew darn well I wasn’t your target contributor. There’s such a frustration to the Republican party right now.
Leaders who won’t listen to anyone under 50 all over the country, making decisions that continually cause us to lose. But when a young person goes around them and doesn’t wait for their “approval” to engage voters and activists, they get all worked up.
I had same thing happen in NW Indiana locally, the “insiders” are so afraid of Ron Paul activists that they won’t even publish the names of precinct chairs and think all “bloggers” are crazies. I have my work cut out for me. Great work on your end
I will faintly second Chris, in that I think you have your upper range a little low. At 36, though, that may just be my bias!
The people in my generation, roughly speaking, are the first digital age voters, and started voting for president with both president Clinton, and the ’94 house races. So they are rather used to voting for Democrat presidents, and have, but are at least also familiar with a political landscape where the GOP brand had more luster.
We are young enough to still be invited to “Young Republican” events in most areas, but old enough to have some experience and perspective. I know all about perspective, as I was a Libertarian before it was cool, and am now a local reformist GOP committeeman.
Finally, being well-immersed in new media, we understand how the GOP has lost control of the coversation with younger demographics.
So I would suggest you move up that ceiling by a decade or so. Of course, if you can find younger, talented contributors, more power to you. It will just be harder.
Thanks for stopping by to comment. We will certainly take your thoughts into consideration, and depending on the breadth of contributors we are able to recruit, we may begin to raise the upper part of our range. Appreciate the feedback!
Aaron,
Thanks for providing youth with a forum to balance the rantings on “The Huffington Post.” As with the HuffPo, I discovered your URL on SPIEGEL ONLINE (). Though I do not fall within your age requirements, I look forward to reading the political banter of the youth in this country, since I encounter people in this demographic on an almost daily basis. What I would hope you could avoid is having your discussions (blogs) deteriorate into name-calling sessions with no real substance, as I frequently encounter on similar sites on the opposite end of the political spectrum. Good luck to you and future contributors in providing a much-needed voice in cyberspace.
Aaron,
I think you got offended and stayed offended, and it kept you from getting the most out of the dialog.
steeplebob
I suppose if I were older, I might be more offended by the age limits, but I’m not, so I’m not. Rather the requirement I’ve found most discouraging is the requirement for first-hand political experience. The recent candidates have not been that exciting, but that doesn’t mean I would have nothing to say or that what I might have to say is somehow diminished therefore. I hope that you are flexible with regards to this requirement when considering contributors.
Aaron, you’re exactly right. I’m 22, and older righties laugh in my face when I discuss my ideas on how to win 2010 and 2012. I’m no politician, but I know why the GOP is a laughing stock, and it’s this elitist attitude that your Unknown Emailer and other people have. One person told me to go join the libertarians. Seriously. Won’t he eat his words if in 20 years there is a Libertarian president and the GOP dies with its grand, old populace.
It’s funny how the age thing can get in the way of progressive thinking. I am in my mid 40′s but look younger, and am petite, so often am mistaken for early 30′s. I am a Ron Paul supporter and am constantly blogging and updating myself, so consider myself well informed. However, just last month, while discussing politics with an older neocon couple, probably in their late 60′s, the wife jumped in and said ” listen to my husband, he is the voice of experience! Your generation…..you think you know it all”, etc….no logic, just defensive stuff, when it appeared that I was able to challenge his view of the world we live in. Ugh!