Many of you may have heard by now that Louisianan Audra Shay was elected as Chairwoman of the Young Republicans amid a storm of controversy that included racial epithets on Facebook, wholly inappropriate innuendos regarding her opponent’s sexual orientation, and some old-school bullying and card-checking at the YR Convention. While I am not an official member of the Young Republicans, I fail to see how a 38-year-old parent who no longer uses social networking sites is the best figurehead for the Republican youth.

[Note: For those of you not caught up on the recent Republican drama, The Daily Beast has quite a few good articles written by John Avlon, a former Giuliani aide and stalwart centrist, explaining all the details.]

Shay has issued an explanation to the Facebook comments that started the whole controversy. At the end of the explanation, she says she would be happy to answer any questions via email, phone call, or Facebook. It’s a shame she didn’t give out her email address or phone number in the press release and the fact that her Facebook is no longer open to the public is no accident. Shay also stated that her team was one of “honor and integrity.” If her or anyone on her team was responsible for the faceless attacks on her opponent’s, Rachel Hoff, sexual orientation just because Hoff supports civil unions and the fact that Hoff decided not to wear a dress once, then honor and integrity went out the window. The ridiculous irony that Shay’s camp, supposedly the more conservative of the two groups fighting for power, pushed through a resolution forcing people at the convention to make their vote in public while the Republican Party stands adamantly opposed to card-checking is also troubling.

The comments made by Shay and some of her supports are entirely unacceptable. Avlon went as far as to call Shay a hatemonger, and I would have to agree with him. This is not the type of person that we can afford to be the face of the Republican youth. There is already talk of forming an alternative to the Young Republicans if Shay remains in power . That may or may not be the best course of action depending on how effective the alternative group can become. What is clear, however, is that we, as young Republicans, must let it be known that Audra Shay does not speak for us.

Last 5 posts by Abel S. Delgado

• Let’s Support the Cantwell-McCain Bill - January 6th, 2010
• Deeds Gets Dirty, Doesn’t Win Anyway - November 2nd, 2009
• Obama & The Berlin Wall - October 25th, 2009
• The Nobel Prom King - October 11th, 2009
• Bureaucratizing Interrogations a Horrible Idea - August 28th, 2009