Joan F (MI)
2008-07-02 17:28:47 UTC
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Conservatives need a shot of Red Bull
Jillian Melchior / The Detroit News
If the conservative movement dies, it will be of boredom.
Yes, the unpopular Bush presidency has taken its toll. And the failure of
Republicans to live up to conservative values when they controlled Congress
didn't help.
But the movement also has a youth problem.
Young people are avoiding conservatives for the same reason they stay away
from their grannies -- because all they do is pine for the past and complain
about their aches and pains. It shouldn't be that way. Conservatives have a
message that ought to appeal to youth.
But to win them over, the conservative movement needs a makeover. Some
spunk. Some sauciness.
The movement first needs to showcase younger, hipper faces. Its
standard-bearer is a 71-year-old who hasn't updated his wardrobe in 20
years, and its most recognizable Hollywood helper is fading action star
Chuck Norris.
Liberals have a presidential candidate whose mug is on the cover of Rolling
Stone and a bevy of hotties who dominate the popular culture and use their
fame to extol liberal ideals.
Conservatives have Ann Coulter (who needs a longer skirt and shorter hair),
some doughy campus boys who still part their hair on the side and your mom.
But most importantly, conservatives need to connect their message to the
values of youth and do it with humor and punch. The message lends itself
well to that mission.
For example, conservatism is the movement of lower taxes -- meaning more
money stays in the pockets of broke college students.
It's also the movement of opportunity and individualism -- perfect for a
generation that doesn't like to take orders and whose view of work is less
structured and more entrepreneurial.
Conservatism has to position itself to young people as the ladder out of
their parents' basement.
The principles conservatives espouse don't need to change. But the
presentation does.
Stop talking so much about family values -- young people today have a wide
ranging view of what family means -- and start stressing economic
opportunity and personal freedom -- the original core values of conservatism
and just what rebellious youth are looking for.
In other words, the conservatives need to quit being emo and plumb their
reserve of mojo.
In May, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich issued a deathly dull manifesto
pleading with conservatives to change before they become extinct.
And a headline in the New Yorker declared "The Fall of Conservatism,"
asking, "Have the Republicans run out of ideas?"
No, conservatives still have the right ideas. But the ideas are running out
of people.
To get them back, conservatives need to condense those ideas into edgy
slogans that they'll read on the T-shirts of kids with studs in their noses,
tattoos on their shoulders and iPhones in their jumbo purses.
Jillian Melchior is The News editorial page's intern. You can reach her at
(313) 222-2300 or ***@detnews.com.
Find this article at:
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080702/OPINION01/807020317
© Copyright 2008 The Detroit News. All rights reserved.
Conservatives need a shot of Red Bull
Jillian Melchior / The Detroit News
If the conservative movement dies, it will be of boredom.
Yes, the unpopular Bush presidency has taken its toll. And the failure of
Republicans to live up to conservative values when they controlled Congress
didn't help.
But the movement also has a youth problem.
Young people are avoiding conservatives for the same reason they stay away
from their grannies -- because all they do is pine for the past and complain
about their aches and pains. It shouldn't be that way. Conservatives have a
message that ought to appeal to youth.
But to win them over, the conservative movement needs a makeover. Some
spunk. Some sauciness.
The movement first needs to showcase younger, hipper faces. Its
standard-bearer is a 71-year-old who hasn't updated his wardrobe in 20
years, and its most recognizable Hollywood helper is fading action star
Chuck Norris.
Liberals have a presidential candidate whose mug is on the cover of Rolling
Stone and a bevy of hotties who dominate the popular culture and use their
fame to extol liberal ideals.
Conservatives have Ann Coulter (who needs a longer skirt and shorter hair),
some doughy campus boys who still part their hair on the side and your mom.
But most importantly, conservatives need to connect their message to the
values of youth and do it with humor and punch. The message lends itself
well to that mission.
For example, conservatism is the movement of lower taxes -- meaning more
money stays in the pockets of broke college students.
It's also the movement of opportunity and individualism -- perfect for a
generation that doesn't like to take orders and whose view of work is less
structured and more entrepreneurial.
Conservatism has to position itself to young people as the ladder out of
their parents' basement.
The principles conservatives espouse don't need to change. But the
presentation does.
Stop talking so much about family values -- young people today have a wide
ranging view of what family means -- and start stressing economic
opportunity and personal freedom -- the original core values of conservatism
and just what rebellious youth are looking for.
In other words, the conservatives need to quit being emo and plumb their
reserve of mojo.
In May, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich issued a deathly dull manifesto
pleading with conservatives to change before they become extinct.
And a headline in the New Yorker declared "The Fall of Conservatism,"
asking, "Have the Republicans run out of ideas?"
No, conservatives still have the right ideas. But the ideas are running out
of people.
To get them back, conservatives need to condense those ideas into edgy
slogans that they'll read on the T-shirts of kids with studs in their noses,
tattoos on their shoulders and iPhones in their jumbo purses.
Jillian Melchior is The News editorial page's intern. You can reach her at
(313) 222-2300 or ***@detnews.com.
Find this article at:
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080702/OPINION01/807020317
© Copyright 2008 The Detroit News. All rights reserved.