Watering the Grassroots

From March 25, 2004:

There are many reasons for the Republican Party’s success in recent decades. They have successfully mobilized their conservative base and united right-wing interest groups. They have stifled dissent within their ranks and avoided the splintering that has taken place with the Democrats. They have amassed an impressive infrastructure - from media outlets to think tanks to policy foundations. They have been able to raise almost unlimited finances to fund their candidates. And they have been blessed with an opposition Party that has been struggling to find its voice and is apologetic for its own agenda. But perhaps the most important strength of the Republican Party has been their focus on the grassroots - and in particular college age - voters.

Earlier this month, The New York Times wrote a piece about Patrick Henry College in Purcellville, Virginia. Designed by conservative activist Michael Farris to be a “base camp in the culture war,” PHC is the first college dedicated primarily to the education of evangelical Christian students, previously home-schooled by their parents. With its mission clearly stated, the fact that PHC is politically conservative and pro-Republican is unsurprising. However, what is alarming is the degree to which they have been integrated into the mainstream of Republican politics. Seven of PHC’s 240 students are currently interning at the White House and another student is interning on the Bush/Cheney re-election campaign. As The Times puts it, the school has become a “pipeline into conservative politics.” Now, Farris is trying to recruit younger students into the cause with a “Generation Joshua” program that seeks to energize teenagers and interest them in civic duty - all from an evangelical perspective.

The focus on conservative college students by GOP leaders is not limited to one school in Virginia. In a New York Times Magazine article last May, John Colapinto describes the resurgence of college conservatism as something “not seen since the 1980’s, when Reagan’s popularity triggered a youthquake of conservative campus activism.” But the fresh boost of energy was hardly accidental. Colapinto also notes that the current movement has been heavily financed by many prominent conservative interest groups in what he terms as a “close relationship between the Beltway-based groups and the conservative campus activists.”

The relationship between the Republican leadership and the National College Republicans was also evident at the “55th Biennial College Republican Convention” last summer. In the article, “Beautiful Young Shock Troops for Bush,” Salon.com contributor Michelle Goldberg painted a disturbing picture of a group of 1,000 students gathered for the convention in Washington. One attendee sold bumper stickers that read “No Muslims = No Terrorists.” Another refuted charges of being a closet Democrat by declaring: “I’m racist, I love guns and I hate welfare.” Still another denounced Martin Luther King Jr. for “trying to help African Americans ‘advance over the white society.’” But the presence of these extremists did not stop “mainstream” Republicans such as Karl Rove, Tom DeLay, White House counsel Alberto Gonzales, and Bob Barr from addressing the group at the convention.

Startling examples aside, the advantages to Republicans of an all-out appeal to young, grassroots ideologues are many. First, it reaffirms the conservative philosophy at the heart of the Republican Party - avoiding the fate of the Democrats as a Party without a message. Second, it builds a “farm team” of young people who will run for office in the decades to come. Third, by engaging the nation’s youth, the conservative movement is kept vibrant and volunteer numbers rise.

But the Democrats have been slow to capitalize on their own grassroots activism. Convinced that any appeal to activists tarnishes the Party’s appeal to swing voters, Democrats have been reluctant to embrace progressive movements. Not only have Democrats failed to provide adequate financial or vocal support to liberal grassroots organizations such as Camp Wellstone and 21st Century Democrats, they have also lacked the creativity of the Republicans in recruiting young supporters. There is no college for liberal activists that rivals Patrick Henry College, and no extensive coordination between the national Party and the College Democrats.

Last week, Howard Dean announced the formation of a new group, Democracy for America, which will work to motivate young Democrats to run for office and will keep pressure on the Party to remain true to its principles. The success of this enterprise will in part be measured by its acceptance among establishment Democrats. While opposing the Party establishment may be tempting (and certainly fashionable), converting them should be the ultimate goal.

The Republican efforts with their college-age ground troops will help them in the upcoming election as well as provide a deep bench for years to come. But with an energized base, excited to throw Bush out of office, the Democrats have an opportunity to balance the field. If the establishment can overcome the fear of appealing to the base, the Democratic Party can take the first steps in expanding our grassroots and building for the future of the Party.