COLLEGE REPUBLICANS MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN CALIFORNIA

Michael Antonopoulos is Chairman, California College Republicans

With a Democrat in the White House, the pressure is on for College Republicans to up the ante in the never-ending fight against the left on our campuses.   And like the CR’s that have come before us, we have no intention of shrinking away from the challenge.

The year is still young, and the California College Republicans are off to a great start!  In July, we hosted our annual Ronald Reagan leadership training in Simi Valley with 75 CR’s in attendance, making this year’s retreat one of the largest yet.  The Reagan Board of Directors Retreat helps equip CR leaders from across the state with the tools to build and sustain successful chapters, with trainings on fundraising, club building, and activism among others.

Taking the momentum from that weekend, CCR sprung into campaign mode, holding two GOTVs for David Harmer, the party’s nominee against John Garamendi in CD 10.  In the upcoming 6 weeks, CR’s have our sights set on defending Councilman Jerry Kern from the labor-sponsored recall effort in Oceanside Beach.

While CR’s will never hesitate to hit the pavement for Republican candidates, at our core we are activists who thrive on taking the fight to the left on campus.  One primary objective of this year’s state board is helping clubs better publicize their own activism.   Working with CR Veteran and Patriot Axiom founder Leigh Wolf, CR clubs are turning out more videos then ever before.  The underling philosophy within CR’s is that, while it is enjoyable to irk liberals, it is equally important to show the world off campus that there are young people who do not blindly follow the Democrat party.  In our opinion, if activism takes place and nobody hears about it, then it might as well have never happened.

With President Bush out of office, and President Obama side-stepping the great issues of our time while simultaneously expanding government to unprecedented levels, college students’ once unwavering support of Obama is beginning to falter.  Obama is President, the sun has not come out, and CR clubs are growing at their most rapid pace in the last four years.

To capitalize upon the oncoming wave of talented, energetic youth activists, CR leaders are travelling to campuses across the state to help table and train club leaders on how to best maintain and activate their groups.   We are also in the process of building a new and improved website, part of our much larger plan to expand the CR new media presence.

Our movement is always growing, and we need your help to keep the momentum rolling.   If you know a college student looking to get involved, please have them email Megan Rodriguez.