Republicans Unite!
Cornell’s chapter of the College Republicans’ elections are coming up tomorrow, so as the other active conservative voice on campus, the Review has a few things to say. Coming off of a recent Democratic sweep in Washington, we at the Review believe it is a vital time for the College Republicans and the Review to work more closely together to ensure that the current administration does not go unwatched and that the conservative voice ring louder than before throughout the campus. The next four years is our opportunity to be on the offensive: to call out the faults of the democratic party and the liberal leanings on campus; to emphatically take our place as the current minority opinion, and iterate the ideas we hold which would serve as a better alternative.
After November’s failings, it is important that conservatives at Cornell are reflective on their own stance and emphasize those beliefs most relevant to the current state of the Union, but still become energetic in the publicity of their beliefs. It is time to take the initiative and garner new respect and support for conservative ideals, and this can only be done with the successful cooperation between all facets of Republicans and conservatives on campus.
Ben Neighbor, a rising senior in the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity, has stood out as the CR Presidential candidate strongly holding these same beliefs. We at the Review feel it is important for the holder of such a position to have significant experience and time spent on campus, and Neighbor was the only candidate to reach out to the Review and discuss ways in which the two organizations can work together. With the university facing great financial difficulty and the University’s subsequent controversial budgetary decisions, it is important that conservatives can work in tandem to call attention to these issues. During a period in which conservative backs are against the wall, drive and ambition are indispensable attributes of a Republican leader. It is now the time for the College Republicans to become more active and develop a public presence on campus. Aside from the Pataki event, the Republicans have done little activism to make their views known. Neighbor is the ambitious candidate who can make this happen. He has many ideas that are conducive to this goal, such as having more social events, holding charity events as well as political demonstrations, and reaching out to the Tompkins County GOP.
On the same note of rising ambition, the Review looks to Ryan Stack and Marc Leh as strong candidates for Second Vice Chairman and Secretary, respectively. As sophomores next year who have been actively involved on campus, they also look forward to the cooperation between the CR’s and the Cornell Review over the next four years.
