Conservative students on campus have very few allies. That is why the Right must work together to advance our principles despite differences.
Anyone who studies the grass-roots movements of the Left knows that they march in lockstep to the beat of the same drum. The pro-abortion Left marches for the rights of students supported by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and the DACA students fight for climate justice. Surely, Reagan conservatives from Young America’s Foundation, or YAF, can support capitalist Turning Point USA, or TPUSA, activists.
Sadly, this has not been the case as of late. YAF sent out an internal memo, which was leaked to the Washington Examiner, stating that Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk could cause “long-term damage” to “conservative students and the conservative movement.”
For those unaware, TPUSA is the premiere conservative youth organization in America. It has revived a young and relatable culture in an otherwise stodgy think tank-like environment with phrases such as “Big Government Sucks” and “Socialism Sucks.” Kirk was also the youngest speaker at the Republican National Convention in 2016 and is personal friends with the Trump family.
YAF started in 1960 in the home of William F. Buckley and focuses on promoting traditional conservatism and the Reagan Ranch in Santa Barbara, Calif.
Chief of YAF’s complaints is Turning Point USA’s “meme activism.” However, if one fails to realize the fight for culture is in a digital space, one does not understand how the 2016 election was won by the bootstrapped efforts of digital activism. Kirk has amassed more than half a million followers on Twitter — Turning Point’s following on Facebook is near one million. It is revolutionizing youth organizing to include social media activism. If YAF does not want to participate in the digital sphere, there’s no reason to attack their allies over it.
YAF has also made loose claims that TPUSA has fabricated their reach and influence on campus by inflating their metrics. This is a cheap shot. YAF has failed to provide any verifiable proof to substantiate this claim and it is additionally difficult to critique internal metrics. Terms like “chapter” and “activist” are colloquial and can be defined in many ways. What level of support is required to become an affiliate? Many students would certainly say they are both a member of YAF and Turning Point.
On a broader scale, the Left is more militant and motivated than ever to extinguish conservatives, especially on campus. We should shift our attention to policing the Left, not attacking our own. If we continue to weaken ourselves with friendly fire, there will come a point where we are no longer strong enough to fight them.
Different youth organizations can tackle different challenges. Different youth organizations can share members. Ultimately, we are all fighting the same fight — just some in different ways than others. Whether it be canvassing or issue activism, no one organization owns the monopoly on youth organizing.
Ultimately, attacking allies goes against former President Ronald Reagan’s Eleventh Commandment: “Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican.” This is something YAF should know well. Ironically, Turning Point is the student organization that is taking the high road and has refused to punch back, instead doubling down on their activism and conference programming.
Regardless of what “faction” of the young conservative movement you belong to, let’s all do better to work together to fight the Left, our true political adversary on campus and beyond.
