Social Conservatism’s Millenial Makeover

by Will on January 12, 2010

Mother Jones captures the uneasy relationship between youth outreach and movement conservatism:

A few weeks after the Values summit, Phyllis Schlafly‘s group, the Eagle Forum, held its annual How to Take Back America conference in St. Louis. There, too, organizers devoted a session to “How to Bring Youth Into the Conservative Movement.” The moderator was 65-year-old Orlean Koehle, president of the Eagle Forum’s California chapter, whose qualification derived from teaching at a John Birch Society youth camp. She was joined by Schlafly’s son Andy, 47, a lawyer who also teaches online classes for home-schoolers, and Gary Bosley, a 64-year-old marketing executive. Only University of Virginia law student Karin Agness, 25, the founder of a conservative student group, helped bring down the average. Her advice on reaching a younger audience? Book clubs!

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Tagged as: conservatism, Mother Jones, young voters

Will writes from Washington, D.C. (well, Arlington, Virginia). You can reach him at willblogcorrespondence at gmail dot com.

{ 9 comments }

1 Jonathan January 12, 2010 at 9:49 am

Wow, that’s sad. Back when I was young and involved in youth politics, everyone knew the two secrets to attracting young people:

1. Booze
2. Attractive members of the opposite sex

Is that so hard to remember?

2 North January 12, 2010 at 10:10 am

It’s not hard to remember, it’s hard to implement for this bunch.

3 Will January 12, 2010 at 10:15 am

Hell, I would join the Birthers if they promised me booze and cute girls.

4 Bob Cheeks January 12, 2010 at 10:22 am: I thought you were a birther…my bad!

5 Mike at The Big Stick January 12, 2010 at 10:14 am

I would advocate more simple things like getting kids into the woods, Boy Scouts, involved in churches, farming, student government, etc.

6 Aaron January 12, 2010 at 11:01 am

Yeah, but how’re you gonna keep them on the farm once they’ve see the godless sodomites of Hollywood?

7 Mike at The Big Stick January 12, 2010 at 11:11 am: You can take the boy off the farm but you can’t….you know the rest.

8 Art Deco January 12, 2010 at 11:20 am

Does it occur to the juveniles who moderate this site that Mother Jones just might be a tad selective in perceiving and reporting them telling details?

9 Will January 12, 2010 at 11:24 am: Speaking in my capacity as the head juvenile-in-charge, of course it occurred to us. But I think the piece captures some essential tension between youth outreach and political conservatism, which hasn’t exactly gone unnoticed elsewhere:

http://gregmankiw.blogspot.com/2008/11/youth-vote-and-gop.html