This past Wednesday night, presidential hopeful Ron Paul visited the University of Illinois campus in what turned out to be much more than an assembly of a few hundred. The event had to be moved to Huff Hall after only a few days and the final turnout exceeded expectations with upwards of 4,500 students in attendance. The hype surrounding the libertarian conservative candidate’s arrival proved that the GOP is alive and well on college campuses. Despite the common belief that universities are heavily democratic, students arrived in droves to support the Republican candidate.
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Ron Paul’s popularity among college voters gained more steam when he appealed to the hearts of Illinois students by opening his speech with the sensitive topic of college mascots. The candidate promised students that with his election, the simple personal liberties that we all enjoy would be restored. Ron Paul promised the riled-up crowd “the means to select their own mascot.” The foundation for Ron Paul’s campaign stands for government spending cuts, the protection of civil liberties, and the gradual depletion of federal mandates like welfare programs. The assembly was organized by the Youth for Ron Paul Organization. I interviewed an active member of the organization and former University of Illinois student, Tyler Harrington, to discuss the excitement surrounding the candidate.
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HC: It seems that there is a lot of enthusiasm for Ron Paul among Republican college students. What do you think is the cause of this excitement? Are there certain policies of his that appeal to the voting youth?
TH: I think the student population, at least a loud minority, has taken a new interest in the political climate because of economic uncertainty. It is apparent that nothing changes from one administration to the next. Whether it’s the foreign or monetary policy, or the loss of civil liberties with the Patriot Act and failed War on Drugs, it is clear that something has to change. Ron Paul seems to be the only candidate who is offering substantive change as opposed to pandering rhetoric.
HC: Tell me a little bit about the Youth for Ron Paul organization?
TH: Well, as I said, I am not on campus this semester so I haven’t been able to be as involved as I’d like. To me, it seems to be a more grassroots movement at U of I that isn’t necessarily directly associated with the organization. On the national level however, the organization seeks to capture the youth’s enthusiasm for the liberty message by holding rallies at various campuses. The rallies certainly seem successful as RP takes the 18-30 vote in just about every contest. However, the younger population has a generally low voter turnout rate.
HC: For what reasons have you decided to support this Republican candidate?
TH: Well there are really many reasons, but I think that his integrity and authenticity is really what drew me in initially. Rarely, if ever, has there been such an unwavering public figure and I find that very inspiring. In reality, I think his chances of winning are rather slim. Certainly the media has had a negative impact on his candidacy. Not to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but I think there are a lot of unanswered questions regarding the election process thus far, particularly in the states like Maine, Iowa, and Nevada.
HC: What are your thoughts on Republicanism and Conservative thinking in the State of Illinois (a state that has voted Democratic in the past 5 presidential elections)?
TH: Interesting. I don’t really think a Republican has a chance of winning Illinois in the general election, obviously largely due to Cook County being rather left. In the primaries, however, Illinois is certainly a key state, offering 54 delegates. As for “conservatism” (or “liberalism” for that matter), I don’t really like to throw the word(s) out there. If someone is a Republican, liberal is seen as such a negative word and vice versa for a Democrat. However, true conservatism or true liberalism, in today’s political climate, is not actually representative of their associated political party. I think it’s really unfortunate because people generally don’t develop an opinion on an issue-by-issue basis, they just vote with the party.
With the Illinois Republican Primary election just days away (it takes place on Tuesday, March 20th) Ron Paul’s rally and immense support from the typically democratic state’s flagship University seemed a great way to enter the Illinois Primary.