These final few months of 2019 are “all hands on deck” as we prepare for an election that will undoubtedly turn out record numbers of voters on both sides of the aisle. Everyone involved in grassroots activism, campaign staffers, and even block walkers know that 2020 isn’t a date in the future; it is here, and there is no room for error.
With that in mind, now is the time to make sure that any and all weaknesses are addressed before the primary. To be blunt, it’s time to clean house.
Right now, all clubs, organizations, campaigns, federations, and what-have-yous are working tirelessly to build ranks, recruit new members, and find new and engaging ways to connect with voters. Part of building any organization with purpose is making sure there are adequate measures that can be taken swiftly to protect the organization in the event of bad behavior. Having a clear set of rules and measures of success is crucial to the health of any group, but one we hope to never have to exercise.
The purpose of such rules should never be to police the behavior of members, but to provide quick protection from any evil that may be found lurking within. I am reminded of this by the efforts of members of the Texas Young Republican Federation (TYRF), who have recently been fighting to remove a cancer within their midst.
Every group has its zealots. God bless them, and they often serve a purpose just as important as those more moderate members in driving the conversation and growth of the group. We should all be thankful for their passion and commitment. Those, however, who would serve to create unending internal and external chaos, inhibit the growth and health of the club, or threaten the safety of other members should be dealt with swiftly and without remorse. Our weaknesses become fodder for the left, and we cannot afford to feed into their fantasies of an environment-hating, misogynistic, and bigoted party.
That said, the recent efforts of members of TYRF were ultimately unsuccessful.
Though I’m no longer a member of the organization for a few months now, I am proud of those who stepped forward and stood up for what is right. I hope that a strong and clear message was sent about what kind of behavior will be accepted in the future, and I look forward to seeing their great success both statewide and as key players in the nationwide federation. I am also proud that, as a whole, the organization followed the rules set forth by their constitution to the best of their ability, and have hopefully learned where vulnerabilities lie.
When I left for my own safety and sanity, many reached out across the state to help with this issue according to existing bylaws and were punished, as good deeds often are. Let every group take a lesson from our YR friends who have painstakingly paved the way and shown the importance of regularly reviewing bylaws, constitutions, etc. to ensure that as we grow, we are set up for success and protected from abusers.
Additionally, this is a lesson to all of us that one bad apple does not necessarily spoil the whole batch. Let those who do not wish to abide by the rules leave to form their own organizations with other like-minded individuals, because every conservative has a unique purpose and serves the cause in their own way.
No organization can predict the future, but what we can do is make sure that the left has nothing to attack with except policy—where they are weakest. Let them come up with more and more absurd accusations until they implode in a colossal breakdown of gender pronouns and tax poverty. But never let us be seen as the party filled with such dysfunction and hate within the ranks that we bring ourselves down. Leave that for the left. I look forward to reading all about it in The Babylon Bee.
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