The Cornell Daily Sun (https://cornellsun.com/tag/cornell-republicans/page/2/)
Following the group’s endorsement of Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson, the Cornell Republicans faced a series of legal repercussions and finally have been reinstated in the New York Federation of College Republicans. Members of the Cornell Republicans remark on the organization’s endorsement decision and reinstatement process.
The New York Federation said it was “happy to report” that a majority of new leadership supported reinstating the Cornellians.
The decision to revoke Cornell’s chapter came in the wake of the group’s endorsement of Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson — an action the New York Federation of College Republicans called “unacceptable.”
Re: “Cornell Republicans Break Party Lines, Endorse Gary Johnson,” News, Sept. 2
To the Editor:
After having heard about the Cornell Republicans decision to endorse Gov. Gary Johnson for President, I felt the need to write a letter regarding this decision. First and foremost, I am appalled by the words with which the CRs used to endorse Governor Johnson, going on to claim that he is a “true conservative.” Not only is this an insult to conservatives, but also an affirmation of ignorance as to what conservatism actually is. All it takes to observe this is a brief trip to Gov. Johnson’s website to realize that this man is surely no conservative! Surely, there are some Republicans that may be at odds with the GOP on social issues among others, but to endorse the Johnson-Weld ticket and claim that it is a “truly conservative” ticket is outright deception! The kicker to all of this now is that the organization seeks to call themselves the “Cornell Conservatives.” Calling themselves this after a Johnson endorsement is an additional insult to conservatism in and of itself. If the CRs were interested in true conservatism, they would have backed Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) from the very start of the campaign. Instead, the organization decided to frantically endorse Johnson at the last minute to try and halt Trump. True conservatives are men and women built in the molds of Ronald Reagan, Barry Goldwater, Clarence Thomas, Antonin Scalia, Robert Bork, William F. Buckley, Jr. and a variety of others. To claim that Gary Johnson is a “true conservative” is an insult to the work and lives of these remarkable symbols and hallmarks of American conservatism! If the Cornell Republicans have an issue with a Trump endorsement, then perhaps simply advising to “vote your conscience” is a better suggestion, rather than deception and falsely branding Governor Johnson.
Avid readers of the Jacobin may be able to surmise from my previous columns that I am not a member of, nor a fan of, the Cornell Republicans club. Or, more accurately given recent events, I was not a member of the Cornell Republicans club during the time when such a thing existed. That being said, I was disappointed to hear on Saturday that the New York Federation of College Republicans had voted to revoke the Cornell Republicans’ charter after their endorsement of “libertarian” presidential candidate Gary Johnson (who, it is worth noting, was a Republican for most of his career, and only chose to hoist the Libertarian banner once he dropped out of the 2012 Republican presidential primary). The NYFCR argues that it is frowned upon for a College Republicans chapter to forgo endorsing the Republican nominee, and has apparently decided it is unforgivable to give that endorsement to any other candidate, such as Mr. Johnson. In any other election cycle the NYFCR would be on stronger ground.
This year’s remembrance will include three more events than in previous years, when the clubs only hosted a fundraising event for Ithaca Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Senior First Vice Chair Austin McLaughlin ’18 and First Vice Chair Irvin McCullough ’18 found the law and order theme problematic, citing concerns about the message’s racial undertones and hints of authoritarianism.
“Although Trump has said some things I disagree with, so has Hillary Clinton,” Corn said. “Hillary Clinton lies through her teeth, puts down women and would be a horrible representation of this country.
“So is Hillary enough to stop Trump?” he said. “I think we may be in for a surprise come November. Especially if the Bernie voters don’t show up for Hillary,” said Jake Zhu, former First Vice Chair of Cornell Republicans
“[This disillusionment] was pretty clear since the beginning with the early Republican debates,” said Austin McLaughlin ’18. “Donald Trump and Ted Cruz received outright boo’s.”