This CRNC election I think we all can agree has gotten ridiculous. This most recent move threatens the future existence of the College Republican National Committee, an institution that has been riddled with corruption on and off since its inception. Big surprise. There are scum bags on both sides of this election. Big surprise. There are scum bag who care so little for the movement that they would endanger it for their political careers. Big surprise.

The basic fact remains though that Paul Gourley represents status quo corruption and Michael Davidson represents a more risky, yet bright future. Paul Gourley represents the entrenched powers. Michael Davidson represents those that would depose them. Neither man is pure evil or pure good, but there can be little doubt that on the whole the choice is a moral one, and an easy one. Paul Gourley willingly defrauded old folks and has little resume for this position and absolutely no vision.

Yet, these facts have been rehashed over and over again, but for the most part the entrenched powers do what they always do: mold, amelierate, contort, etc until they find a position that will keep them in power, because without power their whole little worlds fall apart. So let us briefly set aside Davidson v. Gourley and lets talk vision.

1. Financial Transparency - The new administration should conduct a total internal audit and completely open its books to review. It should release all of its fundraising letters and hold only to the highest moral code on fundraising matters, as most other conservative organizations do.

2. Campus Activism - The new administration should devote itself to not just being the foottroops of the GOP but also campus activism. Pushing for Academic Bill’s of Rights, opposing campus leftists, PIRGs, etc should be a priority. Winning elections isn’t the only important function of the CRs

3. Top-Down Review of the Field Program - The field program is desperately in need of a top-down review and I think that looking into hiring full time permanent regional staffers is a good, positive idea that any new administration could take up. We don’t just need 30 people in the field temporarily who will disappear and offer chapters little hope for long term growth. An infrastructure needs to be developed to foster a long term growth and development.

4. Re-Focusing The Organization on Chapters - Repeat after me… “The CRNC is not my plaything.” Its time that the CRNC refocused its efforts on chapters and NOT just sending out one box and thinking that will somehow solve the REAL problems CR chapters face. A membership database, websites for clubs, resources, training seminars these are the things that have a real impact not “running around and getting your name in the papers.”

5. A Long Term Vision of Conservatism Not Careerism - The biggest problem facing the CRs nationally is the disconnect between average CRs who care about issues, policies, etc and CR leaders in chapters, state feds, and the CRNC who care about one thing: themself. The leader of the CRNC must be able to clearly espouse the strong argument of conservatism and not be beholden to the institutional powers that corrupt so absolutely. We as CRs must quit electing these scumbags, though this will not happen overnight. It starts at the bottom tossing chapter chairs who are political whores, and then with new principled chapter chairs tossing state chairs who sell their state to the highest bidder, and finally, and only then will the CRNC be retaken. I am not saying all Gourley folks are bad folks, there are good state fed chairs who support Gourley, but there are also those who are beholden to the establishment that they can not see the corruption that has infested and choked off life in the CRNC.

I would challenge all CRs to ask ALL their elected CR leaders, “what’s your vision?” Sadly for the vast majority of them their vision is power not principle. These are the scum that must be rolled.