GOP Chairman Reince Priebus proclaimed in a recent speech, "We can stand by our timeless principles – and articulate them in ways that are modern...relevant to our time and relatable to the majority of voters. That ... is how we'll achieve a Republican renewal. That's how we'll grow. That's how we'll win."
In the wake of the past two presidential elections, the Republican party is embracing new leaders, issues and innovations to propel them into the future. This vision was on full display this past weekend as thousands, including ourselves, travelled to National Harbor, Maryland for this year's Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).
A week before the conference, Rand Paul – a senator from Kentucky – embarked on a 13-hour filibuster questioning whether the President "[had] the power to authorize lethal force, such as a drone strike, against a U.S. citizen on U.S. soil," without a trial.
This unprecedented move called attention to the apathy displayed by the President and many other politicians inside the D.C. beltway. In his address to CPAC, Senator Paul said, "Yes, the filibuster was about drones but also about much more. Do we have a Bill of Rights or not? Do we have a Constitution or not?"
Unlike the GOP "old guard," Senator Paul and his colleagues including Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and Mike Lee are putting conservatives back on the offensive. By defending the constitution and its core principles, they hope to reestablish the United States into its position as a true world leader. Tweaking President Reagan's adage, Senator Paul said that "for liberty to expand, government must contract."
Despite some differences, major consistencies ran throughout the conference, including simplifying the tax code, adopting a less intrusive foreign policy and moving more power to the local and state governments – a policy evidenced by Senator Paul's call to abolish the Federal Department of Education and return such funds to the states.
Senator Paul highlighted many inefficiencies seen in Washington, including billions spent on studying "monkeys on meth," developing "robotic squirrels" and creating menus for space colonies on Mars. For many years, a number in the liberty movement have been for legalizing hemp, gay marriage and decriminalizing non-violent drug usage. This year's CPAC brought these issues to the forefront and into the mainstream conservative movement.
In this year's installment of the famous CPAC straw poll – a poll to see which candidate is the most presidential – Senator Paul won 25 percent of the vote and Senator Rubio was right behind with 23 percent. Over half of the voters in the poll were between the ages of 18 and 25. This gives insight to the youth-centered, liberty-focused future of the Republican party, which supports defense cuts, state's rights, economic freedom and the preservation of fundamental principles of the Constitution.
The youth movement was on full display as thousands carried well-designed signs, buttons and t-shirts proclaiming "Stand with Rand."
Senator Paul addressed the rising "Facebook generation," and its ability to see through hypocrisy, on both the left and the right. He said, "Our party is encumbered by an inconsistent approach to freedom. The new GOP, the GOP that will win again, will need to embrace liberty in both the economic and personal sphere.
If we are going to have a Republican Party that can win, liberty needs to be the backbone of the GOP ... There are millions of Americans, young and old, native and immigrant, black, white and brown, who simply seek to live free, free to practice their religion, free to choose where they send their kids to school, free to choose their own healthcare, free to keep the fruit of their own labor, free to live without government constantly being on their back."
Through consistent ideals, attractive designs and belief in more personal freedom and liberty, Senator Paul's message has struck a chord not only with our generation, but with the broader, older conservative movement.
Rob Dunn, Winston Hanks, Vlad Plotkin and Amelia Sims are members of the Emory College Republicans.
Photo Courtesy of Markn3tel, Flickr
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