LC’s Grand Old Republican Club

Asher Kalman /// Op-Ed Contributor

Often on college campuses in the Northwest United States, Republicans are portrayed as socially conservative supply-siders, imagined with a hatred for welfare and defending their 2nd amendment rights to the death. However, as several liberal members of our community who have ventured to attend a LC GOP meeting have found, there is a diverse range of people who consider themselves Republicans. Unsurprisingly, there is even more diverse a range amongst those who actively participate in the club itself. Independents, Libertarians, fiscal conservatives, Regressivists and even a Marxist all take part in engaging and debating how the GOP should adjust to modern day politics.

Every Thursday at 4 p.m. in J.R. Howard Hall 123, club members take an hour out of their day to discuss different stances the Republican party has taken, what is on the floor of Congress and conservative challengers in our state of Oregon. The club explores ways to both edify and include students who would otherwise demonize Republicans without second thought.

But the club is about more than politics. LC GOP is a community based organization. With events planned such as charity construction projects, get-out-the-vote work in low income neighborhoods and facilitating speeches by politicians to the student body, LC GOP is working to create a more open, educated political environment. As with everything, however, the task is not easy.

That is why Lewis & Clark’s Republicans are asking for as much support as possible from you, the student body. We know that you are busy with school, extracurriculars, and whatever else you kids do after class, so talk to a friend about the conservative agenda. Read an article from the Cato Institute, the Wall Street Journal or the National Review. Think about ways in which the Republican party does not represent everything Cinderella’s stepmother stands for. You just might be surprised.

Asher Kalman (’18) is a political science major and the Vice President of LC GOP. You can find LC GOP on Twitter and Facebook.