Which cultural elements could the GOP adopt as its own?
College-Age Drinkers: Propose lowering the drinking age to 18, on the argument that you’ll see less binge drinking on college campuses if 18, 19 and 20-year-olds can just go into a bar or restaurant and order a beer. If you’re really worried about lowering the drinking age across the board, make it legal for those between 18 and 21 to consume alcohol in a licensed establishment, so that a bartender or server could cut them off if there are signs of dangerous intoxication.
I guarantee this would make the College Republicans a heck of a lot more popular on campus. Speaking of which…
Wasteful college spending: Turn the highest-paid university presidents in America into the new villains of our economy, hiking tuition and letting standards slide while they take home ever-bigger paychecks and wildly generous payouts upon retirement. How soft are the Democrats on this issue? They ran the highest-paid university president in America (More than $3 million in a year) for Senate in Nebraska last year. At least the companies run by greedy CEOs are forced to compete in the marketplace; universities can keep going under bad management by sucking up government aid, forced tuition hikes, and alumni donations for a long while.
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Drinking age to 18.
ramesees on January 30, 2013 at 5:04 PM
Age of consent down to 14; sharia law optional in US courts; hate speech laws for anything a Christian/teapartier/conservative says about anything; create a department of fruiter inclusion & promotion; hand out indefinite visas at foreign airports; and amnesty for all traitors in the government.
That should about cover it.
platypus on January 30, 2013 at 5:06 PM
How about just sticking with people who PULL THE WAGON (i.e. PAY TAXES). No other group or designation is needed.
michaelo on January 30, 2013 at 5:06 PM
Make those anti-18-drinking-age prudes defend their Victorian attitudes.
Bonus: we’d be able to discuss the states’ rights, federalism angle.
ramesees on January 30, 2013 at 5:07 PM
Death Metal.
Chuck Schick on January 30, 2013 at 5:08 PM
Only one is needed.
“Truth”
That is all we need to win.
“Just tell the truth”.
“Do not let the Democrats lie.”
APACHEWHOKNOWS on January 30, 2013 at 5:09 PM
Which cultural elements could the GOP adopt as its own?
College-Age Drinkers: Propose lowering the drinking age to 18.
Hmmm, reminds me of a scene from one of my all time
favorite movies. See if any of the HotAir faithful remember
this:
“Now we’re going to make some Old Fashions, the Old Fashioned way,the way Dear old DAD used to make em!!
Hint: this guy later played Thurston Howell III.
ToddPA on January 30, 2013 at 5:12 PM
Midget wrestling
Mark1971 on January 30, 2013 at 5:16 PM
I was gonna say Moo-shell but sadly, she/he/it ain’t no movie character.
platypus on January 30, 2013 at 5:18 PM
There is a website called “Less Government. More Fun” that has a great Twitter feed. This is the attitude we need to take. More government means less freedom, and that means less fun.
I have a very mature 19-year-old and I know he is drinking illegally because he’s been caught once on campus. It’s ridiculous that he was busted for having a single beer, in his apartment, to celebrate his birthday. It’s even more ridiculous that he can’t have a beer in a restaurant with his friends who are 2 years older than him. There is nothing magical about the age of 21.
rockmom on January 30, 2013 at 5:23 PM
Furries
Mark1971 on January 30, 2013 at 5:25 PM
How about individuality?
In an age of micro, targeted, and 1:1 marketing why do young people favor a party of collectivism and one size fits all governance?
It’s the young who ought to be most outraged about Obamacare’s minimum benefits mandate for insurance policies for example. Not only does it force them to subsidize oldsters, it also doesn’t allow for any tailoring of policies to individual needs. Shouldn’t the geeky introvert be able to get a cheaper policy than the skateboarding, BASE jumping, X-Gaming daredevils?
If I were a GOP consultant this is the message I would bring to the young.
Charlemagne on January 30, 2013 at 5:26 PM
I miss WFB. The current “conservative” establishment at NRO are intellectually-deficient morons. You can’t out-left the Democrats in order to win elections. You propose state-level socialized medicine with Romneycare, they say, “Great idea! let’s make it national with Obamacare.” You propose lowering drinking age to 18, they’ll simply say “why not lower it to 17?”. This will always a losing battle for votes. If the best we can do is running Dem lite candidates like Rubio or Ryan, Dems will continue to win.
sauldalinsky on January 30, 2013 at 5:29 PM
I joined the Navy just when FL changed the drinking age to 21. I made the cutoff date by 2 days so could continue buying beer eagle even though I was 19. If I can join the military to fight and de for my country, why can’t I buy a beer?
Charlemagne on January 30, 2013 at 5:29 PM
Charlemagne on January 30, 2013 at 5:29 PM
There’s nothing wrong in principle with lowering drinking age to 18. The consequence electorally is it’ll get more votes for Dems. The purpose of the column was to figure out how to get more votes for the GOP.
sauldalinsky on January 30, 2013 at 5:31 PM
Call out the school admin and professor one percenters leeching off ridiculous tuition fees. Why would you turn your ire of student-loan debt against Wall Street?
John the Libertarian on January 30, 2013 at 5:34 PM
The reason for making the drinking age 21 is that 21-year-olds are much less likely to party with 16-year-olds and buy them booze before they drive. A “single serve” law for 18-20 year olds will let Joe College drink with his buddies, without fears he will buy the keg for the high school football team.
Sekhmet on January 30, 2013 at 6:04 PM
They shouldn’t be able to drive then. Standardize the laws and make EVERYTHING legal at age 18.
thebrokenrattle on January 30, 2013 at 6:12 PM
“Which cultural elements could the GOP adopt as its own?”
Constitutionalism.
What do I win?
S.P. Link on January 30, 2013 at 6:38 PM
Ah. Courting the Catilliac Cat and the Raccoons fan base. That’s a ticket to sure-fire victory.
Although Cleo was kinda attractive…
Myron Falwell on January 30, 2013 at 6:53 PM