Posted by Nicholas Beaudrot of Electoral Math
The New Republic has an absolutely riveting account [registration and/or subscription required?] of this year's College Republican National Convention. For the first time in ages, there was a vigorous contest for the chairmanship, a 2-year, $75,000 a year salaried position (in contrast, the chair of the College Democrats is unpaid). Franklin Foer details the convention fight for the nomination, which a sort of X-treme retail politics you won't find anywhere else.
This article should be a wake-up call to anyone who thinks Democrats do enough youth outreach (while 2004 was an improvement over 2000, white voters under thirty still went for Bush by a 54-46 margin), put to rest any notion that Republicans don't have problems with infighting and pettiness, and remind everyone that winning elections has to come first.
I don't say this often, but read the whole thing. And if the article is subscription only, order the single issue online, or shell out for a subscription. Here's a sample:
