Keith and stuff
08-05-2014, 07:10 PM
'Liberty Kids' shake up L.A. Republican Party, look to other states
https://news.yahoo.com/liberty-kids-shake-l-republican-party-look-other-181234386.html
By Sharon Bernstein
ONLY 1/2 the article is posted here. Click on the above link for the rest of it.
https://s2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/9uYImKIm3hVSb2.qyhXPbw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTMwMDtweW9mZj0wO3E9Nz U7dz00NTA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2014-08-05T212254Z_3_LYNXMPEA740VX_RTROPTP_2_USA-CALIFORNIA-REPUBLICANS.JPG
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Amir Zendehnam passionately supports marijuana legalization, same-sex marriage, abortion rights and the Republican Party.
He is not alone. The 26-year-old aspiring restaurateur and chairman of the party's West Los Angeles central committee, is one of a raft of ethnically diverse young libertarians who hold seats in L.A. County’s huge GOP apparatus, injecting youthful energy into its operations at a time when the state’s Republican Party is nearly moribund.
After winning control the executive board of the Los Angeles County Republican Party in December 2012, the “Liberty Kids,” as they call themselves, are seeing the fruits of their activism. This year one of their own is running as the Republican nominee for Congress from the San Gabriel Valley, with Zendehnam serving as policy adviser.
The Liberty Kids are challenging the party's social conservatives and are drawing the attention of Democrats, who see liberal youth as part of their base. And in what could be a harbinger for the GOP, they have begun campaigning in other states, aiming to increase their influence beyond California.
"I want you to look around the room," Zendehnam said at a meeting last week, "because this is what the face of the Republican Party is going to look like."
View gallery
Melinda McCrady and Alice Salles listen as Jay Beeber …
Melinda McCrady and Alice Salles (R) listen as Jay Beeber of L.A. Parking Freedom speaks at a meetin …
The Liberty Kids hold four of seven seats on the local party's governing board and dozens of spots on its 200-person central committee, representing a county that is home to 10 million people.
Raised during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and excited by the non-interventionist philosophy of Ron Paul, the former Texas congressman and presidential contender, many registered as Republicans to vote for Paul in the 2008 and 2012 presidential primaries and then stayed on in the party.
The group is making its presence felt as the GOP struggles to reinvent itself in California, where Republicans make up 29 percent of registered voters and Democrats control both houses of the legislature and all statewide offices.
"The party is a little bit out of touch, and they need a fresh view of things," said Calvin Lee, 27, whose strategy helped spur the Los Angeles board takeover after the party's losses in the 2012 elections.
'THEY CURSE AT US'
View gallery
Jay Beeber of L.A. Parking Freedom speaks at a meeting …
Jay Beeber of L.A. Parking Freedom speaks at a meeting of so-called "Liberty Kids" liberta …
Despite personal politics that might seem more in tune with Democrats - world peace, ending the war on drugs and addressing global warming top the list of concerns for many - these millennials say they are more comfortable with Republicans' emphasis on freedom than Democrats' penchant for regulation.
"I used to be very liberal," said Carey Wedler, 25, at a recent meeting of the group. But she sees government as oppressive, authoritarian and warmongering, and says Republicans are the ones skeptical of government. "Everything the government does is backed up with a gun."
The newcomers have clashed with Tea Party libertarians, who skew more conservative on social issues. Many Tea Partiers bristle at the newcomers' views on abortion and immigration, and their deep distrust of the National Security Agency.
"They curse at us," Zendehnam said.
Los Angeles County Republican Chairman Mark Vafiades, himself nearly defeated by a Liberty Kid candidate for the chairmanship, said he tries to avoid conflict, instead focusing on supporting Republican candidates, a strategy aimed at integrating the youthful members and harnessing their energy.
https://news.yahoo.com/liberty-kids-shake-l-republican-party-look-other-181234386.html
By Sharon Bernstein
ONLY 1/2 the article is posted here. Click on the above link for the rest of it.
https://s2.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/9uYImKIm3hVSb2.qyhXPbw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTMwMDtweW9mZj0wO3E9Nz U7dz00NTA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2014-08-05T212254Z_3_LYNXMPEA740VX_RTROPTP_2_USA-CALIFORNIA-REPUBLICANS.JPG
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Amir Zendehnam passionately supports marijuana legalization, same-sex marriage, abortion rights and the Republican Party.
He is not alone. The 26-year-old aspiring restaurateur and chairman of the party's West Los Angeles central committee, is one of a raft of ethnically diverse young libertarians who hold seats in L.A. County’s huge GOP apparatus, injecting youthful energy into its operations at a time when the state’s Republican Party is nearly moribund.
After winning control the executive board of the Los Angeles County Republican Party in December 2012, the “Liberty Kids,” as they call themselves, are seeing the fruits of their activism. This year one of their own is running as the Republican nominee for Congress from the San Gabriel Valley, with Zendehnam serving as policy adviser.
The Liberty Kids are challenging the party's social conservatives and are drawing the attention of Democrats, who see liberal youth as part of their base. And in what could be a harbinger for the GOP, they have begun campaigning in other states, aiming to increase their influence beyond California.
"I want you to look around the room," Zendehnam said at a meeting last week, "because this is what the face of the Republican Party is going to look like."
View gallery
Melinda McCrady and Alice Salles listen as Jay Beeber …
Melinda McCrady and Alice Salles (R) listen as Jay Beeber of L.A. Parking Freedom speaks at a meetin …
The Liberty Kids hold four of seven seats on the local party's governing board and dozens of spots on its 200-person central committee, representing a county that is home to 10 million people.
Raised during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and excited by the non-interventionist philosophy of Ron Paul, the former Texas congressman and presidential contender, many registered as Republicans to vote for Paul in the 2008 and 2012 presidential primaries and then stayed on in the party.
The group is making its presence felt as the GOP struggles to reinvent itself in California, where Republicans make up 29 percent of registered voters and Democrats control both houses of the legislature and all statewide offices.
"The party is a little bit out of touch, and they need a fresh view of things," said Calvin Lee, 27, whose strategy helped spur the Los Angeles board takeover after the party's losses in the 2012 elections.
'THEY CURSE AT US'
View gallery
Jay Beeber of L.A. Parking Freedom speaks at a meeting …
Jay Beeber of L.A. Parking Freedom speaks at a meeting of so-called "Liberty Kids" liberta …
Despite personal politics that might seem more in tune with Democrats - world peace, ending the war on drugs and addressing global warming top the list of concerns for many - these millennials say they are more comfortable with Republicans' emphasis on freedom than Democrats' penchant for regulation.
"I used to be very liberal," said Carey Wedler, 25, at a recent meeting of the group. But she sees government as oppressive, authoritarian and warmongering, and says Republicans are the ones skeptical of government. "Everything the government does is backed up with a gun."
The newcomers have clashed with Tea Party libertarians, who skew more conservative on social issues. Many Tea Partiers bristle at the newcomers' views on abortion and immigration, and their deep distrust of the National Security Agency.
"They curse at us," Zendehnam said.
Los Angeles County Republican Chairman Mark Vafiades, himself nearly defeated by a Liberty Kid candidate for the chairmanship, said he tries to avoid conflict, instead focusing on supporting Republican candidates, a strategy aimed at integrating the youthful members and harnessing their energy.