Congressman Helps Young Republicans Organize
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
For the inaugural meeting, the Kosciusko County Young Republicans decided on a speaker who had been there and done that - Congressman Mark Souder of the Fourth District. Redistricting will bring the Congressman to the new Third District, which includes this county, should he be successful in the November election.
Introduced by organizer Mike Harstine, who also pointed out state and local officeholders and candidates in the audience, the representative spoke about the difference this branch of the Republican Party can make. He also told the group what they can expect.
Harstine in his opening remarks, said the group's main goal initially is to educate registered voters between the ages of 18 and 40 about the structure of local government. Future meetings will feature local elected officials and guests discussing local concerns.
As a former Young Republican, Souder advised the leadership to have a shared vision and be very flexible while building a club.
"You grab everything," he said, "because people will join for very different reasons. Some will want to run for office, others will just have one issue they want to address. Be flexible."
During the Barry Goldwater 1964 presidential campaign, Souder founded the Leo High School branch of Young Americans for Freedom. He was the Indiana state chairman of the College Republicans and student body president at IPFW. At Notre Dame, he co-founded the Students' Coalition for the Human Life Amendment.
Prior to his 1995 election to Congress, Souder worked on the congressional campaigns of Dan Quayle and Dan Coats and also worked on Capitol Hill for 10 years on Coats' House and Senate staffs.
In Washington, D.C., officeholders want to stay in touch with interns. He said they come to Washington, learn about government and vanish back into their communities.
"We need to keep tabs on them, feed them into the system and develop them. They're a base and we never know when they'll turn up - as business owners, as contributors, as precinct committeemen."
In an hour-long talk, peppered with humorous asides and straight talk about national politics, he said the local group would need to find a mix, particularly in a county where the Republican Party dominates.
He said many people join a political party's organization because they're angry or afraid they'll lose something.
"Its tough to attract people when there aren't even any Democrats to be afraid of," he said to laughter. "Sometimes we know more about what we're against than what we're for."
He said the 2004 Bush campaign will be exciting and the group will have an opportunity to make people feel they are a part of something. He advised them to tie local issues into what people see on television.
Because the county is so overwhelmingly Republican, the excitement revolves around the primary elections.
"The people who lose in the primary want to make a contribution. Don't lose contact with them," he said.
He told of an early success story when the GOP funded a Youth for Adair office and it grew into the third largest youth campaign in the country.
Many of the people who signed up in 1968 are still around and turn up all over the place, Souder said.
He said to always expect fewer people than were invited and never to be discouraged - even if there are only two people who attend a meeting.
Communicate your ideas and ideals through letters to the editor and columns to the newspaper, and use your local cable television channel.
"Create a Web site and post the best anti-Democratic joke you can find every day. People will check it daily. That creates a niche you can use," he said.
He said the danger of being in Kosciusko and Elkhart counties, when the Republicans are so successful, is that apathy sets in.
Comparing politics to a product life cycle, with a slow start-up, the excitement of building, to stagnation and a downslide, is to constantly regenerate interest before the stagnation phase sets in.
"Do not take things for granted," he advised.
Souder, Buyer and Burton could represent the lion's share of the GOP voters in 2003 because of the new district lines.
"The idea of redistricting was to make us fat and happy. But we can't win statewide unless there is a huge Republican turnout by these counties. It is important that we don't lose interest," he said.
Asked about Republicans making Democrats' ideas their own, the Congressman said a representative can be out of sync with constituents on about three issues.
"My anti-abortion stance will not change, ever," he said. "I'm in support of Israel in a community where foreign aid is not popular, and will not repeal affirmative action.
"Hopefully there will just be three during your term, not three per term, then, by the fourth year you have 12. You pick your battles."
In a response to other questions, he said raising minimum wage takes jobs from the people who need them the most. Unemployment always increases to 65 percent for minority teens when minimum wages go up because companies cannot afford the increase. Congress plans to compensate businesses when the minimum wage goes up next year.
He said term limits are not working out so well. In Michigan and California, seats are lost to Democrats, to people who just want to be part of the system, not to come with new ideas.
Locally Mike Harstine is chairman of the Young Republicans, Joy Lohse and Mark Sherer are vice chairmen and Allison McSherry is secretary. [[In-content Ad]]
For the inaugural meeting, the Kosciusko County Young Republicans decided on a speaker who had been there and done that - Congressman Mark Souder of the Fourth District. Redistricting will bring the Congressman to the new Third District, which includes this county, should he be successful in the November election.
Introduced by organizer Mike Harstine, who also pointed out state and local officeholders and candidates in the audience, the representative spoke about the difference this branch of the Republican Party can make. He also told the group what they can expect.
Harstine in his opening remarks, said the group's main goal initially is to educate registered voters between the ages of 18 and 40 about the structure of local government. Future meetings will feature local elected officials and guests discussing local concerns.
As a former Young Republican, Souder advised the leadership to have a shared vision and be very flexible while building a club.
"You grab everything," he said, "because people will join for very different reasons. Some will want to run for office, others will just have one issue they want to address. Be flexible."
During the Barry Goldwater 1964 presidential campaign, Souder founded the Leo High School branch of Young Americans for Freedom. He was the Indiana state chairman of the College Republicans and student body president at IPFW. At Notre Dame, he co-founded the Students' Coalition for the Human Life Amendment.
Prior to his 1995 election to Congress, Souder worked on the congressional campaigns of Dan Quayle and Dan Coats and also worked on Capitol Hill for 10 years on Coats' House and Senate staffs.
In Washington, D.C., officeholders want to stay in touch with interns. He said they come to Washington, learn about government and vanish back into their communities.
"We need to keep tabs on them, feed them into the system and develop them. They're a base and we never know when they'll turn up - as business owners, as contributors, as precinct committeemen."
In an hour-long talk, peppered with humorous asides and straight talk about national politics, he said the local group would need to find a mix, particularly in a county where the Republican Party dominates.
He said many people join a political party's organization because they're angry or afraid they'll lose something.
"Its tough to attract people when there aren't even any Democrats to be afraid of," he said to laughter. "Sometimes we know more about what we're against than what we're for."
He said the 2004 Bush campaign will be exciting and the group will have an opportunity to make people feel they are a part of something. He advised them to tie local issues into what people see on television.
Because the county is so overwhelmingly Republican, the excitement revolves around the primary elections.
"The people who lose in the primary want to make a contribution. Don't lose contact with them," he said.
He told of an early success story when the GOP funded a Youth for Adair office and it grew into the third largest youth campaign in the country.
Many of the people who signed up in 1968 are still around and turn up all over the place, Souder said.
He said to always expect fewer people than were invited and never to be discouraged - even if there are only two people who attend a meeting.
Communicate your ideas and ideals through letters to the editor and columns to the newspaper, and use your local cable television channel.
"Create a Web site and post the best anti-Democratic joke you can find every day. People will check it daily. That creates a niche you can use," he said.
He said the danger of being in Kosciusko and Elkhart counties, when the Republicans are so successful, is that apathy sets in.
Comparing politics to a product life cycle, with a slow start-up, the excitement of building, to stagnation and a downslide, is to constantly regenerate interest before the stagnation phase sets in.
"Do not take things for granted," he advised.
Souder, Buyer and Burton could represent the lion's share of the GOP voters in 2003 because of the new district lines.
"The idea of redistricting was to make us fat and happy. But we can't win statewide unless there is a huge Republican turnout by these counties. It is important that we don't lose interest," he said.
Asked about Republicans making Democrats' ideas their own, the Congressman said a representative can be out of sync with constituents on about three issues.
"My anti-abortion stance will not change, ever," he said. "I'm in support of Israel in a community where foreign aid is not popular, and will not repeal affirmative action.
"Hopefully there will just be three during your term, not three per term, then, by the fourth year you have 12. You pick your battles."
In a response to other questions, he said raising minimum wage takes jobs from the people who need them the most. Unemployment always increases to 65 percent for minority teens when minimum wages go up because companies cannot afford the increase. Congress plans to compensate businesses when the minimum wage goes up next year.
He said term limits are not working out so well. In Michigan and California, seats are lost to Democrats, to people who just want to be part of the system, not to come with new ideas.
Locally Mike Harstine is chairman of the Young Republicans, Joy Lohse and Mark Sherer are vice chairmen and Allison McSherry is secretary. [[In-content Ad]]