Haters to my left, haters to my right

No, the title of this post is not a sneak-peak into my soon-to-be released rap album. This post is a narrative that (I hope) other young political junkies can relate to.

My dilemma is that no matter what I say, I'm ticking somebody off. Some examples:

me: "I'm a Republican."

left: "You are a racist who hates women's rights!"

right: "You are young and naive and your support for gays undermines the family!"

me: "Chick-fil-A spicy sandwiches sure do taste good."

left: "You gay-hating bible-toting jerk!"

right: "I'm pretending your free speech support is actually unabashed appreciation for traditional family values!"

me: "Welfare should be reformed."

left: "You want to hurt the poor?? You are heartless!"

right: "You don't support the full abolition?? You aren't a conservative, you believe in handouts!"

me: "Newt Gingrich should not be a role-model for the GOP."

left: "All you Fox news junkies are still the same intolerant scum no matter what!"

right: "RINO!! KILL HER!!"

Are you catching my drift here? If I go against the left, I am intolerant and any form of -ist word that makes me sound like a terrible person. If I criticize the right, I'm either a.) dumb/naive/young; or, b.) not a "real" Republican. I'm curious if young folks on the left feel the same way, because I sure do have a lot of friends getting the same flack as me.

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It's not just the older people in the parties, though... I would argue that my classmates/peers are much, much worse.

If you have an actual opinion or criticize the left on policy, it is a personal attack on whomever supported the policy. If my opinion is not perfectly in line with a GOP talking point, I'm not a real Republican. Sure, this situation doesn't seem too different from the first.... but the main problem is all the conservative students get their information from Fox News and all the liberals have their heads stuck up Obama's, ahem, democratic mascot.

NO ONE takes the time to read multiple news outlets, or (GASP!) bother to look at a primary source. And if you are the student who actually cares about your convictions and is passionate bout politics, then you are extreme. #cantwinforlosing 

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Now, let's bring together both of these situations so wonderfully displayed by Somee cards. The left censors everything I say and thinks I am "just like all the other Republicans." The right thinks I'm a liberal. What's a burgeoning Republican politico to do? The way I see it, we all have two options.

Option 1: Assimilate. 

Construe your convictions so that they fit perfectly into an elephant-shaped mold, abandoning your personal views and individual morality.

Option 2: Stand your ground. 

Don't settle with the party of today because it doesn't agree with the other guys - work to CHANGE your party (for the better, hopefully).

In case the suspense is just killing you, I'll go ahead and tell you that I'm going go with "Option 2." Even if I get called a RINO every day until the day I die, even if I never get support in any future political endeavors, and even if the RNC forcibly takes my secret GOP card away from me, I'm going to continue to criticize Republicans who don't believe in freedom or are hypocritical. I'm going to work every day to make sure my views and convictions are coherent with the Constitution of the United States of America and the beliefs therein. It's not the easy way out and it's not the way that makes friends, but it's the way that is right. If the people interested in politics don't strive to be ethical, how can we expect the leaders we elect to represent us to be ethical?

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P.S. I am also going to continue criticizing liberals if they are illogical or make blanket statements, even if it earns me a bad reputation and a few black eyes. Freedom of speech, y'all. Get used to it, because it ain't going anywhere with this girl.

Single White (voting) Female

In 2011, it was confirmed that female White House staff members make about 18% less than their male counter-parts. 

Ahh, there it was... Sitting in my email inbox, sandwiched between the not-so-friendly KSU reminders to pay my tuition and the Lilly Pulitzer fall line advertisements was an email from the New York Times Politics section. The email that can turn a peaceful night of cuddling with my chihuahua and watching Wheel of Fortune into a blood-boiling cussing match between me and my computer.

Despite knowing how quickly my temper flares, I clicked the link and began to peruse the headlines. One in particular stuck out to me tonight: "In Weak Economy, an Opening to Court Votes of Single Women." Intriguing, right? As a single, voting female, I was morally obligated to read this article.

It started off fair enough... single women are a growing demographic, they carried Obama support in 2008, typically democratic, and an anecdote about a single mother with a failed business in a bad economy. Then, I got into the meat of the article and decided that my soapbox for the day had been built for me and handed over on a silver Gmail platter.

For the sake of statistics, the article states that single women are one of the absolute fastest growing demographics in the United States, coming in at about one-fourth of the total voting population. That's a huge potential voter base that any candidate would be an idiot not to seduce with campaign promises. Then, though, the author of the article proceeded to speak about how fickle single women are in casting their ballots. I don't know about you, but I am 1. single, 2. registered, and; 3. willing to stand in line for hours to cast my ballot despite my hectic schedule. Sure, there has to be some truth to what the author says, but are we down-right fickle? Are women too absorbed in their own Carrie Bradshaw-esque lives to take the time to vote? Or, on the contrary, is it impossible for us to vote because of the insane demands society places on us to work two jobs in order to provide for our children and keep up the rent? If you haven't already guessed by the tone of this post: I call shenanigans.

See the link above and read the article I am referring to. What I see in this article is a huge injustice being done to women. Those of you that know me well know that I am about as far from the typical definition of "feminist" as you can get, but I have to say I am absolutely offended and I think other female College Republicans or Young Republicans should be, as well.

The following statistic made my stomach turn over: 55% of single woman were receiving some sort of government assistance in 2010. That is over half! The Obama campaign is targeting single women, though, promising Medicare, welfare, food stamps, etcetera. What the Obama campaign SHOULD be doing is promising JOBS to these women so that they can become self-sufficient and care for their children or afford to pay rent or further their education. Femini-nazis praised Obama for his promotion of equal pay in 2009. The very first bill that Prez Obama signed into law was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, legislation that would (supposedly) promote equal pay among the sexes. However, according to the 2011 Annual Report to Congress on White House Staff, it is very clear that male White House staffers make about $11,000.00 more per year than their female counterparts; that's a difference of 18%. But hey, why do those women need equal pay when the government can just throw some tax dollars at them to pick up the slack? Romney has focused less on the flavor-of-the-week social issues and campaigned to the female demographic with a purely fiscal message: fix the economy, create more jobs.

Obama has also publicly criticized Romney for his lack-luster support of contraception and health issues. Romney, on the other hand, has support of groups like the National Federation of Republican Women standing behind him. My personal hero of the day, Maureen Karas (southern director of the Nevada Federation of Republican Women), went on the record regarding contraception, stating "Birth control pills are like nine bucks. That's like two lattes." I, for one, agree whole-heartedly with Ms. Karas. I want a candidate who wants to ensure that the country I live in is prosperous, not hold my hand. What Obama women's outreach team has failed to do is address the fact that many single women are single by choice. (Shocking revelation, right?) Many women, myself included, want to start a career, finish their education, own a home, and then begin to build a family, if a family is even in the cards for them. None of the issues Obama is banking on for female democratic support are women's issues; every single issue he tries to bash republicans on is a personal issue.

The support of female voters comes down to one major thing: priorities. If I want to finish school and hold a steady job, then I will forsake two Venti Non-fat Double-blended Frappuccinos each month to pay for my birth control to avoid an unwanted pregnancy. If I want my voice to be heard, I will register to vote, then either vote by absentee ballot or vote early if I am worried about missing work or taking care of other obligations on election day. If I want pay equal to a man, I will apply for a job with a company that recognizes my amount of experience, education, and skills, and take a job if the pay is fair. If the pay is not equal or fair, I will either seek different employment or further my education to ensure that I am worthy of a higher pay rate. And to take it one step further, I will not expect or demand special privileges that are not bestowed upon my male counterparts simply because I have a uterus.

The strategists for both the Obama and the Romney campaign need to focus less on the 'single female' as a unified whole, and instead focus their efforts on the subsets of woman within the group. Do we have students? Single moms? Full-time workers? Both campaigns need to know who the VOTER is. The Obama campaign does hard-working, responsible women an injustice by targeting social issues in his bid for reelection and expecting it to match every female's priorities.

Now, women, I will attack you, in order to keep this post fair, equal, and gender-neutral. If you want to see your situation change, don't rely on the President to do it. America is the land of opportunity, but I truly believe you get what you give. Work hard and keep working, then reap the benefits of your time and dedication. It kills me to see women with huge amounts of potential sit on the sidelines of the political arena. The biggest way to create change is to incite it - that's advise that anyone - red, blue, purple, or in between - can take to heart.

I'll end on a personal note - I love being a woman involved in politics. Never once have I felt held back by my gender or felt the need to tone down my femininity. True, I have an outspoken and aggressive personality, but I don't believe that equates to male, I think it equates to strong. Even though conservative politics are very male-centered, I believe that if you put in good quality work and stay focused and dedicated, you can go as far as you want, all the while in heels and pearls.

Yeager-bombs

July 31, 2012 was a day that I will always remember. I've volunteered on campaigns since I was 18 years old: a couple of yard signs here, a fundraiser there, phone calls wherever. But the Yeager for Cobb County campaign was the first election that I had been involved with from the very beginning until the very end. I first met Cindi Yeager and campaign manager Jessica Szilagyi at a Cobb County Young Republicans meeting at House of Lu restaurant near the end of 2011. I thought Jessica was great, even though I only spent a small amount of time with her, and I absolutely adored Cindi. Her kids went to school with my boss's kids, and she was friends with the attorney that I had interned for that fall. In the hustle and bustle of handshakes and small talk, I didn't even realize that Cindi was a candidate for Cobb District Attorney. Meanwhile, I had interviewed for a campaigning position with a consultant I had met while I was chairing the Cherokee Young Republicans. It was weeks before I put 2 and 2 together...

Come January, I found myself on the way to the monthly breakfast for the Cobb County Republican Party. I was signing on to the campaign - my first real campaigning job, not just an internship or glorified volunteer opportunity. I had on black dress pants and a button down and looked every bit the part once the "Yeager" lapel sticker was securely attached to my cardigan. I sat with Jessica, heard Cindi address a room for the first time, and passed out push cards like it was my job (oh wait, it was my job!!).

Over the next few weeks, I met the other regional field directors for the campaign and attended weekly staff meetings. I went to YR meetings and county breakfasts. Then real life happened, and boy, did it happen fast. Before I had time to blink, we were attending every 5k in the county to pass out water, we were making hundreds of phone calls a day, and walking door to door in the Georgia heat. Before long, it was only a few weeks until election day, and the time was moving faster and faster. 

I spent 7 months working for Cindi's campaign, and even though I was tired, stressed, and ready for it to just be over some days, I would relive every single second of it if given the chance. I grew to love every single person involved with the campaign. I met Tre, a guy that I respect more than any other person my age for his amazing faith and constant incredible attitude. I became (way too) close to Will, someone I know will be a friend until I take my last earthly breath. I called Jessica and Rob (manager and consultant, respectively) "mom" and "dad" and we took "family pictures" at events that we all attended. Then, of course, there was the Yeager family. Cindi is one of the most strong, driven women I have ever had the honor of knowing, much less working for. Eric, her husband, was the father figure that I think everyone needed for a little hug of encouragement every now and then in the final weeks of the campaign. And her son, Devon, is officially my new best friend and I would hate to have not had the opportunity to earn his friendship.

The final weekend of the campaign, I slept a collective 12 hours between waking up Friday morning and going to sleep Tuesday night. I don't think anyone else on the team had but a couple more winks of rest, either. At long last, the day had come. In the pouring rain, there we all were, strategically placed at the busiest intersections in Cobb County during rush hour traffic, waving our signs and shaking our butts and begging for truckers to honk their horns at us. So much had changed over the year: Cindi went from being unsure of herself and talking too fast in crowded rooms, to being the social butterfly that commanded a room's attention with her powerful voice and intelligent words. The entire team had transformed. No one thought the campaign was a job, no one thought Cindi would be an "okay" district attorney. Everyone who had spent any time with Cindi knew she was more than worthy of the position and had earned it 10 times over.

When 7 pm rolled around, it was time. All of our hard work was about to pay off. Unfortunately, this little anecdote ends there.

After hours of excruciating wait, the results were in. Even though there were 32,263 people that believed in Cindi just as much as we did, it wasn't quite enough. We lost. While we were all upset and disappointed and shell-shocked, the most amazing thing happened.... Cindi smiled. She told us we were crazy for looking so down in the dumps, because we had done what no one had expected us to do. We proved every single person wrong who had been critical of her race. We worked hard and we worked for something that we believed in, and the numbers proved just how hard we worked. Then that amazing woman gathered her husband and personally went to DA-elect Vic Reynolds' victory party to congratulate him. Months and months of work, money, tears, and stress - and she was still congratulated her only opponent in person. If that isn't classy, I don't know what is.

The fact still remains, though, that we lost. I was (read: still am) truly heartbroken... But we didn't work for an attorney with a nationally-known trial on his resume. We worked for the underdog, and we worked our butts off. So many people thought Cindi was crazy, but thousands and thousands still believed in her. Though I am disappointed, a 53/47 split is nothing to be ashamed of. I am holding my head high with pride as I drive past our yard signs. If anything, I gaurantee every single person in Cobb County know's the name "Cindi Yeager" now. She is so passionate and smart and I have no doubt that her private practice is going to absolutely explode with business after this campaign. I congratulate Vic on his win, but as Jessica so perfectly stated, "Cindi Yeager earned the position but Vic Reynolds was awarded the position." I am in no way trying to disparage Vic's campaign or the work that went in, and he knows that because I personally spoke with him the day after the campaign to congratulate him, but we went from rock bottom and gave him a run for his money like no other. Your opponent may win more votes, but that has nothing to do with whether or not your campaign is victorious.

Bottom line: I am beyond blessed to call Cindi and the rest of the Yeager family my friends. If I get a phone call in 4 years, I'll be right back out there with them fighting poll workers and knocking on doors til the end.

One of my idols.

Marietta 4th of July parade

I'm Tori Wester, and I approve this message.

All any of us wants is another political rant blog. For those of you familiar with me through my Facebook, Twitter, or (bless your hearts) real life, you know I can be quite vocal about my opinions. So why am I starting a blog when half the potential readers are more than likely already receiving passive aggressive mass text messages from me every time an elected official opens their mouth? Well, I have no good reason for putting you all through this torture. That being said, the campaign that took over the past 7 months of my life has ended and school doesn't start back for two more weeks; therefore, this soon-to-be proverbial blog is now born. Truth be told, I want a formal platform to share my thoughts. In addition to giving you incredible amounts of political wisdom and increasing your IQ by approximately 8.27% per post, I find myself quite hilarious and hope that you might, too.

Now, for those of you that don't know me personally, I'm sure you are wondering who the heck am I if you have made it this far into an introduction post. My name is Tori Wester and I am a campaign work-horse for deserving GOP candidates in the Metro Atlanta area. I am 7 classes away from a degree in political science at KSU and I currently work as a paralegal at a personal injury firm in Marietta. I have served in leadership positions for the Georgia Association of College Republicans and chaired both the KSU College Republicans and the Cherokee County Young Republicans over the course of my collegiate career.

I am a proud member of the Republican party, but I view myself as a different breed of conservative. The young people in this area/state/country have evolving beliefs and they are not always congruent with the beliefs of the older party members we share business cards with. I view myself as a conservative in the libertarian sense of the word: "Hands off, government." However, I am a realist to a fault, and I harbor far too many emotions to be a true libertarian. For example, I have that pesky human compassion nonsense that leads me to believe in welfare reform. Not that we don't ALL believe in reform - I just believe some people truly need help and we have an obligation to help them as fellow human beings. No, the government isn't responsible for anyone, but it is the largest (and could potentially be the most effective, depending on who is in charge) platform to create an impact on the world. My minor is in Peace Studies, so I am not as gung-ho about military intervention as many of my other Republican counterparts. I am a proud Christian and hope that all I do every day of my life brings glory to God, but I don't believe that the state should regulate marriage because, 1. marriage is an institution recognized by God and the government has no effect whatsoever on the legitimacy of that union, and 2. it is inherently unequal to prohibit rights/privileges from one group if another group receives them. (See how that is a conservative viewpoint?? Non-goverment intervention, traditional Christian ideals, and equality to all as per Constitutional rights, all in one cute bundled package!)

As you are now privy to the most basic and insultingly surface-level secrets of my political soul, I invite you to stay tuned for more opinions, analyses, praises, and condemnations of the United States government from my perspective. I welcome opinions and refutes of my posts, should they stay civil and academic in nature. I look forward to indoctrinating you with my 22-year-old wisdom.

-Tori Wester