The Oklahoma GOP is doubling down on one of its many great hallmarks — alienating young voters.
Later this week, the Oklahoma GOP biennial convention — an essential oil blend of bad haircuts, cheap navy suits, and designer jean dresses — will take place at Crossroads Church in South OKC, bringing into town a who’s-who collection of rural right-wing wackos, theocrats, homeschool moms, MAGA lovers, future convicts, and other of God’s Misfits.
Outside of deal-making, backstabbing, and circle-jerking, I don’t really know what happens at political conventions, but one item on this agenda is a vote to cease giving guaranteed delegates to “Young Republicans” and their more elitist “College-Educated” brethren.
We know this thanks to rabble-rousers with the Oklahoma College Republicans. They took to social media to complain about the proposal:
I looked into the college kids' claims, and sure enough, it appears that state party leadership wants to stick all the youngins back at the card table in the other room like it’s Thanksgiving.
Check this out:
The youth-hating genius behind the plan is the state party’s national committeewoman — angry white woman Charity Linch.
Based on my five minutes of research, Charity appears to be your run-of-the-mill Christian nationalist homeschool mom. You know, the one who spends her spare time pushing election and vaccine conspiracies, fighting for “conservative Biblical values” in Oklahoma communities, and — I assume — making goat milk soap.
She explained her logic for the proposed rule change in a blog post:
There are several organizations in Oklahoma that support the Republican Party. One group should not feel entitled to privileged treatment. No organization should get their own delegate votes at a state convention. Why would we pick only a certain group that gets preferred treatment?
We encourage young people to participate in party politics. We ask that they come with their county, as every other adult does.
Yeah, I don’t think Charity really thought this through. I mean, even Hitler had his youth brigade, right?!
Seriously, people in their 20s and 30s are not only the torchbearers for the GOP’s absolutely nutty and insane ideas, but also the future leaders who will have to run for office and see them through.
Why wouldn’t you want to hand out some participation trophies and get them involved? The two groups combine for only 30 out of the 1,000 delegate votes, so it's not like it gives the kids an unfair advantage or influence.
Naturally, Charity defended her position with the classic hypothetical straw man–slippery slope combo — always a solid tactic when you don’t have a real argument.
Every county I visit is wondering where the younger generation is. They are in the Republican Party, but they are incentivized to segregate. We want them to meet on their own, like many women’s groups, 2A groups, moms groups, etc. do, but they need to come to convention as delegates of their county.
I choose to believe the original intent of giving the Young Republicans and College Republicans their own delegate votes was a sincere effort to include them. I also believe it was unfair from the start. Where is the line fairly drawn? Should we give elderly special votes? Should we give women special votes?
Yeah, this is like your child asking, “Why don’t we have a Kid’s Day?”
It’s because every day is Kid’s Day — just like every day is "Elderly Person Day" in the Oklahoma GOP.
What’s next? Charity arguing to eliminate Mother’s Day, outlaw Senior Discounts, and force children to pay full price at the buffet? They eat just as much as old people, amiright?!
Then again, maybe I’m being too hard.
If you ignore context, logic, and common sense, I can see where Charity is coming from.
Young people and old people are both people, so why — outside of College Republicans possibly going to school in counties that are hundreds of miles away from their home — should they get special treatment?!
What’s next? Giving teachers’ unions, drag queens, and trans athletes voting privileges???
Ooops. Sorry. I turned into Ryan Walters there for a second. My bad.
Although Charity laid a solid weak case for her proposal, I’m hearing via the Ogle Mole Network that there may be ulterior motives.
Apparently, most, if not all, of the delegates from Young Republicans and College Republicans didn’t vote for Charity at the last convention.
If that’s true, I guess these little Republicans-in-training are learning one of the first lessons of politics — always vote for the winner, or face the passive-aggressive consequences.
Anyway, I guess we’ll continue to monitor this story.
It will be interesting to see if Oklahoma Republicans hate the youth so much that they eat their own young, or make the strategically correct move to give junior Republican leaders — like Ryan Walters’ former campaign manager — a seat at the table.
Stay with The Lost Ogle. We’ll keep you advised.
