So, a couple years ago, I meet one of our states former senators while hiking, and he invited me to join our local GOP chapter.
Initially I was able to do a lot, because I was in a good location, and my medical issues hadn't hindered me as much as they do currently (I'm legally disabled at 29 now, cause of abdominal issues, possibly due to a vaccine given to me in a hospital when I definitely could not consent to it, but that's a whole different can of worms)
But most of the work was outreach, knocking on doors for campaigns, or making calls around voting time. I tried to do more multiple times, but this branch? Committee? Former senator? believed that everyone should be compartmentalized.
No one needed to know what anyone else was doing. No one needed to know what another part or group was working on. I wanted to be able to find out where I could put my talents to use, and his suggestion was just tell him what you could do, and he would place you somewhere, or get you in contact with someone, and that person was now who you kept in touch with.
The problem was, most of these people were older, boomers or even older than that, or sometimes they were just busy, and they couldn't do their duties. So you were forced to report to someone, and if they never replied or connected you with anyone, you were out of luck, and told to just keep trying.
Our local young republicans chapter was kind of limbo, run by someone who was overworked, but never given any help to work.
My medical issues caused me to stop doing as much, and while I'm a PC, I haven't been able to go to as many events, but I've still been trying.(To note, during this time, no one ever tried to reach out to me)
Or at least I was, a few months ago, I got a call saying I should go to one of the meetings, to run for PC again, and I went. Multiple people there seemed kind of hostile and stand-offish, I assumed because I hadn't been there in a while? And one even tried to kick me out, saying it was for PCs only, even tho I had been invited and my name tag was sitting on the table. She seemed visibly upset that I was allowed in.
Of the few events I've been to since, a lot of people have been cold to me, and now the latest email about Charlie Kirk went out, about inviting people to come watch his vigil.
The email said "Please send this to anyone you know under 30". I'm about to turn 30 in a month, and with this, I feel like I've really lost connection to the branch.
I have a whole rant on X about how it felt like they constantly favored older people, and put them on important projects and campaigns, but repeatedly just used the younger people to do grunt work like get signatures and knock on doors. I know that is a lot of it, but we had an older woman who ran ALL our social media, everyone of them, all campaign social medias, and we had to just accept it, and each campaign couldn't run their own.
It was a horrible mess, and now I don't know where to go from here. What resources do I have, what difference can I actually make?
I have a lot of free time, but I'm unsure of how to best make use of it now.
(A small story real quick. A poll watcher found a blatant violation on the voting floor, and was wondering who to report it to, so she went to the former senator and told him. He told her to report it to who was above her, but the lady above her was notorious for not doing her work and job, ghosting people for days, etc. He told her to just do it, and that "that's how things are done here" she was aghast. Why couldn't she do it herself?
Another small story. The receptionist for the office is a 70 year old woman with alzheimer's who has had multiple complaints about her not being able to answer the phone properly and give people the information they need, but they've refused to replace her, because they "feel bad" for her, even tho she has caused many people frustrations and not get what they need or want.)
Yours is not the first time I've heard these horror stories. I think the GOP has been infiltrated by saboteurs and incompetents. In my county it was nearly impossible to get yard signs, you could not get a call back even and if you did they said they were all out.
I think these local chapiters need to be reviewed, audited and cleaned out with some young blood and people who actually answer the phones, order ample signs ahead of time and actually work to help the Republican candidates instead of doing nothing and acting like self-important kings and queens in their little social clique.
I agree!
We were forced to use an app for voter outreach, and weren't allowed to use anything else, simply because we "paid a lot of money for it" yet it constantly went out, and wouldn't even work on Android phones! Half our meetings were about training to use it and it was constantly broke!
Imagine that, half our time and meetings, dedicated to a broken, half working app. It's clearly time wasting.
There are so many young motivated people I met, who can't break through because of these asinine practices. Getting yard signs was also a big problem in our county!
Fuck all that, you and your friends can ignore them and canvas neighborhoods yourself, request 1000 signs and make that your ministry. Talk to Individuals, convince them to vote and ask permission to plant the lawn sign. P on P canvassing is fruitful and bypasses tech, have a yellow legal pad of paper and write down the addresses you canvassed and record.
Rinse and repeat.
Perhaps, at least for now, put your energies into a chapter of Turning Point USA?
I don't think we have a chapter out here, as we have our own Young Republicans and High school Republican groups. But I believe they mainly want people under 27 and those in high school and college, and I'm out of that age range now.
Even their AmFest tickets are a 100$ difference for those over 27
Less than a decade ago you couldn't drink legally. Now you're too old? Maybe you could start a Turning Point chapter. If, like you said, it's a bunch of old, unmotivated probably not even conservatives running things, look to the young ones. They need to be trained up properly so the bureaucratic BS finally comes to an end. Before long, it will be them who are in the positions those oldsters are in now.
~What resources do I have, what difference can I actually make? I have a lot of free time, but I'm unsure of how to best make use of it now.~
YEAH! You are motivated, you have time, and YES you can make a difference!
You cannot let bureaucratic inertia stop you! The Republican Party for some reason has been unable to break through it for whatever reason for decades. Trump has broken through that sclerosis and inertia!
I am sorry I cannot give specific advice for how to best utilize your time and energy as you are asking. But hang in there! Your purpose will become clear to you, to the extent it is "clear" to all of us.
[Maybe reach out to the Trump Team?]
That might be a good idea. I'm thinking about making a small group myself perhaps, of people who feel like me, called "The Lost Conservatives" or something, where we can pull our motivation together and pool our own resources perhaps?
I appreciate your comment! It can feel really lonely out here, especially when I see the party moving on and doing things without me. I'm trying to do what I can!
I feel like motivated young to middle aged people, are an under-utilized resource.
Please do not be under-utilized!
You might look up Jeffrey Prather. He has some type of patriot network for taking useful local action.
I can't speak with real knowledge as I've never been a part of any local political groups but I think they are largely just a social gathering. In today's world, calling people and knocking on doors isn't really doing anything except annoying the person you are interrupting. It's a boomers last bastion. Yard sign still seem to be a thing though... I dunno.
Be a digital warrior. If you can get the position in social media, that's where you are going to make a difference.
Tbh, you're not wrong. A lot of the meetings and luncheons all seemed to be old people getting together and just venting about world politics. A lot of it wasn't actually discussing strategy or what to do in the world.
Door knocking can be beneficial, but they really only want you to knock on republican doors to tell them to vote. I had one campaign I worked on, who said frick that and told us to knock on Dem doors, and while many of them were receptive, he still lost..
I am trying to get on social media though! I have a lot of topics I'd like to write about, so I'll be pursuing that avenue.
Wherever you are led I hope it is fulfilling and successful. Keep fighting Anon.
I've never been involved with politics at this level, because it just sounds horrible to me (but glad there are people like you). Sheesh, 30 is the new cutoff for aging out? So the only advice I can give is in relation to:
In my experience, a unexpected reception like that, that comes out of nowhere, is someone talking behind your back. Someone's been slandering or bad-mouthing you, possibly. You need to note who is distant, who is still friendly, and whether the coldness is consistent or limited to a few people. Pay attention to behavior, like avoiding eye contact, short replies, exclusion from things. Try to find a friendly, and see if you can broach the topic and find out what is up by just straight out asking them in private.
It is also possible it's unrelated stress caused from something else. I know I've had work projects that can get pretty stressful for the group, and if management throws a new person into the mix at the 11th hour, they would probably receive the cold shoulder too, and not for anything they've done themselves. (Sorry I've got no advice for your main question, but I wish you luck)
I agree that it might be someone talking behind my back. I feel like it was because I had a lot of optimism and was going to a lot of meetings, but then ended up pulling back some when my medical issues started back up, but I still tried to make events here and there.
Anyway, I just appreciate the comment and kind words! It can be pretty lonely out here.
Gun safe