This will be making the rounds of lefty bloggers tomorrow, so you might as well see it here first:
Nevada’s chapter of the Young Republicans has basically imploded, leaving its chairman with up to $25,000 in personal debt and allegations that he mishandled money.
All but three people have resigned from the statewide group, but the fallout could prove increasingly embarrassing to the entire state Republican Party.
Today, the chairman of the group, Reno resident Nathan Taylor, plans to hold a press conference attacking three of the state’s party leaders — Sen. John Ensign, Rep. Jim Gibbons and Rep. Jon Porter.
Taylor argues that the state’s Republican delegation should have helped him fund the national Young Republican convention held last week at Mandalay Bay.
“I’ve got bills at the hotel I can’t pay,” said Taylor, a 29-year-old political science senior at UNR who said he had to quit his food service job and drop classes to plan the convention.
Taylor estimates that the convention, attended by about 600 people from around the nation, is at least $10,000 — and up to $25,000 — in the red.
Fabulous. Get this man a job at the CBO.
Seriously- if this was young Democrats I would be chuckling right now. As it isn’t, I will just shake my head and watch the libs gloat.
p.lukasiak
Wow, I actually kinda feel sorry for this guy….he sounds like one of the “little people” who gets in over his head, and gets screwed because he doesn’t know what he is doing.
and quite frankly, its pretty amazing that the National Young Republican organization would allow their National Convention to be run by one guy in Nevada. You’d really expect the national organization to be in charge of the overall finances….
jenofiniquity
I’m not gloating. The Karl Rove Affair, I’ll gloat over. Some poor schmuck in Nevada…not so much.
bg
Yup. Don’t feel like gloating. Don’t really feel bad for the Young Republicans either though.
Did anyone else notice that by holding their convention at Mandalay Bay, not only were they meeting up in Sin City, but they were convening at the single hotel in Vegas that has a rep for being gay friendly? That makes me chuckle.
db
And then there’s this story from being reported over at Kos that is already being gloated over.
http://dailykos.com/story/2005/7/13/21744/8071
Here, you got to admire the NJ GOPers taking a stand against this crap knowing full well it would go national.
It’d be interesting to see how the NV story pans out.
Marc Lawrence
Sorta like the beltway Republicans’ deficit-spending. The kid’s got a bright future.
Marc Lawrence
Sorta like the beltway Republicans’ deficit-spending. The kid’s got a bright future.
Jimmy Jazz
Multiply by oh, $9 billion and you have the Green Zone in Iraq.
stickler
Goodness knows we all have faults. But this:
… wallows in lameness. One hopes the young (?) man has done some service in the Armed Forces, or the Merchant Marine, or the Foreign Legion so that he managed to be both 29 and a senior. At UNR.
Now if he’s any of the above, God bless him and let this be a lesson to all paranoid Democrats: yeah, the Republicans have more money and a better infrastructure for building party activism, but they have some really scary faults, too. That this guy is on the hook for almost $30K is an indication that something, somewhere, went badly wrong.
Jess
And then there’s this story from being reported over at Kos that is already being gloated over.
http://dailykos.com/story/2005/7/13/21744/8071
Jess
Sorry, db–that was supposed to be a block quote of your post, not plagiarism!
Marc Lawrence
He’s just like his deficit-spending elders. He even blames others for his own mistakes. This kid could have a bright future in Republican politics.
eileen from OH
I won’t gloat – this is sad and I feel sorry for the guy and y’know it could happen to anyone and he’s a young person that’s involved in politics and we should applaud that and. ..
oh, hell, who am I kidding. . .let’s gloat, you weenies! This is the same Nathan Taylor that didn’t want a recruitment ad in the program at the College Republican Convention cuz it was “too negative.” Granted, the ad was a ploy by Operation Yellow Elephant but still, Taylor was the guy sending out emails about how the Satanic Liberals were going to destroy their Vegas convention. (!!!!!) Turns out the SL didn’t even need to show up.
Ask not for whom the gloat tolls, oh ye young Republicans, it tolls for thee.
eileen from OH (it’s late, I’ve had a few brews, I’m not feeling charitable, okay?)
db
Jess,
“What’s really funny is how everyone jumps all over the grammer issues in the comments–no wonder the Dems aren’t winning elections!”
You’re right on… but to elaborate further on your point. This is the kind of behavior (elitist, grammar checking) that pisses people off so much; and then they wonder why they can’t win elections!
SamAm
Meh. Who takes glee in something like this? As a symbol of a party out of control, it’s only as good as about 100 others. But I’m not going to be happy because someone got over his head and can’t pay his bills.
Jess
db,
I get very irate with the PC snobbiness on the left–it’s just as annoying as the self-rightous born-again crap from certain groups on the right–but on the other hand it’s hard not to get exasperated with the willful ignorance that seems to have taken over the GOP. A lot of us in the middle as well as on the left feel like we’re being held hostage by other people’s stupidity. As Churchill (I think it was him) once said, the best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter. Or, as a friend of mine once said, ignorance is a condition; stupidity is a commitment. We’re seeing a lot of very committed Bush supporters right now. I won’t nitpick about grammer issues, but I do wish they would make a more honest effort to understand more than just the talking points. Our future is riding on their grasp of reality, and it’s not looking good.
KC
Well, at least it’s a story that’s not about the Plame-Rove scandal.
sockmonkey
all this poor boy needs to do is sign up for the war his President started. Big bonuses.
if only all the young republicans would sign up when they are not blathering on about “hilary” and “terrorism” and “God” we would not have a recruitment problem.
eileen from OH
Is it snobbiness to expect that those would presume to lead us have at least a basic grasp of the English language? Must we applaud and CELEBRATE those who do not, in order to avoid being “elitist?”
I don’t want to incur the wrath of the spelling or “grammer” police, (trust me, I’m controlling myself here)but I really dislike the idea that you have to dumb down your message in order to be understood.
It’s insulting to your audience, not because they don’t have your language skills, but because you EXPECT them to not have your language skills. And so you deliberately use language you “think” they will understand. Talk about condescending.
eileen from OH
Jess
Eileen,
It’s a tactical mistake to think that one type of rhetoric will fit all situations and audiences. Shaping one’s rhetorical style isn’t quite the same as “dumbing down.” It’s an even bigger mistake merely to do a cosmetic job on one’s rhetoric (in either direction) without first truly understanding where your audience is coming from (or, in deference to the grammer police, from where your audience is coming). What irks me about about both sides of the political fence is the inability to see things from a different point of view. Whether you want to make peace or wage war, understanding your audience or opponent is crucial. This was a big part of Clinton’s success, and Kerry’s failure.
ArchPundit
As a fairly liberal guy and one who has taught both traditional and non-traditional students, I think the fact that he is 29 and an undergrad is irrelevant to the whole story. He’s pursuing a secondary degree and that’s a good thing. Maybe he served in the armed forces, maybe he didn’t. Maybe he was a merchant marine, or maybe he had to support younger siblings. Maybe he had a kid too young and he had to support her. Maybe he is a complete screw-up. I don’t know, but he’s trying to get a legit secondary degree and good for him.
That said, he’s in for a bit of tough love with the Nevada State Party so if he’s a screw-up, regardless of his early twenties, everyone’s going to hear about it. I remember plenty of idiots in the College Dems. Not quite as idiotic as the guy from New Jersey, but plenty who had problems like this guy.
eileen from OH
Jess, I agree with your basic point. But tell me how “shaping one’s rhetorical style” to an audience isn’t dumbing down? At least in the context of which we are speaking.
As a playwright, I fully understand the importance of knowing your audience. It’s my stock in trade. My problem isn’t with the use of language, per se. In classes or seminars, I always emphasize the need to write dialogue not as it SHOULD be spoken, but how it IS spoken. But that is in the context of “character.” When a real person, talking to real people, adopts an artificial patois, or vernacular, or whatever you want to call “bad” English or “bad” grammer (sic) does it – it comes across as phony – because it is.
My point (yeah, I have one!) isn’t that a politician shouldn’t know his audience. Hell, I think anyone who opens their mouth in a public forum should know this. It’s just that I don’t think that a politician who speaks English correctly should be castigated and called elitist because he does. Hell, I dont’ think ANYONE should be. You can still be plain-spoken, you can still be direct, you can still be blunt, etc., without tryin to adopt a good ol’ boy, I-don’t-speaka-da-good-English stuff.
Hopefully, that made sense. (It’s late!)
eileen from OH
Dennis
Just one question about Nathan Taylor – how did he ever get to be chairman of the chapter without knowing about a thing called a budget? Spending money first and then asking someone else to pay the bills doesn’t sound anything like “fiscal responsibility” to me.
He should go far in Republican politics – as a mattter of fact, I hear there is going to be a top-level staff job open in the White House soon.
njguy93
As a resident of New Jersey, I can tell you that the Republican Party is as good as dead here, at least for now. New Jersey is a solid Blue State, and John Corzine will likely be our next Governor. It doesn’t matter who the Chairman of the “New Jersey College Republicans” is. Although it is not surprising that their grammar is indicative of a troglodyte, it still doesn’t matter. New Jersey Republicans should just pack it in donate their campain funds to charity and spend time with their families.
THANK YOU.
[email protected].
LGM
So goes Nevada, so goes the nation. It’s been fun.
LGM
So goes Nevada, so goes the nation. It’s been fun.
otmar
“quit his food service job” ?
That’s quite a nice euphemism for flipping burgers.
Demdude
Maybe his parents threw him out of the their basement after the last Star Trek Convention.
Robert
The debt could EASILY be paid by an Enlistment Bonus in the Army or Marines.
JP
I don’t care what your political leanings… you have to feel sorry for the guy, at least until you hear the full story. It is one thing to “deficit spend” when you can just keep printing money in the basement, it is quite another thing when you have to come across with the green. As for being in the “food service industry”, my Daughter is working as a server to help with college costs. I appreciate the $20/hr she is making now as opposed to the $8/hr she was making in the “foot service industry”.
Glitch the Obscure
I’m not sure what is sadder, the fact that this guy can’t budget at the age of 29, or that many of the self-identified “liberal” commenters here think it’s funny that a man would go to college at 29, and take a menial job to make ends meet, in order to get ahead in life.
I mean, the guy is stiving for some upward social mobility, and he’s willing to work his ass off for it. How gauche!
Marcus Wellby
There are plenty of reasons not to make it to college until 29. I didn’t have the money to go until i was 22, and even then I felt like I was decades older than the average freshman. So on that level I can feel for him, he most likely works close to, if not, full-time and is surrounded by young kids, many of which haven’t had a first job yet.
But this guy should know how to handle money by the time he is 29. He is not a “young person” or a “kid”. He is a grown man and should know better. I applaud his seeking a higher education — but he shouldn’t act the age of his classmates.
Demdude
Maybe he would have finished college earlier if he had loans** available for him to finish school.
**Loans= Something he would pay back, so save the govt handout crap.
Doug
At the risk of proving someone’s point, it’s “grammar” as opposed to “grammer” (as eileen obviously caught.)
Doug
In any event, from the article, I see that this fellow is no stranger to financial controversy.
Sounds like this might not have been a simple matter of Taylor getting in over his head.
rs
Lighten up on the guy-he’s successful when compared to Arbusto
capelza
Wow..
First off, I have no problem with a 29 y/0 going to college or working a food service job. Good for him. I didn’t go back to school until I was 30. Stuff kept coming up in my twenties. I wish him well on that.
But how in the hell did a 29 y/o get himself personally 25K in debt? Or expect the state party to help fund the convention? Shouldn’t that have happened BEFORE the convention? I’d say this for Young Dems as well, BTW.
Oh, and I just have to bring up the little scandal in the last year or two of the College Republicans “fundraising” elderly people out of all their money. Yewwwww.
I did go check out the Kos thread. Gotta say, the kid’s grammar and spelling was pretty bad for a leader and a university student. Or..perhaps Rutgers has a community college outreach? (Thank god I went to a cow college in OR..also, because I only went to the cow college, don’t tear apart my own grammar this early in the morning), but I agree, the grammmar police are annoying anywhere, though things like that just pop out at ya. Wouldn’t you folks on the right do the same thing if the person in question was a Dem. As I read it, I kept hearing an old friend’s thick “Joisey” accent, from the spelling and syntax, oh and the shaking down bit, too..
Ariadne
Look, I think it’s a positive move for the GOP to clean house when their people are screwing up. But as far as grammar concerns go, it’s not “elitist” to expect STANDARD English.
Your point is?
He tried to be corporate and he didn’t know what he was getting. Guess he thought other people get away with criminal acts in corporate world and this is a Fascist state now. It also sounds shady and criminal about Mr. Taylor re: the $25,000 that was missing, that made him start the company — was he thinking small business loans would bail him or just starting the company would get his fellow YRs off his back long enough to try to make money on the convention? Since I don’t really care about him and am enjoying a YR squirming due to money issues, so what? At least he isn’t squirming on the front lines as he should be. All YRs need to enlist to make up the shortfall on recruitment. Haven’t all of you already enlisted or are you not talking to all of your friends and family to get right down there? Why isn’t there an outcry from all of you about Jenna and Barb Jr. not yet enlisting? Your Leader has put out the call for recruits. Get going!!! Mr. Taylor should really get going. He has a lot of debts he needs to pay off now.
jcricket
Doug makes a good point. If you read the article John linked to, the situation isn’t as sympathetic to Taylor as it might first appear. The resignation of the other board members and the unwillingness of anyone else to step up in their place should be a red flag to anyone believing Taylor’s side of the story.
His age does make his budget handling skills seem even weaker than one would expect, but aren’t most Americans in debt up to our eyeballs anyway? I’d say he’s no different.
The situation in NJ is comical, with the chairman of the Rutgers Young Republicans trying to pull a “mini-Tom-Delay” and shake down a political campaign for money. He has apparently forgotten that email can be forwarded, so he gets publicly and righteously smacked down by officials in the state Republican party. Watching the chairman implode in his email responses (the bad grammar isn’t just bad, it’s hilariously atrocious) is really funny. Seriously, those of you criticizing Dems for criticizing his grammar must not have a sense of humor.
And, if you read the details of that case, you’ll see that there’s also a long history of the individual misappropriating funds from the College Republicans.
And yes, as John said, I wouldn’t be surprised if there are College Dems who misappropriate funds or otherwise do shady things. It just hasn’t risen to the level of the College Republicans in a while (the senior-citizing fundraising scandal comes to mind as a particularly egregious example of Colege Republican shenanigans).
skoon
From: Heterosexually yours,
Gen. JC Christian, patriot
I think it’s time for you to get tough. Look to our national party leaders for guidance. First, ask yourself, “What would Karl do?”
skoon
Dear Karl Rove: I just wanted to tell you that no matter how much indisputable evidence those fact-obsessed intellectual reporters release about you betraying America, I join the President in not caring diddly-squat about so-called national security when the only war that matters is the one we’re waging against Democrats. So that makes you TOPS in my book! Anyway, however it happened, that bimbo Valerie Plame got what she deserved for marrying a moron who spouted crazy talk about Saddam bin Laden not having all those Nukepox Laser Deathrays you made President Bush promise we’d find. Heck, she should be happy that you only assassinated his CHARACTER! Well, I would say don’t let this ‘Plame Game’ get you down, but I’m sure you’re already orchestrating your greatest-yet Machiavellian stratagem (replete with Clintonian legalistic parsings) to slither out of doing any prison time – especially since you were polite enough not to use Mrs. Wilson’s first name. So good luck with the indictments and likely cover-up conspiracy investigation, and next time you’re whispering him sweet nothings, please tell Bob Novak I think his waxy tufts of silver ear hair are massively SEXY – in a totally non-homosexual way, of course!
skoon
Dear Karl Rove: I just wanted to tell you that no matter how much indisputable evidence those fact-obsessed intellectual reporters release about you betraying America, I join the President in not caring diddly-squat about so-called national security when the only war that matters is the one we’re waging against Democrats. So that makes you TOPS in my book! Anyway, however it happened, that bimbo Valerie Plame got what she deserved for marrying a moron who spouted crazy talk about Saddam bin Laden not having all those Nukepox Laser Deathrays you made President Bush promise we’d find. Heck, she should be happy that you only assassinated his CHARACTER! Well, I would say don’t let this ‘Plame Game’ get you down, but I’m sure you’re already orchestrating your greatest-yet Machiavellian stratagem (replete with Clintonian legalistic parsings) to slither out of doing any prison time – especially since you were polite enough not to use Mrs. Wilson’s first name. So good luck with the indictments and likely cover-up conspiracy investigation, and next time you’re whispering him sweet nothings, please tell Bob Novak I think his waxy tufts of silver ear hair are massively SEXY – in a totally non-homosexual way, of course!
skoon
Dear Karl Rove: I just wanted to tell you that no matter how much indisputable evidence those fact-obsessed intellectual reporters release about you betraying America, I join the President in not caring diddly-squat about so-called national security when the only war that matters is the one we’re waging against Democrats. So that makes you TOPS in my book! Anyway, however it happened, that bimbo Valerie Plame got what she deserved for marrying a moron who spouted crazy talk about Saddam bin Laden not having all those Nukepox Laser Deathrays you made President Bush promise we’d find. Heck, she should be happy that you only assassinated his CHARACTER! Well, I would say don’t let this ‘Plame Game’ get you down, but I’m sure you’re already orchestrating your greatest-yet Machiavellian stratagem (replete with Clintonian legalistic parsings) to slither out of doing any prison time – especially since you were polite enough not to use Mrs. Wilson’s first name. So good luck with the indictments and likely cover-up conspiracy investigation, and next time you’re whispering him sweet nothings, please tell Bob Novak I think his waxy tufts of silver ear hair are massively SEXY – in a totally non-homosexual way, of course!
guy34
Dear Karl Rove: I just wanted to tell you that no matter how much indisputable evidence those fact-obsessed intellectual reporters release about you betraying America, I join the President in not caring diddly-squat about so-called national security when the only war that matters is the one we’re waging against Democrats. So that makes you TOPS in my book! Anyway, however it happened, that bimbo Valerie Plame got what she deserved for marrying a moron who spouted crazy talk about Saddam bin Laden not having all those Nukepox Laser Deathrays you made President Bush promise we’d find. Heck, she should be happy that you only assassinated his CHARACTER! Well, I would say don’t let this ‘Plame Game’ get you down, but I’m sure you’re already orchestrating your greatest-yet Machiavellian stratagem (replete with Clintonian legalistic parsings) to slither out of doing any prison time – especially since you were polite enough not to use Mrs. Wilson’s first name. So good luck with the indictments and likely cover-up conspiracy investigation, and next time you’re whispering him sweet nothings, please tell Bob Novak I think his waxy tufts of silver ear hair are massively SEXY – in a totally non-homosexual way, of course!
Kimmitt
The funny part to me is his entitled expectation of getting bailed out.
SeesThroughIt
If I point and give a hearty Nelson Muntz “haw haw!” is that considered gloating?
I found the NJCR saga funny, but as a copy editor, I also found it profoundly unsettling.
sam
Dear Karl Rove: I just wanted to tell you that no matter how much indisputable evidence those fact-obsessed intellectual reporters release about you betraying America, I join the President in not caring diddly-squat about so-called national security when the only war that matters is the one we’re waging against Democrats. So that makes you TOPS in my book! Anyway, however it happened, that bimbo Valerie Plame got what she deserved for marrying a moron who spouted crazy talk about Saddam bin Laden not having all those Nukepox Laser Deathrays you made President Bush promise we’d find. Heck, she should be happy that you only assassinated his CHARACTER! Well, I would say don’t let this ‘Plame Game’ get you down, but I’m sure you’re already orchestrating your greatest-yet Machiavellian stratagem (replete with Clintonian legalistic parsings) to slither out of doing any prison time – especially since you were polite enough not to use Mrs. Wilson’s first name. So good luck with the indictments and likely cover-up conspiracy investigation, and next time you’re whispering him sweet nothings, please tell Bob Novak I think his waxy tufts of silver ear hair are massively SEXY – in a totally non-homosexual way, of course!