Leader of Young Republicans Not Exactly Young

Which shows you how palatable the Republican brand is to my generation thanks to George Bush. It’s sad, since I was a supporter of Colin Powell and would have voted for George Bush in 2000 since he had Colin Powell in his cabinet. Now? I wouldn’t be caught dead voting for a Republican in their current incarnation.

Audra Shay, the Young Republicans leader accused of endorsing racism

Shay is a 38-year-old Army veteran and mother from Louisiana, who works as an event planner and serves as vice chairman at large for the Young Republicans. She ran on the platform of “Restore, Revitalize, Reinforce,” which emphasized rebranding the Young Republicans as more hip through Facebook and Twitter, and spreading "our message of lower taxes and less government to these corners and let people know that we’re here and we’ll hold the Democrats’ feet to the fire.” She was endorsed in the election by her governor, Bobby Jindal.

If the leader of the Young Republicans is 38 years old then truly the Republican party is the party of the old and the rich. Then again I shouldn’t be that surprised that 38 is young by Republican standards since the previous Republican candidate for President is 72 years old.

Frank Rich explains who is left in the GOP

That’s why Palin won’t go gently into the good night, much as some Republicans in Washington might wish. She is not just the party’s biggest star and most charismatic television performer; she is its only star and charismatic performer. Most important, she stands for a genuine movement: a dwindling white nonurban America that is aflame with grievances and awash in self-pity as the country hurtles into the 21st century and leaves it behind. Palin gives this movement a major party brand and political plausibility that its open-throated media auxiliary, exemplified by Glenn Beck, cannot. She loves the spotlight, can raise millions of dollars and has no discernible reason to go fishing now except for self-promotional photo ops.

It’s not like Democrats represent my views either. Bill Maher lays out the problem on the left side of the spectrum.

What we need is an actual progressive party to represent the millions of Americans who aren't being served by the Democrats. Because, bottom line, Democrats are the new Republicans.

In the absence of a real progressive party in the United States, what is there to do? Hide under a rock and wait for mainstream America to play catch up? It took nearly 20 years for people to stop vilifying the gay community. I’m not spending half my life waiting for an incremental improvement in American attitudes on more complex and nuanced issues that this country faces.