Although they are late in joining the ranks of student campaign groups, Georgetown’s chapter of Youth for Ron Paul is looking to recruit students and spread the word about Paul’s libertarian ideology on campus.
According to Christian Rice (COL ’14), who founded the chapter in December, the group hopes both to promote Paul’s campaign and to educate students.
“We aren’t really planning to change the vote in D.C.,” Rice said. “It’s about educating people about libertarianism and the federal system as it was set up, instead of how it is now.”
Chris Mlynarski (COL ’12) said that he identified with Paul’s stance that individual behaviors should not be monitored by the government.
“He’s the only candidate who believes the government shouldn’t be a moral arbitrator,” he said.
Rice is not worried about the size of the group, which currently boasts about 20 members.
“Even if we had just 20 members, I’d be fine. We can still do a lot,” he said.
Rice believes that Georgetown’s demographics contribute to the lack of support for Paul’s candidacy for the Republican nomination.
“He generally does better among younger folks, but especially poorer people, so the wealthier kids who are more likely to attend Georgetown would be more likely to support a different candidate who caters to their political views better,” he said.
According to Mlynarski, although Paul appeals to undergraduates because of his fiscally conservative but socially liberal beliefs, Georgetown students are unlikely to support his radical policies.
“There’s not really a revolutionary mindset, because a lot of people at Georgetown are going to be going into [the industries targeted by Occupy Wall Street],” Mlynarski said. “We don’t want a revolution because we want these industries to stay intact, since we are going to be the beneficiaries.”
Derrik Sweeney (COL ’13), who joined the group after being approached by Rice, hopes to find more students on campus who adhere to Paul’s idea of individual liberty.
“People don’t understand the unintended consequences of government intervention,” Sweeney said. “I think people have a lot of great aims and objectives, but when government policies try to redirect flow of capital in the market, they tend not to achieve their aims and hurt everybody.”
Youth for Ron Paul has tabled in Red Square twice and plans to continue to promote their message around campus with flyers and T-shirts. Rice is also collecting signatures on a petition to bring Paul to campus as a speaker.
“The best part is just knowing that there’s a chance of making a difference, even if there are just two or three people that come over to our side and see things our way,” he said.
